Best Joomla templates 2026
The top 10 Joomla templates for every website. Premium and free options reviewed on design, speed, features and support.
A good Joomla template makes the difference between a professional website and an amateur site. Your template determines not only how your site looks, but also how fast it loads and how easy it is to manage your content.
In this guide we cover the best Joomla templates of 2026 - both premium and free. We look at design, performance, features, support and price. Plus: what you need to know before choosing a template.
What to look for in a Joomla template?
These aspects determine if a template is good
Speed
Lightweight code, optimized images and lazy loading. Test with PageSpeed Insights.
Responsive design
Perfect on mobile, tablet and desktop. Test on real devices, not just in browser.
Page builder
Drag & drop editor to easily create layouts without code. Helix Ultimate and YOOtheme are popular.
Customizable design
Colors, fonts, layouts easily adjustable via admin panel. No code needed for basic customizations.
SEO optimization
Clean code, good heading structure, schema markup and meta tags support. Check our SEO guide.
Good support
Fast help via forum, tickets or docs. Regular updates for Joomla 5 compatibility.
Top 10 Joomla templates 2026
Our selection of the best templates for every website
Helix Ultimate
The most popular Joomla template framework with SP Page Builder built in. Perfect for beginners and professionals. Helix Ultimate is completely free, fast and has a drag & drop page builder.
Strengths:
- SP Page Builder included (free)
- Very fast loading time
- Active community and updates
- 100+ starter templates
Ideal for:
Business websites, portfolios, blogs, non-profits. Perfect starting point for any Joomla site.
YOOtheme Pro
Premium template builder with the best drag & drop editor for Joomla. Modern design, blazing fast and perfect for professionals who want control. Also works for WordPress.
Strengths:
- Best page builder for Joomla
- Modern and minimalist design
- Excellent performance
- Premium support and updates
Ideal for:
Professional websites, agencies, creative portfolios. For those who want the best and are willing to pay.
Astroid Framework
Modern framework with many built-in features. Astroid offers header builder, mega menu, lazy loading and more without extra plugins. Free version is already very complete.
Strengths:
- Header builder included
- Mega menu without extra plugin
- Good performance optimization
- Template library with 80+ templates
Ideal for:
Business sites, corporate websites, blogs. Good balance between features and ease of use.
More good Joomla templates
#4 Gavern Framework
Powerful framework by GavickPro. Premium templates with beautiful design. From €49 for 1 template.
View →#5 T4 Framework
By JoomlArt. Modern framework with page builder. Free version available, Pro from €49.
View →#6 Quix Framework
Page builder with frontend editing. Visual building without admin panel. From €39/year.
View →#7 Gantry 5
By RocketTheme. Powerful framework for developers. Free, but fewer templates available.
View →#8 Vertex Framework
By Shape5. Good performance and many options. Premium templates from $49/year for unlimited sites.
View →#9 Zen Grid Framework
By Joomlabamboo. Responsive and fast. Focus on typography and clean design. From €49.
View →#10 Cassiopeia (Joomla default)
Default Joomla 4/5 template. Free, simple but limited. Good starting point for custom development.
View →Free vs premium Joomla templates
Free templates
Advantages:
- €0 - perfect for starters and budgets
- Often sufficient for simple sites
- Community support via forums
- Test different templates risk-free
Disadvantages:
- Limited features and options
- No dedicated support
- Updates sometimes slow
- Less unique (others use it too)
Choose free if you: make a hobby site, are budget-less, or want to test Joomla.
Premium templates
Advantages:
- Professional design and features
- Dedicated support (ticket/email)
- Regular updates and bug fixes
- Page builder often included
- Demo content for quick setup
Disadvantages:
- Costs money (€39-€99/year typically)
- Yearly renewal for updates
- Sometimes bloated (too many features)
Choose premium if you: make a professional site, need support, or want the best features.
Our recommendation: Start with Helix Ultimate (free) to get to know Joomla. Want more features and support? Upgrade to YOOtheme Pro (€59) or Astroid Pro (€39). For professional sites the investment is more than worth it.
Frequently asked questions about Joomla templates
For most users: Helix Ultimate (free, SP Page Builder included, active community). For professionals who want the best: YOOtheme Pro (€59/year, best page builder, modern design).
The "best" depends on your budget, skills and needs. Helix Ultimate is perfect for 80% of sites. YOOtheme Pro for those who don't want to compromise.
Yes! Helix Ultimate and Astroid Framework (free versions) are excellent. They only miss premium support and a few advanced features. For most websites free is more than enough. Premium templates do offer better support and more starter templates, but quality-wise good free templates are comparable.
Yes, you can always switch. But: you'll lose your current design and have to set everything up again. Content (articles, menus) is preserved, but layouts, colors and module positions need to be reconfigured.
Tip: Choose your first template carefully. Switching is possible, but takes time. Test templates with demo content before deciding.
A framework is a template system that makes it easy to create your own designs. Think of Helix Ultimate or Astroid - you install the framework, and get access to options to customize colors, layouts, fonts etc. Frameworks are often better than standalone templates because they offer more flexibility and features.
Not necessarily, but it makes your life much easier. With a page builder you can visually create layouts without code. Helix Ultimate comes with SP Page Builder (free), YOOtheme Pro has its own builder built in. If you can't code: yes, choose a template with page builder.
Not all of them. Always check if a template is Joomla 5 compatible before you buy/install. All templates in this list (Helix Ultimate, YOOtheme Pro, Astroid) are Joomla 5 ready. Old templates from 2020 or earlier may cause problems. Check the changelog or product page for compatibility info.
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