20+ Best Vintage and Retro Themes for WordPress [2023]
Retro and vintage have loosely the same meanings. They both refer to something that is not recent or from an entirely different era. Retro and vintage items will not seem modern and will not even slightly match the items popular in the current era. However, that doesn’t mean that these items do not look good.
Also read: 30+ Best Wedding WordPress Themes
You might have at least come across a couple of websites that don’t match the current design trends, but still look gorgeous. Such designs are what we call retro and vintage themes, and that is what we’re talking about in this article. Here are the best vintage and retro themes for WordPress.
Best Vintage and Retro Themes for WordPress
#1. Abby
Abby mixes both vintage and modern designs so masterfully that you will probably stop looking through this lost entirely and purchase this vintage theme. I am not even exaggerating. It looks minimal, classy, and vintage. What more would you possibly want? But even if you want more, that won’t be an issue with Abby. This vintage WordPress theme comes with more than 20 different homepage templates, and a number of different portfolios and blog layouts.
Additionally, you also get to choose from multiple different header styles, footer styles menus, and more. With a collection this big, it is unlikely to find the styles that suit your project. If that wasn’t enough already, Abby also throws in some popular premium plugins that include WPBakery Page Builder, Slider Revolutions, Essential Grid, Contact Form 7, and Templatera.
#2. Monaco
This beautiful vintage theme recently got a huge update that added tons of new goodies to its already impressive collection. With the new update, you get to choose from 20 different homepage templates, 5 different post types, and tons of cool animations among tons of other elements. With its collection of various page templates and post types, Monaco is perfect for blogs, portfolios, and even eCommerce. If I have to point out one thing that makes Monaco stand out, I would choose its design.
Not everyone wants an overly vintage theme and the developers of Monaco know that. This is why at the first glance you can notice the style of vintage and the simplicity of modern design. Apart from a decent collection of templates that would most likely suit your projects, you also get one-page demos, advanced theme options, WooCommerce compatibility, parallax, and free premium plugins.
#3. Nostalgia
The developers may not advertise Nostalgia as a purely vintage theme, but the way it was designed makes it seem like a minimalist vintage theme. This seems obvious when you look at the background images that are presented in retro tones. Nostalgia is suitable for blogs and online portfolios because of its full-screen slideshow and sliding pages.
In addition to the vintage-ish design, Nostalgia also comes with a ton of useful features such as descriptive pages, lightbox, music player that can be connected to YouTube and Vimeo, pages with multiple categories, location map, and much more. You also get to play with 6 different page icons, 10 header icons, 10 social icons, an unlimited number of pages, and tons of fonts. If you want a clean vintage looking theme that is not too much, Nostalgia seems like a good choice.
#4. Hipster
The word “hipster” is defined as someone who follows the latest trends; in the case of this theme the trends of the 90s. Hipster is a fully responsive retro WordPress theme that offers a stylish design with a good mixture of functions. There are 3 different color schemes with the option to create your own, 3 responsive sliders, more than 30 backgrounds, 30 service icons, and more.
There are lots of design ad website elements that can be used to create a retro website for your project. You can also find a couple of other engaging features such as full-screen rotating background images, responsive videos, responsive social media icons, and a Twitter feed. If you are worried about customizations, then the powerful theme panel will help you out. You also get Revolution Slider and WOW Slider for free.
#5. Retro
As orthodox as the name might be, the design itself will blow your mind. You can clearly see the work developers have put in this theme to perfectly blend the vintage feeling with a bit of modernization. This theme is so good that it was even listed as one of the best themes in 2013 by Forbes. The Retro theme comes with a choice of unlimited colors, 5 different skins, social integrations, hundreds of Google fonts and so much more.
You also get the Revolution Slider premium WordPress plugin to help you create magnificent slides to go great with the overall theme. And the addition of Visual Compose makes customization a child’s play. Just drag and drop and you’re good to go. The theme can be installed with just a click and will give you a power admin panel for you to oversee everything happening with your website. The features just go on and on, you have to check this retro theme out.
#6. DW One Page Retro
If you prefer simplicity and want a single-page retro theme that fits your preference, then DW One Page Retro is the way to go. This one-page retro theme looks stunning yet simple. The color choices are totally retro along with the typography that works together to create an exceptionally engaging website.
Since this is a one-page theme, everything is put perfectly on a page. And with various options like slider, popups, and infinite scrolling, you can show everything you need to on a single page. The installation takes no effort whatsoever, and if you by any chance get stuck, there video guides available.
Explore DW One Page Retro Theme
#7. Retro Portfolio
There have been 4 versions of Retro Portfolio, and the developer has been working hard to bring something new to each version it shows. Since the latest update, this retro WordPress theme is fully responsive. That isn’t it though. Other features like retina integrations, numerous icons, responsive sliders, updates notifier, etc. are what make this theme one of the best retro themes for WordPress.
And have I mentioned the theme is one page? Everything you want to add to your website can be shown beautifully on a single page. This means fewer complications, more engagement. This retro theme is suitable for online portfolios and blogs. Every element of the theme is inspired by the retro style and each of their colors can be customized.
#8. The Artist
Although not advertised as a retro theme, the design style roughly resembles retro style. You can use this retro theme on your online portfolio, but the customization options this theme comes with will allow you to use it on other types of websites too. The minimal retro design of the theme will suit most of the websites. The features are what you would expect from a quality WordPress theme.
It has the usual features such as responsive design, intuitive page builder, SEO optimization, and such. It also comes with a live color changer and more than 450 Google fonts. There is a total of 6 footers, 7 blog layouts, and 15 backgrounds to choose from. And if you get stuck, you can refer to the include videos for guidance.
#9. Memorable Events Planner
Just as the name says, this theme is for event planning, but it can be used for anything else that can use its bright and retro design. From weddings to birthday parties, this theme is perfect for organizing and saving lifelong memories. With tons of different post types, shortcodes and fonts, rarely this theme doesn’t fit a niche. Memorable Events Planner retro theme comes with parallax, tons of templates, and other customization elements. Everything can be set up with just a click.
Explore Memorable Events Planner Theme
#10. Ronneby
No matter what your niche is, Ronneby is there for you. This vintage WordPress theme is extremely powerful built with a combination of modules, plugins, and almost limitless options. However, it still maintains ease of use despite its plethora of options and settings. You can set it up and deploy it within minutes. There are more than 40 different beautiful demos to choose from although not all of them follow the vintage design.
Ronneby comes compatible with WooCommerce along with multiple premium plugins including Visual Composer, Revolution Slider, and more. The drag and drop builder is not only fast, it also comes with tons of design options to let you do everything without writing a single line of code. This vintage theme has over 20k installations and a high number of positive reviews.
#11. Craftis
This vintage WordPress theme is specially crafted for creatives who like you get their hands dirty making things or refurbishing. But it can also be used for other niches. At the first glance, it looks minimal and clean with a touch of a vintage feel. If you go a bit into its core, you can see the abundant options that are all at your disposal.
There are plenty of demos and layouts to choose from which are all fully customizable. Installing and customization will be no hassle. And to add in more functionalities, Craftis comes bundled with plenty of popular plugins such as Elementor, Slider Revolution, and MailChimp. This means you can not only drag and drop every element on any page but also upgrade the serviceability of your website.
#12. VintWood
Retro themes don’t always look much stylish or have many functionalities, but that isn’t the case for VintWood. This retro WordPress theme comes with 2 classy pre-built and ready-to-use demos with varied color schemes and designs. From creating an eCommerce website to initiating an online presence for your classy club, VintWood looks good nevertheless. Apart from the demos, you also get tons of different pages and templates to work with.
All the elements have been designed following the same retro design so every element you customize will complement the whole website and will never look out of order. Menu, buttons, backgrounds, and everything else were designed with consistency. This retro theme is WooCommerce ready, comes with various premium plugins, and has powerful customization options. The list of features just goes on and on.
#13. Extinct
Don’t get fooled by the name, this retro theme still has a long life to live before it goes extinct if it even does. Extinct is handcrafted by professionals through thorough research of vintage posters and other prints with the intention to be used by creative agencies. But that doesn’t mean you cannot use it in any other projects, especially with the goodies it comes with.
For the price of $49, you get over 20 page-builder elements, more than 500 retina-ready icons, tons of shortcodes, a powerful admin dashboard, and much more. This retro theme offers multiple post types, easy customizations, and unlimited sidebars. You will also get a couple of premium plugins such as Revolution Slider and Flex 2 Slider. This clean retro theme has so much more to offer that you have to see to believe it.
#14. Vintage Retrolie
You know a theme won’t disappoint if it has got both vintage and retro in its name. Vintage Retrolie is a retro styles vintage theme for WordPress that comes with multiple homepages, inner pages, banners, color schemes, typography, icons, and more that match the overall retro design. Working with the theme is a piece of cake and within an insignificant amount of time, you will get your website up and running. This is thanks to the included WPBakery Page Builder and a team of helpful supports.
There are over 20 homepages to choose from that look totally different but follow the same vintage retro design. You also get Revolution Slider, MailChimp, Contact Form, custom shortcodes, WooCommerce compatibility, over 30 different blog layouts, and 20 different portfolio layouts among various other elements. And with its retina-ready responsive design, Vintage Retrolie will look good in every device, no matter the size.
Explore Vintage Retrolie Theme
#15. Cabin
This gorgeous multi-concept vintage theme suitable for a more varied range of projects than any theme on this list. The overall design is enough for a number of different types of websites, and with a huge collection of ready-to-use demos, the versatility of this vintage theme goes through the roof. From eCommerce to an online portfolio, you can use this theme in arguably anything. Cabin is not all about the surface either, there are a lot of features that make this theme what it is.
This vintage theme is responsive, comes with a powerful admin dashboard, and has unlimited color schemes. You also get premium plugins like WPBakery and LayerSlider for free. One interesting feature that Cabin offers is the option to combine different demo templates and create a new unique design. You can even add animations and effects to your design to create a genuinely beautiful website that will captivate your visitors.
#16. The Lifestyle
If you’re looking for an exquisite vintage WordPress theme for your blog, portfolio, or anything else, then you should definitely check out The Lifestyle. The interesting thing about this vintage theme is that it doesn’t come with a sidebar. Instead, you get a beautiful big header with a great navigational menu.
Moreover, you have the option to choose layouts, pages, and other templates from its fairly decent library. So, no matter what your project requirement is, this vintage theme will probably not disappoint you. The minimal design of this theme will look good on almost every type of website. Additionally, The Lifestyle vintage WordPress theme also includes unlimited colors, custom header images, numeric pagination, widgets, and much more.
#17. Consilium
Consilium is a powerful multipurpose theme that comes with tons of different styles. Withing one of those styles, there a gorgeous retro theme ready to be used on your website. All of these styles, including the resto style, are pre-designed and ready to be installed with just one click.
Consilium comes with a fully responsive design and a plethora of features accompanied by premium WordPress plugins like Slider Revolution, Essential Grid, Visual Composer, and Icon Heaven.
In terms of styling and apart from the included styles, you also get to play with unlimited colors, shortcodes, parallax, layouts, and much more. This retro theme is also WooCommerce compatible so if your project is related to eCommerce, you will have no problem using this theme.
#18. Hugo
Hugo is astonishing, flexible, and totally vintage. This vintage WordPress theme is designed to be used on your eCommerce website, and the compatibility with WooCommerce is an added bonus. Working with the theme and customizing it as per your preference will not be a problem thanks to the included drag and drop page builder.
Furthermore, you get the option to choose from multiple color schemes, custom widgets, and tons of other customization options. Hugo is fully responsive and supports retina displays. If you plan on using a lot of plugins, then Hugo got you there too. It is designed to be compatible with various WordPress plugins including Yoast SEO, MailChimp, WPForms, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, and more.
#19. Special
Special was designed for those who want to showcase their work on their online portfolio. The name of this theme was probably chosen because it enhances the beauty and creativity of your work to make it more special. Think of this theme like a canvas ready to be filled by all your magnificent works.
However, if you have some other type of website with an entirely different niche, this vintage theme can be customized accordingly. It comes with a fully responsive design, multiple post types, pricing tables, background uploader, custom colors, and more. And the advanced admin panel will help you tremendously when setting up your website.
#20. VintClub
VintClub follows the bar and pub niche and is handcrafted to perfection. This vintage WordPress theme will definitely suit your pub’s décor. VintClub is fully responsive and comes with various post types, page types, and layouts so it can also be used for other niches too. All you need to do is customize a little to fit your requirement. And with the included Visual Composer and powerful theming options, that customization should be much of an issue.
Other notable features include unlimited color variations, retina optimized, sidebar generator, multiple widgets, and touch-sensitive. VintClub also comes bundled with Revolution Slider, Contact Form 7, and Font Awesome. And if you ever get stuck, the comprehensive documentation will be a huge help.
#21. OM
OM has been professionally designed for those who are looking for a theme that can complement their photography and visual storytelling. Every element you see on the theme are perfectly balanced with the right colors and extreme attention to detail. The overall design is minimalistic vintage which will make your website look good but doesn’t make your audience detach from your works. OM is Gutenberg ready and comes with 2 layouts and a decent collection of templates.
Its responsive design and support for retina and HiDPI displays make sure your website looks good regardless of the size of the screen it is viewed on. The widgets that it comes with will make your work of customizations a lot easier too. Furthermore, there are a couple of useful premium plugins such as JetPack, Contact Form 7, and Gravity Forms are included with the theme.
Conclusion
If you’re all about the style from the 90s, then hopefully we’ve done good work helping you find a retro or vintage WordPress theme for your upcoming project. Not all of the mentioned theme has bright colors and geometric shapes, some have a bit more minimal yet sublime design. Some will make you feel nostalgic while some are a blend of modern and vintage. No matter whatever your preference is, this list has it all – the best vintage and retro theme for WordPress. So, get started with your website today, and good luck.
