Astra vs Twenty Twenty-Two comparison [2024] 💥
ASTRA THEME (2022 vs Astra)
WP-Astra is the fastest Wordpress theme ever made...
In this comprehensive Astra Theme review for [2024], consider this impressive statistic: over 2,369,964 users have chosen Astra for their websites. The reason behind this widespread preference? Astra is not just developed, but meticulously crafted, akin to a custom sports car. It's engineered for creating visually stunning and highly responsive online shops, with loading speeds comparable to the swiftness of a cheetah.
The team behind Astra didn't just release a theme; they introduced a formidable force in web design, quickly rising in popularity akin to a hit record. In terms of performance, particularly speed, the only theme that approaches Astra's capabilities is Generatepress. However, when considering the overall excellence and features of themes, Astra stands out remarkably, much like a compelling, enigmatic protagonist in a blockbuster film.
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Understanding the importance of website speed is key: swifter websites tend to rank higher in Google's search results, likened to ascending a digital Mount Everest. Speed enhances user engagement, encouraging visitors to stay longer on your site, much like a magnet attracting and retaining attention. In today's digital landscape, website speed holds significant value, comparable to a coveted golden ticket in the realm of online success.
Choosing Astra means entrusting your website to experts in optimizing web speed. Picture your online store as a race car: the faster it performs, the more efficiently it guides customers through the checkout process. Astra is designed not just for aesthetic appeal, but also for exceptional speed, ensuring a swift and smooth user experience. It's akin to adding a powerful boost to your website, significantly enhancing its performance.
ASTRA 4.0 JUST GOT RELEASED
The recent release of Astra 4.0 represents a significant stride in the evolution of WordPress themes. I highly recommend starting with the overview video linked above to gain a quick understanding of its new features and enhancements. Following that, delve into the rest of this article for a more comprehensive exploration. Astra has long been a frontrunner in the WordPress theme market, continually improving and adapting to meet the dynamic needs of users.
Its latest iteration, Astra 4.0, further cements its status as an essential asset in any WordPress user's theme collection. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a novice in website design, Astra 4.0's blend of flexibility, power, and ease of use makes it an invaluable tool for crafting engaging, responsive websites.
SPECTRA 2.0 OUT NOW
The inclusion of Spectra 2.0 into the Astra Theme marks a significant enhancement to an already robust platform. Spectra 2.0, Astra's proprietary page builder, brings a new level of functionality and ease to website creation. While it is currently offered for free, the prospect of a future paid version indicates the potential for even more advanced features and capabilities.
Astra has always been recognized as a top-tier theme, but the integration of its own page builder, complete with a suite of diverse widgets, elevates it to new heights. This advancement not only enriches the user experience but also solidifies Astra's position as a comprehensive solution for website building, catering to both novices and experienced developers alike.
ASTRA FREE & PRO: RATING
Interested in Astra's standing in the realm of theme popularity? A visit to Wordpress.org illustrates Astra's remarkable acclaim – it's widely celebrated, with an abundance of 5-star ratings. The statistics are noteworthy: the free version of Astra has been adopted by over a million websites. When including the Pro version, the total reaches an impressive 1.6 million. This popularity underscores Astra's significant impact in the web design community, akin to a major event drawing a large and enthusiastic audience.
ASTRA WEBSHOPS
Consider Astra as the essential ally in enhancing your online store's sales. It goes beyond mere aesthetics to effectively convert visitors into customers. An online store utilizing Astra can be likened to a high-performance sports car in a field of bicycles – it stands out for its superior speed compared to other themes. Interested in seeing how Astra outpaces its competition? Visit this page on the Astra website for speed test comparisons with over 50 other leading themes. These tests, resembling a contest of efficiency, are meticulously conducted by SEO experts, highlighting Astra's exceptional performance.
On the aforementioned page, there's detailed information about the combination of Astra and WooCommerce. A swiftly loading webshop is not only advantageous for user experience but also highly favorable for Google's search rankings. With Astra, envision your online store rapidly ascending Google's SERP, similar to an accelerated boost. It's akin to equipping your shop with advanced optimization tools for search rankings, thereby attracting a significant influx of visitors. This leads to a notable increase in both visitor engagement and their appreciation for your site, paralleling the crescendo of excitement typically seen during a grand celebration like New Year's Eve.
Welcome to the world of Astra, where customizing your online shop is straightforward and user-friendly, requiring no advanced technical expertise. A few years ago, such ease of use might have seemed fanciful, but today, Astra ensures seamless compatibility with a wide range of WooCommerce plugins. It effectively manages these integrations, much like a skilled coordinator overseeing a diverse array of components.
That's just the beginning. Astra comes equipped with a suite of contemporary features designed to elevate your webshop to standout status. Key features include Infinite Scroll, enhancing the shopping experience by providing a continuous flow of products; adaptable grid settings, offering a tailored display for your merchandise; an off-canvas sidebar for a sleek navigation experience; Quickview for expedient shopping; a dropdown cart for a delightful shopping surprise, and much more. Intrigued? Explore these capabilities here. Additionally, there's a selection of ready-to-use shopping demo sites available for one-click integration, simplifying the design process remarkably.
ASTRA: STARTER DEMOS
Prepare to be impressed by this remarkable aspect of Astra: it doesn't just offer templates but provides an extensive collection of 180 complete website designs. This is indeed substantial – each option is a fully realized website, ready for immediate use. It's akin to entering a repository where every resource is readily available at no extra cost. You can select a design, apply your branding, and quickly launch a sophisticated website. These demos, meticulously developed by Astra's expert team for compatibility with four different page builders, offer a diverse range of design possibilities. Astra sets a high standard in providing comprehensive and varied demo content, positioning itself as a leading provider in the realm of website templates.
Astra's responsiveness goes beyond the standard. It's as if the theme underwent specialized training to excel in mobile e-commerce. The focus isn't just on aesthetics; there's a concerted effort to ensure the mobile version of your site is exceptionally user-friendly. With the increasing prevalence of mobile shopping, this feature becomes increasingly crucial. In the near future, it wouldn't be surprising to see over half of online shoppers using their mobile devices, possibly while relaxing at home.
Additionally, Astra offers extensive customization options for the checkout process, shopping cart, and product pages, all without the need for intricate coding skills. A seamless checkout experience is vital as a complicated one can deter customers quickly. Astra ensures a fluid and enjoyable shopping journey. The Astra team's approach to e-commerce solutions isn't just innovative; it's a complete reimagining of what's possible in online retail.
ASTRA: LOADING TIME
Upon examination, it becomes clear that Astra takes loading times seriously, achieving remarkably fast speeds. Its performance in Google, GTmetrix, Y-Slow, and Pingdom tests is consistently outstanding, as if the theme has been optimized with a unique speed-enhancing formula. The results speak for themselves, demonstrating Astra's superior performance. When it comes to competition, Generatepress is the closest contender. The data presented below is telling – Astra regularly secures top rankings in speed tests, distinguishing itself significantly from slower-performing themes.
ASTRA: PAGEBUILDERS
Astra works as a whole with the Elementor page builder...
Using Astra is akin to having intuitive control over your website, offering both ease of use and enjoyment. It provides a streamlined panel and integration with the WordPress customizer for a seamless experience. Adding to its versatility, Astra pairs exceptionally well with renowned page builders, particularly Elementor. The combination of Astra Pro and Elementor Pro is a harmonious and efficient pairing, akin to two perfectly matched components. For those mindful of budget, both Astra and Elementor offer free versions. While these versions may have fewer features, they still provide a substantial and enjoyable user experience.
Elementor in Astra
ASTRA SCHEMA MARK-UP
Have you ever wanted to effectively communicate the contents of your page to search engines? This is where Schema markup plays a crucial role. These structured data snippets act as guides, aiding search engines in comprehending the context and content of your pages. It's akin to providing a clearer, more direct understanding of your site's content to search engines like Google. Astra simplifies this process by automatically incorporating Schema markup into your pages, as detailed here. This feature acts like an unseen assistant within Astra, working diligently to enhance your website's visibility and performance in search results, playing a pivotal role in your SEO strategy.
ASTRA + LEARNDASH
Envision yourself as a creator of online courses, with Astra and LearnDash serving as your essential tools. Developing an online course using Astra combined with LearnDash is a streamlined and enjoyable process, comparable to assembling a complex structure with ease. Astra offers a plethora of design options and features, enabling you to make your online course as captivating as a top-rated TV show.
LearnDash, on the other hand, acts as the orchestrator of your website's structure, focusing on creating an environment conducive to learning and conversion. The synergy of Astra's design flexibility and LearnDash's structured approach results in more than just a website – it's the creation of an immersive digital learning environment. Embrace this opportunity to craft an exceptional online course experience.
ASTRA + LIFTER-LMS
When combining Astra with LifterLMS, you get a formidable pair in the world of online education. In this partnership, Astra excels as the design expert, offering you full control over your website's aesthetic and functionality. Whether you aim for the sophistication of a high-end magazine or the versatility of a multifunctional tool, Astra provides the necessary support.
Integrating LifterLMS into this equation enhances your site's educational efficacy. It creates a focused learning environment, minimizing distractions and optimizing user engagement. The synergy of LifterLMS's educational framework with Astra's design capabilities not only facilitates learning but also boosts conversion efficiency. Imagine a checkout process so seamless it feels like an extension of the learning journey itself. Together, Astra and LifterLMS elevate your website to the highest echelons of online learning platforms.
ASTRA HEADERS, FOOTERS, 404
Introducing Astra Transparent Headers, Astra Custom Header, and Astra Custom Footers – the PRO features that provide a sophisticated edge to your website. These tools serve as your digital design experts, allowing you to create customized headers and footers with ease and without the need for technical expertise. Envision crafting your site's header and footer to be as elegant as a tuxedo or as casual as sneakers, achievable through simple clicks. Even the typically overlooked 404 pages can be enhanced for a cohesive look. Moreover, you have the flexibility to tailor these elements differently for various user groups, offering a bespoke experience. It's like having both creative control and strategic oversight over your website's upper and lower navigational areas.
ASTRA: MORE FEATURES
Astra encompasses a wide range of features, and you can explore a comprehensive overview here. This extensive list showcases the breadth and depth of functionalities available in Astra. We recommend taking the time to review these features, as they collectively represent a significant array of tools and options that can enhance your website's capabilities.
ASTRA THEME REVIEW: CONCLUSION
This concludes my comprehensive review of the Astra Theme. For those who have followed through to this point, I extend my appreciation. It's clear that Astra is not just another option among many in the world of web design; it stands out distinctively. The Astra PRO version, in particular, offers enhanced capabilities compared to the free version, akin to the difference between gourmet and fast-food offerings. Personally, I favor the combination of Astra and Elementor, which allows for sophisticated and seamless web design. Astra is on par with the Divi Theme, known for its versatility and readiness to tackle various challenges. As for shortcomings in Astra? They are as rare as finding a needle in a well-organized, vast haystack.
ASTRA THEME REVIEW: ITS PRICING
At an annual cost of only $59, Astra offers remarkable value. Imagine having the capability to deploy on unlimited sites for such an affordable fee. This is akin to enjoying an expansive buffet at the cost of a simple snack. In contrast, many other themes often require separate fees per site, resembling pricey cafes with per-item charges. For those with a budget to spare, consider enhancing your Astra experience with one of their bundle packages, which frequently come with significant discounts, making them ideal for businesses striving for excellence in web design. Astra's policy of unlimited use, whether for a single website or multiple projects, underscores its commitment to providing exceptional value. If Astra were personified as a superhero, it would indeed be celebrated for its 'Value for Money'. Moreover, the lifetime deals present an opportunity akin to uncovering hidden treasure, offering long-term benefits and savings.
TWENTY TWENTY-TWO (2022 vs Astra)
WordPress 5.9 introduces its first "Block Theme" named Twenty Twenty-Two with Full-Site Editing (FSE). This new WordPress theme uses blocks to create all areas of your website, including your header, navigation area and footer. The new Site Editor allows you to create and edit blocks and provides additional control for styling and typography. To give you complete control over the design of your website, a new template system was introduced.
TWENTY TWENTY-TWO THEME RATING
One would almost feel sorry for the Wordpress developpers as they try really hard and come up with new stuff but their themes get very bad ratings. Have a look at the image below and see how almost the same amount of people score it 1 or 2 stars as 5 stars. In total giving it an average rating of 3.4 which is just extremely bad.
HOW START WITH THE TWENTY TWENTY-TWO THEME?
Well, if you have Wordpress 5.9 on your website then you also have this new theme. Just go to the theme section and activate it. The theme has already built up 200,000+ active installations within a few months. Quite logical, since the theme is already in Wordpress, it is of course widely used. Also because people are curious about it.
TWENTY TWENTY-TWO SITE EDITOR
The new Site Editor is used instead of the WordPress theme customizer for block themes like Twenty Twenty-Two. This menu can be accessed via the WordPress appearance menu. The WordPress theme customizer may still be used whenever a theme requiers it.
TWENTY TWENTY-TWO TYPOGRAPHY
Twenty Twenty-Two uses Source Serif Pro font to create its headings. It is paired with a simple and easy-to-read sans-serif font. Sans Serif Fonts are amongst the Graphic Design Trends for [2024]. The following font sizes are available in the editor for the Twenty Twenty-Two theme: 16px, 18px, 20px, 24px, 40px, 96px, 144px.
2022 REVIEW: BLOCK STYLING
The Site Editor allows you to customize the styling of specific blocks on your website. This is a great improvement that website owners will appreciate. Styling is all very basic though, don't expect to much of it.
2022 REVIEW: COLORS
You can set the default colors for your theme as well as global elements like text, links and background. You can also configure solid colors and gradients. There is no advanced color editor like the ones we find in Photoshop or great themes as Divi or Astra. To be honest it is very basic just like the Block Styling.
TWENTY TWENTY-TWO TEMPLATES
WordPress now has its own template system, and it's integrated directly into the Site Editor. All layouts can be accessed from the pages that contain templates and parts of them.
- Templates This displays page templates like your home page, blog index, search results pages, and archives page.
- Template parts - This shows you template parts like your header or footer
What Wordpress actually does here is imitate all the top page builders and themes that offer hundreds of templates The 11 templates such as searchpage, archive, single post, etc. all represent very little in terms of design. Templates can now also be saved and reused on multiple pages. If these are adjusted by you, that will immediately change on all these pages. This is also something that page builders like Divi and Elementor have been offering for years, and they have a much clearer and better system for it.
TWENTY TWENTY-TWO: THEME BLOCKS
The Block Inserter is the large plus (+) symbol in the top right of the Site Editor or Block Editor. It breaks down blocks into categories like text, media, design, and widgets. WordPress 5.9 introduces a new category, theme. It lists 23 blocks that can be used to create your website design. Only 20 of them can be used in the Block Editor.
These are the theme blocks
- Navigation, Site Logo Site Title Site Tagline Query Loop Posts List
- Template Part, Header and Footer, Post Title, Excerpt, or Featured Image
- Post Content, Author, Post Date. Post Categories. Post Tags.
- Next Post, Previous Article, Post Comments Log In/Out, Term Description and Archive Title
2022 REVIEW: PATTERNS
Pre-made blocks can be added to your WordPress website by clicking a button. These patterns are also called Block Patterns. These patterns were introduced to the WordPress 5.8 Block Editor, but WordPress themes still used the WordPress theme customizer at the time so there wasn't any need for WordPress themes that supported patterns.
Because of its integration with the Site Editor, patterns will be an integral part of block themes like Twenty Twenty-Two. Twenty Twenty-Two has a wide range of patterns to help you design your website. You can choose from unique patterns for your header and footer as well as blog posts. Sounds all very nice but these are things that were invented 15 years ago of course.
TWENTY TWENTY-TWO REVIEW CONCLUSION
It is not entirely clear to me why Wordpress is doing its best with its new versions and new themes to reinvent the wheel. Both the disgustingly bad Gutenberg editor and the new templates are useless because all the top page builders do a much better job on this one. Well, Gutenberg costs nothing, but Elementor also has a free version that is 20x better than Gutenberg so why not just install that instead of tinkering with all the outdated stuff Wordpress itself is trying to offer?
TWENTY TWENTY-TWO VS ASTRA CONCLUSION
First of all, thank you for reading this Twenty Twenty-One vs Astra comparison to the end. These 2 themes cannot be compared. Astra is one of the best themes out there and Twenty Twenty-One is only used because it comes with Wordpress but is best ignored and immediately replaced with a decent free theme as I indicated above or by a good premium theme.
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