Astra vs Generatepress: Which one is perfect for you?

WordPress themes are quite a lot in the market but do they all serve your purpose? Definitely not. Using the right theme can be good support whereas the wrong one could be devastating for the website. Today, we are about to discuss point-to-point features of two famous themes named Astra and GeneratePress.

This is a mutual comparison between Astra & Generatepress creating a word graph to acknowledge you. We bring forth comprehensive knowledge through this article on both themes to let you decide which one is worth buying when building your website.

Astra vs GeneratePress

Generatepress and Astra both are enriched with features and functions for you to build trendy websites. Still, there are some differences between them by which it will be specific to choose one over another. So, here goes a deep-dive analysis of the themes so that you can make a good decision to purchase the right one you need.

Let’s start with a brief on Astra vs Generatepress, shall we! 

Astra Summary

BrainStorm Force company developed Astra which is a lightweight, fast, and customizable WordPress Theme. Over 1.6 million websites are made by Astra and come with both the free and pro version. Webpage designing is painless with the features it has at reasonable costs. Also, it has a variety of site layouts to build websites for different niches. 

Generatepress Summary

Tom Usborne developed GeneratePress with the same focus on speed, stability, and accessibility as Astra. According to GeneratePress, over 4M downloads and 90K+ customers are using it. It has hundreds of customization options, well-organized starter sites, and block-based theme building in premium versions. 

An Overview of Astra and GeneratePress

As we have an overview why not learn the features in detail for these!

Common Features in Both Themes

Before we hop into the differences between Astra and Generatepress, let’s check out the common features that both of them have. And, they are;

• The free version is available in both themes.
• Both the themes are multipurpose.
• Code-free interface and convenience in visual enhancements. 
• They both are compatible with major page builders.
• Enable or disable modules with just clicks.
• WooCommerce support.
• AMP support.

Unique features

The unique features are the ones that differentiate Astra and Generatepress in the long run. Well, that doesn’t mean one of the themes is advanced and another one is not. In fact, the differences are more clear for different people to choose one theme as required.

Astra

Astra theme is developed to serve as an all-in-one theme following end-user needs. A great number of useful features are combined with this theme. And, they are;

• Fast and organized customizer
• The number of starter templates is huge
• Easy Digital Downloads integration
• White-label
• Megamenu

GeneratePress

GeneratePress developers believe in keeping things simple, giving you just enough features to make your site distinctive and beautiful. It is less concerned with these features. The unique features of GeneratePress are;

• Sufficient filters and hooks
• Code that is both stable and tidy, as well as optimized

Winner: Astra premium

User Interface for both themes

One of the most important parts of the WordPress theme is the User Interface where Astra and Generatepress both are iconic. Let’s learn a little more about both themes and try to sort out which one is advanced.

Astra UI

Keeping the user-friendly accessibility and flexibility, Astra has organized the interface plain and simple. All the modules, features, and some free plugins are present in the Astra Dashboard. You just need to activate or deactivate them to use. Well, they are not in groups so whatever you need to access, just find it and enable it. Moreover, you will get a starter template link with the same board on the sidebar. Just click there to get access to the 460+ demo sites for a head start.

GeneratePress UI

As for GeneratePress, you will find the features listed in groups. The view is user-friendly as well. I believe the flexibility is good with all the options to use directly, no activation required. Also, there are no backend dashboard settings except the premium version. So, you need to use the native WordPress Customizer. GeneratePress is more lightweight than Astra but the interface is impressive in the premium version.

Convenience in Customizing

When it comes to customization (ease of use) Astra vs GeneratePress doesn’t seem quite a variant. In fact, they both are advanced in appearance and customizer features. The module approach is in groups and you can enable or disable them as required. So, customization for both themes is easy, flexible, and unbeatable.

Number of Modules

The modules of Astra and GeneratePress are different in count and variation. The projection of the modules in building  websites is similar in both themes but different by name. Though the count is not the same, the modules and customization features cover your design necessities.

Winner: Astra

Builder Compatibility

Builder compatibility of Astra and GeneratePress is quite a handful. Both of them support Elementor, Beaver Builder, Brizy, and Thrive Architect. Still, most users say that Astra got better support than GeneratePress with a large number of page builders. 

The Astra pro theme has good integration with the Elementor & Beaver Builder . GeneratePress has a good combination with Thrive Architect.

Winner: Tie

Performance & Loading Speed

The performance of Astra and GeneratePress are good enough as they both focus on that especially. As for the loading speed, the difference is minimal but according to my testing, Astra is slightly faster than GeneratePress. But, the test was initiated with a very basic website without the use of any advanced design works. Suppose you are using 15 to 20 modules with intimate customization, the speed test results definitely will not be the same.

Astra Performance

GeneratePress Performance

Winner: Tie

Header & Footer control 

The header & footer section of a webpage demands a bit of extra care for an exclusive look. Keeping that in mind, Astra and GeneratePress both have brought a wide range of functionalities. So, here goes a brief description of both themes header & footer control. 

Astra Header

The header option of Astra is a premium feature that comes with the Astra Pro Addon plugin. Customize your Astra page header or site header with professional design concepts. You will have three options for header customization.

The first one is the Page Header comes with numerous customization facilities. Choosing a layout, adding a Breadcrumb, title text and background modification, Parallax addition, etc. are here. The layout setting lets you align the Header text or not to keep one. Page navigation is smart with the Breadcrumb and Parallax is for the featured image to keep a different speed while scrolling.

Second one is the Site header which is global and you can make changes or customize it by merging with the Page header. Selecting a logo, changing border color, primary menu background color, link text color, link hover color, and more are included. Also, merging the Site Header with the Page Header gives a transparent look of the Site Header text over the Page Header background.

Finally, the Display Rules option lets you specify the header to be shown or not shown on different pages. It has three options to give permission or exclusion. So, you can make the Page Header and Site Header visible to all pages, or specific pages, and even make restrictions for users as well.

Astra Footer

Astra has a Visual Footer Builder separated into three sections named Above, Primary, and Below. In the General Tab, you can work on Column, Layout, Width, Height, Vertical Alignment, and Hide on Mobile options.

In the Design tab, you will find top border size & color, border color, background color, inner column spacing, padding, and margin features to add and modify.

However, several footer elements like buttons, Social Icon, Copyright, widgets, and more are available to apply and modify.

GeneratePress Header

The header section of GeneratePress is also well featured with lots of customization. You can add a logo in the header and customize that. Need to mention, that GeneratePress allows the SVG logo to be added. The mobile header customization is great as it disables the default website header for the devices.

You can split the header into three sections and modify texts and elements as required. Also, you can define the header width & alignments as required. Moreover, you can put widgets in the sections even if there is one by default.

The site title and tagline can be added and modified by changing the values. Or, you can remove them by hitting the checkboxes next to them.

In addition, GeneratePress offers some Header Presets to speed up your work in the section.

GeneratePress Footer

Generatepress has numerous features to bring a professional look to the footer area. You get the pleasure to change the copyright message and add one of your own. Also, a couple of decorative footer widgets are available in the theme to save design time. Nevertheless, you can add social icons to the footer and control the footer’s inner width and bar alignment, and more. So, try for once by yourself and get overwhelmed by its facilities.

Winner: Astra

WooCommerce Support

Astra and GeneratePress both of these are integrated with WooCommerce. If you have an active plugin for WooCommerce on WordPress still you can use in-built modules/addons instead of that. The number of products on a page, alignment, layout, product information, illustration everything is good with both the themes. There are no remarkable differences between them and both have good WooCommerce Support.

Winner: Tie

Custom Layouts

Astra provides the opportunity to create a variety of custom layouts. As a user, you can fabricate a custom layout for the header, footer & 404 page. Moreover, to connect third-party software, you can create a custom hook page under both themes.  

In Contrast, GeneratePress doesn’t offer custom layouts but gives you the way to create one with codes.

Winner: Astra

Integration Comparison for Both Themes

Comparing the integration power of Astra vs GeneratePress, there is quite a big difference found. Let’s find out more about them and then go for the evaluation.

Astra Integration Convenience

Astra theme has good collaboration with third-party plugins, LearnDash, and LifterLMS. It has a good combination with Elementor and Beaver Builder. Also, it has integration for Easy Digital Downloads. And, there is no need to mention WooCommerce support individually. Moreover, in order to build comparatively complex pages, Astra has elements to use.

GeneratePress Integration Convenience

GeneratePress also has good integration with third-party plugins. But, in comparison with Astra, the number of third-party plugin assists is lower in GeneratePress. It has WooCommerce integration of course and has tight unification with new views and layout betas with full control of custom post types and theme elements. Furthermore, this theme has an intimate bonding with the Toolset plugin.

Winner: Astra

Stater Templates

Stater Templates are quite a support to jumpstart your project with less effort. Astra and GeneratePress both have a good number of demo sites. Still, there are some differences between their offerings.

Astra Stater Templates

Astra Pro has over 460+ Stater Sites including several agency templates for users to design some amazing website. They focus on builder-based categorization more than purpose-based. And, that means, you can choose a demo site according to the builder you are using such as Elementor, Beaver, Brizy, or Gutenberg. Free and premium demo sites are also separated.

Page Builders Types	Number of Astra Templates
Elementor	233+
Beaver	115+
Brizy	40+
Gutenberg	80+
Total	468+

GeneratePress Stater Templates

GeneratePress has 71+ Stater Templates that are comparatively low in the count. But, the categorization of the demo sites is more friendly so far. You can choose any of the categories for business, eCommerce, or blogging.

Website Type	Number of GeneratePress Templates
Business	41+
E-commerce	11+
Blog	20+
Total	71+

Winner: Astra Pro

Developer Friendliness

Well, there are not really differences in Developer Friendliness as both Astra and GeneratePress are meant for non-coders. You can make changes with the custom CSS as well. In a word, both themes have a solid framework and are friendly for developers with unlimited freedom to add custom code to the websites. So, as a developer, play with the website as you want.   

Winner: Tie

Child Theme Support

The Child Theme is present in both themes. But, the difference between Astra and GeneratePress is, Astra allows you to create a child theme whereas GeneratePress child theme is ready-to-go. However, both the themes provide a child theme with the free version as well.

Winner: Tie

Widgets control

You may need to use widgets in the footer bar or sidebar as blocks for shortcut links of social media, galleries, calendar, popular posts, etc. No worries, Astra and GeneratePress both come with convenience in widgets control by default. Moreover, you can add new widget areas using plugins.

Winner: Tie

Color Pallet 

Make your website visually melodious with the resembling color combination. Similar to many other matchings between Astra and GeneratePress, the Color Pallet for both is rich for selection and use. No need to write codes while modifying the visual aspects of the widget title color to the footer link shade. 

Well, there is something where GeneratePress is a little advanced that allows you precision in menu elements, slider elements, and form elements colors.

Winner: GeneratePress

Free Versions: Astra vs GeneratePress

Free versions of Astra and GeneratePress both have some advantages and disadvantages. Astra has starter sites where GeneratePress doesn’t. Also, both the themes have limitations with features and functions. When comparing the free versions, Astra outperforms GeneratePress, which is more of a demonstration. 

Related Article

Kadence Vs Generatepress: Which Theme Has Better Performance?

Ratings

Astra has a 5-star rating from 1.6K+ reviews according to Trustpilot which is excellent. Also, it has a 4.9-star rating from over 5K+ reviews according to WordPress.org which is also amazing.

According to WordPress.org, GeneratePress got a 5-stars rating with 1.3K+ reviews.

Drawbacks

Comparing Astra and GeneratePress, the advantages are focused on them both. Still, there are some drawbacks or limitations individually. The shortcomings of the themes are to acknowledge you only, not to underestimate any of them.

Astra

• More expensive than GeneratePress
• The Free Version Is Extremely Limited

GeneratePress

• Third-party integration limitation
• The free version is with a lot of restrictions
• No Whitelabel option

Winner: Astra Pro

Support & Documentation

One of the most significant things to look for in premium themes is the quality of support and documentation. Astra and GeneratePress both have rich documentation and strong support. Still, they are not the same in this anyway.

Astra 

As for Astra, the support is great even though it is a little delayed, sometimes only on weekends. So, if you need support during the working days and hours, there won’t be a problem. Still, some users may not be happy with the support where Astra kept that under consideration for the time being.

Astra theme documentation contains more than 200 articles to explain A-Z. Also, their YouTube channel is more appreciative of people who love watching and learning.

GeneratePress 

GeneratePress, on the other hand, has better support even on the weekends. Any query or help you need, just place it and have a reply within an hour at most. Well, you should be a paid user to get direct support from GeneratePress by posting questions. Free users can get support through WordPress.org.

Detailed documentation of GeneratePress’s theme features is truly impressive. You will have good help if there are any issues with the theme features. Also, the developer of the theme, Tom Usborne sometimes responds to some queries by himself.

Winner: GeneratePress

Community & Forum Support

Astra’s official Facebook community has 44.8K+ members. And, Astra forum support is also available for you. Well, there is a support policy page that you can visit their official website to go through.

GeneratePress has its official Facebook community with 8.5K+ members. Like Astra, GeneratePress forum support is where you can get group help. Moreover, GeneratePress provides forum support directly through its official website for premium clients.

Pricing

The difference between Astra and GeneratePress is also applicable with pricing as they offer different plans. Here, Astra has a few more options for clients to choose from. But, that doesn’t make GeneratePress far behind Astra.

The pricing of Astra is Pro $49, Essential Bundle $169, Growth Bundle $249. You will have 20% off on yearly renewal.

The pricing of GeneratePress is Yearly $59 and Lifetime (One-time payment) $249. And, you will have a 40% discount on yearly plan renewal.

Still confused about whether to pick one between Astra and GeneratePress themes? Then read another article comparing Divi and Enfold, trendy WordPress multipurpose themes. 

Final Verdict

Both the themes are fast and there is no comparison in this section. So, we can say they both are fast among the focused WordPress themes available today.

Astra’s websites are all fully functional and provide more diversity. Whereas GeneratePress demonstrations feature a distinct design style. Getting variation with Astra functionality could be an advantage where GeneratePress is unique on its own.

Astra is created for the general public but GeneratePress is better for developers. That isn’t to imply that a developer wouldn’t select Astra; it’s just that they are designed for a specific user type.

Simply put, Astra and GeneratePress both are amazing in their specialties. Users need to make the choice among them which one is more useful, that’s all. 

FAQ