Lightning

Overview

Lightning is a Bootstrap-based classic theme developed by Hidekazu Ishikawa, listed in the WordPress.org directory since July 2015, which makes it the second-oldest theme on this list. It is in the 100,000+ installation band; version 15.43.0, published on 11 November 2026, requires WordPress 6.6 and PHP 7.4.^[4]

The directory description stresses simplicity and the theme’s handling of custom post types and taxonomies: when a site adds a new post type, Lightning adjusts breadcrumbs and layouts automatically without new template files.^[4] That makes it suited to sites that organise content into several types, such as product catalogues, event listings or corporate news sections. It supports block styles, wide blocks, footer widgets and sticky posts.^[4]

Lightning’s audience is concentrated in Japan, where its developer is based, and much of its surrounding documentation and many of its companion plugins are in Japanese, which can make it harder to adopt elsewhere. It has only 12 directory reviews, averaging 96 out of 100.^[4] The theme’s frequent version numbering (over 15 major versions) reflects a long maintenance history rather than unstable code, but site owners should test updates on staging before applying them.

Lightning features

• Automatic layouts and breadcrumbs for custom post types
• Bootstrap-based responsive grid
• Block styles and wide-block support
• Footer widget areas

Lightning pricing

Free on WordPress.org. Paid extensions are offered by the developer; prices not reviewed (see vendor).

Lightning strengths and limitations

Appears in

• Best WordPress Themes in 2026 #11
• Best Free WordPress Themes in 2026 #11

Lightning alternatives and competitors

Alternatives to Lightning: companies ranked in the same lists.

• Elementor
• Astra
• TTTwenty Twenty-Five
• GeneratePress
• Kadence
• OceanWP
• Blocksy
• Extendable
• Neve
• PPopularFX
• Royal Elementor Kit
• SStorefront