We use WordPress for almost every site we build at AzulWeb. And we have strong opinions on themes — because we’ve tested many of them across very different projects: showcase sites for Moroccan SMEs, WooCommerce stores, content blogs, bilingual French/Arabic sites.
The question we get regularly: “Which WordPress theme should I choose?” And often, the person comes in with a preconceived idea based on a comparison they read — one that was essentially an affiliate article with no real testing behind it.
This article is different. We give you our honest take on Divi , Astra and GeneratePress — real strengths, real limitations, and most importantly which one to choose based on your situation in Morocco. Yes, there are affiliate links in this article. No, it doesn’t change our verdict.
Many Moroccan entrepreneurs treat theme selection as a purely aesthetic decision. That’s a mistake that can get expensive.
Your WordPress theme isn’t just a visual wrapper. It’s the technical foundation of your site. It determines:
We selected three themes for this comparison because they dominate the WordPress market in 2026, are regularly updated, and we’ve used all three on real client projects. Here’s what we actually think.
| Criterion | Divi | Astra | GeneratePress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Speed | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
| Technical SEO | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| WooCommerce | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| RTL Arabic Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| Value for Money | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (lifetime license) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (free + pro) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (free + pro) |
| Learning Curve | Low | Moderate | High |
| Best For | SMEs, agencies, e-commerce, beginners | Blogs, SEO sites, performance | Developers, advanced SEO |
Divi has been developed by Elegant Themes for over 10 years, and is arguably the most widely used WordPress page builder in the world. At AzulWeb, it’s the theme we use most often for client sites — here’s why.
Divi’s visual editor is the best on the market for non-developers. You see exactly what you’re building in real time, on both mobile and desktop. No “surprise on render” — what you see in the editor is exactly what your visitors see. For a Moroccan SME that wants to manage its own site independently, that’s a decisive advantage.
The layout library is massive — over 2,000 templates covering every sector (hotels, clinics, e-commerce, agencies, restaurants…). And with the lifetime license, you pay once to use it on unlimited sites. That’s an investment that’s hard to beat long-term.
This is the point Divi is most criticized on, and not always fairly. A poorly configured Divi install, with cheap hosting and uncompressed images, can indeed be slow. But a well-configured Divi — with a cache plugin like WP Rocket, WebP images, and quality hosting — consistently reaches 85+ PageSpeed on mobile. We’ve verified this across multiple client projects.
The rule applies to all themes: hosting and image optimization matter more than the theme itself for speed. Divi isn’t the lightest of the three, but it’s far from a bottleneck when everything else is done right.
This is where Divi genuinely outperforms the other two. Divi’s native WooCommerce modules let you fully customize product pages, category pages, the cart, and the checkout flow — without touching a line of code. For Moroccan online stores that need a custom shopping experience and optimized conversion pages, that’s a significant edge.
To learn more about choosing the right platform for your store, read our comparison of WooCommerce vs Shopify in Morocco .
Divi works well with WPML and Polylang for multilingual sites. RTL support exists and works correctly, but complex multi-column layouts sometimes need a few manual CSS adjustments. It’s not a blocker — just something to plan for if Arabic is your primary language.
Our verdict: Divi is the most complete theme for the vast majority of WordPress projects in Morocco. It’s not the fastest raw, but it’s the most versatile, the most accessible, and the best suited to the real needs of Moroccan SMEs and online store owners.
Astra is one of the most downloaded WordPress themes in the world — and it’s earned it. Its approach is fundamentally different from Divi: where Divi puts everything at your disposal, Astra starts from an ultra-light base and lets you add what you need.
Astra’s base code weighs under 50KB. That makes it one of the lightest themes on the market, translating directly into excellent load times right out of the box — before optimizing anything. For SEO and content-focused sites, where every millisecond counts for Google rankings, that’s a strong starting point.
Astra works seamlessly with all major page builders: Elementor, Gutenberg, Beaver Builder, and even Divi Builder (yes, you can use the Divi builder with the Astra theme). This modularity is a real advantage for agencies that want flexibility.
Astra’s HTML structure is exemplary. Tags are well organized, the code generates no unnecessary overhead, and compatibility with Yoast SEO and RankMath is flawless. If you’re building a French-language content site — blog posts, guides, service pages — and want to maximize your chances of ranking on Google.ma, Astra is an excellent foundation.
This is where Astra outshines Divi. RTL support is native and complete — no additional CSS required in the majority of cases. For bilingual French/Arabic sites, that’s a concrete advantage that saves real development time.
Astra provides solid WooCommerce integrations with customization options for product pages, cart, and checkout. The integration is lighter than Divi’s — perfect for simple to mid-range stores. For deep checkout funnel customization, you’ll need a complementary plugin.
Our verdict: Astra is probably the best theme for content-driven and SEO-first sites. It’s more technical to get started with than Divi for beginners, but richly rewards those who know how to use it.
GeneratePress isn’t the most well-known theme among the general public. But in the WordPress developer and SEO specialist community, it’s an absolute reference. Its creator, Tom Usborne, is obsessed with performance and code quality — and it shows.
GeneratePress is probably the best-coded theme of the three. Its base code is so minimal that some installations load only a single CSS file. The result: Core Web Vitals scores consistently above 95 on mobile, with zero additional configuration. For an SEO specialist, it’s a dream foundation.
The trade-off is clear: GeneratePress doesn’t have a drag-and-drop visual editor as intuitive as Divi’s. It works natively with WordPress’s Gutenberg editor and native blocks. For a developer, that’s perfect. For someone new to WordPress, the learning curve is significant.
GeneratePress’s real power unlocks with the Elements module (available in the premium version). It lets you create custom headers, footers, and layouts with conditional logic — display a different header on sales pages, a specific footer for blog posts, etc. It’s an extremely powerful tool for developers who want total control without a page builder plugin.
WooCommerce integration works well, but advanced visual customization of product pages requires either the Elements module or a page builder plugin. For complex stores needing highly custom product pages, you’ll be more limited than with Divi.
Our verdict: GeneratePress is technically the cleanest and most performant theme of the three. But it requires real expertise to unlock its full potential. For a Moroccan SME without a dedicated developer, it’s not the right call. For a developer or agency that wants to build fast and clean, it’s excellent.
→ Divi. The visual editor is the most intuitive, the template library covers every industry, and the result is professional from day one. The lifetime license is a smart investment if you manage multiple sites.
→ Divi as first choice, Astra Pro as an alternative if speed is critical. Divi gives more visual control over product pages and the checkout flow. To dive deeper, read our guide on e-commerce website creation in Morocco .
→ Astra or GeneratePress. Both offer a lightweight base and clean HTML structure for search rankings. Astra is more accessible, GeneratePress is more powerful for advanced users.
→ Astra for its native, complete RTL support. Multilingual works on all three themes, but Astra requires the least manual adjustments for Arabic.
→ GeneratePress, without hesitation. It’s the cleanest, lightest codebase that most respects WordPress standards. The Elements module offers unmatched flexibility for complex layouts.
→ Divi for its unlimited license and production speed. Or GeneratePress if your team is technical and you want a high-performance base for all your clients.
Our answer is nuanced. The free versions of Astra and GeneratePress are genuinely functional — they’re not stripped-down demos designed to force upgrades. You can build a decent site with the free Astra version and Gutenberg.
But “decent” isn’t “professional.” Premium versions unlock the elements that truly make the difference: advanced header/footer customization, full WooCommerce integrations, access to the complete template library, and priority support.
For a business showcase site or e-commerce store, investing in a premium version is a rational decision. Astra Pro ($47/year) or GeneratePress Premium ($59/year) pays for itself with the first client or order the site generates. Divi has no free version, but its ~$249 lifetime license is one of the best deals in the WordPress market if you’re using it across multiple projects.
In terms of raw speed, GeneratePress and Astra are neck and neck — both can hit 95+ on Google PageSpeed without additional optimization. Divi is slightly behind raw, but with WP Rocket and proper configuration it easily exceeds 85. For most sites, this difference is negligible if hosting and images are well optimized.
Yes, Divi supports RTL. For simple layouts it works without any adjustments. For more complex designs with multi-column sections, you may occasionally need a few lines of CSS to fix alignment. It’s not a blocker, but plan for this if Arabic is your primary language.
The free version is available on the WordPress directory and is genuinely functional for a basic site. For advanced features — custom headers, WooCommerce customization, full template library — the Pro version is needed, starting at $47/year.
Honestly, no — not as a starting point. GeneratePress is powerful, but it requires a familiarity with Gutenberg and WordPress that takes time to develop. If you’re just starting out, Divi will get you to a professional result much faster. You can always migrate to GeneratePress later as your skills grow.
Divi, without hesitation. The layout library includes excellent templates for hospitality — menus, galleries, reservations, about sections. You can have a professional result within hours using the right template as a starting point. Our hotel and riad website design service regularly uses Divi for exactly these types of projects.
Not necessarily. If your current site performs well, loads fast, and ranks correctly on Google, changing themes is more of a risk than a benefit. A theme migration can break layouts, temporarily impact SEO, and requires thorough testing. If your site is slow, visually outdated, or hard to maintain, a rebuild with a better theme is justified.
After dozens of WordPress projects in Morocco, here’s what we take away:
The best theme isn’t the one with the most stars on a review site — it’s the one that matches your skill level, your goals, and the way you work. If you’re unsure, start with Divi: it’s the most forgiving, and it will give you a professional result without nasty surprises.
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