Editor's Note: The below post is written by one of our developers. The theme framework he describes powers many of our current projects.

There are so many WordPress themes out there, it honestly gets overwhelming. I’ve tried a bunch. Some looked great at first, but once I started building, things fell apart. Too many settings, slow loading times, or just that weird feeling like the theme’s working against you. It shouldn’t be that complicated.

When we started using the Kadence Theme with Kadence Blocks, things were looking a little different. The layout builder made sense, the global styles were actually useful, and I wasn’t constantly digging around to make things mobile-friendly. After hopping between builders for a while, I kept coming back to Kadence. I still keep an eye on what’s out there, but Kadence is the one I rely on when I just need to get good work done!

What’s different about Kadence?

Kadence isn’t just a single theme with everything baked into it. It is a framework with plugins that allow you to add additional features based on your needs for a given project. Using custom fonts? There’s a plugin to make managing that easier. Want to add a full design library and store all your custom layouts for easy reference? There’s a plugin for that! 

Overall, the framework just feels intuitive. You don’t need to fight with controls or overly opinionated styles to get clean layouts. Whether I’m adjusting global colors, building a custom header, or tweaking blocks for mobile, it all feels smooth and logical. Kadence gives you full control without the clutter.

What about under the hood?

That simplicity shows up under the hood too. The way it handles its file structure is thoughtful. It’s lightweight, well-organized, and easy to follow when you’re working under the hood. You’re not left guessing where things are or dealing with theme files that feel like a maze. It’s straightforward, which makes debugging or extending so much easier.

On top of that, most of the frontend output is handled through PHP templates which can be filtered using traditional WordPress hooks. That means you can tap into WordPress actions and filters to customize blocks the right way without overwriting core files.

In a space filled with bloated templates and overcomplicated setups, Kadence feels like a clean start. It's fast, flexible, and helps you focus on actually building something that works.