Uncovering the Best JointsWP Alternatives for Modern WordPress Development
JointsWP is a robust blank WordPress theme built on Foundation 6, providing a solid starting point for developers seeking to build complex, mobile-friendly websites with a modern workflow. It emphasizes flexibility, a Gulp-powered setup for efficient Sass and JS compilation, and a clean slate without unnecessary shortcodes or functions. However, developers often explore other options based on specific preferences, framework familiarity, or desired features. If you're looking for a different foundational theme or a fresh approach to WordPress theme development, understanding the top JointsWP alternative solutions is crucial.
Top JointsWP Alternatives
While JointsWP offers an excellent foundation, a variety of other starter themes provide unique advantages, different architectural approaches, or cater to specific development workflows. Here are some of the best alternatives to consider for your next WordPress project.
Underscores.me
Underscores.me, often referred to as _s, is a highly popular and widely adopted starter theme for WordPress. It's designed to be a barebones, hackable foundation, similar to JointsWP's philosophy of being a starting point rather than a parent theme. Being free and open-source, available on Mac, Windows, and Linux environments, it provides a very clean slate with minimal styling, making it an excellent JointsWP alternative for developers who prefer to build from the ground up with maximum control over their theme's structure and design. Its core feature is its focus on being a truly blank canvas for WordPress theme development.
Sage (WordPress starter theme)
Sage is a robust WordPress starter theme that significantly enhances the development workflow, making it a compelling JointsWP alternative for those seeking a more opinionated and modern approach. It’s free, open-source, and self-hosted, offering a sophisticated set of features including Blade as a templating engine, Browsersync for synchronized browser testing, a Controller for passing data to Blade templates, optional CSS frameworks like Bootstrap 4 or Bulma, modern JavaScript, Sass for stylesheets, and Webpack for compiling and optimizing assets. Sage is ideal for developers who want to leverage advanced build tools and modern PHP practices within their WordPress projects.
HTML5 Blank
HTML5 Blank is a free, open-source, and self-hosted WordPress theme that prides itself on its clean, minimal markup and highly annotated code, providing a clear and easy-to-read foundation for theme development. Similar to JointsWP, it aims to be a starting point, but its strength lies in its explicit support for basic and advanced WordPress functions directly within the code comments, making it an excellent JointsWP alternative for developers who appreciate thorough documentation and a streamlined, unbloated structure. It focuses purely on providing a solid HTML5 and WordPress-ready base.
The choice of a WordPress starter theme largely depends on your preferred development workflow, the frameworks you're comfortable with, and the level of customization you require from the outset. Whether you lean towards the minimalist approach of Underscores.me, the modern tooling of Sage, or the clearly annotated structure of HTML5 Blank, each JointsWP alternative offers unique benefits. Explore these options to find the best fit for your next WordPress project and empower your development process.