PenNews Review: The Ultimate WordPress Theme for News & Magazine Sites
In today’s fast-paced digital world, having a well-designed and functional website is crucial—especially if you’re running a news or magazine-style blog. One of the most popular and highly-rated WordPress themes for such purposes is PenNews , developed by PenciDesign .
PenNews is not just another multipurpose theme—it’s specifically built with content-heavy websites in mind. Whether you’re launching a news portal, lifestyle blog, tech review site, or a political commentary platform, PenNews offers a robust set of features that can help your site stand out.
In this comprehensive review, we’ll dive deep into what makes PenNews one of the best magazine-style themes on the market. We’ll explore its design capabilities, performance, customization options, SEO-friendliness, and much more.
1. Overview of PenNews
Theme Name : PenNews
Developer : PenciDesign
Price : $59 (one-time purchase)
Last Updated : Regularly updated
Compatibility : Compatible with WordPress 6.x and PHP 8.x
Rating : 4.8/5 stars on ThemeForest
PenNews was created by PenciDesign, a well-known theme developer known for producing high-quality magazine and blog themes. With over 30,000 sales and consistently positive feedback, PenNews has established itself as a go-to theme for publishers who want a clean, professional, and customizable layout.
The theme comes packed with pre-built demos tailored for different niches like technology, fashion, sports, travel, and politics. Each demo can be imported with one click, allowing users to get up and running quickly without starting from scratch.
2. Key Features of PenNews
2.1. Responsive Design
One of the most important aspects of any modern WordPress theme is responsiveness—and PenNews nails it. The theme is fully responsive, meaning it looks great on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. It uses a flexible grid layout and media queries to ensure optimal viewing experiences across all screen sizes.
This is especially critical for news websites, where readers often consume content on mobile devices while on the go.
2.2. Pre-Built Demos
PenNews offers more than 20+ unique demos , each designed for specific niches. These include:
- Technology
- Fashion
- Travel
- Sports
- Politics
- Lifestyle
- Business
- Health
Each demo is professionally designed and can be imported with a single click using the included Penci Importer plugin . This saves time and effort, making it easy for users to launch a visually appealing website right away.
2.3. Powerful Customization Options
PenNews integrates seamlessly with the WordPress Customizer , giving users real-time control over every aspect of their site. From typography and color schemes to header layouts and sidebar positions, everything can be adjusted without touching a line of code.
Additionally, the theme supports WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer) and Elementor , two of the most popular page builders in the WordPress ecosystem. This gives advanced users even more flexibility when designing custom pages or landing pages.
2.4. Drag-and-Drop Homepage Builder
One of PenNews’ standout features is its drag-and-drop homepage builder . Users can create a dynamic homepage using various modules such as:
- Featured posts
- Grid layouts
- Slider sections
- Tabbed content
- Masonry layouts
- Video posts
- Breaking news banners
These modules can be rearranged, edited, and customized directly from the admin panel, giving you full creative freedom.
2.5. SEO Optimization
PenNews is built with SEO in mind. The theme follows best practices for search engine optimization, including:
- Clean HTML markup
- Schema.org structured data support
- Fast loading times
- Proper heading hierarchy
- Mobile-friendly design
While SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math are still recommended for full control, PenNews provides a solid foundation that helps improve your site’s visibility in search engines.
2.6. High Performance & Speed
Speed is essential for user experience and SEO rankings. PenNews is optimized for speed through:
- Minimal use of JavaScript and CSS
- Lazy loading for images
- Compatibility with caching plugins
- Lightweight design
The theme also supports Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) via third-party plugins, which can further boost mobile performance and load times.
2.7. WooCommerce Integration
For those looking to monetize their site or sell merchandise, PenNews includes WooCommerce compatibility . You can easily set up an online store within your news or magazine site, complete with product listings, shopping carts, and checkout functionality.
The theme also offers dedicated shop templates and styling options to keep your e-commerce section consistent with the rest of your branding.
2.8. Translation Ready & RTL Support
PenNews is fully compatible with translation plugins like WPML and Polylang , making it ideal for multilingual websites. It also supports RTL (Right-to-Left) languages such as Arabic and Hebrew, ensuring global accessibility.
3. Design & Layout Options
3.1. Header & Footer Builder
PenNews gives users full control over headers and footers. You can choose from multiple header styles, including:
- Classic
- Minimalist
- Transparent
- Sticky
- Full-width
Headers can include logos, menus, social icons, search bars, and even custom HTML blocks.
Similarly, the footer builder allows you to create multi-column layouts with widgets, copyright text, social links, and more. You can customize the footer for each page or post individually, offering maximum flexibility.
3.2. Post & Archive Layouts
PenNews offers a variety of post layouts, including:
- Standard blog
- Grid view
- Masonry style
- List layout
- Card layout
You can choose different layouts for different categories or sections of your site. For example, you might use a masonry layout for a photo-heavy category and a list layout for news articles.
Archive pages (category, tag, author, date-based) are also customizable, allowing you to maintain consistency across your site.
3.3. Typography & Color Controls
Typography plays a key role in readability and brand identity. PenNews allows users to customize fonts using Google Fonts, with options to adjust font families, weights, sizes, and line heights.
Color settings are equally robust. You can tweak primary colors, background tones, link hover effects, and more—all from the Customizer.
4. User Experience Enhancements
4.1. Sticky Navigation
PenNews supports sticky navigation menus, which remain visible at the top of the screen as users scroll down. This improves usability and helps visitors navigate your site more easily.
4.2. Infinite Scroll & Load More Button
Instead of traditional pagination, PenNews offers infinite scroll and “Load More” buttons. These features enhance the reading experience by dynamically loading new content without reloading the entire page.
4.3. Dark Mode
Dark mode is increasingly popular for reducing eye strain and saving battery life on OLED screens. PenNews includes a built-in dark mode toggle, which can be enabled with a single click in the theme settings.
4.4. Social Sharing & Follow Buttons
Sharing is caring, especially in the news industry. PenNews comes with integrated social sharing buttons for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, WhatsApp, and more. You can choose where to display them (before/after content, floating sidebars, etc.).
There’s also a social follow widget that lets you showcase your social media profiles with stylish icons.
5. Plugin Compatibility
PenNews works seamlessly with many popular WordPress plugins:
- WPBakery Page Builder / Elementor – For advanced page design
- WooCommerce – For setting up an online store
- Yoast SEO / Rank Math – For optimizing content
- Contact Form 7 / WPForms – For creating contact forms
- Mailchimp for WordPress – For email marketing integration
- Google Analytics – For tracking visitor behavior
- AMP Plugins – For Accelerated Mobile Pages support
The theme also includes its own suite of plugins , such as:
- Penci Shortcodes
- Penci Slider
- Penci Block Editor
- Penci Importer
These plugins extend the theme’s functionality and provide additional tools for building and managing your site.
6. Gutenberg & Block Editor Support
With the rise of the Gutenberg block editor , PenNews has evolved to support both classic and block-based editing. The theme includes a custom block plugin called Penci Block Editor , which adds beautiful, magazine-style blocks for headlines, grids, sliders, and more.
Whether you prefer using Gutenberg or a page builder like Elementor, PenNews ensures a smooth editing experience.
7. Customer Support & Documentation
PenciDesign is known for providing excellent customer support. When you purchase PenNews, you gain access to:
- Detailed documentation
- Step-by-step setup guides
- Video tutorials
- A dedicated support forum
The team typically responds to support tickets within 24–48 hours, and updates are frequent to ensure compatibility with the latest versions of WordPress and other plugins.
8. Pricing & Licensing
PenNews is available for $59 on ThemeForest, which includes:
- Lifetime access to the theme files
- 6 months of support (extendable)
- Free updates
This is a one-time payment , with no recurring fees. If you’re purchasing for multiple sites, you may need to buy separate licenses, depending on your usage.
Compared to other premium WordPress themes, PenNews offers excellent value for money, especially considering its feature set and ease of use.
9. Who Should Use PenNews?
PenNews is ideal for:
- News Websites – Its layout and structure are perfect for publishing daily news updates.
- Magazines & Blogs – Whether it’s lifestyle, fashion, or travel, PenNews provides elegant templates.
- Content Creators – Vloggers, influencers, and journalists can use it to build personal brands.
- Affiliate Marketers – The theme supports product showcases and comparison tables.
- Small Businesses – Especially those in media, publishing, or blogging industries.
If you’re looking for a clean, modern, and customizable theme that doesn’t require coding knowledge, PenNews is a fantastic choice.
10. Pros and Cons of PenNews
Pros
- Over 20+ niche-specific demos
- Highly customizable with live preview
- Optimized for performance and SEO
- Supports major page builders
- Excellent documentation and support
- Built-in dark mode and infinite scroll
- WooCommerce ready
- Regular updates and improvements
Cons
- May feel overwhelming for beginners due to sheer number of options
- Some advanced features require extra plugins
- Learning curve for full customization without page builders
11. Final Verdict: Is PenNews Worth It?
Yes, PenNews is definitely worth considering if you’re launching or redesigning a news, magazine, or blog website. Its combination of powerful features, stunning designs, and excellent support make it a top contender in the WordPress theme marketplace.
Whether you’re a beginner looking for an easy setup or an experienced webmaster seeking flexibility and control, PenNews delivers a balanced package that caters to both.
Its performance optimization, SEO readiness, and integration with popular plugins ensure that your site will not only look great but also perform well in terms of speed, engagement, and conversions.
If you’re serious about building a successful online publication, PenNews is a solid investment that can grow with your content and audience.
12. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Does PenNews support Elementor?
A: Yes, PenNews is fully compatible with Elementor, allowing for advanced page design and customization.
Q: Can I use PenNews for a personal blog?
A: Absolutely! PenNews is versatile enough to work for personal blogs, niche sites, and professional publications alike.
Q: Is there a child theme included?
A: Yes, PenNews includes a child theme, which is recommended for making customizations to avoid losing changes during theme updates.
Q: How often is PenNews updated?
A: The theme receives regular updates to fix bugs, improve performance, and add new features.
Q: Do I need coding skills to use PenNews?
A: No. While some advanced features may benefit from coding knowledge, most of the theme can be managed through the WordPress Customizer and page builders.
13. Conclusion
In summary, PenNews is one of the most feature-rich and aesthetically pleasing WordPress themes available today. Whether you’re building a news outlet, lifestyle blog, or personal website, PenNews provides the tools, flexibility, and performance needed to succeed in the competitive world of online publishing.
From its sleek design options to its powerful customization features and seamless integration with essential plugins, PenNews checks all the boxes for a modern WordPress theme.
If you’re ready to elevate your website with a professional, scalable, and user-friendly theme, give PenNews a try—you won’t be disappointed.
