Fast Loading
Themes Beta dataset 10

Measured preview baselines

Rank the metric. Keep the context.

One scenario cannot name a universal “fastest theme.” These boards rank specific measured properties and show why the order changes.

STUDY 00116 Aug 202610 themes · 30 Lighthouse runsAudit the method →
Lab data

Median of three Lighthouse 12.8.2 runs using default simulated mobile throttling on official WordPress.org preview pages. Lower LCP, transfer and requests are better here.

01 / PRIMARY VIEW

Self-contained LCP

Lower is better

Excludes Hello Elementor because its preview is an intentionally sparse shell and does not include the builder it is designed to use.

  1. 01GeneratePressLean content and business builds0.93s
  2. 02KadenceDesign control with a block-first workflow1.08s
  3. 03BlocksyPolished visual sites and WooCommerce1.08s
  4. 04BotigaDesign-forward small WooCommerce stores1.23s
  5. 05OceanWPFeature-rich multipurpose builds1.74s
  6. 06Twenty Twenty-FiveNative WordPress full-site editing2.97s
  7. 07NeveFlexible small-business sites3.11s
  8. 08AstraFast launches with a large template ecosystem3.21s
  9. 09StorefrontA conservative WooCommerce baseline3.59s

Same themes, different question

Transfer weight

Compressed bytes downloaded by the preview. This includes page content and assets—not just “theme size.”

  1. 01Hello Elementorbuilder shell
    18 KB
  2. 02GeneratePress
    25 KB
  3. 03Kadence
    43 KB
  4. 04Blocksy
    45 KB
  5. 05Botiga
    91 KB
  6. 06Twenty Twenty-Five
    120 KB
  7. 07Astra
    148 KB
  8. 08Storefront
    166 KB
  9. 09Neve
    310 KB
  10. 10OceanWP
    340 KB

Network surface

Fewest requests

Request count can reveal dependency surface, but one large file may still be worse than several small cached assets.

02

Blocksy

6 requests45 KB transferred
05

Kadence

9 requests43 KB transferred
06

Botiga

9 requests91 KB transferred

Why no composite ranking?

The score ceiling hides meaningful differences.

Six themes score 99 or 100 in this sparse scenario, while transfer ranges from roughly 19 KB to 348 KB. A single composite would imply precision the evidence does not support.

100
100
100
100
100
99
95
91
89
88

Unfiltered appendix

Raw LCP order

Included for transparency. “Raw #1” does not mean “recommended #1.”

RankThemeLCPScoreTransferInterpretation
1Hello Elementor0.81s10018 KBSparse builder shell; excludes Elementor
2GeneratePress0.93s10025 KBLean content and business builds
3Kadence1.08s10043 KBDesign control with a block-first workflow
4Blocksy1.08s10045 KBPolished visual sites and WooCommerce
5Botiga1.23s10091 KBDesign-forward small WooCommerce stores
6OceanWP1.74s99340 KBFeature-rich multipurpose builds
7Twenty Twenty-Five2.97s95120 KBNative WordPress full-site editing
8Neve3.11s88310 KBFlexible small-business sites
9Astra3.21s91148 KBFast launches with a large template ecosystem
10Storefront3.59s89166 KBA conservative WooCommerce baseline