Review sites are a dime a dozen nowadays. Wherever you turn, you’ll eventually come across a link taking you to such a website. This doesn’t mean they’re worthless – quite the contrary. Reviews are one of the most popular formats online precisely because they’re so useful.
But there’s a catch:
Review sites can be difficult to make without the right tools for the job. There are a lot of features you have to think of when trying to build one. Luckily, WordPress themes do most of the legwork for you, so creating a site with one is a cinch.
But with 3,500+ free GPL-licensed WordPress themes, which ones are the best? If you’re asking yourself that very same question, you’ve come to the right place. A few of them stand out from the rest in their ability to make terrific review sites.
This is a list of the 10 Best Review Magazine WordPress Themes.
1. PowerMag – Magazine Review Theme
PowerMag is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to start their own review magazine. It’s got a boatload of features for you to enjoy. It’s both Retina and BuddyPress ready, it has an in-depth review and rating system, a category styler, you name it. On top of that, the theme looks modern and really pops, so it can grab people’s attention and keep them on your website.
Here’s just a taste of what Powermag has to offer:
- HTML5 compatibility;
- SEO-friendy;
- Shortcode generator;
- 14 Unique Widgets;
- Over 500 Google fonts
There’s much more to this theme than we put here, so we encourage you to give it a try – you won’t regret it.
2. Explicit – Review Magazine WordPress Theme
If you want a sleek-looking website that also has a lot of power behind it, Explicit is the right theme for you. Its aesthetic is satisfyingly simplistic, but still has enough going on to keep the viewer engaged. Additionally, it’s a cinch to use, while also letting you customize to the max – from big billboard layouts to portholes. And it’s mobile friendly, too boot. All in all, going with Explicit is a safe bet.
Among many others, Explicit sports the following features:
- Plenty of user interaction features;
- Mega menus (Ajax);
- Page builder for each page and post;
- Infinite blog and grid layout loaders;
- Unlimited review criteria
This theme will ensure your site is as close to what you envisioned it to be. There’s no reason not to download it and try it out.
3. Valenti – HD Review Theme
Valenti is a wonderful, retina-ready, fully responsive theme for WordPress that anyone can use with ease. Its Drag and Drop feature ensures intuitive customization of every element of your website. Beside that, it comes chock-full of other features that help you build the site you need.
The following are just some of the things it offers:
- Megamenu with Ajax abilities;
- SEO friendly;
- Integration with many plugins (like BuddyPress, WooCommerce and bbPress);
- Ability to upload your own backgrounds and slideshows;
- Infinite scroll options
With Valenty, you’ll know your site is competitive on the review market.
4. Magazine – Review Magazine WordPress Theme
With a name like that, you just know Magazine is exactly what you’re looking for. Using this theme’s presets, you can have a fully fledged review magazine homepage up and running in just one minute. You have an infinite color palette to choose from, so feel free to get creative with your pages’ color scheme. It also features a unique box slider, which lets you browse through posts. It’s a wonderful WordPress theme that you won’t feel sorry for picking.
Magazine comes with these features, and many, many more:
- Complete responsivity;
- Unlimited color options;
- Ability to have Facebook and WordPress comments;
- Ability to import XML files;
- Updates for life, free of charge
There’s little you can’t do with this theme, and make sure you consider it for your review website.
5. Flavor – Review AJAX Theme
Flavor is another terrific review magazine theme you can rely on for amazing results. It’s powered by Ajax, so you can rest assured it has a lot of powerful abilities. And you can get a hang of it in a flash, despite its abundance of features. Furthermore, it’s fully compatible with BuddyPress and WooCommerce, allowing you to set up an online store in your magazine.
Spice up your site with the following:
- Loads of slider and carousel options;
- Bootstrap capabilities, including a myriad of shortcodes;
- Infinite style and color choices;
- Retina ready;
- 630 Google font choices
The vast array of features assures that this theme won’t let you down. Get a taste of Flavor and you won’t crave anything else.
6. Entrance – Magazine Review Theme
If your vision of a perfect online review magazine is a clean, minimalistic site, then look no further than Entrance. It’s very adaptive to screen sizes, so you can browse its sites on any device. With Drag and Drop technology you can easily modify your site’s layout with but a few clicks of the mouse. This theme is a wonderful tool for creating the online magazine of your dreams.
If you’re not convinced, take a look at a bit of what it can do:
- Import custom-made backgrounds;
- Gravatar-supported comment threads;
- .mo and .po multiple translation files;
- Shortcodes for accordion, message boxes, tabs, buttons, layout columns, and others;
- Dropdown menu of multiple levels
Entrance is a sure-fire way to get the best review magazine site off the ground. Don’t miss the chance to do so.
7. JMagz – Tech News Review Theme
With JMagz, you have the opportunity to fashion an online magazine as professional-looking as the top players in the industry. It comes with great SEO improving options (such as keyword settings and semantic HTML5), the ability to create an online store with WooCommerce, and the much-loved Drag and Drop creation system. These all give you the power to make the site you want without breaking a sweat.
JMagz has:
- Facebook, WordPress, and Disqus comment systems;
- Ajax mega menu;
- Ajax Live Search;
- Integrated referral links in reviews;
- Sorting and filtering features;
- Great Google analytics support
Of course, there’s so much more to JMagz than what was mentioned here. Download this theme and see just how great it truly is.
8. SNews – Newspaper Review Theme
SNews is a powerhouse of features. It has so much going on behind the scenes that it’s a miracle that you can operate it with so much ease. From SEO to widgets to homepage templates – SNews has got you covered. With this theme you have so much software support that you’ll have a hard time using another theme ever again.
SNews features:
- 15 custom widgets;
- Custom uploads of footer and header logos;
- Unbranded admin panel,
- Sidebars on both the left and the right;
- Comprehensive category styler
Whatever you need in your magazine, SNews will deliver. Don’t miss out on using it.
9. 15Zine – Newspaper WordPress Theme
This one is perfect for making any kind of magazine website, review-based or otherwise. 15Zine was developed by Cubell, which has a sterling reputation for making wonderful review systems, and 15zine is no exception to this rule. It’s great for making tasteful online mags, and the customization options and other capabilities to go with it.
Here’s a taste of what you can get out of 15Zine:
- Tons of featured images;
- RTL & WPML ready;
- Schema Rich Snippet Microdata capabilities;
- Indented threaded comment sections;
- Ajax Login
15Zine is made by people who really know their stuff, and it really shows here. It’s guaranteed quality.
10. WP Portal – Technology Magazine Review Theme
Last, but far from least, we have WP Portal. This one’s all-around great and can cover a vast amount of magazine types. It has a very modern look to it, so it will fit right in with the trendiest of review magazine sites. It’s based on the frameworks of Redux and Master Magazine. It really makes your job of making a website easier with tons of documentation to keep you informed about all the ins and outs of the site.
By downloading WP Portal, you get:
- Neat and clear source code;
- Over 9 custom widgets;
- 5 post formatting options;
- Custom typography;
- Custom footer and main menu
This theme has much more to offer, and you really need to try it out for yourself to understand why it’s such a great tool.
About The Author:
Nick Galov, Head of Content and Community Manager at HostingTribunal.com. With years of experience as a frontline support and system administrator, Nick wants to improve the web hosting industry as a whole. Through impartial reviews and detailed case studies, he helps people find the most suitable hosting provider. In the rare moments he unplugs from the digital world, Nick enjoys hiking and cycling.