ASTRA vs OCEAN-WP
OceanWP vs Astra, the two have a lot in common. Both themes were built with 2 goals put first. The themes must load quickly in order not to lose any visitors and they must work perfectly with Woocommerce. Built shops should offer options that make the theme stand out when compared to other themes. Both themes have succeeded in this task, which is why Astra has already been installed on websites 1.000.000 times and OceanWP 600,000 times. I will not reveal everything in advance, read on.
ASTRA THEME (Astra vs OceanWP)
We start in this Astra vs OceanWP comparison with the Astra Theme which does not automatically mean that it would be better. There are only a few themes that were really built to load as fast as possible in a browser, Astra is one of them and probably the fastest loading. The size of the Astra code is only 50kb, very small and everything has been thought to make it lightning fast. The same goes for Generatepress, whose compressed code itself is only 15kb. Despite that, everything is possible with Astra and it is also built to work with Woocommerce, the best E-commerce system for Wordpress. We will later inform you abou the loading times for OceanWP.
Astra and OceanWP come standard without a page builder, but the themes are prepared for all top page builders. It is advisable to install one of the following page builder plugins in order to work flexibly and quickly and to have more options: Divi Builder, Elementor, BeaverBuilder or Thrive Architect.
ASTRA PRO PREMIUM WP-THEME
The Astra Theme has now been installed on more than 700,000 websites. The price of Astra PRO is $ 59, a very reasonable amount for such a good theme. While installing the theme, we notice how easy this is with the demo installation. We do a few speed tests and see that the theme loads really fast in our browser, even with a large number of modules activated.
The theme easily wins the race for the best rating for Wordpress themes, which of course catches the eye. Everyone is clearly full of praise for this theme and nobody is negative. Check out the image below, 3537 rating and just a few negative ones (that must be haters). Everything else practically 5-stars. It must be said that Generatepress has an almost equal rating as Astra, also very high.
Download here the free version of Astra. The free version can do much less but is just as fast. In case you just want to build a simple site this just might be enough for you and not spend any money.
ASTRA LOADS VERY FAST
The image above loads you to see how the 4 best known speed tests evaluate Astra. The 100% Pingdom score means that no other site was faster. Google scores 95%, Y-Slow scores 91%, where GT-Metrix displays the absolute loading time of 0.4 seconds. Take it from me these are insane scores for a WordPress website.
ASTRA IMPORTING DEMOS
With Astra you don't have to start building your site from scratch. Take a head start by installing a demo. The easiest way to do this is by downloading this plug-in. You can now install the demos via your backend. It is also possible to get the demos directly via the Astra website by going to this page.
There are several demos for all niches and there are hundreds in total. Not that Astra is unique in this, Generatepress and other premium themes also let you have such numbers of demos with a theme like Soledad theme with 5000+ demos as an outlier. It is known that the Elementor page builder goes perfectly with Astra, probably recommended if you are going to integrate a page builder.
ASTRA PRO MODULES AND SETTINGS
We have glued the 2 images below together because of their width. On the left you see the module list found in the PRO version. With Astra you can choose which modules are active, the rest is out so that your pages have a minimum of code.
On the right you see the settings as you find them in the margins of your pages and posts. You can determine exactly how it is styled per page and post.
WOOCOMMERCE SHOP IN ASTRA
Creating a webshop is very easy with Astra and it all looks great too. No wonder because Astra was built with this purpose in mind, among other things. We use Woocommerce for our shop because Astra is set up for that. The free version offers you a menu in the standard WP-Customizer for the Woocommerce settings. Documentation here. In the PRO version you will find extra settings in the module panel for optimal styling. Documentation here.
OCEAN-WP THEME (Astra vs OceanWP)
In this Astra vs OceanWP Theme comparison, we now discuss the free and premium versions of OceanWP. The OceanWP Theme has been installed on 600,000+ Wordpress websites and downloaded 2.5 million times. Those are numbers that will stand out. Why is this theme so popular? When looking at OceanWP's rating, it is immediately noticeable that it is also very high. The rating that can be practically rounded to 5/5 as shown in the picture below is of the quality of that of Astra and Generatepress which are also OceanWP's closest competitors.
OceanWP: Strengths
OceanWP Theme review: Speed
The main difference between OceanWP and the 2 aforementioned closest competitors is that OceanWP has put the emphasis more on top design (especially for web shops) and Astra and Generatepress on speed. OceanWP is also built on speed but not as forced as the other 2. The image above shows that OceanWP scores 98%, ie of 100 sites, 2 were faster than OceanWP. It is important to consider for yourself what is more important. A site that loads everything within a second can of course be called top fast and speed is one of the good features of OceanWP which makes it so popular.
OceanWP: Beautiful design
So the design is something that has been given more than enough attention by the OceanWP team and it shows. The theme shows a beautiful design on all devices and the demo websites offered are of very high quality. See photo below.
And for Woocommerce...
OceanWP: Woocommerce extensions
The OceanWP theme has also been perfected on Woocommerce, the most popular webshop system in the world for Wordpress. Not only for customization of its design, but it offers a host of conversion enhancing gadgets. For example the so-called native cart pop-up. After you put an item in your basket, a pop-up will appear to encourage you to pay. This alone would bring about 8% more conversion. There are a number of Woocommerce modules that you can view on their own site.
To be fair, we have to admit in this review for OceanWP that the theme is one of the best for creating webshops. If you want to have a perfectly working shop that looks fantastic, OceanWP is your theme.
OceanWP: Core extensions
The premium version offers access to all core extensions (see photo below). The possibility to build a full screen site with scroll, the practically mandatory cookie notification, a customizable pop-up login, the removal of the OceanWP label in the footer, beautiful portfolios, the aforementioned Woocommerce extensions, a sticky footer , and hooks (more for professional builders).
OceanWP review: Video
In the video below from OceanWP itself, you will quickly be made aware of the benefits of the OceanWP theme. The video only lasts 48 seconds.
OceanWP: Conclusion
My conclusion is that OceanWP is a fantastic theme that is definitely worth the money. The theme is perfect for web shops, has a great design, is easy to operate and loads very quickly. That's basically all a good theme needs. It just lacks a good page builder to finish it.
OceanWP works perfectly with Elementor, but also with one of the following elite page builders: Divi Builder, BeaverBuilder and Thrive Architect.
Premium Plugin Modules & Extensions
Up until now, we’ve been focusing on what’s available in the core versions of Astra and OceanWP. These versions are free to download and are, therefore, more likely to be used by more WordPress users.
It is, however, important to remember that both Astra and OceanWP are freemium products, and the developers rely on selling premium plugin extensions to stay in business.
By upgrading to Astra Pro or OceanWP’s Core Extension Bundle, you can unlock the full potential of these themes by gaining access to all premium theme demos and premium plugin extensions.
Let’s take a closer look at the premium extensions available for Astra and OceanWP.
18 modules are available in Astra Pro. There’s no option to purchase these separately. Instead, all modules are unlocked when you purchase a license for Astra Pro.
The modules available in Astra Pro are Colors & Background, Typography, Spacing, Blog Pro, Mobile Header, Header Sections, Nav Menu, Sticky Header, Page Headers, Custom Layouts, Site Layouts, Footer Widgets, Scroll To Top, WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, LearnDash, LifterLMS and White Label.
As you can see, Astra Pro greatly enhances the theme by adding many more design options and customisation settings to the WordPress theme customiser — settings that are sorely missed in the free version of Astra.
Modules such as Blog Pro, Custom Layouts, Site Layouts and Page Headers open up many more possibilities for creating unique website layouts.
The pro version of Astra has some useful modules for agencies and web design companies too. White labelling can be used to rebrand Astra as your own creation, and modules such as WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, LearnDash and LifterLMS help to integrate Astra with third-party plugins and services.
A total of 13 premium plugin extensions are available for OceanWP. These can be bought separately or as a bundle.
The premium extensions are Full Screen, Cookie Notice, Popup Login, Instagram, White Label, Portfolio, Woo Popup, Sticky Footer, Ocean Hooks, Elementor Widgets, Side Panel, Sticky Header and Footer Callout.
A number of OceanWP premium extensions help you to adjust your website layout. This includes Sticky Footer, Footer Callout, Side Panel, and Sticky Header. As with Astra, there’s an extension for white labelling.
There’s also a portfolio extension that’s highly customisable. You can add created portfolios using shortcodes and adjust the design in the WordPress theme customiser.
Some OceanWP premium extensions are useful, but aren’t too specific to the theme itself. For example, the cookie notice and Instagram WordPress plugins. They work well, but there are many alternatives on WordPress.org.
One of the best extensions integrates dozens of additional Elementor widgets that can help you to improve the look and feel of your content. OceanWP does work well with other drag-and-drop page builders, but it’s no surprise that an Elementor plugin extension is included given that the developers recommend Elementor during the installation process.
If you compare the premium modules and extensions available for Astra and OceanWP on a like-for-like basis, I believe Astra Pro offers more as the plugins are more specific to Astra.
In some ways, it’s unfair to say Astra Pro is better, as the modules in Astra Pro are addressing the lack of customisation options in the free version. However, if OceanWP wins the battle of best features and settings, we need to give Astra Pro the lead for premium plugin extensions.
While I can understand why so many website owners stick with the free versions of Astra and OceanWP, I’d encourage everyone to give the premium versions some consideration as they are both fairly priced.
Astra Pro retails from only $59. This grants you access to all of the Astra Pro modules, and premium support and updates for an unlimited number of websites for a year.
If you jump to their mini agency bundle for $169, you’ll be granted access to all 70 starter site theme demos, their portfolio plugin and your choice of either Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder or Ultimate Addons for Elementor. An agency bundle is also available at $249 that gives you access to more premium plugins from Brainstorm Force. All plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Unlike Astra, the developers of OceanWP give users the option of purchasing premium extensions individually. All premium OceanWP extensions are sensibly priced at $9.99 a year, but I have no doubt most people will opt for the OceanWP Core Extensions Bundle instead, as it offers better value for money.
OceanWP: Pricing
In contrast, purchasing an OceanWP plan gives you access to all premium theme designs and plugin extensions — although you do need to spend more money to get support and updates for additional websites.
Astra vs OceanWP Comparison Final conclusion
Thanks for reading this Generatepress vs OceanWP comparison till the end. Astra and OceanWP are both great themes. Both themes are perfect for building e-commerce websites (shops). They hardly avoid each other and I have no personal preference. In terms of speed, Astra is a bit faster, although OceanWP should also be counted among the fastest Wordpress themes available. My preference here is Astra, although it makes little difference in practice. In general, Astra seems a bit more mature to me than OceanWP with more options and is certainly my favorite of the two for normal websites.
Reblog :
https://www.codeinwp.com/blog/oceanwp-vs-astra-vs-generatepress/
https://www.wpcrafter.com/versus/astra-vs-oceanwp/
https://wpmarmalade.com/astra-vs-oceanwp/
Even changing global colors is a pain… I find myself cycling through their list of color change options trying to figure out what their descriptions even mean. And half the time when I change an OceanWP setting, it doesn’t even work as expected; resulting in me having to use custom css to achieve the intended goal. Not to mention the dated looking templates that come with OceanWP and rare updates. I also experience slow websites with Elementor + OceanWP which requires a bunch of tinkering to improve.
Sure, OceanWP is helpful in certain areas, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Honestly, mosts of the themes I’ve tried have been very disappointing. The ones who offer slick looking blocks/elements/templates tend to be bloated and slow… while the ones like Kadence Pro (which I just purchased based on WpCrafter’s recommendation, but have yet to try) seem to be cleaner and faster, yet are drastically lacking in the aesthetics department (boring, overly simple, uninspiring and dated looking templates). Even many of their blocks share in the look of something iThemes put out over a decade ago. Sure, some css can fix that, but it’s odd to me why none of these developers seem to be able to offer the best of both worlds (functionality and good design sense). I realize I’m coming across as very critical, but I’m just being honest in my opinion and hoping maybe someone from OceanWP or Kadence will read my comments and make some changes.
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