AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure here.
GeneratePress is the WordPress theme running this very site. After testing over a dozen themes for affiliate marketing sites, we chose GeneratePress because it is the fastest lightweight theme available while still being fully customizable without code. This review covers why speed matters for affiliate sites, what GeneratePress does well, and whether you need the premium version.
Why Theme Speed Matters for Affiliate Revenue
Every second of page load delay costs you money. Studies consistently show that conversion rates drop 7% for every additional second of load time. For an affiliate site getting 1,000 visitors per month with a 2% click-through rate, a 1-second improvement could mean 1-2 extra conversions per month. At $50-100 average commission, that is $50-200/month from speed alone. GeneratePress loads in under 1 second on quality hosting like Hostinger because the entire theme is under 30KB. Compare that to popular themes like Astra (50KB+) or Divi (250KB+).
Free vs Premium ($59/year)
The free version of GeneratePress is a fully functional theme. You get clean typography, mobile responsiveness, and compatibility with the WordPress block editor. For a simple affiliate blog, the free version works fine. The premium version ($59/year or $249 lifetime) adds the site library with pre-built templates, advanced customization through the Customizer, WooCommerce integration, and priority support. We use premium because the site library saves hours of design time and the advanced layout controls let us create custom designs without touching code.
GeneratePress for Affiliate Marketing
The ideal affiliate site theme needs to load fast (for SEO), look professional (for trust), display content cleanly (for readability), and stay out of the way (your content is the product, not the theme). GeneratePress nails all four. The typography defaults are readable, the white space is generous, the header and footer are customizable without bloat, and the mobile experience is smooth.
We pair GeneratePress with GenerateBlocks (free plugin by the same developer) for custom layouts, call-to-action boxes, and product comparison sections. The combination gives you the design flexibility of page builders like Elementor without the performance penalty.
The Stack We Recommend
For a complete affiliate marketing site: Hostinger for hosting ($2.99/month), GeneratePress for the theme (free or $59/year), Rank Math for SEO (free), and GenerateBlocks for layouts (free). Total cost: $2.99/month. That is the entire technical stack needed to build a site that can compete with sites spending $200+/month on tools. Read our complete tech stack breakdown for more detail.
Verdict: 9 out of 10
GeneratePress is the best WordPress theme for affiliate marketers who prioritize speed and clean design. The only reason it does not get a perfect score is that the free version is limited in customization. But at $59/year for premium, it is one of the best investments you can make in your site infrastructure.