How Good Astra Pro really is? Let’s Find Out!

WordPress is the most popular platform for crafting websites. It’s easy; it’s super flexible and comes with a lot of customization and optimization options.

With millions of WordPress themes available in the market, you can create a website that perfectly matches your needs. So even if you need a highly customized website, you won’t have to get it ready from scratch.

We earn a commission when you buy through the links on this page. Affiliate disclosure.

One such popular and in-demand theme is Astra. Astra is a free-to-use theme (of course, with some limitations!) and a plethora of add-ons. In this blog, we are going to review Astra Pro, a paid addon to the Astra WordPress theme.

Brainstorm Force, the company behind the Astra theme, claims that Astra Pro can transform your website into a powerhouse of branding and deliver quality user experience. This SEO-friendly WordPress theme is quite popular amongst SEO experts, too, as it responds to every change they make to improve a website’s SEO.

And honestly, I’ve been using the Astra theme for quite some time. So I know what these guys say is not an exaggeration (in most cases!) So, I finally decided to add the Astra Pro to the test. In this Astra Pro review, I will share my findings with you.

I will dig deeper into the most popular Astra Pro features, I will show how they can benefit you, and finally, I will also share a step-by-step guide to set up Astra Pro and how you can optimize your website.

Let’s start.

What do you get with Astra Pro Addon?

You might wonder why you should upgrade to Astra Pro when you can still get the engine chugging with the free Astra WordPress theme. And that’s a legit question that any sane mind would ask!

So the answer to this question is, “YOU GET A BOAT-LOADS OF FEATURES WITH ASTRA PRO THAT YOU DON’T GET WITH a FREE WordPress theme!”

We will get to the features part shortly, but if you have to sum up the answer in a few points, here are the reasons to upgrade to Astra Pro:

• As Astra Pro is a plugin, it does not impact your website’s performance. You can activate and deactivate it whenever you want (although I would not recommend that.)
• You get hyper-customization options and if done correctly, your website will look like it’s been designed from scratch.
• Each feature of Astra Pro can be activated and deactivated separately, so you can control what features should be visible on your website and what should not. This ensures your website stays clutter-free.
• Astra Pro makes your website responsive. This means your website loads equally fast on all screen sizes, whether it’s a laptop, mobile, or tablet.
• The best part about Astra Pro is its SEO-friendly structure. Once you add Astra Pro to your website, your SEO management will become super easy.

All in all, you get every important feature that you will need to make your website top-notch and stand out in the crowd when you install Astra Pro.

Now, let’s explore each of those amazing Astra Pro features one by one.

What are some of the most amazing Astra Pro features?

Astra Pro’s Blog Pro module has changed the way you design blogs and archive pages. It offers the flexibility to create Grid, Masonry, or List layouts with enhanced customizer options. This gives you a visually appealing and organized presentation of blog posts.

You can use this module for a wide range of designs as it is highly customizable. You can adjust the columns, highlight the first posts, and manage information like dates and publishers. And if you want to make your featured images sleek, Astra Pro allows you to remove the padding around it.

Key Features:

• Layout Varieties: You can choose between Grid, Masonry, and List layouts to match your style.
• Pagination Options: Astra Pro offers infinite scroll pagination for a seamless browsing experience or traditional pagination with customizable designs.
• Engagement Boosters: Astra Pro includes a “Read Time” estimator to inform readers about the length of the posts, enhancing engagement.
• Single Posts Enhancements: It has a lot of features like the Author Info box and Auto Loading Previous Posts that enrich the single post experience. This results in better UX and helps keep users engaged by automatically loading previous posts as they scroll.

Site Layouts Module in Astra Pro

Another powerful feature of Astra Pro is the Site Layouts module. It is a significant addition to Astra Pro as it offers a full spectrum of layout options for the entire website.

You can easily switch between Full Width, Fluid, Fixed Width, and Padded Layouts directly from the WordPress customizer, as it’s fully customizable; it’s perfect for unique and creative website presentations that do not want the common full-width layouts.

Key Features:

• Diverse Layout Options: Full Width, Fluid, Fixed Width, and Padded Layouts to suit different design aesthetics.
• Customization Ease: Accessible from the Customizer, making it easy to apply and preview changes in real time.
• Design Flexibility: Supports creative design approaches, helping users stand out with unique website layouts.

Dynamic Content Builder without Code

When you pick a theme to build a website, the most important thing is to have a powerful content builder. And if you are new to coding or don’t know it at all, such a content builder becomes even more necessary. Thankfully, Astra Pro’s Dynamic Content Builder is the perfect web designing partner that you will ever need.

You can create highly customizable and dynamic websites without the need to write a single line of code with Astra Pro’s Content Builder. This feature supports multiple page headers, custom headers, footers, and custom 404 pages. On top of that, Astra Pro provides hooks for adding custom code, which drastically improves the website’s dynamic content.

Moreover, you can integrate tools like Toolset Blocks to create templates with dynamic content easily. Here, you can build custom post types, custom fields, front-end forms, and much more using a suite of plugins that work perfectly well with Gutenberg. In short, this integration makes it simple to build websites with dynamic content powered by Toolset Blocks.

Enhanced WooCommerce Integration

WooCoomerce is by far the most popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress websites. So, if you are designing an eCommerce website, there is a high chance that you will be using WooCommerce. And if you are using it, Astra Pro has something dynamic to offer with its seamless WooCommerce Integration.

Here are some features of WooCommerce Integration that can be of great help:

1. Ajax-based add-to-cart
2. Distraction-free checkout
3. Off-canvas sidebar
4. Extensive product and shop page styling options

When you integrate them into your website, you can deliver a phenomenal shopping experience to your site visitors. And the better the experience your visitors have, the more conversions you will get.  With the customization options available in Astra Pro, you can tailor every detail of the eCommerce store without a single piece of code.

This includes customizable checkout options like two-step checkout, a distraction-free checkout, and optimized widgets for the WooCommerce shop page. Furthermore, Astra Pro’s performance-optimized code ensures that your store’s load times are quick. And we all know how imperative it is to keep customers engaged and slash bounce rates​​​​.

Look, e-commerce business is over-crowded, to say the least! So you need such extensive customization to ensure your store stands out.

Enhanced Customization with Advanced Design and Styling Options

Your Website is the first touchpoint between you and your potential customer. So it has to be perfect, impactful, and engaging. And the best way to do so is to have a killer website design.

That’s where Astra Pro comes in. Its advanced design and styling options allow you to create a fantastic website design, which is not possible with any other WordPress theme.

Astra Pro enables precise control over text appearance by offering an expanded range of Google fonts, custom fonts, and typography settings. When you couple it with full-featured color options for backgrounds, text, and elements, the results are stunning. These tools allow for the creation of unique and visually appealing designs tailored to your specific branding guidelines​​​​.

With Astra Pro, users gain the ability to finely adjust the spacing around and between elements on their pages. This includes margins and paddings. This level of control ensures that layouts are clean, organized, and visually balanced. What more do you need to deliver a professional and user-friendly website experience?

Versatile Site Layouts for Every Design Need

Astra Pro allows users to select from several site layouts, including full width, max width, padded, and fluid layouts. This flexibility allows for the creation of diverse design aesthetics that are suitable for a wide range of content types and user experiences.

Container Layout Control: Beyond basic layouts, Astra Pro provides detailed control over the container layout, allowing users to set specific widths and manage content alignment with ease. This feature is key to creating responsive designs that adapt smoothly across devices.

How To Use Astra Pro?

Using Astra Pro is very easy and even fun. The UI of Astra Pro is designed to be very intuitive and user-friendly. Let’s take a look at the entire process:

Step 1: Get your Astra Pro add-on

This is the first step. You will have to log into your Astra account or create one. Once your account is ready, you can download your Astra Pro addon zip file. You will also get the activation code on your registered email ID.

Step 2: Activate your Astra Pro Addon

Go to your website’s dashboard and open the “Menu” on your website dashboard. Here, click on the “Plugin” button, and you will see an option to “Add New Plugin,” as you can see below.

Once you click, you will get an option to upload the Astra Pro addon plugin.

Once your installation is complete, you will have to activate your plugin. To do so, go to the “Setting” section and scroll down. You will find a box where you can insert your activation code. Add the activation code you received to your email ID and activate the plugin. Voila! Your Astra Pro Addon Plugin is now Active!

Step 3: Start Customizing Existing Website

Now, if you already have a website ready, it’s time to customize it. But before we begin, there is one more thing you should know. Astra Pro Plugins work best with Astra and Spectra Pro themes. So make sure you add one of those to get the best results.

Here’s my complete Spectra Pro review article. Make sure you go through it first.

Now back to business, go to the Appearance button on your Dashboard. Here, you will find the “Start Customising” button. Below that, you will find a list of Astra Pro Modules too. Here, you can activate any specific modules, based on your website and niche.

Once you are done with selecting the module, you can now move ahead with the “Start Customizing” button and you will land on the dashboard as you can see below. On the left-hand side, you will find the entire Menu for editing. From here, you can build your Headers, Breadcrumbs, Blog layout, Page layout, and much more.

Step 4: Edit your Website

Astra Pro offers a lot of editing options for your website. E.g., you can edit the Typography, Colors, Containers, Buttons, Block editors, and more.

I tried the Astra Pro plugin on my blog website. As you can see in the image below, you can edit the container style of your blog posts. This can be very helpful in editing your blog’s layout. You can change the container style, container layout, and more. There is an option to edit the container width, keep it boxed, or even unbox it.

Step 5: Edit your Website

Let’s say you want to edit the Header of your website. Astra Pro offers you multiple options, such as adding a site title and log, an off-canvas menu, and a primary menu. You can also pick the header type from the drop-down menu, as you can see in the below image.

Now, I want to add a logo to my website. So here’s how I did it. I opened the Site Title & Logo option, clicked on the “Select logo” button, and uploaded the logo from it. You can change the size of the logo and edit it as per your page’s layout, and you are good to go.

Here are some other additional things that you can do with Astra Pro:

Breadcrumb

Breadcrumbs are like those guides that help users understand where they are on a particular website. So if the users want to go to a specific higher-level page, where they are on a particular area e, navigational aids help users understand their location within your website.

In short, breadcrumbs enhance users’ experience by offering a clear path back to the starting or entry point.  Here, you can change the fonts, layout, color, header position, and even Breadcrumb source. I prefer using Yoast SEO Breadcrumbs as they offer better results.

Blog

This option lets you modify the layouts of your blog posts, their structures, and metadata displays. In other words, this section is like a central hub that manages how your blogs are presented and improves readability and engagement.

You can define how your narrative and expertise are showcased to your audience and how it influences their reading journey.

Page

With this option, you can edit and modify each of your web pages and alter its layout spacing and element visibility. You can modify your webpage’s layout, and it’s your tool for crafting distinct pages that serve different purposes.

You can edit landing pages designed for conversion to informational pages that enrich visitor knowledge and drive engagement.

Sidebar

Sidebars provide secondary information and navigation options. You can customize their presence on your pages, what widgets they contain, and how they’re positioned. A well-designed sidebar can significantly enhance navigation, offer quick access to information, and display personalized content that complements the main page content.

As you can see, you can edit the style, width, and layout of the sidebar using Astra Pro. Going ahead, there is an option to edit the design of the sidebar. This includes content links, content titles, and content text. Apart from this, you can change the widget title size, widget font size, and sidebar spacing. In short, you can heavily optimize your sidebar and make your site look super attractive.

Footer Builder

Using this option, you can edit your footer too. Now, if you think the footer is just the endpoint of your website, you are wrong! This is where your visitors will find maximum information about your brand! E.g., the footer section displays important links to company info and engages visitors with calls to action.

Using Astra Pro, you can edit the elements like the Copyright, spacing, padding, and margins. Remember, a well-crafted footer anchors your site, providing clarity and closure to the user experience.

Widgets

Widgets add functionality to your site. Customize these modular components to display various content types like recent posts, calendars, or custom text. You can place them in various areas of your site, providing dynamic content and interactive experiences for your visitors.

Homepage Settings

Using this feature, you can decide what your visitors see first on your site. You can customize your homepage’s content, layout, and featured sections to create a compelling and informative first view. It’s where you set the stage for the visitor’s journey, presenting your main value propositions and content highlights.

As my test website contains only a couple of blog posts, I have placed my latest blog posts on my home page. But if you have a more dynamic and detailed website, you can make any of your web pages your homepage.

Astra Pro: A Complete WordPress Website Optimization Solution

As you can see, there is so much you can do with Astra Pro. What I showed you in this blog is just a trailer! There are so many things and so many optimization options available for the users. So, if you are thinking of building a new website or revamping an existing one, Astra Pro could be a great start for you.

What I loved about this tool is its simplicity, clutter-free layout, and simple editing features. The best part? You can edit your WordPress website to such an extent that I will feel like it’s been built from scratch!

But wait, the fun is not over yet! The Astra Pro team has added a lot of features to the tool recently. One such feature is the Astra Pro AI website builder. I kept this feature for the end as I knew testing this feature would change my website entirely! But I had to do it because I have a knack for testing the untested waters! So here’s how this testing turned out.

Build a Website in Minutes with Astra Pro AI Website Builder

Building a website takes time. But what if I tell you it can be done within minutes, just like that? Well, that’s the thing. Astra Pro has launched this amazing feature with its latest updates! You can open the Astra Pro AI website builder by going to the Starter Template Section, as shown below.

When you click this button, you will see two options:

• Create a website using an AI website builder
• Create a website using classic starter templates

Once you click on the AI builder option, you will be asked to create an account on ZipWP. The reason is, the AI website builder is powered by ZipWP on Astra Pro. You can also login quickly using your Google account.

Then, a pop-up box will appear that will ask you to link your Google account with your website. Click accept, and you will land on the website AI website builder dashboard, as you can see below:

Here, you will have to add the name of your website, the subject for which this website is designed, and the language of the website. Once you fill in this information and click on the “Continue” button, you will be directed to another page, as shown below:

Here, ZipWP will ask you to describe your website in a few words. You can even use AI to improve your description. Here, I added everything about my test website and moved ahead. Once you click on the “Continue” button once again, you will be redirected to the next page.

Here, you will be asked about your email ID, phone number, and address. But this information is not mandatory, and hence, I skipped that step.

Now, ZipWP will ask you to choose the image for your website. I picked the one that I thought would resonate with my website, as you can see, and moved ahead:

Once done, now is the time to select the layout for the website. ZipWP brings in a lot of options for you here. And to be honest, the options it gave me were pretty relevant and attractive. It gave me 8 options and I decided to go with the 2^nd one.

Once you select one option, ZipWP gives you a quick sneak peek into how your website will look! Here, you can add a logo to your website, change the color palate, edit logo width, and even choose the fonts. Make the necessary changes and hit “Continue.”

ZipWP’s algorithm will start creating your website. It will then import all the necessary plugins and install them for smoother operations. Remember, this is a bit of a complex process. So it’s obvious that I will take some time. Once done, your website will be ready to roll!

Just check out how amazing this website looks! I created it within just 6 minutes and 31 seconds! That’s downright crazy. While I understand this is not a great website in terms of design, layout, and SEO, it’s a good starting point.

It’s better to have something instead of nothing. I agree that AI, at its current capacity, cannot replace a human website designer. But it can surely give you a head start!

Astra Pro Pricing Plans

Astra Pro’s pricing plan offers a great many options catering to different needs. The plan starts at $49 for a single-site annual license, with savings up to 17% off the regular price. Then the options go up to 1000 websites and lifetime access, each with their respective discounts.

Each plan comes with advanced features and design control, aiming at speeding up website building processes. For a detailed breakdown of prices and features included in Astra Pro, please visit their pricing page.

Advantages and Disadvantages of using Astra Pro

Benefits of Astra Pro:

• Enhanced customization options for website aesthetics.
• Faster website performance.
• A broad selection of pre-built website templates.
• Seamless compatibility with leading page builders.
• Dedicated support for quick assistance.
• Regular updates for improved security and features.
• WooCommerce integration for online stores.
• Access to exclusive features and plugins.

Disadvantages of Astra Pro:

• Some advanced options require a learning curve.
• Full potential is unlocked only with the Pro version.
• Costs associated with the premium features.

Wrapping up

I believe this would be one of the most detailed takes on Astra Pro that you would ever come across on the internet! I have tried to cover almost every feature of Astra Pro and have shown how you can get started with it.

Remember, Astra Pro is an amazing tool, but it’s not the only one. You can always find a lot that offers similar features and services. But to be honest, this one is the most comprehensive one that I have ever come across.

It’s best suited for almost any website; doesn’t matter in what niche you are operating. So, if you are looking to optimize your WordPress website, and make it look better, and efficient, and more impactful, go with Astra Pro blindly! I can assure you, this tool will not disappoint.

Meanwhile, if you want to explore more such review articles and blogs feel free to explore my website. You will find a lot of such powerful and popular tools across all the niches.

FAQs