Avada and Astra Pro are two of the most popular WordPress themes; in fact, one of them claims to be the “Most Popular Theme of All-Time,” while the other claims to be the “#1 Selling Theme of All-Time.”
But which of these two is the better option for you? Let’s find out!
Avada theme has proven itself to be the “swiss army knife” of WordPress for doing anything. On the other hand, Astra Pro is a theme that focuses on performance without compromising the flexibility that themes with page builders offer.
In some areas, the choice between Avada vs. Astra Pro is clear-cut. However, there are also other more important factors that you need to consider to find which of these themes is better for you.
Stick around as we get in-depth with both themes and figure out the areas where they work best.
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Without any further ado, let’s dig into the details!
Avada vs Astra Pro: A Snapshot Comparison
Many WordPress developers often compare Avada vs. Astra Pro because of their similarities in building WordPress sites.
Although it’s possible to create beautiful sites using both themes, their approaches to web development are very different. Take a look at this snapshot for Avada and Astra Pro:
| Avada | Astra Pro | |
| TLDR | All-in-one, multipurpose WordPress theme with a built-in page builder that allows its user to build unique sites with varying functionalities. | A premium plugin for the Astra theme that unlocks several modules and functionalities that allow its user to create blogs, membership sites, and eCommerce stores. |
| The Package | Everything that you need to build WordPress sites, including a page builder, premium plugins, and add-on tools that you can use for better site functionality. | Modules, customizability options, and starter templates that make it easier to build WordPress sites and still make them fully customizable from header to footer. |
| Design Process | Built-in Avada Builder, allowing you to edit every facet of every page visually and in real-time. Avada calls it the new WYSIWYG for content creation. | Works like most WordPress themes-you can edit each page using the default WordPress editor. It also works well with other page builders like Beaver Builder and Elementor. |
Avada Theme
Avada is a paid theme with more than 660,000 sales in ThemeForest, making it one of the best-selling WordPress themes in Envato. It was also one of the first WordPress themes to have a built-in page builder.
Aside from its powerful Avada Builder, it’s also compatible with other WordPress plugins that give your site better functionality.
These features make it possible, even for average WordPress users, to build any site without coding.
Astra Pro Theme
Astra is a free theme with more than 1 million active installations. It has the essential features that you need to build a WordPress site.
However, if you want to make it your “own” and customize its look and feel, you need Astra Pro a premium plugin for Astra.
This plugin makes it easier for you to customize each page without learning another interface to design your site.
So, even if it unlocks various modules and functionalities that aren’t available in the free theme, the learning curve is minimal because you’re using the default WordPress interface.
Astra Pro vs Avada: User Experience
Often, the way we interact with any theme is a huge deciding factor for many WordPress builders.
That’s understandable, especially if you’re only building one website for your business you don’t want to spend hours just to figure out how to move things around.
So, which between Avada Theme vs. Astra Pro can provide you with a better user experience?
Avada Theme
Installing Avada is easy-you install it like any other WordPress theme, and you already have all the features you need to build a website. You can also choose from 79 demo sites and import them.
This process makes it a lot easier to build sites because you don’t have to figure out how you want it to look.
However, if you’re going to use Avada Builder-which I assume you would because it’s the biggest reason you’d want to use Avada-you’d have to go through the learning curve of using another interface.
The visual drag-and-drop builder may sound easy, but you need to learn many things to maximize its potential.
Astra Pro Theme
Installing Astra is just the same as any WordPress theme. However, the functionalities that it has will be limited to the essential features of WordPress.
You’d have to install Astra Pro-a premium plugin that works with Astra-to unlock its full potential.
Astra Pro’s interface is much more streamlined because it uses the default WordPress interface. You don’t have to go through another learning curve just to start designing your website.
Sure, you can install other page builders, which also have their learning curves, but they’re optional and won’t prevent you from creating your website.
Astra Pro vs Avada: Speed Test
Avada never claimed to be the fastest WordPress theme in the market. What it does is allow its users to build complex websites without slowing down.
On the other hand, Astra promotes itself as one of the fastest WordPress themes you can install on your site. I think these claims already tell us who’ll take the win for the speed test. But how much will the difference in speed be?
We conducted several tests to provide you with the median load speed for both Avada and Astra Pro Theme. For transparency, here are the details of our tests:
- We used their starter templates or demo sites to produce “close to real-life” results.
- We installed these themes on a new WordPress site without any active plugin, except for Astra Pro, which we need for the Astra theme.
- We did another set of tests using Astra Pro and Elementor just to see the difference in speed between both themes with a page builder.
- We used an average broadband speed of 20/5, which is the average connection speed throughout the U.S.
- Both sites are hosted on WPX Hosting.
Here’s the average of the test results that we did:
| Theme | Page Size | HTTP Requests | Page Load |
| Avada | 2.36mb | 45 | 2.951s |
| Astra + Astra Pro | 1.32mb | 33 | 1.007s |
| Astra + Pro + Elementor | 1.87mb | 60 | 1.765s |
Although there are other plugins that we can use to optimize each site and have better load speed, the results were one-sided for Astra Pro.
At first, we thought that the 3x difference in load speed was because of Avada Builder, so we installed Elementor just to level the field.
However, even with Astra Pro and Elementor, Astra still wins our speed test with an average of 1.2s difference.
And these tests we’re only for starter templates or demo sites-your site will be much “busier” and will have more content. So, the difference in speed will be even more significant.
Related Reading: Elementor Pro vs Astra Pro: Which One Should You Pick?
Astra Pro vs Avada: Designs
The free starter templates (for Astra) and demo sites (for Avada) are good enough for most WordPress users. In fact, if you don’t want to be too critical with the design elements, you can simply change the content, and you already have a working site.
If you can see yourself doing this, then both themes will work well for you. However, if you want to be more specific in designing your site (i.e., spaces, headers, footers, and other functionalities), Avada is perfect for you right out of the box.
It has everything you need to design your site the way you want it, albeit the learning curve to maximize Avada Builder’s potential.
Astra Pro is also capable of doing it, but you’d need another page builder to move things around your site. You can use Beaver Builder, Elementor, or Divi to edit each page visually. However, these plugins will add up to the cost of using Astra Pro.
Astra Pro vs Avada: Pricing
The price is often the deal-breaker for many themes, and it could also be the case for you. Avada theme and Astra Pro offer very different pricing schemes that could potentially affect your decision to get one over the other.
Here’s a snapshot of each theme’s pricing structure:
| Theme | Free | Annual | Lifetime | License |
| Avada | No | No | $60 | One Site |
| Astra Pro | Yes | $59 | $249 | Unlimited |
Avada Theme
One of the best things about Avada’s pricing structure is it’s not complicated. You pay for the license, use it on one website, and you’ll receive all future updates for the theme.
It seems more expensive than Astra Pro because you can only use it for one site, but if you’re only building a website for your business, it can save you a lot of money!
Astra Pro Theme
You have to consider several things when using Astra Pro to determine who much it would really cost you. First, you have to figure out if you’re getting an annual license or a lifetime license.
Sure, $249 for a lifetime license that you can use on unlimited sites is fairly cheap, but that’s an expensive theme if your business only needs one website, right?
Another factor that you have to consider is the page builder you’re going to use with Astra. If you decide to use Elementor, you can opt for its free plan, but the functionalities that you’ll get will be limited.
And if you opt for the paid plan, that would cost $49/year for one site or $199/year for 1,000 sites.
However, there’s one advantage that Astra has over Avada, and that is its free theme. When it comes to scalability, nothing could beat a free theme that serves as a gateway to a plethora of upgrade options that you can get as your business grows.
Astra Pro vs Avada: Pricing Comparison
Now, let’s put the pricing structure for both themes into context and use four scenarios:
- Avada vs Astra Pro on 1 site
- Avada vs Astra Pro on 10 sites
- Avada vs Astra Pro + Elementor on 1 site
- Avada vs Astra Pro + Elementor on 10 sites
Here’s how much it would really cost you for both themes:
| Scenario | Avada (Lifetime) | Astra Pro/Astra Pro + Elementor |
| Scenario 1 | $60 | $59/year |
| Scenario 2 | $600 | $59/year |
| Scenario 3 | $60 | $108/year |
| Scenario 4 | $600 | $258/year |
Final Thoughts on Avada vs Astra Pro
Avada and Astra Pro are very capable WordPress themes that you can use to build various websites-from blogs to eCommerce stores-without learning how to code. But, which of these two themes should you really get?
Why Should You Use Avada Theme?
Avada is like the “swiss army knife” of WordPress. In fact, Envato‘s CEO calls it just that because it can do everything.
When using WordPress, you’ll often find yourself too invested in a theme, only to find out that you’d need another premium plugin to do what you want to do.
Avada does the opposite-its built-in page builder can build the website you want and get the functionalities you need without additional plugins.
And sometimes, even when it does, it comes with the package. The only caveat is its pricing structure; so here are the instances where Avada is a perfect WordPress theme for you:
- You’re building a website for your business, and you only need one (or a few). It’s a much cheaper option compared to most WordPress themes.
- You’re okay with the idea of learning a new user interface in exchange for better customization and functionality.
Why Should You Use Astra Pro?
With its impressive compatibility with other page builders and a wide range of starter templates that you can use, Astra Pro allows you to build almost any WordPress site that you can think of.
Aside from this, it comes from a reliable company that offers a host of other plugins that you can use to build websites.
It’s easy to get started with Astra and see how you can use it for your business because it’s free. However, the cost can quickly add up if you want more functionality for your website.
Here are the instances where Astra Pro is a perfect option for you:
- You want to have the flexibility to choose the plugins and page builder you want on your website.
- You are managing several websites for clients, and you don’t want to pay for multiple licenses.
Conclusion: Avada vs Astra Pro Theme
Avada and Astra Pro are both powerful WordPress themes perfect for most WordPress users. They allow you to fully customize your site and make it unique without compromising the performance.
However, the choice would still depend on what you want to achieve and what your business needs. It would be best to consider your goals before getting a WordPress theme because it’s an investment in the company, not just the theme.
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