Best Free WordPress themes for 2011

With so many great templates available in 2011, we thought we should check out some of the better free ones available. Check out our list here. We are shocked that some of these are actually free! They come packed with features and options, whilst being beautiful at the same time.

Boldy by Site5

http://www.site5.com/wordpress-themes/

Boldy is a beautiful modern theme. It has a large showcase section and features a wealth of widget space. The typography is well executed, and the general css styles are easy on the eye.

• Features: Nivo Slider, easy setup, 3.0 menu management, tweet widget, pagination, JQuery lightbox, Ajax and more.

Journal Crunch by Site5

http://www.site5.com/wordpress-themes/

Site5 are releasing some really great templates, in fact I would say they are premium in quality and features. It’s amazing that they are FREE! Journal Crunch is no exception, mixing modern layouts with great typography. The display of images is striking without distracting from the content. A truly great journal type blog theme.

• Features: 9 shortcodes, tweet widget, pagination, dropdown menu, 3.0 management support and more.

WordPress Anniversary Theme by Matt Mullenweg and WordPress

http://www.wpanniversarytheme.com/

With the huge success of WordPress being the platform behind millions of blogs and websites, comes this free template by the Official WordPress Team. The WordPress Anniversary Theme really shows their thanks and goes all out with the design and layout. Colours are fabulous, and the positions and styles scream premium well thought out template.

• Features: Widget ready, post thumbnail support, 3.0 menu management, tweet widget, JQuery lightbox, JQuery forms and much more.

NEWSPRESS by WP Crunchy

http://wpcrunchy.com/2010/08/01/newspress-and-obscure-goes-version-2/

NEWSPRESS is a simple theme, using a light layout to show images and new posts. This would be a great theme for someone looking to showcase their writing skills as this template does not distract from the content in any form.

• Features: Custom background, post thumbnail, custom menu and more.

SimpleCart by Chris Wallace

http://www.chris-wallace.com/2009/07/17/simplecartjs-a-free-wp-e-commerce-thematic-child-theme/

We had to add some E-commerce based templates into the list, so what better than this simple theme, SimpleCart is as the name applies, simple! It is flexible, and makes use of both Thematic and WP E-commerce. With a variety of colour schemes and the ability to easily customize, you just couldn’t say no!

• Features: WP-E-commerce compatible, Ajax cart, grid layout, color schemes and more.

Ikonik by einsthemes

http://www.einsthemes.com/ikonikfree-ecommerce-wordpress-theme-by-tokokoo

This is a more detailed e-commerce based template and we felt it had to be included. More and more WordPress sites are using e-commerce, making this template truly brilliant not only because it is free, but because it look s so good. The great use of space to display products, articles, and widgets is truly stunning. It’s hard to tell that this is a WordPress based site!

• Features: Modern typeface, Javascript slide show, table less design, CSS valid, Multi-browser compatibility and much more.

Mansion by Graph Paper Press

http://graphpaperpress.com/themes/mansion/

Don’t be fooled by the Buy Now button. You have to register to download this freebie. What a great photoblogger’s theme, perfect for really showcasing images in all their glory. Of course you can still blog! Really beautiful sleek theme.

• Features: Grid layout, post thumbnails, menu customisation, Widget ready and more.

WordPress Fun by Smashing Magazine

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/07/16/wordpress-fun-a-free-wordpress-theme/

As the title suggests, this template is all about fun! This very usable theme could be used for multiple subjects, and is very eye catching. The use of bold colours and typography look professional. The layout is simple with great positioning. You can even download the PSD files.

• Features: 2.5.2 backward compatible, 2.6 compatible, 2 column layout and more.

Blissful Blog by The Blissful Blog

http://blissfulblog.com/

Last but not least is the Blissful Blog template. We really like the way this template is mainly white and makes great use of space and typography. A very very simple theme that comes across as professional. A great template for bloggers that could suit any subject. This template also packs some brilliant features.

• Features: 3.0 compatible, Tweet post, sIFR fonts, custom header, gallery page and much more.