Tumblr – What makes it stand out?
Based in New York, Tumblr is a social network, microblogging platform, and everything in between. The developer had an idea of taking a few bits from every social network out there to create a versatile network that could be used just by anyone. We definitely thank David Karp for this.
It is this very versatility of Tumblr that makes it stand out from the rest of the social networks – if not beating them.
Tumblr has been growing fast in the last years. According to Statista, the platform has some 162.7bn cumulative total of posts. That means that the platform ranks 7th worldwide, which ultimately means it gets its deserved share of visitors (some 120,000 signups on a daily basis).
But these stats aside, as we said before, the usage and the innovation of the platform makes it stand out. You can post seven different types of content or posts: Text posts, videos and hyperlinks, photo posts, chat posts, video and audio posts, link posts, and quote posts.
Now, as you see, the platform gives you extensive options of saying what you want in many different ways. That's not all, however. When it comes to interacting with other users, you can reblog their posts, like them, or follow them as you like. You can even post to your page via email, SMS, or telephone (in case you want to share an audio message). Add the innumerable ways of customising your blog through free Tumblr themes to this and what you get is your own microblogging platform, which you can use as if you own it.
Starting in 2007, the platform has been allowing its users to use different themes based on their interests. From good to best Tumblr themes, you can have your microblog without spending a dime.
If you own a business, now you know why Tumblr should make to your list of social media platforms to target for a marketing campaign.
Let’s dig in.
Our collection of the best free Tumblr themes
From our list below, you can choose the theme most suitable for your needs and download it right away.
1. Indy
When it comes to choosing the best Tumblr theme, for many bloggers, minimalism is the key. They want to keep everything simple enough to showcase who they are rather than complex outlays that confuses the visitors. Indy is the theme that suits this requirement.
So, if you also want to have some simplicity in your Tumblr profile, download this theme now because less is always better.
This theme is perfectly displayed by any device from mobile to desktop and contains functions that are adequate for anyone to move around your blog. The design of the theme is also minimalist and simplistic, but this does not mean that you cannot have your way.
You can add a backdrop photo showcasing your colours, create posts using the photo sets that come with the theme, and encourage others to share your blog with ease on other well-known platforms such as Twitter.
2. Basic
As the name suggests, this free Tumblr theme is yet another minimalist addition to the pool. From the first look of it, you’ll see how basic it is. There are no heavy graphics, no complications, just one clean look that is both appealing and entirely sophisticated.
Pixel perfection is not the only feature of this theme that captures the attention. This theme has other features also that are necessary for a fully functioning blog. For example, you get online documentation, multi-layered navigation, a plethora of colours, responsivity, and most importantly, support for every type of post we talked about above.
The specification of this theme will tell you that it is for the users that are just starting on Tumblr. If you are one of them, you’ll have an excellent experience and will love its minimalistic versatility.
And oh, on top of everything, you get free updates.
3. Ten Toes
A sleek, customizable Tumblr theme, Ten Toes has tons of options that will give you a free hand in customising everything from colours to tabs, and fonts.
As much as its name is funky and attractive, so is its premium looks.
Every image you place in its background or tiles speaks to the attention of the viewers. We are sure you won’t be disappointed with this one.
Specification-wise, the theme does not offer any further customisation. But who needs that when you have a wide range of options available already?
You can perform every action Tumblr allows you from post options to reblogging, liking or sharing other posts.
In addition to that, the features that make this theme unique are infinite scrolling, Google and Typekit font support, uploading your logo, and changing colours of possibly every element you find in this theme.
4. Sugar
Sometimes, all you need is a little sugar and Sugar is what you get here.
The theme is elegantly put together for your blogging use and is entirely based on Variable Grid Layout – a layout that uses grids to display your images seamlessly. Your visitors won’t get their eyes off the photos you upload in this free Tumblr theme, and this is their promise.
Feature-wise also, the theme is equipped with more than 120 options for you. You can tweak its layout, colours, fonts, and everything based on your requirements and your aspirations.
The usual Tumblr features are available in this theme also, so you don’t have to worry about anything from sharing to customisation.
More than this, you also get slideshow view, profile cards, pagination format (including infinite scroll, standard menu, and Load More), Google Analytics, Tag links, Disqus comments, and many other features.
5. Void
For anyone who likes to share photo posts more than the other types, this could be the best Tumblr theme for him/her. It has a clean and clear interface not jammed up by unusual stuff. So, you can expect the viewers to look at your photos only and not be distracted by any other form of content.
However, this does not mean that you cannot post anything else. Instead, you can go with the text, audio, quote, and the rest of the options provided by Tumblr.
One of its most impressive specifications is the SEO optimisation tools. This is especially true for its newer version where you can have mobile optimisation, speed improvement, a wide variety of icons, and a lot of other things that makes a Tumblr template worthwhile.
Don’t hesitate in downloading this one now if you’re a fan of faster image loading for the sake of your portfolio.
6. Candice
If we were to rate this free Tumblr theme from 1 to 5, we’d give it 5/5. That is because this theme has everything in store for you.
You get beautiful visuals that are retina ready to amaze your viewers. Possibly, this could help even the most mundane post shine brightly. Besides its visual treats, which you get in a fluid single column layout, you get a significant number of customisation options.
The options that you get regarding it are text customisation, fonts, gutter options, header/logo placement and layout, and every possible thing related to the text.
Aside from this, what you get is Google Analytics for your profile to gather all the attention it deserves.
7. Pation
The name of this theme has been derived from its Latin roots “Pati”, which means patience and passion. The theme exactly has both of these elements. You get a beautifully designed grid layout that changes with every reload, indicating the sense of passion as a work of art.
Following this line of thought, if you are an art guru and you want to have your portfolio show your passion to the world, then this is the best Tumblr theme you can have. To get the random layout, you only have to select “Random Post Size”, and that's it.
Besides this, the theme offers 45+ font styles, three hover styles, and for easy interaction with the rest of the social media, you get a wide selection of social networks to be displayed.
You can even customise all the sizes of your posts, and popout-submit box.
8. Ashley
Ashley is a free Tumblr theme for writers of all sort. It has the features to let your readers read without hunching over. The theme is responsive in this sense, and there is no unnecessary clutter.
When we to talk about the options related to text blogs, this theme has more than you can think of. As its author says, it’s readable, customizable, minimal, and responsive. What else could you want, writers?
You can also install both Google Web Fonts and Typekit in your blog quite easily. The process is described in its documentation, too.
This theme also has a fluid response on the homepage where you get all the posts aligned in a clean layout with short excerpts from your posts.
9. Travel Pro
As the name indicates, this could be the best Tumblr theme for travellers, visual journal makers, and photographers.
Its primary emphasis is on the visual aspect of your content, so you should be happy about its performance in bringing out the hard work in your pictures.
It has a full slider to display your images to their full extent. You can also share quotes that speak to your heart in it.
This theme gives you also a “places” menu where you can tag the place you’ve travelled already.
In addition to this, you get social media integration, a full colour and font customisation, widgets for social media, comments section, logo addition, and a plethora of other options you require.
10. Copycat
This theme has a funny name a bit but can make your portfolio shine and let the world see your inner artist.
This theme has a wide array of customisations in store for you and you can use them with ease. Whether it is colours, title, text, description, scrolling, and more.
If you are worried about copyright infringement, you get an option in this theme that lets you set up your own copyright text. This is usually shown in the sidebar of your content to make sure no one thinks about stealing your work.
There’s also another option that lets you have the first photo of your photoset as the background of the index page. If you want to use this option, click on “Photoset Only First” option.
11. Telpher
We’ve so far talked about a lot of free Tumblr themes for photo blogs. Telpher, as opposed to them, is versatile. It can be used for a variety of post options. When you have something in mind, and you want to share that with the world, this theme can help you do that.
Thanks to its customisation options, you can tweak your sidebar, edit and include some elements while deleting others and be on your way towards perfection.
Aside from this, you also get traffic insights through Google Analytics and have social media integration made easy for you. You’d want other bloggers and users comment on your blog and for that, this theme comes loaded also with Disqus comment section.
12. Verbage
Another good-looking Tumblr theme for serious writers.
Derived from the love for reading and writing, this theme has its focus mainly on the presentation of the information on the index page and the permapage.
To choose a typography style that suits you, you get a variety of fonts loaded in the theme.
Besides this, you also get infinite scrolling, a wide choice of colour presets, Google Analytics, Fonts, Push Menu, text highlighter, and LaTeX math support (in case you want to write math equations).
13. Oscar
We’ll add another free Tumblr theme to the pool of themes for personal blogs.
This theme comes also with the options mentioned before - Google Fonts, social icons, and more.
14. Glossy Mag
A truly best all-in-one Tumblr theme, Glossy Mag is here to let you create a magazine of your own.
Have your updates reach to the audience with spicy posts of all kind. That includes video, audio, quotes, chats, pictures, and text posts.
The layout of the theme is very friendly, and you get a variety of options letting you customise or renew it.
What you can expect are high-resolution photosets, social media feeds, lightbox, logo inclusion, page counter, Google Analytics, and a good range of options to customize your screen and layout.
So, if you want your posts to outshine other bloggers, have this theme now in your arsenal.
Besides, why pay for different themes when you can have all the premium options at your fingertips for free.
15. Susan
If you’re running a photo blog, then you must have a Tumblr theme that focuses on your photo content and displays your photos in a beatiful.
Susan theme is one of the themes you should give a try.
It is a responsive theme made simple for your visitors to spot your content and for you to customize almost everything.
As usual with our selected themes, you get also features like Google Analytics snippet, logo integration, infinite scrolling, eight fonts, sharing buttons, CSS modification possibilities, and support for all post types.
16. Orange Pop
Just as the name is funny and alluring, so is the theme itself. It has a refreshing orange colour, but you can change it at your will without diving in much complexity. There are multiple options for that, for your information.
Moreover, all the other features such as Disqus integration, and social integration is the mettle of this theme.
Orange Pop is simple and attractive as you can see it. This is also true for the display of your content on the index page. Your main content is displayed in the middle while your twitter handle and About Me section lies right to its right side.
17. Alumia
If the grid theme is all you want, then you can definitely go for this free Tumblr theme. It has 2-4 columns that are presented in a seamless layout very perfect for your portfolio to be presented to the world. Don’t worry about its responsiveness or anything and be happy that you’re getting a theme like this for free.
Specification-wise, you get around 20 fonts, photo hover style, and 60 other options for a complete package suited to the needs of every portfolio out there. Aside from this, what’s convenient about this theme is its left-hand sidebar with options for messaging and other essential things.
Conclusion
So, that will be it for today.
I hope you could find at least one or two themes that would meet your needs in our collection of free and beautiful Tumblr themes for your Tumblr page.
Feel free to download them, experiment and let your inner artist shine out at his best.
Cheers,
Ondrej
