Best Accessible WordPress Themes 2025 (Free and Paid)

Building an accessible WordPress website starts with choosing the right theme, one that includes basic accessibility features. Starting with an accessibility-ready theme gives you a strong foundation to create a site that is usable by everyone.

In this guide, we’ve rounded up our picks for both free and paid accessible themes. Whether you are setting up a blog, portfolio, business site, or online shop, these themes make it easier to create a website that works well for everyone.

How We Selected the Themes

To make sure these themes meet basic accessibility requirements, we tested them ourselves.

We used the same sample page from our website and applied each theme to it, then ran the page through the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool. Only the themes that returned zero accessibility errors were included in our list.

In addition to error-free results, we specifically looked for:

• Semantic HTML with ARIA landmarks
• Proper heading structure
• Skip-to-content links
• Keyboard and screen reader–friendly navigation
• Readability-focused typography
• Zoom support without layout breaking

We recommend running your own accessibility checks to confirm the theme works on your site. This extra validation ensures nothing important is missed. You can also check out our guide on choosing an accessible WordPress theme for practical testing tips.

Best Free Accessible WordPress Themes

1. Modern
2. Neve
3. Twenty Twenty-Five
4. Reykjavik
5. Period

1. Modern

Modern is, in our opinion, an underrated WordPress theme when it comes to accessibility. It doesn’t get as much attention as some bigger names, but it has a clean layout, good readability, and even includes tips in the dashboard for creating accessible content.

In our testing, we liked its multiple skip-to links for navigation, main content, and the footer, which is rare in free themes. It also returned zero contrast issues in our test, so you can use it right out of the box without changing the colour palette unless you prefer a different look.

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2. Neve

Neve is a lightweight, multipurpose theme designed for speed and flexibility. It offers a clean design that adapts well to different types of websites. A built-in library of starter templates makes it simple to launch a professional-looking site quickly.

One thing we liked about Neve was its wide range of starter themes, making it easy to find a design that fits both your site’s goals and visual style. But we did notice that the default colour palette in the starter themes has contrast issues, though this can be fixed by customising the colours.

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3. Twenty Twenty-Five

The default WordPress theme is finally one you can count on for accessibility. Twenty Twenty-Five comes with a clean design, flexible block patterns, and a strong focus on readability, making it a versatile option for many types of websites.

In our testing, Twenty Twenty-Five handled accessibility basics well, with a skip-to link, proper headings, landmarks, keyboard navigation, and form labels. We didn’t encounter any colour contrast issues during testing. Altogether, it provides a solid foundation right out of the box.

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4. Reykjavik

Reykjavik is a theme from WebMan Design, the same developer behind Modern that we praised earlier. The accessibility is just as solid. It also comes with WooCommerce plugin integration, making it a good option if you want to run an accessible online store.

In our testing, Reykjavik offered multiple skip-to links, just like Modern, which made navigation easier. We felt the focus indicator could have been more distinct, but the theme still stood out for its versatility. It’s a good pick for people planning to use WooCommerce.

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5. Period

Period is a dark, clean blogging theme that puts typography and minimalism front and centre. It’s fully responsive, SEO-optimised, and works well across devices of all sizes. With WooCommerce support, you can also include an eCommerce shop right on your website.

When we tested Period, navigation was smooth. Though the skip-to-content link looked a little different from conventional links, it still worked as expected. Overall, it’s a dependable option for bloggers who want a minimal and accessible theme.

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Best Paid Accessible WordPress Themes

1. Icelander
2. Monument Valley
3. Cindy
4. Angelica
5. Josephine

1. Icelander

If you’re looking for an accessible theme for your e-shop website, Icelander is a strong candidate. It comes with WooCommerce plugin integration and combines modern styling with a focus on readability. The theme looks great out of the box and is simple to set up without coding.

Accessibility features:

• Aligned with WCAG 2.2 Level AA
• Proper heading structure
• Keyboard and screen reader friendly
• Readability-optimised content

One area we felt could be improved in Icelander is the focus indicator. The outline doesn’t have a strong contrast against the background, which may make it harder for some users to see where their focus is while navigating by keyboard.

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2. Monument Valley

Monument Valley is a 100% GPL-licensed WordPress theme that puts accessibility at its core. It pairs an inclusive design with drag-and-drop page builder support, one-click demo import, and 60+ predefined templates so you can launch quickly without coding.

Accessibility features:

• WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliant
• Keyboard and screen reader friendly
• Proper heading structure
• Readability-optimised typography and content

When we tested the live demo, we noticed that the shop and portfolio homepages had several colour contrast issues with the default palette. This isn’t a deal-breaker, as colours can be customised, but it’s worth noting for those expecting perfect accessibility out of the box.

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3. Cindy

Cindy is a premium WordPress theme from WebMan Design, created for accessible and inclusive community websites. It comes with pre-built page layouts for quick setup, is translation-ready, and ensures accessibility is front and centre.

Accessibility features:

• Aligned with WCAG 2.2 Level AA
• Keyboard and screen reader friendly
• Proper heading structure
• Readability-optimised typography and content area

Cindy impressed us overall. The only minor drawback was a weaker contrast when text sits over images and a less visible focus indicator on the search button in the nav bar, but it remains one of the most accessible and user-friendly themes we’ve seen.

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4. Angelica

An accessible theme specifically designed for e-shops. That’s Angelica. With WooCommerce plugin integration and a modern, content-first design, it works especially well for bookstores, lifestyle brands, clothing boutiques, gift stores, and craft shops.

Accessibility features:

• Aligned with WCAG 2.2 Level AA
• Keyboard and screen reader friendly
• Proper heading structure
• Readability-optimised content and typography

When we tested Angelica, navigation was smooth, and product pages worked well with keyboard and screen readers. Image-heavy layouts may need careful colour choices, but it’s still a solid option for anyone running an accessible online shop.

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5. Josephine

Josephine gives us a strong first impression with its bold typography and bright gradients. The design feels fresh and modern, striking to look at but still accessible. With WooCommerce integration and multiple shop layouts, it works well for creating online stores.

Accessibility features:

• Aligned with WCAG 2.2 Level AA
• Keyboard and screen reader friendly navigation
• Automatic colour calculations for text and gradients
• Readability-optimised typography

We liked the automatic colour system, which adjusts text and gradients automatically and keeps contrast issues to a minimum or even zero. Overall, Josephine is a solid choice for agencies, nonprofits, or shops wanting a stylish yet accessible site.

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Bonus: SKT Themes

The Lifetime Package from SKT Themes gives you unlimited access to 400+ premium WordPress themes under a one-time license. This collection is designed for agencies, freelancers, and long-term website builders. Those who prefer investing once instead of renewing yearly.

Here’s what’s included:

• Access to all current and future premium themes
• Unlimited domain usage
• Lifetime updates and support
• One-time payment with no recurring fees

Moreover, all themes are responsive, SEO-friendly, and performance-optimised, ensuring fast-loading, professional websites on any device. Each one is also GPL-licensed, compatible with Gutenberg and Elementor, and includes a one-click demo importer for quick setup.

If you manage multiple projects or client sites, this package offers exceptional long-term value without the overhead of ongoing renewals.

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What’s the Difference between Free and Paid Accessible WordPress Themes?

At first glance, free and paid accessibility-ready themes look very similar. Both cover the basics with proper headings, skip-to-content links, keyboard navigation, ARIA landmarks, readable typography, and good contrast. That’s enough for simple blogs or personal websites.

Paid themes, however, go a step further.

They are aligned with the latest WCAG standard. While some free themes do this too, paid themes deliver it more reliably. You also get polished design controls, plugin integration for e-commerce, multilingual and RTL language support, and more reliable focus states.

Also, paid themes typically have more accessible code and better compatibility with major plugins, which reduces the risk of accessibility issues when extending your site. For larger projects like shops, agencies, or municipal websites, these extras make a big difference.

Another advantage of paid themes is long-term support and regular updates. As accessibility standards and WordPress evolve, having an actively maintained theme helps keep your site stable and compliant over time.

In short, free themes give you a strong foundation, but paid themes provide the extra flexibility, quality, and assurance needed for more complex or professional websites.

An Accessible Theme Is Just the Foundation

It’s important to understand that a theme alone cannot make your website fully accessible. A theme provides the foundation with things like semantic HTML, ARIA landmarks, keyboard-friendly navigation, and proper heading structures.

True accessibility also depends on the content and design choices you make. For example:

• Adding alt text to images
• Writing clear, structured content
• Choosing colour palettes with sufficient contrast
• Using descriptive link text
• Ensuring videos have captions or transcripts

Even with the most accessibility-ready theme, poor content and design practices can create barriers. The safest approach is to use an accessible theme as your starting point and then combine it with accessible content, plugins, and thoughtful design.

To take things further, pair your accessible theme with accessibility plugins such as the Accessibility Toolkit, which improves code on the fly for better accessibility. We also recommend using WebYes Accessibility to run regular scans and catch issues on your website.