Best Portfolio WordPress Themes

9. Smoothly

Smoothly is an excellent choice that will help you build creative websites for yourself and your clients. So many creative professionals choose this portfolio WordPress theme including freelancers, agencies, photographers, illustrators, and graphic and web designers. You can also use it to build corporate websites and an amazing portfolio. 

As the name suggests, smoothly is a highly creative portfolio WordPress theme. It comes with so many mind-blowing demos that assist you and your customers to stand out from the crowd. You can use any of them as your starting point to create your personal impressive website. 

The theme is bundled with many premium visual compressor elements and WordPress plugins. It also has several high-end premium WordPress plugins that are only available in the theme. The theme also supports so many third-party plugins. 

The other features include smooth effects and animations, image galleries and grids, case studies, creative carousels, social links, devices mock-ups, colorful Google maps, case studies, the ability to create portfolios, team members among others. These options will help you to create a website that is highly appealing. 

Features of Smoothly

• Device mock-ups 
• Fast and easy blogging 
• Inbuilt drag and drop editor 
• Fully responsive design 
• Automatic translations 
• Enhanced columns and rows 
• Next-level color design possibilities 
• Clean code edit 
• Smooth animation 
• Highly customizable design 
• Splash screen technology
• SVG logos
• Several opportunities for one-page websites 
• Well-though navigation 

10. Grand Portfolio

Grand Portfolio is specially designed to take care of all the foes of design agencies and niches. You can use it to showcase the work of architects, fashion designers, musicians, bloggers, photographers, and many more. 

It is one of the themes that offer functionality that is relevant to your niches. It has an unquestionable portfolio design quality. 

The theme comes with an overabundance of various portfolio designs. With the masonry layouts and ubiquitous grid, you will give your website one of the best looks. There are also other outstanding choices that this theme offers. 

It has several variations on the OS X-style Cover Flow Option, split-screen design, both horizontal and striped layouts, and parallax options that you need to see to believe. 

Even though some people accuse the grand portfolio of spreading itself too thin when it comes to the demo layouts, you won’t have any doubt about its portfolio design. This tells you that it is indeed one of the best portfolio WordPress themes on the market. 

Even the basic layout of this theme has a stunning look. It has creative jaw-dropping visuals works that complement its appearance. It is an ideal theme that you can use to compliment your works. 

Features of getting Grand Portfolio

• Tested Google mobile compatibility 
• One-click demo importing option
• Live editing theme typography 
• Drag and drop content builder for pages 
• Real-time live customizer 
• Over seventy gallery and portfolio layouts 

11. Collective

Collective is a sleek WordPress platform that works so well with photographers, architects, and designers. The beauty of this theme is that it brings together resourceful websites within no time. 

The intuitive power tools allow users to create sharp portfolio sites without having to break a sweat. The collective is the Best Portfolio WordPress theme that will bring a brand-new makeover to your online presence. The tool combines modern awesome features with convenient ease of use. 

You can use the WPBakery Page Builder in deploying thoughtful aspects anywhere on your site. Customization is fast with this theme and there are so many choices. It also gives users access to buttons, accordions, and tabbed navigation among other features. 

You can freshen up the feel and look of your website using more than 2000 icons that are in the tool. Collective allows you to introduce your works to the whole world and express yourself in new ways. It is definitely the best Portfolio WordPress theme if you are feeling as if your current portfolio appears to be uninspired. 

Collective is crisp and sharp and hence will make your content to pop. You will have tons of dynamic layouts and headers to choose from. You can checkout out on this theme and bring your website portfolio up a notch. It is a WordPress theme that will not let you down when developing portfolio websites. 

Features of Collective

• WPML and translation ready 
• Minimal and clean design 
• Fully responsive design 
• Custom post formats: Quote, Link, Gallery, Standard, Video, Audio 
• Customizable portfolio pages 
• More than 2000 icons to choose from a collection of 4 sets 
• Retina ready 
• Child theme ready 
• Content builder with visual composer included 
• Portfolio single case study layout 
• One-click demo importer 
• Optimized for SEO 
• Lazy loading 
• Portfolio single full-width slider layout 
• More than 12 unique beautiful homepages 
• Over 14 custom visual composer elements 
• Useful and easy to use Shortcodes 
• 5 header solutions with so many customization options
• Framed/full/boxed layouts 
• Multiple customizable blog layouts 
• Build with Bootstrap 3
• Woo-commerce integration
• Blog masonry layout 
• Cross-Browser compatibility 
• Google Map with multiple markers and styles 
• Custom 404 page 
• Top to back button functionality 
• One page and multi-page
• Widget Ready (Twitter and Instagram custom widgets)
• Video support  
• Blog standard layout 
• Over 600 Google Fonts 
• Smooth CSS3 animations 
• Contact form 7 integration 
• Footer widgets for different page footers 
• Social share functionality 
• Woo Commerce AJAX mini cart  

12. Bifrost

Shopping for the best portfolio WordPress theme can be a frustrating experience. The reason is that most of them use similar bundled plugins and the same design elements to achieve their goals. However, Bifrost is different because it gives you a higher level of freedom than the other options. 

It is good to understand how this theme differs from the other competing options in the market. The template was created using the bundled Elementor page builder plugin. It is a high-quality tool that you can use to create websites without any need for coding whatsoever. It simplifies the volume of design work for the developer by far. 

For instance, you will get so many inbuilt elements to assist you in adding the right functionality to your website. Elementor also includes a powerful footer and header builder. The implication is that you can customize your entire website and not just specific sections.  

What differentiates Bifrost from other tools and makes it stand out as the best option is the page builder plugin. The inclusion of this tool implies that you are getting one of the most powerful and flexible themes that the market has to offer. This is a perfect reason to motivate you to check out on the Bifrost demo. 

Features of Bifrost

• Elementor ready
• Yoast SEO support 
• Gutenberg enabled 
• Mail Chip support 
• Lifetime updates 
• Revolution slider support 
• Prolong support 
• Multilingual support 
• Woo-Commerce ready 
• Retina ready 

13. LEVELUP

Most of the themes on the market force users to select between flexibility and ease of use. However, this is not the case when dealing with LEVELUP. This tool balances the issue of user-friendliness with a broad range of features and several customization options to help you create a functional and unique design. 

This theme is multipurpose and comes with more than sixty pre-made pages and templates to make sure that you get started. To add multimedia content and creativity to your website, you can utilize live backgrounds and video together with sliders. Great thanks to the Royal Slider and bundled Revolution Slider. 

To give excellent service to the customers who will be using a broad range of devices to access your website, this theme makes it very easy for you to set up crucial structural elements with various sizing, positioning, and functionality for various screen types. The elements include icons, logos, backgrounds, and headers. 

The theme has an approachable design that makes it very easy to use even though it has so many powerful features. It also has a great reputation for offering reliable customer service. This is a tool that you need to checkout especially if you are looking for something that is flexible and creative. 

Features of LevelUP

• Lifetime updates and free technical support 
• Maintenance page 
• One-click demo import 
• Full integrated Woo Commerce 
• Powerful options for Shortcodes 
• Easy to use Admin panel
• Retina ready 
• Comes with more 60 inbuilt pages and templates 
• Slides – exclusive in LEVELUP 
• Fully responsive theme 

14. Uncode – WordPress Portfolio Theme

If you are shopping for the best portfolio WordPress themes, then Uncode is one of them. This WordPress theme is multi-functional, highly responsive, technologically proficient, visually sophisticated, and professional. Who does not want these qualities on the theme that he or she is using to create a portfolio website? It justifies why we cannot leave this tool on our list of the best portfolio themes that are available on the market. 

The developer puts together this beautiful theme with a high level of attention to detail and painstaking care. It makes sure that you have a spotless and seamless portfolio website without any form of coding. It is one of the best platforms that will help you to display your creativity to the whole world. 

Uncode is a simple but highly stunning theme that showcases your work to the entire world in a stylish manner. The developer has coded this portfolio theme on a very powerful Bootstrap framework that will render the website beautiful across several screen sizes, platforms, devices, and browsers. Such a high level of compatibility is good for the optimization of your website. 

The theme also incorporates gorgeous grid layout styles and masonry that makes it a perfect choice for most portfolio websites. Given all these incredible features, you can be able to showcase your work to the entire world using Uncode even today. 

Features of Uncode

• Fronted page builder 
• Demos library 
• One-click import 
• Wireframes plugin 
• Pixel perfect 
• World-class design 
• Impressive showcase 
• Featured and appreciated 
• Content block 
• Hierarchical theme options 
• Advanced grid system
• Integrated grid system 
• Integrated header builder 
• Unique posts and media gallery 
• Adaptive images 
• Light and dark skins 
• Colors palette
• Privacy plugin (GDPR)
• Slides scroll
• Powerful one-page 
• Shape dividers 
• Animated headings 
• Woo Commerce integration 
• Menu layouts 
• Extensive typography options 
• Powered media library 
• Album galleries 
• 100 percent responsive 
• Enhanced backgrounds 
• Creative blogs, products layouts, and portfolio 
• Maintenance and coming soon mode
• Page builder elements 
• RTL support and Multilanguage certified 
• Regular updates
• Power elite support 

Buyers Guide: How to Choose the Best Portfolio WordPress Theme

There are thousands of portfolio WordPress themes out there. In fact, it can take you several days before you get the one that will meet your needs with the desired level of precision. It means that it can be quite challenging to narrow down to a single tool. 

It is obviously important to make sure that you choose the best portfolio WordPress theme. With so many themes to choose from, it can be hard to single out one as the best. Before you spend a lot of time trying to customize a theme, it is good to know what it has to offer to the users. Some of the points that will guide your decision include; 

Responsive Design

The best portfolio WordPress theme will work well on all devices. A theme that has a responsive design will automatically adjust to the different looks of various devices like Smartphones and laptops. Currently, most of the WordPress themes in the market offer responsive design. 

It means that the theme will have an excellent look regardless of the device that your target audience uses to access the website. You can use the browser to test whether the theme you are using is responsive or not. 

Check how the blog looks like the menu works and its fonts on various devices. People use different devices to access your website and you have to make sure that they have the best user experience by using a theme whose design is responsive. 

Does it Load Quickly

Most portfolio websites make use of images that tend to take a long period to load. The best portfolio WordPress theme should have a fast loading speed. A website whose loading speed is too slow will increase the bounce rate. 

It is one of the worst mistakes that you will find in portfolio websites. Make sure you have an optimized theme that loads fast for your portfolio website. It will help you to attract visitors and retain them on your website for an extended period. 

The Little Design Elements

To choose the best portfolio WordPress theme, you have to go beyond the main page demo. Most people tend to overlook these things when choosing a theme. Even though appearance is critical when dealing with portfolio websites, there are some things that you cannot overlook if you want a stunning website. 

Some of these things include widgets, sidebars, navigation, typography, and blog post layout. Do your homework well and analyze the capability of each of them. Make sure you love everything about the theme that you choose. You don’t want a design that will confuse you at a later date. 

How does it Work With Web Browsers

The best portfolio WordPress theme will work perfectly with all web browsers. Apart from the theme working perfectly on different devices, it should be compatible with various browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, internet explorer and many more. 

If you have a well-coded theme, you will not have a problem with some of these issues. Each browser handles things differently and some of them can course problems on the way your website operates. 

It does not imply that you should install all browsers on your computer. Free tools like Browsershots or Browserling will help you test whether the theme is compatible with popular browsers. 

SEO Friendly

You cannot avoid the whole idea of SEO when building a portfolio. There is no need to develop a website that is not responsive. The best portfolio WordPress theme should have a clean code. Choose an SEO plugin that is optimized properly for the website. 

Google should not have a problem crawling your portfolio website. Some of the themes go a step ahead to help in adding the right schema markup to help in communicating additional info to Google. SEO optimization is a crucial element in choosing the best portfolio WordPress theme. 

Translation Ready

When shopping for the best portfolio WordPress theme, make sure you are choosing the one that is translation ready. It is a critical element especially if you are creating a localized or multilingual website. 

Most theme developers inform you whether the template is translation ready or not. You may also get access to the .mo and .po files to support easy translation. If you wish to use an RTL language for your site, make sure the theme also supports RTL text.

The Best Portfolio WordPress Theme is Translation Ready

When you talk about accessibility, you will be making your website available to all your visitors. This includes individuals who will be using screen readers among other similar devices. 

Try and get a theme that complies with the WCAG 2.0 guidelines. The theme should advertise itself as having met the best standards for accessibility. 

You can use the Accessibility Evaluation Tool which is free to test for accessibility. However, it is hard to come across a theme that has a perfect score. The guiding principle here is not to see so many issues.  

Plugin Integrations

A good portfolio theme for WordPress will have the plugin integrations that you require. The site should have a dedicated integration for portfolio websites. It should be compatible with the themes that technically work for the best of your website. You will not fail to get such a theme as long as you do your homework well. 

WordPress Customizer

The other thing that you need to confirm is whether the theme uses the WordPress customizer. This feature allows users to customize the theme with the aid of simple controls and real-time preview. 

In the past, themes would give you non-visual custom interfaces for managing the settings. However, this is no longer the best way forward. Currently, any top quality portfolio WordPress theme has to support WordPress customizer. 

Reviews

Apart from looking at the demo of the theme, observe the other features in the theme like its reviews from previous customers. These evaluations will make sure that you are getting the best portfolio theme for WordPress. 

Previous customers always leave behind objective reviews about the website. It is one of the best ways of analyzing the quality of the theme. Don’t go for a theme that does not include public reviews. 

The mistake that some people make is that they only look at the star rating number. Also, dig in and go through the comments from customers. It will allow you to get a better look into the strengths and weaknesses of the theme. 

Theme Updates

You also need to go for a theme that receives regular updates from the developer. It is the only way you will make sure that the theme will continue to work well. Therefore, updates from the developer are the best way to get a good portfolio theme. 

You can also get this information publicly in most of the marketplaces. For instance, WordPress.com displays the page for each theme. You can also get the same info at Envato. Don’t go for a theme that has not been updated for the last six months. The best developer will always update the theme after a few months. Shy away from such themes because they will disappoint you in the long run. 

Reputation

Choose a theme that has an excellent reputation in the market. Most of the high-quality developers release multiple WordPress products or themes in the market. Therefore, if the theme does not have so many reviews, you can try to gauge the reputation of the developer by evaluating the track record of the other products from the developer. 

Support

The other thing that you need to analyze is whether you will get good support from the theme. Even if your theme has the best designs, you will run in a few issues once in a while. The developer should be readily willing to give you the desired support when the need arises.

Check the support policy and learn the time it takes to receive support, the channels that you will be supported through, and the issues that fall under the support policy. We have developers who will force you to use the public support forum to get assistance. 

Other developers provide one-to-one private support. It is important to know this information as it will affect the level of customer support that you will receive from the developer. 

Documentation

The best portfolio WordPress theme will have high-quality documentation that will give you self-help. You don’t have to direct all the questions to the support team all the time as you can hit a snag. There are some things that you can fix by yourself by consulting the documentation of the theme. 

You will only get this information if the theme has excellent documentation. Therefore, poke around the documentation of the theme before making a purchase to confirm whether it covers all the important stuff. Some themes have video tutorials that offer significant benefits to visual learners. 

User Community

Check whether the theme you would like to use has a good community. The user communities that WordPress themes develop can also offer a high level of inspiration and help to the user. Even though this is a must-have, it is a huge bonus if you choose a theme that has a highly active community. 

You will get some of these communities on Facebook and other social media profiles. The theme can also have an active forum community for the users. With an active and large community, you can be sure the theme will get regular improvements and updates which is a very good thing. 

Avoid Themes That Try to do everything

It is not a good move to go for a WordPress theme that tries to offer all features in a single product. It can be tempting to try and get a theme that can do everything for you. However, the best way forward is to get a specialized portfolio theme. 

You don’t need third-party plugins to be able to use the theme to develop your portfolio website. The market has so many specialized themes and you should not bother yourself too much. It is the work of plugins and not the WordPress theme itself to add functionality to your website. 

Don’t go for a theme that will lock you in as you try to use it. You will have a better experience when you are using that is specially dedicated to the development of WordPress portfolio websites. Getting a multipurpose theme may not give you the best experience for your niche. Such a theme will serve your target audience in the best way possible. 

Conclusion 

These tips will help you to get the best portfolio website theme on the market. The best starting point is listing the features that you want in the template ahead of time. These features will help you to determine the theme that will serve you best. 

You should choose a highly responsive theme that is not bloated. Look at the customization options to see what you have to offer to your site. You can be sure of getting a stunning website that will stand out from those of your competitors.

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