Best Drupal 7 Themes

It was about a year ago that I wrote my first post on the best Drupal 7 themes. At the time, it was slim pickings coming up with a list of strong choices. Fortunately, a lot has changed since then. 

A couple quick points before we get to the themes. The criteria I used in putting this list together has changed a bit since last time. First of all, these are all free themes. Extra points were awarded if the theme uses responsive design or an installation profile, especially if it includes a WYSIWYG. These are things that I think show extra attention to user experience.

Alphorn

First up is Alphorn from Symphony Themes. It's a good choice for a corporate site, includes three color schemes, uses responsive design and has an installation profile that includes a lot of useful modules like Google Analytics and Pathauto, among others.  An added bonus is the inclusion of layered PSD files so you can more easily do a theme modification. However, it doesn't look like they include a WYSIWYG by default, which I think would be a big plus considering the target market.

Omega

This is the first base theme on the list and I have to tell you, I really love it. Omega is designed as a responsive theme built using HTML5 and a 960 grid.

It's highly configurable and its maintainer, Jake Strawn, is skilled and committed. Strawn has also developed a companion module, Delta, that offers some really great additional functionality. Of all the base themes, this is easily my favorite. UPDATED: Read my full review of the Drupal Omega theme to learn more.

Marinelli

Marinelli is a classic Drupal theme, but it just barely made the list this time around. Sure, it's a nice looking theme, but it hasn't yet adopted responsive design and there isn't an installation profile available. I think if you're developing a new site these days, addressing the needs of mobile users needs to be a major consideration, and Marinelli is lagging in this area. 

One thing it does have going for it is an integrated jQuery rotator, which can save a little time. It's also an excellent choice if you're building a site that puts a premium on accessibility.

Zen

Yeah, you gotta love Zen. It's billed as the ultimate base theme and it certainly has a lot going for it. If you're looking for a well-documented base theme produced by a top-notch developer, you can't go wrong with this one. And yes, Zen has finally gotten on the responsive design bandwagon.

TouchPro

TouchPro is a free theme from Jurriaan Roelofs of SooperThemes. Jurriaan has developed his own responsive base theme Arctica. Although I didn't include Arctica on this list, I think it's definitely worth checking out, especially in combination with Tundra, a sub-theme that adds a lot of bells and whistles.

TouchPro also has an installation profile that includes a ton of built-in features. If you need to get a website set up really quickly, this theme is a good choice. 

TB Sirate

Sirate is a great theme for a corporate site from the guys at ThemeBrain. Like a lot of the the other developers on this list, ThemeBrain are doing some cool things. First of all, they have developed their own base theme, TB Nucleus, which looks pretty interesting. They have also included an installation profile, Superfish menus and lots more. I also had an exchange on Twitter with these guys and I'm told they are already at work implementing responsive design. Pretty good stuff.

TB Methys

So the last theme on the list, Methys, is also from ThemeBrain. It's has all the bells and whistles of Sirate, but is quite different from many other free themes with regard to design. It's a sophisticated, feminine theme, something you don't see much of from the male-dominated theme developer community. Methys would be perfect for a magazine or fashion retail site targeted at women.

Wrapping It Up

There is a lot going on with Drupal themes right now. It's an exciting time, but it can make it a bit more difficult to choose a theme that is going to meet your needs going forward. Hopefully this list will help you narrow it down some. If you think I've left a deserving theme off this list, leave me a comment below. You may also want to check out my recent post on some of the best premium Drupal themes.

About the author
 John Hannah owns Redpoint Web Marketing, a Tucson web design firm that helps small businesses and non-profits design and market their websites, something he's been happily working at for over ten years.