As enjoyable as it can be to build a site from the ground up, the time-saving potential of an HTML template can’t be denied. A good HTML theme should be easy to customize, jam packed with features and functions, and, most importantly, affordable. With such a diverse range of options available on the internet, part of the challenge of finding the right template is navigating through the plethora of options. But not all themes are created equal, however.
Many themes look good but will give you grief during installation and setup. Conversely, many themes are easy to use but don’t look good. There is a happy balance that great themes offer and that is why we have compiled a list of the best HTML templates for you to peruse. These themes are both beautiful and simple to implement.
Canvas
Who wouldn’t love a blank canvas to work from? How about if that canvas already had all of our favorite frameworks, ready to be customized? If this sounds like you, then you’re in luck! With 75 demos to enjoy, over 500 pages to customize and powered by Bootstrap 3.3 – the Canvas 3.0.1 is every inch as customizable as it is effective. It makes the ideal HTML 5 portfolio template, but it can pretty much be used for any need imaginable. Websites, blogs, forums – you name it, the Canvas can help you along the way! Being fully responsive doesn’t hurt either – and there’s almost no end to the creative possibilities.
Wave
Whether you are a freelancer or work as part of a larger agency, you need a website that tells your clients that you are at the forefront of technology and design. Wave enables users to add portfolios, writing samples, images, and so much more, all on a sharp and sleek site that is just oozing with style. The responsive layout, portfolio grids, and themezinho’s exclusive revolution slider plugin are icing on the cake. Or perhaps the cherry on top.
BeMobile
In 2013 the number of mobile users exceeded desktop for the first time and that number has only climbed ever since. BeMobile takes advantage of this growing trend with a theme that is designed particularly with mobile users in mind. The template is highly customizable with ten homepage styles, ten navigation bar styles, and features that work similarly to those more commonly found in mobile apps. Design features include touch device optimization, CSS3 design, ergonomic navigation, and tablet-specific responsiveness.
LEGEND
There is nothing more titillating than a countdown, especially one placed over an intriguing background image. LEGEND is an elegant template that comes with 20 pre-made variants, a fully responsive design, animations, social buttons, and support for both still-image and video backgrounds. It elevates the “Coming Soon” site, which has certainly come a long way from the little construction worker GIF of old. Just make sure you replace it with a website that is equally awesome!
Alpha
Here’s a theme that will be appreciated by expert-level HTML5 coders, so if you’re a beginner then this may not be the template for you. If you are a top-tier programmer, however, then sit back and enjoy the immense potential afforded by the Alpha Theme. It’s lightweight, elegant and more than capable of ranking highly thanks to its compatibility with SEO features. It’s a little more professional than it is personal; making it a great landing spot for businesses and consumers alike.
The menu itself is sleek enough to not dominate attention, without making it hard to navigate around the site, and the background can be modified to suit your particular niche or industry; making for even greater customization potential.
Smart Start
Many people consider the Smart Start template ideal for beginners – but we’ve noticed just how versatile it can be for experts, too. Whether you’re a graphic designer hoping to make the most of layered PSD files, or if you simply can’t live without the power of Ajax infrastructures – you’ll definitely appreciate the potential of Smart Start. It’s compatible across all known internet browsers, it’s responsive for mobile devices too, and it’s suitable for both HTML5 and CSS3 users. There really aren’t any complaints to make – and for the low price there’s no harm in trying it either.
Synergy
Never before has it been as easy to ‘synergize’ every single element of an HTML website. The Synergy theme is an HTML responsive template with style. It possesses a clean, responsive aesthetic design that benefits from Ajax HTML page loading for increased speeds and functionality. There are over 20 page layouts to choose from, and thanks to the fully interactive features (each of which can be customized to suit the user), there’s no limit to how engaging the site will be for anyone viewing.
The easy to use HTML page template is also straightforward enough for beginners – but where the potential will really shine through is in a pair of expert hands.
Karma
Okay now here’s a theme that is honestly worth every single cent. The Karma template has been downloaded thousands of times now, and we’d even go as far as to say that it’s possibly one of the best that we’ve ever had the pleasure of using. It’s entirely retina ready (a technology that you’ll know is growing in demand), whilst being fully compatible with both CSS3 and HTML5.
The fully responsive design makes browsing easy – and with 30 color schemes to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to branding and online recognition. As if that wasn’t enough – the support team are some of the friendliest that we’ve ever come across, and knowing that they are on hand is reassuring – as well as being value for money!
Landed
Ladies and gentlemen, the revolution has landed… in the form of the Landed HTML5 template. This multi-purpose, responsive and fully functional theme is ideal for users of all skill levels – in fact, all that is needed is a minor knowledge of HTML5 to get started, and the results will speak for themselves. If you’re an advanced user, however, then that’s where things get really interesting.
Not only is this template ideal for beginner coders – it’s amazingly diverse for experienced users with the time on their hands to create a truly epic website design. Considering the cost, versatility and customization potential – there’s no other template quite like this.
Flex
If you’re looking for a way to showcase your artwork, products or services then look no further than the Flex template. It’s fast, responsive and elegant enough to portray your message without bombarding your audience with content. The lack of content isn’t a concern as far as SEO goes either – in fact, this theme is entirely SEO ready and allows implementation of metadata, tags and everything in between. Where it really shines it in its simplicity.
Beginners will enjoy the potential, as will experienced HTML5 experts. The megamenu can be personalized in color, font, and style – and the sliding background will add some much appreciated aesthetic appeal too.
Jango
If you’re a photographer, a designer, or a creative individual in general, feel free to take a look at the simply fantastic Jango theme. It’s mobile responsive and comes complete with more demos than you could shake a stick at – and considering the sheer extensiveness of each and every one of these demos, you will most likely find that the only customization that you’ll need to do is adding your own colors.
Rhythm Theme
If menus are your thing, then the Rhythm theme could well be the way to go. With a choice between three menus (a mega menu, a full-screen version, and a side menu equivalent), you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to defining the look and feel of your website. The template is also responsive and multipurpose and would suit any agency, professional service provider, or individual too – with a little work.
Pivot
Every so often a diverse theme comes along that takes care of all of the hard work for you. As HTML programmers, we expect to do a little work at least – and that’s all that the Pivot template allows you to do. It’s already kitted out with features, functions, demos and even boasts a compatibility with MailChimp. All that you’ll need to do is to introduce your color scheme and modify the layout to get started.
SuperFine
Who wouldn’t want to use a responsive website that takes customization to an entirely different level? The developers include full RTL support as standard and with 8 different layouts and 5 different blog styles to choose from – the only thing that you’ll need to do is modify the unique elements to really make the website your own. The headers and footers are also easy to adjust too, allowing a great canvas to trigger your creative juices.
Pages
With over 20 unique demo designs to enjoy, as well as predefined graphics and modules that can be modified to suit your needs; the Pages theme is one of the most versatile that we’ve ever come across. It packs all of the regular features associated with HTML templates (responsiveness, header selection, and customization potential), but where it really shines is in its pre-designed demos – these are already fully functional websites on their own.
Massive
Massive is a bit of an understatement as far as the name of this template goes, and if you find yourself in need of a theme that can showcase talents, promote services and feature products – then this is every inch that theme and more. It’s fully responsive, has a side navigation area that can be customized in both shape, style, and color – and it even boasts a parallax design to compliment the eCommerce features and functions.
Outdoor
Whether you’re an avid outdoor enthusiast, or if you’re a keen photographer in need of a digital location to showcase your talents and expertise – this theme is certainly worth a bit of attention. It’s mobile responsive and supports HTML and CSS as standard, but it does lack slightly as far as versatility goes. If you need a portfolio site then grab it. If not, check out a few alternatives instead as you’ll be limited.
Progressive
Everyone loves a good spot of progress, and although this theme isn’t guaranteed to take your business to a new level – it will definitely do a great job at maximizing your online reputation. It features 5 home pages to choose from, it’s fully responsive, it comes complete with lifetime support from a fully trained tech team and it’s very affordable, too. Any complaints from us? None at all – take a look now for yourself.
Timex
If you’re due to launch a website soon, then the chances are that you’ll want to have a reliable landing page to let people know when to come back. The Timex theme does exactly that; albeit in much more style than your typical landing spot. You have the option to optimize the site for search engines ahead of time, and the content/ images on the page will take care of everything else for you.
TheBox
Sourcing a good template for your eCommerce store is one thing, but making sure that it runs at its maximum at all times is something else entirely. Fortunately for you, TheBox template comes ready to use from the moment that you purchase it. All that you’ll need to do is to add your products, take care of your own promotions and your store will be in a position to make sales almost immediately.
Constructioner
Do you like to build your websites from the ground up? Perhaps you work within the construction or interior design industry or have a client that does? If you answered yes to any of the above, then take a look at the Constructioner theme. The demo might be construction-based, but the play on words goes much deeper than that. Thanks to the CSS and HTML potential, you can construct every single element to suit.
Income
Whether you work online, promote your services via social media, or if you simply want to get your message across – the Income template makes it easy for you, and here’s why. With social media compatibility, HTML coding and a user-friendly layout, your audience will struggle to walk away from your site without at least considering the information that you’ve provided – making it easy for you to make sales, thanks to the compellingly effective design.
uniLearn
Now here’s a theme-specific template that suits the education industry like nothing else that we’ve come across. The uniLearn theme is ideal for educational institutions, private tutors and even public speakers. The layout is already in place (and is very effective if you ask us). All that you will be expected to do is to personalize your graphics, add your own information and then sit back as the website’s design captivates your target audience.
CarService
Sticking with themed templates, the CarService design template is everything that you’d want if you work in the vehicle industry. It’s a great way to promote your sales, or those of your client, if you’re a mechanic – but there’s no reason why you couldn’t switch a few images to reflect specialist car sales instead. Check out the demo to see just how effective the mobile responsive version is as well.
GoCargo
Another industry themed template now – the GoCargo – and not only does this one come complete with full responsiveness, a variety of layouts to choose from and the option to implement a blog; it also boasts one of the most affordable prices considering the volume of features and functions. It may be ideal for the cargo industry, but there’s no reason why it couldn’t be used for other niches too, so take a look.
Altius
The Altius theme struggled with a few unfortunate bugs when it was first released – but that’s why the developers decided to pull it back to introduce a brand new take on the design. It’s now fully responsive, relies on advanced Bootstrap 3.3.5 technologies and comes complete with supporting documentation – should you every come up against any particular challenges. It’s also multipurpose, making it ideal for blogs, forums, website and online eCommerce stores.
Mentor
We have a great looking themed layout for you now, and the Mentor template is every inch the pinnacle of education that its name might suggest. The appearance has been created by professional marketers and designers to promote conversion rates, and with a variety of PSD files included to help you to customize the look and feel of your site – this theme could be considered one of the fullest around.
Clean UI Admin
Professional webmasters and developers will appreciate this robust and responsive Bootstrap 4 Admin website template and Angular starter kit. It includes 10 layout types, six color schemes and hundreds of components and plugins. Clean UI has been designed by professionals and is aimed at experienced users. It’s versatile and allows you to create everything from dashboards to forms, tables, charts and eCommerce.
SEOsight
Digital Marketing Agencies looking for a clean, responsive design will delight in what SEOsight has to offer. It has 35 pages that can be customized with a range of flat filled outline illustrations and animations that look amazing on any device screen. It’s easy to customize your templates because SEOsight is built with SAAS. This allows users to change the main color with only one click.
Archi
If you want your interior design or furniture company to stand out from the crowd you should take a look at the Archi interior design website template. You can play full-screen HTML5 videos in the background to showcase your work. With 93 HTML pages and 24 Homepages available in both light and dark styles, you can customize your website to suit your taste. Use Archi to contrast a modern, elegant and sophisticated website with little effort.
Do you have a template that you think we should highlight? Maybe we missed one of your personal favorites you would like to see it featured? Feel free to get in touch either directly or in the comments to let us know.
I knew that the Canvas template would appear here, it’s by far one of the best layouts that I’ve ever used. It’s easy to install for beginners, but it doesn’t lack functionality if you’re a pro. I’ve used the theme about 9 times now for different clients and I’ve never heard one complaint about similarity. It’s a blank canvas really, you just use your creativity (and the built in features) to really make your website pop out. Love it, couldn’t speak any more highly.
@Brendon, I’m new to the design industry and I could really do with a few recommendations on templates similar to the Canvas one. I like the simplicity of the theme, but I like a little more to work from. Do you have any in mind?
Hi Abigail (you have the same name as my mom). I think that I understand what you’re asking. Basically you are looking for a template that is easy to navigate, without being SO blank that it’s a challenge to put something creative together? If that’s the case, then there’s the Karma template (you’ll see it a little lower down on the list).
It’s just as functional as the Canvas theme, but it comes with a pre-designed layout which you can chop and change to your heart’s content. The support team are good too just in case there are any particular elements that you’re unfamiliar with, but seeing as it’s HTML compatible and easily coded, you shouldn’t come across any issues. If you do please let me know as I’ve always wanted to revert back to this template at some point.