Top 10 Free Joomla Templates of 2013

7. Music

Music is a catchy template that is sure to grab your audience’s attention from the word go. Based on the highly intuitive Gavern framework, the template is compatible with Joomla 2.5 and all other versions that have followed since. Music has several highly customizable features and since its responsive, your site will display well across different devices. What’s especially great about it is that it supports mooMasonry script that optimizes content according to a target device.

Also, since the theme supports Social API, it becomes really, really simple to embed buttons of social networking platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ into your site. Finally, being equipped with CSS3 stylization and effects, Music helps create a powerful presence without compromising on performance in any way.

8. Vertex

Vertex is a powerful and well-designed Joomla template that scores high on both looks as well as functionality. The layout is visually appealing and owing to its vast array of customizable features, you have the freedom to give a really unique look to your site by manipulating the fonts, colors, and column widths.

The template is compatible with Joomla 2.5. Since it’s built around an upgradeable framework, you won’t have to miss out on any new features that are launched with newer versions of Vertex. Also, it features the S5 Flex Menu system – a powerful plugin that gives you additional advantages like having unlimited menu items and the adding a subtext to every menu item. Building a dynamic website has hardly ever been so easy or this much fun!

9. JA Travel

If you are planning on opening a travel themed blog, website or ecommerce venture, you must consider JA Travel – a template that has received rave reviews for its concept and design approach. Designed for Joomla 1.5, Joomla 2.5 and Joomla 3.0, this responsive layout packs in six beautiful colors and runs on the reliable T3 Framework 2.

While everything about the theme shouts ‘travel’ (including the name!), what great about it is that it doesn’t have to be limited to travel companies alone. It is true that various features of the theme have been enhanced for this purpose, but with a few tweaks, the theme can just as easily be customized to suit the needs of a corporate site as well.

10. JF Vihrea

The first responsive web design template to be offered by Joomfreak, JF Vihrea boasts of some really amazing frontend and backend features. Built around HMTL5 and jQuery, the theme has a full screen option that displays content attractively.

JF Vihrea includes a quick start package that works well with Joomla 1.5, 2.5 and 3.x versions. It’s compatible across browsers and comes with pre-installed social networking icons and a fully customizable Google map that, in turn, features data and geo position marker. All in all, JF Vihrea is a great choice to showcase your portfolio or launch a blog.

There you go. Isn’t that an absolutely fabulous roundup of some amazing Joomla templates, all of which are responsive AND free? Don’t make the mistake of assuming that this is an exhaustive list. Not by any means at all! If you know where to look you’ll come across plenty more.

For instance subscribing to online magazines like Template Monster will help you stay abreast of the latest Joomla templates while also giving you a lowdown of their features and highlights. Once you have all this knowledge, you are in a much better position to make a decision and choose a template that fits your requirements perfectly – be it free or premium.

I understand that it’s natural for us to place our trust in things we pay for and look sideways at benefits, services or products that are free, especially when it comes to an essential decision like choosing a website template. Remember, free doesn’t always mean less and paid doesn’t always mean more. Like we’ve just seen, there are plenty of free templates for the taking and they are all bundled with awesome features. So, don’t let your biases stand in way of making a sound judgment.