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Totally free Joomla templates

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Written by: Administrator

There are many totally free Joomla templates you can download and use without paying anything (for personal or business sites), including modern, responsive ones suitable for blogs, business, IT training, portfolios, etc

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βœ… Totally Free Joomla Templates You Can Download

πŸ“Œ From JoomlArt (Official Free Templates)

These are legitimately free, responsive templates that support Joomla 4 / Joomla 5:

  • JA Purity IV – Free multipurpose (business, blog, portfolio)

  • JA Stark – Business-oriented free template

  • JA Simpli – Light, clean, ideal for blogs and simple sites

  • JA Campaign – Great for promotional pages and calls to action

  • JA Purity III – Another free base template (less updated version)

πŸ‘‰ Great for beginners β€” official free downloads with no hidden costs.


πŸ“₯ From HotJoomlaTemplates

A large set of free Joomla templates for different site types, all available for direct download:

Examples include:

  • Hot Business – Clean business layout

  • Hot Bokeh – Full-screen responsive design

  • Hot Architecture – Business/agency style

  • Hot Restaurant, Cafe, Portfolio, Responsive Portfolio, and more
    No membership or subscription required to download these free templates.


πŸ“‚ Protostar (Joomla Default Starter Template)

  • Joomla’s own free default template for Joomla 4/5

  • Simple, reliable, lightweight, easy to customize

  • Works great for blogs, corporate sites, portfolios
    It’s included with Joomla, and you can also download updated versions online.


🎨 Other Free Template Sources

1. TemplateFreeJoomla.com
Has older free Joomla templates in various styles that you can still download β€” though some may be designed for Joomla 3.x.

2. GlobbersThemes Free Templates
Hundreds of free Joomla templates you can try and use.

3. JooThemes.net β€žJoornalaβ€œ Template
A free responsive Joomla 3 template based on Bootstrap that you can adapt for blogs or content sites.


βš™οΈ Tips When Using Free Joomla Templates

βœ… Make Sure They Work With Your Joomla Version

  • If you’re using Joomla 4 or Joomla 5, prefer templates explicitly marked for those versions (like JA Purity IV, JA Simpli).

  • Older free templates may only support Joomla 3 β€” so check compatibility first.

βœ… Responsive & Lightweight

Choose templates that are:
βœ” Mobile-friendly
βœ” Fast to load
βœ” Minimal external scripts

This helps performance and SEO.

βœ… Customization

Many free templates let you switch colors, layouts, menus, and header styles without coding.

⚠️ Be Careful With Very Old Templates

Some free templates on random download sites may be outdated or not secure β€” especially for older Joomla versions (2.5 / 3.x). Always prefer updated ones or those that support Joomla 4/5.


πŸ†“ Summary β€” Best Totally Free Templates

Template Best For Notes
JA Purity IV Blog / Business / Portfolio Updated for Joomla 4/5 – free
JA Simpli Clean blog / simple site Lightweight & responsive
JA Stark Business / corporate Free with modern layout
Protostar Any purpose Default Joomla starter template
Hot Business / Hot Bokeh / Others Niche free designs Wide variety from HotJoomlaTemplates

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Open-source Joomla templates

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Written by: Administrator

There are open-source Joomla templates, but it’s important to understand how open-source licensing works in the Joomla ecosystem

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🧠 Open Source & Joomla Templates Explained

πŸ“Œ Joomla Itself Is Open Source

Joomla CMS is fully open source under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which means you can use, modify, and redistribute the core code freely.

However, templates are a mix of code and non-code elements; not all parts must be GPL but many are licensed so you can use and modify them freely.

So when we talk about open-source Joomla templates, here are the categories:

βœ… 1. Templates That Are Truly GPL / Open Source

These follow GPL or similar open-source licenses for most of their code. This means you can:
βœ” Use them freely
βœ” Modify them
βœ” Distribute modified versions

Examples often include:

  • Templates from the Joomla Project itself (like Protostar)

  • Some community-created templates on the Joomla Extensions Directory (JED)

  • Templates released explicitly under GPL by developers

⚠️ Always check the license file inside the download β€” not all β€œfree” templates are fully GPL.


πŸ†“ Free & (Often) Open-Source Joomla Templates

Here are some sources where you can find free/open-source Joomla templates to download:

🧩 1. Protostar (Joomla Default)

  • Joomla’s default starter template is open source and included with Joomla.

  • Fully modifiable.

  • Great base for building custom layouts.
    πŸ‘‰ This is truly open-source as part of Joomla itself.


🧩 2. Community & Free Template Sites

These sites offer free Joomla templates β€” some may be GPL or freely reusable, but check the license on each download:

  • JoomlaTema Free Templates β€” business and multipurpose designs including Protostar and others.

  • Joomfreak β€” free Joomla templates from community developers (free to use & usually open source).

  • Free templates collections β€” sites like joothemes.net list free themes for Joomla.

  • RSJoomla! Free Templates β€” a few free templates from a developer (verify license on download).

⚠️ Note: Some free template sites host older templates (e.g., for Joomla 3.x) β€” verify compatibility with your Joomla version (4/5).


🏷️ Quick Guide to Identifying Open Source Templates

When you download a Joomla template, check for these:

πŸ“Œ Look for a License File

Inside the template package:

  • LICENSE.txt

  • GPL.txt

  • A note in the documentation

If it states GNU GPL v2 or later, then the code is open source.

πŸ“Œ Check Template Code Files

If PHP files include a GPL header at the top, that part of the template is open source.

πŸ“Œ Mixed License Components

Some templates are partly GPL and partly proprietary (e.g., images or CSS assets). Only the GPL-licensed code is open source β€” be cautious with the rest.


πŸ› οΈ Practical Recommendation

If you want fully open-source (GPL) templates:

βœ… Start with Protostar (Joomla default) β€” fully open source
βœ… Search the Joomla Extensions Directory (Templates category) and filter by free/Open Source
βœ… Look for GPL-licensed templates from community developers

This way you ensure:
βœ” Freedom to modify
βœ” No licensing restrictions on redistribution
βœ” Compatibility with open-source projects

Working with Joomla 6.x

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Written by: Administrator

Using Joomla 6.x, here’s the important truth first, then safe, realistic recommendations.

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⚠️ Important Reality Check: Joomla 6.x

πŸ‘‰ As of now, Joomla 6.x is very new, and:

  • Most third-party templates are NOT yet fully compatible

  • Many β€œfree” templates you see online are Joomla 3 / 4 / early 5

  • Using incompatible templates = errors, security risks, broken layouts

So for Joomla 6.x, the best and safest approach is:


βœ… BEST OPEN-SOURCE & SAFE OPTIONS FOR JOOMLA 6.x

πŸ₯‡ Option 1: Joomla Core Templates (RECOMMENDED)

πŸ”Ή Cassiopeia (Default Frontend Template)

  • βœ… Fully open source (GPL)

  • βœ… Official Joomla Project

  • βœ… Guaranteed compatibility with Joomla 6.x

  • βœ… Secure, lightweight, modern

  • βœ… Excellent for Blog, IT Training, Documentation

πŸ‘‰ This is currently the BEST production-safe choice for Joomla 6.

πŸ”Ή Atum (Admin Template)

  • Admin backend template

  • Fully open source

  • Joomla 6 native

πŸ’‘ Many professionals build serious business, blog, and training sites on Cassiopeia by customizing it.


πŸ₯ˆ Option 2: Cassiopeia + Custom Child Template (Best Practice)

Instead of chasing risky templates:

  • Use Cassiopeia as base

  • Create a child template

  • Customize:

    • Colors

    • Typography

    • Layout

    • Header / Footer

    • Blog style

βœ… Still 100% open source
βœ… Upgrade-safe
βœ… Future-proof for Joomla 6 β†’ 7

This is how enterprise & government Joomla sites do it.


πŸ₯‰ Option 3: Frameworks (Use With Caution)

Some frameworks may add Joomla 6 support later, but as of now:

Framework Joomla 6 Status
Helix Ultimate ⚠️ Experimental / partial
Gantry 5 ❌ Not Joomla 6 ready
T4 / T3 ❌ Not recommended
Astroid ⚠️ Early support only

πŸ‘‰ For production, I do NOT recommend them yet on Joomla 6.


🧠 Why Cassiopeia Is Actually Powerful (Not β€œBasic”)

Many think Cassiopeia is β€œtoo simple” β€” but that’s a myth.

You already get:

  • Responsive layout

  • Blog & category layouts

  • Grid system

  • Accessibility (WCAG-friendly)

  • SEO-friendly markup

  • Clean HTML (great performance)

You can easily build:

  • πŸ“° Tech blog

  • πŸŽ“ IT training site

  • 🏒 Corporate site

  • πŸ“˜ Documentation / knowledge base


πŸ› οΈ Recommended Setup for Joomla 6 Blog / IT Training

Template

  • Cassiopeia (default)

Content Structure

  • Categories = Topics / Courses

  • Articles = Posts / Lessons

Styling (No Heavy Extensions)

  • Custom CSS

  • Child template overrides

  • Core Joomla layout overrides

Extensions (Joomla 6 Ready)

  • Akeeba Backup

  • Admin Tools

  • Core Joomla cache


πŸ” Security & Performance Advantage (Big One)

Using core templates means:

  • βœ… No hidden code

  • βœ… No abandoned developer risk

  • βœ… Faster security patches

  • βœ… Lower attack surface

  • βœ… Best performance

This is very important for:

  • Training institutes

  • Blogs

  • Public-facing sites


❌ What I STRONGLY Recommend You Avoid on Joomla 6

❌ β€œFree” templates claiming Joomla 6 without proof
❌ Nulled or modified templates
❌ Joomla 3/4 templates forced into 6
❌ Heavy page builders not yet compatible


πŸ† Final Recommendation (Clear & Honest)

If you want:

  • Open source

  • Free

  • Secure

  • Joomla 6 compatible

  • Future-proof

πŸ‘‰ Use Cassiopeia + child template customization

This is the best professional choice today.

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