10 Best Starter Templates Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Starter Templates has 1 million+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to Starter Templates
- 1
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder
4.5 (7,297) 10 million+ active installsThe Elementor Website Builder has it all: drag and drop page builder, Atomic Editor, pixel perfect design, global and reusable style systems, mobile r …
Shares the elementor tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, rated 4.5 against 4.9, last updated 7 days ago.
- 2
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor
4.8 (611) 600,000+ active installsElementor templates, Header footer builder, Elementor Post Grid, Woocommerce Grid builder, Slider, Forms, Gallery, Nav menu addons, Elementor widgets.
Shares the elementor tag on WordPress.org. About half the installs, rated 4.8 against 4.9, last updated 21 days ago.
- 3
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy)
4.5 (3,150) 2 million+ active installsThe best free Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. See how visitors find and use your website so you can grow your business with powerful analytics.
About 2 times the installs, rated 4.5 against 4.9, last updated 4 days ago.
- 4
Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk
4.8 (3,211) 200,000+ active installsTop-rated antispam for contact forms, comments, WooCommerce, eCommerce, and login. No CAPTCHAs, no friction, just background anti spam protection.
About a quarter of the installs, rated 4.8 against 4.9, last updated 5 days ago.
- 5
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More
4.8 (14,371) 5 million+ active installsThe best WordPress contact form plugin. Drag & Drop form builder to create beautiful contact forms, payment forms, & other custom forms.
About 5 times the installs, rated 4.8 against 4.9, last updated 3 days ago.
- 6
Gutenverse
Paid version availableGutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor
4.9 (190) 20,000+ active installsWordPress blocks, page builder, and website builder for the Block Editor and Site Editor with templates, popups, and block themes.
Shares the block-editor tag on WordPress.org. 20,000+ installs against 1 million+, last updated 3 days ago.
- 7
Kadence Security
Paid version availableKadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection
4.6 (3,990) 700,000+ active installsHarden your site security with Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Vulnerability Scanner, Firewall, and more. Formerly iThemes Security.
A similar number of installs, rated 4.6 against 4.9, last updated July 27, 2026.
- 8
Popup Maker
Paid version availablePopup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder
4.9 (4,505) 700,000+ active installsWant to boost sales & marketing efforts? Use your favorite forms & builder. Unlimited popups & impressions, keep your data, no monthly subscription.
A similar number of installs, last updated 23 days ago.
- 9
Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation
4.3 (816) 1 million+ active installs🤩 Make popups & optin forms to get more email newsletter subscribers, leads, and sales - #1 most popular popup builder plugin! 🚀
A similar number of installs, rated 4.3 against 4.9, last updated 24 days ago.
- 10
MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor
4.7 (504) 600,000+ active installsElementor forms builder to create WordPress forms like contact form, booking form, feedback form, survey form, application form & 40+ form templates.
About half the installs, rated 4.7 against 4.9, last updated 8 days ago.
Switching from Starter Templates: common questions
What is the best alternative to Starter Templates?
Elementor is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 10 million+ active installs with a 4.5 out of 5 rating.
Which Starter Templates alternative has the most users?
Elementor, with 10 million+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Starter Templates alternative is rated highest?
Popup Maker, rated 4.9 out of 5 by 4,505 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Starter Templates alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Starter Templates score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Starter Templates on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Elementor is the closest match to Starter Templates by the data we track, and Elementor has the widest reach with 10 million+ active installs. WPForms shipped the most recent release, on September 4, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.