Astra vs Salient Theme comparison 💥
Astra Theme (Astra vs Salient)
Why Astra continues to lead as one of the most trusted WordPress themes...
In this comprehensive overview of Astra, we explore why over 2.3 million users worldwide trust this exceptional theme. Renowned for its lightning-fast speed, robust flexibility, and seamless integration, Astra is a game-changer for web developers and designers alike. Whether you’re building a portfolio, blog, or eCommerce site, Astra empowers you with the tools to create professional-grade websites efficiently.
Compared to popular competitors like GeneratePress, Astra stands out with its extensive features, intuitive design, and user-friendly interface. It’s more than just a theme—it’s a complete web development framework for WordPress.
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In today’s digital era, speed is paramount for online success. Astra’s lightweight design ensures fast loading times, improving both search engine rankings and user engagement. This optimized approach to performance makes Astra a leader among WordPress themes.
Astra 4.0 introduces groundbreaking features
The launch of Astra 4.0 brings a host of enhancements that redefine what’s possible with WordPress themes. Featuring advanced customization options and enhanced loading speeds, Astra 4.0 simplifies website creation for everyone, from beginners to seasoned professionals.
Spectra 2.0 transforms design possibilities
Spectra 2.0, Astra’s integrated page builder, offers over 50 widgets and an intuitive design interface. This robust tool empowers users to create sophisticated websites effortlessly, making Spectra 2.0 a standout feature of Astra’s ecosystem.
What WordPress users love about Astra
Astra boasts exceptional ratings and feedback from its users. With over a million active installations and countless positive reviews, it’s clear that Astra is a trusted choice for WordPress professionals and newcomers alike.
Optimized for eCommerce success
Astra excels in creating high-performing online stores. Its WooCommerce compatibility and features like Infinite Scroll, Quickview, and advanced grid layouts make it easy to enhance the shopping experience and boost sales.
Launch projects with ready-made templates
Astra’s extensive library of over 180 professionally designed templates caters to diverse industries and niches. These ready-made options allow users to quickly build visually stunning websites, saving time and effort in the process.
Unmatched performance and speed
Performance is where Astra shines brightest. Its lightweight framework ensures blazing-fast loading times and seamless operation, making it a top choice for anyone prioritizing speed and reliability.
Compatible with top page builders
Astra’s integration with leading page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder provides users with limitless design potential. These tools make it easy to create custom, responsive websites without any coding experience.
Enhanced SEO with built-in schema
Astra includes built-in schema markup to enhance search engine understanding of your content. This SEO-friendly feature helps increase your site’s visibility and organic traffic.
Built for online learning platforms
Astra works seamlessly with learning management systems like LearnDash and LifterLMS, making it a top choice for creating intuitive and engaging educational platforms.
Custom headers and footers simplified
With Astra Pro, users can easily design headers and footers that align perfectly with their branding. This feature enables you to create a cohesive and professional website layout without requiring advanced technical skills.
Advanced features for all website types
Astra’s expansive feature set includes layout customization, typography settings, and much more. Whether you’re building a blog, an online store, or a corporate site, Astra offers the flexibility and power to meet your needs.
Cost-effective pricing options
Astra provides exceptional value at $59 annually for unlimited site usage. For agencies and developers, the lifetime license offers significant savings and a reliable solution for long-term projects.
SALIENT THEME (Salient vs Astra)
To start with, before the beginning of this Salient Theme review, I have to tell you that the theme has been among the top best-selling themes for years now on Themeforest.net. Okay, currently in 11th place, and highest ranking ever maybe in 4th place. There are much better-sold themes but Salient has absolute top features that we will take a closer look at.
As a matter of fact, buyers are more enthusiastic about the theme than they are about any other theme. It has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 based on 5700 ratings. For a premium theme with many options, it is a super-fast loading theme. The builders of Salient are currently claiming one Google Pagespeed score of 97%, we will come back to this in a moment.
Salient’s page builder editing
With the latest version 11 of Salient it now has the front-end page builder of the WP Bakery Page Builder. Themes have to keep up with the times, of course, all toppers have frontend page builders with Thrive Architect being the most impressive I think, followed by Divi and Elementor. Instead of images, we show you below in a video how the Salient page builder works. The WP Bakery Pagebuilder (formerly: Visual Composer) is one of the oldest and best out there, let's say the number 4 right now (my opinion).
Salient's speed performance
I did not check it myself with the speedometers concerned, but they show this on their website. Those are really anti-social good scores for Google Pagespeed and Y-Slow (GT-Metrix). Without a doubt impressive. It is very important for a website that it loads quickly, because visitors are impatient nowadays and are quickly away from sites that do not immediately have something to show.
Importable demo websites
Like every self-respecting theme Salient has beautiful easy-to-import layouts. At the time of writing, it says on their site that it concerns 285+ demo layouts. A nice number but not a leader in this area. The layouts do give a very good impression and in the end 1 layout is enough so we will not give any negatives for this in this review for Salient.
Salient’s lazy loading
Lazy loading means that images are not immediately shown in their full resolution. They appear immediately but blurry and slowly pull up. This ensures that other elements on the page load faster and the entire website is visible to visitors much earlier. Normally people use a plugin or a CDN service for this, but with Salient this is not necessary although there is nothing better than a professional CDN-service if you want a super fast website.
Final thoughts on Salient
We won't bore you with details common to most themes in this Salient review. We've highlighted the key advantages, and there are few downsides. The high ratings from buyers reflect its quality. The theme is definitely worth its $60 price tag on Themeforest.net. That's a typical price for a premium theme. Click the button below for more info. While Salient isn't my top pick as a web designer, I do use it for certain clients. For my top choices, check out the best WordPress themes [2024].
Salient vs Astra showdown
Thanks for reading this Salient vs Astra comparison to the end. When it comes to fast loading times, Astra shines and might be the fastest pro theme available. Salient is fast, but it can't match Astra in this area. Both themes allow you to create beautiful sites and shops. Salient offers more customization options without needing HTML knowledge. Personally, I prefer Astra combined with Elementor Pro for a smooth and efficient website-building experience.
Finally, let's talk about pricing. With Salient, you'll need to buy a separate expensive license for each website. In contrast, Astra can be used on unlimited sites, offering excellent value and great deals.
Rating Features with Stars ⭐
| Feature | Astra | Salient |
|---|---|---|
| Page Builder | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Speed | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customization | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| SEO Optimization | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Design Quality | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Mobile Friendliness | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Value for Money | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Header and Footer Customization | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
FAQs
1. How user-friendly are Astra and Salient for beginners?
Astra is very beginner-friendly with its seamless integration with Elementor. Salient also offers ease of use with WP Bakery Page Builder, but Astra's simplicity might be more appealing for new users.
2. Can I create a multilingual site with these themes?
Yes, both Astra and Salient support multilingual plugins like WPML and Polylang, making it easy to create a site in multiple languages.
3. Are there any unique features in Salient that Astra doesn't offer?
Salient includes unique visual effects like parallax and lazy loading built-in, which are less emphasized in Astra. These features can add a dynamic touch to your site.
4. How does customer support compare between Astra and Salient?
Astra is known for its excellent customer support and active community. Salient also offers solid support, but Astra's support is often highlighted as a strong point.
5. Which theme is better for SEO?
Both themes are optimized for SEO, but Astra's built-in schema markup gives it a slight edge in terms of search engine visibility.
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