19 Best Vintage and Retro Themes for WordPress (2024 Edition)

Vintage and retro themes are always in vogue, making an excellent choice for any WordPress site owner.

If you’re selling traditional or classic fashion products, running a lifestyle blog or own a pub, these themes deliver the character and atmosphere you’re looking for.

Plus, they can blend easily with your brand to invoke the “oldie is goldie” appeal.

We have a soft spot for vintage design, which is why we’re going to discuss factors in choosing a vintage or retro website theme in this post.

We will then outline the checklist to select the best vintage and retro WordPress themes.

Next, we’ll review the aspects that make an excellent website.

Finally, we’ll highlight 19 of the best vintage and retro WordPress themes of 2024.

By the end of the post, you’ll feel confident in picking a theme for your website.

What is a vintage or retro website?

Vintage or retro websites are those that employ old-fashioned styles like older typefaces, color schemes, images and layouts. Some of them may also incorporate other aspects such as retro images, videos and cultural references.

Vintage or retro color schemes are making a comeback in web design and that’s something we would love to encourage.

Now, you may be wondering what a retro color scheme is, right?

According to Designmodo, “Retro colors are those that are usually less saturated and have a more flat feel than other shades. Retro color patterns are often used to create an old or vintage feel and have come back into fashion partially due to the revival of photo filters in mobile phone apps such as Instagram.”

Retro schemes can be used to create websites that look old-fashioned or to evoke feelings of nostalgia.

That nostalgia is a powerful psychological motivator, which is why it’s used so often in advertising. You can leverage it for your own benefit on your website.

The best free and premium WordPress vintage and retro themes

Here are the top 10 recommendations of the vintage and retro WordPress themes we think are the best of the best:

1. Astra – Starter templates to help you kick start your vintage website.
2. VintClub – Stylish retro theme for Pubs and Bars.
3. Divi – Perfect for fast-loading retro websites.
4. Abby – Versatile theme for a vintage look.
5. OceanWP – Great choice for customizable vintage websites.
6. VintWood – Hoist the classic appearance and reminiscent feelings.
7. KadenceWP – A snappy one to create a vintage website.
8. Vintage Retrolie – Unique theme to create a retro-looking site.
9. Retro Portfolio – One page vintage WordPress theme.
10. Cabin – Simple and minimalistic vintage theme

1. Astra

Astra is a logical choice, not just for a vintage or retro website, but for any kind of WordPress website. Currently, it has a whopping 5 out of 5 rating with more than 4900 positive reviews on WordPress.org, making it the most popular WordPress theme to date. It offers an array of features that make it an attractive option for website owners.

The theme is simple, fast, and easy to use. It is perfect for creating a website with a retro style due to its control over elements and styles coupled with colors, fonts, and layout parameters.

Pros of the Astra theme include:

• Astra theme is highly customizable. You can change the colors, fonts, and layouts to create a unique website that reflects your brand.
• Easy demo import and WooCommerce compatibility.
• 230+ Starter Templates.
• Supports popular drag and drop based page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, Brizy, Visual Composer, and the Gutenberg block editor.
• SEO friendly and loads fast.

Cons of the Astra theme include:

• Vast customizability and many features mean there’s a lot to learn.

Bonus tip:

Upon installation, we suggest trying the Wine Bar and Restaurant template. It gives a historic vibe enough to elicit a vintage or retro-looking nostalgia in the visitor’s mind.

This template will help kickstart your vintage-looking website thanks to the great layout and readymade pages. Simply install, open with your favorite page builder and begin customizing. It’s that easy!

Pricing

Astra has a free and a premium version costing $49 €45 per year.

2. VintClub

The VintClub theme for WordPress is a stylish and sophisticated option for anyone looking to create a pub and whiskey bar website. VintClub is a WooCommerce theme that was designed with online wine stores in mind.

With VintClub, you’ll have everything you need to create a website that’s both attractive and informative for visitors. Its excellent vintage design will take your visitors back to the past with a great degree of nostalgia.

Pros of the VintClub theme are:

• It’s highly flexible and customizable.
• Detailed documentation and video tutorials to guide you through the process.
• The theme is also responsive and will look great on any device.
• Tested and optimized for speed.
• Supports drag and drop-based editing with WPBakery page builder, Visual Composer and others.

Cons of the VintClub theme are:

• No free version available.

Pricing

VintClub costs $59.

3. Divi

Websites and blogs with a vintage or retro look are becoming more popular, and there’s no better way to achieve this look than by using the Divi WordPress theme and page builder. On Trustpilot, it nails a 4.9 rating out of 5, which is really impressive.

This theme is perfect for anyone who wants to create a blazingly fast retro website or blog that looks like it’s from a different era. It has a stylish design that can be customized to match your individual style. It also has all the features you need to get your website up and running quickly.

The pros of Divi include:

• Provides a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing experience with a drag and drop based page builder.
• Customizable with full control with over 2,000 premade website layouts.
• Full control over color customization and other CSS controls for different shapes and other elements.
• Background images, colors, gradients, and videos, background masks, animations patterns.
• Create, save, manage and reuse unlimited custom designs.

The cons of Divi include:

• No free version available.
• Lots of features for a first time user.

Pricing

Divi costs $89 per year.

4. Abby

If you’re looking for a versatile WordPress theme, Abby may be just what you’re looking for. This theme has a vintage look and feels that can be easily customized to match your brand. It ships with tons of features such as 2+ mega menus, 20+ homepages, a good number of layouts and SEO optimization.

The best part is that it comes packed with many other tools like the WPBakery page builder, Slider Revolution, Essential Grid and Templatera.

Here are a few pros of the Abby theme:

• Very versatile and can be used for a range of websites.
• Easy to customize.
• Lots of great features include built-in support for WooCommerce and Gravity Forms.
• Premium plugins as a bundle.
• Contact Form 7 compatible.

Cons of the Abby theme:

• No free version available.

Pricing

Abby costs $59.

5. OceanWP

If you’re looking for a WordPress theme that is both easy to use and highly customizable for your retro or vintage website, the OceanWP theme is a great option.

This theme has a number of built-in features that make it stand out from the competition, including a large selection of templates and customization options that make it easy to create a unique website.

Pros of the OceanWP theme:

• Fully customizable and does not require any coding knowledge.
• One click demo import.
• 3 different mobile menu options and ensures the best SEO practices.
• Full color and typography options.
• 220+ modern Elementor and Gutenberg based templates.

Cons of the OceanWP theme:

• There is a long learning curve if you are using the theme for the first time.

Pricing

OceanWP has a free version and it starts from $35 per year.

6. VintWood

When it comes to using a vintage and retro-styled WordPress theme, VintWood really shines. You can create an inviting online portfolio or an exciting party site without compromising on giving a classic appearance. In fact, it is a near-perfect tool to evoke a reminiscent feeling in the visitor’s mind.

The only thing you need to do is to use your imagination and let VintWood take care of everything else. The theme is responsive, adaptable, and flexible to work with multiple businesses and projects.

Pros of the VintClub theme are:

• Multiple custom widgets for greater customizability.
• Revolution Slider and Contact Form 7 ready.
• One click demo import.
• Unlimited color variations that will allow you to implement the vintage look with ease.
• Includes two demos and 20 internal pages with widgets.

Cons of the VintClub theme are:

• No free version.

Pricing

VintClub costs $59.

7. Kadence WP

Kadence is a great theme for creating vintage or retro style websites. It includes many features such as the ability to easily add custom CSS and custom fonts. Another great feature is the layout builder, which makes it easy to create custom page layouts.

The Kadence WordPress theme is highly customizable. You can change the colors, fonts, and layouts to create a unique website that reflects your brand. The theme is also responsive, meaning it will look great on any device. Additionally, Kadence includes built-in SEO features that will help your website rank higher in search results.

The pros of Kadence WP theme:

• Create or customize the header and footer according to your needs.
• Free version available.
• Define or add style to your sidebar using custom layouts.
• Custom post type support.
• Advanced options with a global color palette.

The cons of Kadence WP theme:

• Beginners can feel lost due to too many features.

Pricing

Kadence WP starts from $129.

8. Vintage Retrolie

If you are looking for a unique retro WordPress theme with a stack of features, Vintage Retrolie is a great candidate. This theme has many great features, including a responsive design, custom post types, and unlimited color options. Plus, it’s easy to use and customize.

Luckily, it does include support for popular plugins like RankMath, Yoast SEO, and other WordPress plugins. Overall, Vintage Retrolie is an excellent choice for anyone in pursuit of a unique and stylish WordPress theme with a cool retro look.

Pros of Vintage Retrolie theme include:

• 20+ homepage layouts.
• Cross-browser adaptability
• Gutenberg compatible.
• Vintage typography.
• Plugin bundle (MailChimp, Revolution slider, WPBakery page builder.).

Cons of Vintage Retrolie theme include:

• No free version available.

Pricing

Vintage Retrolie costs $59.

9. Retro Portfolio

Retro Portfolio is perfect for creating a portfolio website that showcases your work in a vintage style. The theme has a one-page design, making it easy to navigate and showcase all of your content.

Some great features include the ability to easily add custom widgets and menus, as well as the option to choose between two different header designs. Overall, this is a great choice for anyone looking to create a stylish and professional portfolio website quickly and easily.

Some pros of the Retro Portfolio theme:

• Comes with a number of color options.
• It is fully responsive and includes a responsive design slider.
• Retina integration for logo and banner.
• Easily translatable.
• Detailed documentation available.

Some cons of the Retro Portfolio theme:

• The theme may be a little too simple with relatively few features compared to others in this list.
• No free version available.

Pricing

Retro Portfolio costs $39.

10. Cabin

If you’re looking for a rustic, vintage-inspired WordPress theme, Cabin might be just what you’re looking for. It has a warm, natural feel that not only looks beautiful but is also packed with tons of advanced features.

Most importantly, Cabin is relatively easy to use and has many features that can be customized to match your website’s look and feel. It also includes several pre-made layouts along with a customizable mega menu option that you can use as starting points for your own design.

Pros of the Cabin theme:

• Customizable mega menu, slider with parallax effect, and a myriad of layouts.
• Extensive header and footer customizability.
• 2 plugins bundled – WPBakery page builder and LayerSlider.
• WooCommerce, WPML and Contact Form 7 integration.
• 40+ custom shortcodes, instant demo import and translation ready.

Cons of the Cabin theme:

• No free version.

Pricing

Cabin costs $79.

11. Hestia

Hestia is designed to help you create beautiful and unique websites. It comes with a wide range of features and options, making it perfect for giving your website the touch of the vintage or retro style. It also includes many built-in templates you can use as a starting point for your website.

One of the best things about Hestia is you don’t need any coding experience or design skills to get started. Just install the theme and start creating your website. It’s that easy. You can customize every aspect of your site, from the fonts and colors to the layout and every section.

Pros of the Hestia theme:

• Drag and drop builder with live customizer.
• 1 click updates and fast support.
• Translation and RTL ready.
• Optimized speed and SEO friendly.
• Page builder compatibility.

Cons of Hestia theme:

• It may require a little customization to give it a retro look.

Pricing

Hestia starts from $69.

12. Skanda

SKANDA by WPKOI is a WordPress theme that has a vintage design. It is a good choice for people who want to create a website that looks like it is from an earlier time period. The theme has some good features, that make it well worth checking out.

One of the best things about SKANDA is that it is very customizable. You can change the colors, fonts, and other aspects of the design to make it look the way you want. Additionally, the theme is responsive, which means it will look good on all devices. Also, the theme is fast enough to give your visitors a snappy experience.

Pros of the Skanda theme include:

• Free version availability
• Covers some basic aspects such as different layouts, customizer options, customizable header and footer.
• Provides support for WooCommerce and the Elementor page builder.
• Easy demo import.
• Mobile header looks great.

Cons of Skanda:

• Challenging to figure out how to use some of the features.

Pricing

Skanda has a free version while premium starts from $39.

13. Lifestyle

Lifestyle by NordStudio is a vintage and retro-styled theme for WordPress. It has a stylish look with an old-fashioned feel that can give your blog a unique appearance. This theme is perfect for food blogging, lifestyle blogs, or any other type of website where you want to share your thoughts and experiences with others.

One of the best things about this theme is the custom header feature. You can easily upload your own header image to give your blog a more personal touch. The theme also includes several different layout options, so you can choose the layout that best suits your needs.

Pros of the Lifestyle theme include:

• Free version available, easy installation and setup.
• Readable and content-focused.
• Theme customizer support with unlimited colors and custom backgrounds.
• Translatable and child-theme support.
• Gallery, widget and cross-browser support.

Cons of the Lifestyle theme include:

• Doesn’t have as many features as some of the other themes available on the market.

Pricing

Lifestyle costs $20.

14. Wild Book

Wild Book is a WordPress theme with a vintage and elegant design. It is easy to use and perfect for creating a website with a personal touch. The theme includes seven custom post types, four-page templates, and three widget areas.

It also has built-in support for WooCommerce, making it easy to create an online store.

One of the best things about Wild Book is its retro design. This gives your website a unique and stylish look that is perfect for personal blogs or small businesses.

Pros of the Wild Book theme include:

• Gutenberg support that will help you edit with the drag and drop based blocks.
• Featured posts slider, carousel gallery and masonry gallery.
• Theme customizer support with unlimited colors and custom backgrounds.
• Translatable and child-theme support.
• Galleries, widgets and cross-browser support.

Cons of Wild Book include:

• No free version available.

Pricing

Wild Book starts from $35.

15. Hipster

The Hipster WordPress theme is an excellent option for those who are looking to create a retro or vintage-inspired website. This theme has a lot of great features, and it is very easy to use. Just install it, import the demo content and turn your website into a vintage or retro one in only a few minutes.

You can easily create a retro or vintage-inspired website with this theme. It also has built-in support for WooCommerce, so you can quickly sell products on your website. Out of the box, you will get responsive sliders and a theme options panel too.

Pros of the Hipster theme:

• WooCommerce support, working contact form, 3 responsive sliders.
• Theme options with 3 color styles and additional black and white icons.
• Stretched and boxed layout styles.
• 30+ background textures/patterns.
• Fullscreen background and full screen rotating background images.

Cons of the Hipster theme:

• Not as many customization features as some here.

Pricing

Hipster costs $32.

16. Monaco

Monaco could be one of the greatest options in an attempt to create a retro WordPress website. You can change the color scheme, fonts, and layout to create a website that matches your style. There are also several built-in header styles and page templates to choose from.

One of the best things about Monaco is its support for WooCommerce. This plugin lets you add an online store to your website with ease, making it a great choice for businesses. Additionally, Monaco brings other premium tools like WPBakery page builder and Revolution Slider as well as Contact Form 7 integration.

Pros of the Monaco theme include:

• Fully customizable with multi-page demos.
• WooCommerce compatibility and Contact Form 7.
• Fully responsive and retina ready.
• In-depth documentation.
• Drag and drop page builder support – WPBakery page builder included for free.

Cons of the Monaco theme include:

• No free version available.

Pricing

Monaco costs $59.

17. Borderland

Borderland is a great contender and includes 12 demos and countless unique components as well as widgets to make your website more interactive.

Templates all have a Western or heritage feel and offer a range of layouts and content options for a wide range of websites. It supports Ajax animations, comes with the WPBakery page builder and supports the most popular WordPress plugins.

Pros of Borderland:

• Customizable mega menu and child theme.
• Parallax background images in content and video backgrounds.
• Multiple layout options.
• Includes a plugin bundle of WPBakery page builder and LayerSlider.
• Integration with WooCommerce, Contact Form 7 and WPML.

Cons of Borderland:

• Feels a little bit complex until you get to grips with it.

Pricing

Borderland costs $85.

18. Retro Blog

Retro is a visually stunning theme that takes inspiration from classic print magazines. It features a sitewide sidebar layout option, a large banner slide and a featured categories area on the home page. It is perfect for bloggers who want to share their thoughts and photos with the world with a retro design.

It also includes some great features that make it easy to customize your blog. There are six color schemes to choose from, and you can easily change the font style and size to create a perfect look.

The pros of Retro Blog theme:

• Responsive design with a sticky primary menu.
• Translation ready and SEO optimized.
• Color options, preloader options and font options.
• MailChimp integration.
• Free version available.

The cons of Retro Blog theme:

• Only 200+ active installations with no rating available.

Pricing

The premium version of Retro Blog theme starts from $69.

19. Springbook

Springbook is another WordPress theme that takes on a vintage and retro-style look. It’s perfect for travel websites or anyone who wants to showcase their photos in an attractive way.

The theme has several different homepage layouts, portfolio templates, and blog post formats. It also has easy social media integration, so you can easily share your work.

Some pros of the Springbook theme include:

• Fully responsive and customizable.
• Provides WPBakery page builder.
• Provides 9 different home page styles including a slider, slideshow, static image and video.
• Child theme included.
• One click demo data import.

Some cons of the Springbook theme include:

• Reviews aren’t great.

Pricing

Springbook costs $49.

Factors to consider when selecting a vintage or retro website theme

Many different vintage and retro themes are available in the WordPress ecosystem, both free and premium.

When selecting a vintage or retro website theme, we recommend considering the following:

• Look and feel you’re going for: The first is the overall feel or vibe you want your website to give off. Do you want it to be fun and playful or more elegant and sophisticated?
• Reflection on the period you want: Another thing to consider is the specific era you want your website to emulate. If you’re unsure what decade to choose, think about the style of design and graphics that were popular during that period.
• Aiming for simplicity: When choosing a theme for your website, it’s essential to keep simplicity in mind. The theme you pick should be easy to use and navigate, and should also be visually appealing.
• Ensuring responsiveness: Make sure the vintage or retro theme you choose is responsive and looks good on all devices, from desktop computers to smartphones and tablets.
• Regular security updates: Look for a theme that is well-coded and updated regularly. Regular updates with good coding practice will ensure that your website looks good, runs smoothly and stays secure.
• Cross-browser compatibility: Finding a theme that looks good across all major browsers is essential, ensuring your website looks good no matter what browser is being used.
• Page builder support: With page builder support, you can easily create custom layouts for your pages and posts without touching a single line of code. Before you choose a theme, make sure it fully supports popular page builders.
• Checking popularity: It’s a great idea to review the popularity of the theme you choose. If the theme has an excellent rating (typically more than 4.5 out of 5) and many positive reviews, it should be a safe bet.

Pro tip: You’ll never feel stranded if you go for a theme with a huge user pool. That way, if you do need any help, you can just reach out to the community and ask for help.

Final thoughts

As you can see, there are many great vintage and retro WordPress themes to choose from. Hopefully, you have found one on this list that fits your needs.

There’s a little bit of everything here, from blog themes to eCommerce themes. Each supports page builders, so even if it doesn’t work out of the box, it could be perfect after a little work!

If you are already using one of these themes, don’t hesitate to share your experience with us in the comment section below.