Launching an online newspaper used to need a development team. Today it needs WordPress, hosting, and the right theme: one with a dense homepage, category sections, a breaking news ticker, ad slots, and layouts that still load fast on a phone. This list covers the 16 best newspaper WordPress themes in 2026, 13 premium and 3 free, with current prices and sales figures.
Updated October 2026: the original list included themes from Theme Junkie, ThemeFuse, TeslaThemes, and MyThemeShop that are no longer sold, plus several ThemeForest items that have not been updated in years. All of those were removed and replaced with themes that are actively maintained. Every price and update date below was checked in October 2026.
Newspaper WordPress Themes Compared
| Theme | Price | Builder | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newspaper | $59 | tagDiv Composer | Best seller, 157,000+ sales |
| Newsmag | $49 | tagDiv Composer | Cheaper tagDiv option |
| Soledad | $59 | Elementor, WPBakery | Most layouts and demos |
| Jannah | $69 | Own builder, Elementor | Dark mode, community features |
| SmartMag | $69 | Own builder | Classic newspaper look |
| Zox News | $59 | Customizer | Very fast, viral news style |
| Newsblock | $69 | Block editor | Modern with dark mode |
| Networker | $69 | Block editor | Tech news |
| Sahifa | $59 | Own builder | Long-running classic |
| The Voux | $49 | WPBakery | Image-led magazine |
| Extra | $89/yr | Divi Builder | Category Builder |
| Tribune | $69 | Block editor | Breaking news ticker |
| Magazine by Themify | $59 | Themify Builder | Ad-optimized 3-column |
| ColorMag | Free | Customizer | Most popular free magazine theme |
| Newsup | Free | Customizer | Newspaper-style free theme |
| Newsmatic | Free | Customizer | Free dark mode |
1. Newspaper by tagDiv
Newspaper is the best-selling news theme ever made, with over 157,000 sales and an update as recent as September 2026 (version 12). It ships with 120+ one-click demos covering every news niche, the tagDiv Composer front-end builder, a cloud template library, AMP and mobile themes, built-in ad spots with AdSense integration, and WooCommerce support. If you want the layout of a major news site without hiring anyone, this is the default choice.
Key features:
- 120+ pre-built demos
- tagDiv Composer front-end builder
- Ad spots and AdSense integration
- AMP and mobile theme
- Updated September 2026
Pricing: $59 regular license.
2. Newsmag by tagDiv
Newsmag is tagDiv\’s second theme: the same Composer builder and support, fewer demos (14+), and a lower price. It has 16 ad spots, a review system, video support, and a cleaner, lighter default style than Newspaper. 20,000+ sales, updated September 2026.
Key features:
- 14+ one-click demos
- 16 ad spots
- Review and rating system
- tagDiv Composer
- Updated September 2026
Pricing: $49 regular license.
3. Soledad
Soledad has 60,000+ sales and more layout combinations than any theme here: 7,000+ demo variations, 1,000+ slider and layout options, header and footer builders, a mega menu builder, and single post and archive builders. It works with both Elementor and WPBakery, supports unlimited ad placements, and was updated in September 2026. It suits a newspaper that also wants lifestyle or video sections.
Key features:
- Thousands of layout combinations
- Elementor and WPBakery
- Header, footer, and mega menu builders
- Unlimited ad placements
- 60,000+ sales
Pricing: $59 regular license.
4. Jannah
Jannah by TieLabs is a full news platform: a live Customizer builder, dark mode, AMP, BuddyPress and bbPress for reader communities, review boxes, WooCommerce, a weather widget, and a breaking news ticker. With 25,000+ sales it is the modern successor to Sahifa from the same developer.
Key features:
- Live layout builder
- Dark mode and AMP
- BuddyPress and bbPress support
- Breaking news ticker
- 25,000+ sales
Pricing: $69 regular license.
5. SmartMag
SmartMag has sold 22,000+ copies over a decade and is still updated every few weeks. It has a true newspaper feel with dense grid layouts, a visual layout builder, dark mode, review markup, and strong performance scores.
Key features:
- Newspaper-style grid layouts
- Visual layout builder
- Dark mode
- Review system
- Updated September 2026
Pricing: $69 regular license.
6. Zox News
Zox News by MVP Themes is built for high-traffic viral and sports news sites: it is one of the fastest news themes on ThemeForest, with a sticky sidebar, infinite scroll, trending bar, social counters, and ad slots everywhere a publisher expects them. It uses the Customizer rather than a page builder, which keeps it light.
Key features:
- Very fast, no page builder
- Infinite scroll and trending bar
- Ad slots throughout
- Dark mode option
- Regularly updated
Pricing: $59 regular license.
7. Newsblock
Newsblock is a modern newspaper theme built on the block editor, with a dark mode toggle, dozens of demos, built-in ad placements, and AMP support. It is the pick if you want to avoid a heavy page builder and keep Core Web Vitals green. 2,200+ sales, updated August 2026.
Key features:
- Block editor native
- Dark mode
- Built-in ad placements
- AMP support
- Updated August 2026
Pricing: $69 regular license.
8. Networker
From the same developer as Newsblock, Networker is tuned for technology and gadget news, with review scores, dark mode, and a lazy-loaded homepage. See our list of tech blog WordPress themes for more in this category.
Key features:
- Tech news layouts
- Review scores
- Dark mode
- Fast block-based build
- Updated September 2026
Pricing: $69 regular license.
9. Sahifa
Sahifa is the classic newspaper theme with nearly 30,000 sales and still receives updates (November 2025). It includes its own page builder, review system, many header layouts, and a news ticker. It is older in design than Jannah but cheaper and proven.
Key features:
- Own drag and drop builder
- Review system
- News ticker
- Nearly 30,000 sales
- Updated November 2025
Pricing: $59 regular license.
10. The Voux
The Voux is an image-led magazine theme with 8,700+ sales, a drag and drop builder, WPBakery included, infinite scroll, and gallery and video post formats. It suits entertainment and lifestyle news more than hard news.
Key features:
- Image-led layouts
- WPBakery included
- Infinite scroll
- Gallery and video formats
- Updated September 2026
Pricing: $49 regular license.
11. Extra by Elegant Themes
Extra is Elegant Themes\’ magazine theme on the Divi Builder, with a Category Builder for designing the homepage and every category page visually, review boxes, mega menus, and a news ticker. It comes with the Divi membership, which also includes Divi, Bloom, and Monarch on unlimited sites.
Key features:
- Divi Builder
- Category Builder
- Review boxes and mega menus
- Unlimited sites
- Part of the Elegant Themes membership
Pricing: $89 per year or $249 lifetime.
12. Tribune by WPZOOM
Tribune is WPZOOM\’s newspaper theme, now rebuilt for the block editor with a breaking news ticker, featured slider, video widget, and category sections. WPZOOM has been selling it since 2012 and keeps it updated.
Key features:
- Breaking news ticker
- Block editor support
- Featured posts slider
- Video widget
- WPZOOM membership option
Pricing: $69 single theme, or the WPZOOM all-themes plan.
13. Magazine by Themify
Magazine is a 3-column newspaper theme built on the Themify Builder, designed so you can reproduce layouts like the BBC or Guardian by dragging sections. It is ad-optimized with a news ticker and comes with the builder included. The Themify Master Club gives you every Themify theme.
Key features:
- 3-column newspaper layout
- Themify Builder included
- News ticker
- Ad-optimized
- Master Club option
Pricing: $59, or $89 per year for the Master Club.
14. ColorMag (Free)
ColorMag is the most installed free magazine theme on WordPress.org, with a featured slider, category colors, magazine widgets, and one-click demos. Pro adds layouts, dark mode, and more widgets for $59 a year.
Key features:
- Free magazine widgets
- One-click demos
- Category colors
- 40,000+ installs
- Pro $59 per year
Pricing: Free. Pro $59 per year.
15. Newsup (Free)
Newsup by Themeansar is a free newspaper-style theme with a three-column front page, news ticker, featured slider, and ad widget areas, plus a Pro version with more layouts. It looks closer to a traditional paper than most free themes.
Key features:
- Newspaper front page
- News ticker
- Ad widget areas
- Lightweight
- Pro version available
Pricing: Free. Pro sold yearly.
16. Newsmatic (Free)
Newsmatic is a newer free news theme with a dark mode toggle, a live Customizer, ad areas, and one-click demos, updated October 2026. The best free option if you want dark mode.
Key features:
- Free dark mode
- One-click demos
- Ad widget areas
- Updated October 2026
- Pro version available
Pricing: Free. Pro sold yearly.
Which Newspaper Theme Should You Choose?
- General news site, want the safest bet: Newspaper.
- Most design flexibility: Soledad or Jannah.
- Speed first, viral or sports news: Zox News or Newsblock.
- Free: ColorMag or Newsup; Newsmatic if you want dark mode.
Before launch, install WordPress, pick an AdSense-ready layout if ads are the plan, and add social sharing buttons; news sites live on shares.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best newspaper theme for WordPress?
Newspaper by tagDiv, by sales and by how long it has been maintained. Soledad and Jannah are the strongest alternatives if you want a different builder.
Are there good free newspaper themes?
Yes. ColorMag, Newsup, and Newsmatic are all free, actively updated, and include magazine layouts. You give up demos, support, and some widgets compared with premium themes.
Do I need a page builder for a news site?
Not anymore. Newsblock, Networker, Tribune, and Zox News work with the block editor or Customizer and are faster for it. Builders help when you want highly custom category pages.
Which themes support AdSense?
All of them can run AdSense, but Newspaper, Newsmag, Soledad, Zox News, and Magazine by Themify have dedicated ad slots and widgets built in.
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