WordPress has undergone a lot of changes since it was first introduced as a basic blogging software. As WordPress matured, it moved away from using just static PHP file-based design systems toward allowing users to make use of visual editors in the form of blocks, and now allows for even more advanced methods such as the generation of complete websites using Artificial Intelligence.
While using WordPress today, users will typically run into three common types of themes:
- Classic Themes
- Block-Based Themes
- AI-Based Themes
Each of these types of themes offers an added level of design capabilities to the developers, but may also provide a variety of advantages or disadvantages relative to each individual developer’s project objectives, technical specifications and desired workflow.
1. Classic WordPress Themes: The Original Way to Build Websites
Classic WordPress Themes are defined as the original way of building pages with a set of PHP template files to determine how the page will appear.
Customizing Classic WordPress Themes
The majority of design modifications to Classic Themes are performed using the following methods:
- WordPress Customizer
- Widget Areas
- Theme-Specific Settings Panels
However, many users also use third-party Page Builders, including:
- Elementor
- WPBakery
- Divi
All of these Page Builders provide non-developers with the ability to visually create a design layout for their Page without requiring them to edit any PHP code.
Why People Are Still Using Classic WordPress Themes
Classic WordPress Themes are still widely used because:
- Many current websites were built using Classic Themes
- There is a huge repository of plugins and tools available for Classic Themes
- Developers who are familiar with developing in PHP will prefer to use this method for building websites
- There are many businesses that currently have older versions of WordPress as part of their ongoing operations
When an organization has been developing and maintaining a website for many years, generally it does not make sense to move to a new system.
2. Block Themes: The New Direction in WordPress
The introduction of “Block Themes” and Full Site Editing (FSE) has created a new way to build websites. Now, webmasters no longer have to edit templates using code but instead have almost complete control of every aspect of their website using the Gutenberg Block Editor.
What Makes Block Themes Different from Classic Themes?
Unlike classic themes, block themes:
- Use HTML instead of PHP for templates
- Allow you to edit the header, footer, and layout right in the editor
- Use reusable blocks of content to define how your pages are displayed
- Contain a theme configuration file called theme.json
The Benefits of Using Block Themes
Block themes provide many benefits over previous versions of WordPress themes. Some of these benefits include:
- Reduced dependency on page builder plugins
- Visual control of all aspects of your website
- Consistent management of the design of your website
- Reduced time for completing content edits
For modern WordPress development, block themes provide a much more cohesive editing process than the previous methods of building websites.
3. AI-Driven WordPress Themes: A Big Change
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed the way we develop WordPress websites in a big way as more people are becoming aware of the impact of technology on design/development processes and generative AI development trends.
Well, there was once a time when you would manually design the individual pieces of your site. Now, AI theme/builders will combine the following features into one platform to automate specific parts of your design/development process:
- Creating Page layouts
- Creating the structure for the initial design
- Creating text content
- Creating Placeholder images
- Creating sections of suggested pages
How Does AI Theme Systems Work?
A typical workflow will follow this process:
- The user will tell AI the type of website they would like to create.
- The AI will create a preliminary model of that website.
- The different page layouts and text will be produced automatically.
- The user can then go in and use the visual editing tools to change the design.
Why Use AI For Website Development
The biggest advantage of using AI for a website is speed. Websites that may have taken days for development can often be produced in less than an hour, which is beneficial to:
- Agencies that produce rapid prototypes
- Freelancers that develop landing pages
- Drafts of projects that may be in their infancy
- Web designers who do not have a technical background
However, while AI produces effective results, it should be supplemented with some human involvement/supervision and design expertise.
The Three Types of Themes Compared
There are some very different differences in the workflows, flexibility, and amount of required expertise to use each of the three different theme models discussed above.
| Feature | Classic Themes | Block Themes | AI-Powered Themes |
| Main technology | PHP templates | HTML + Gutenberg blocks | AI automation layered on themes |
| Editing method | Customizer + widgets + page builders | Full Site Editing with block editor | AI-assisted layout generation |
| Design control | Code-based | Visual editing | AI-generated + visual editing |
| Speed of development | Moderate | Faster than classic | Fastest |
| Third-party dependency | Often relies on page builders | Minimal | Depends on AI tools |
| Ideal users | Developers, legacy projects | Modern WordPress users | Agencies, beginners, rapid prototyping |
How to Choose the Right Theme Strategy
How you choose which theme method to use should be based on several things, including the complexity of the project, the resources available for development and the long-term plan for maintaining the project.
When Classic Themes Are Appropriate
Classic themes are useful for maintaining older WordPress websites, for using established ecosystems for page builders, or for custom PHP template-based development, for instance. These types of sites are often still being used by many long-term business websites.
When Block Themes Are Better Than Classic Themes
Block themes are recommended for new WordPress projects primarily because they: are in line with the WordPress development roadmap for the future; they allow for full site editing capabilities and they have a much more integrated design management structure than classic themes. Block themes also make it easier for somebody who does not have technical expertise to edit content.
When AI-Powered Themes Are Most Advantageous
AI-powered theme tools are best when: you want to get a compelling quick prototype; you have a very short length of time to develop your project; or you are working with people who do not have technical skills to design or develop. While AI’s speed in developing can be beneficial in the early stages of the development process, it does not negate the need for the designer’s and developer’s creative and strategic decisions.