Parallax effects are a subtler yet effective way to grab your visitor’s attention than using video backgrounds. Here are some top-notch parallax WordPress themes and plugins you can incorporate on your own site today.

Parallax scrolling is an eye-catching feature used in WordPress where background images throughout a web page move a bit slower than foreground images, creating the look of depth on a two-dimensional website.

Luckily, to get this implemented on your site, there are some top-notch parallax WordPress themes and plugins that you can incorporate today!

What’s so awesome about them? Well, a great parallax theme can make your WordPress site more interactive, attention-grabbing, and increase better user retention. If you don’t have a parallax WordPress site, there are many reasons why you should!

We’ll be taking a moving, in-depth (get it?) look at some top-ranked, quality themes and plugins for 2021.

So, let’s go on a parallaxing journey and see what options are in store for your WordPress site!

We’ll take a look at themes first and then go over a handful of plugins.

Parallax Themes

Divi

Divi header
The popular page builder is also a great choice for parallax WordPress sites.

Divi is no stranger to the WordPress community. It’s a multipurpose premium WordPress theme, with an amazing drag-and-drop builder, unlimited design options, and the ability to create any site you want — including a parallax website.

With Divi, you can apply parallax scrolling to any background image by toggling a button in its builder. They wrote an excellent guide to use parallax with their themes that cover all of the essentials of implementing this feature.

Additionally, for added value, Divi has been mentioned around here several times due to its compatibility with our plugins, like Smush and Hummingbird.

Elementor

Elementor header.
Elementor has some amazing parallax features that you can include.

Elementor is another well-known page builder for WordPress used by over 8-million users. It gives you a seemingly endless amount of options when it comes to creating a parallax theme.

This page builder makes adding a parallax effect effortless, with options for scrolling (e.g. vertical, horizontal, etc.), scale, rotation, and more. You can adjust the direction, speed, and viewport, which controls when animations start and end.

To get an inside scoop, they feature an article about how to incorporate parallax into their design that features step-by-step instructions.

And to really enhance things, we have a post about using Elementor with our Smush and Hummingbird plugins for an optimized parallax-themed site.

Parallax

Parallax theme header.
Parallax lives up to its name.

The popular Parallax theme provides a couple of options between parallax scrolling and single-page design. You can even include fly-in elements for very cool visual effects for your users to feast their eyes on.

It also includes over sixty pre-designed layouts that are built with their drag & drop builder.

The Parallax theme is great when it comes to layout design. You can customize practically anything (e.g. header, menu bar, slide-out header, etc.), so the outcome of your site’s appearance is determined by you.

You can see a demo of a Parallax site here.

Port

Port theme header.
If you run an agency, Port might work great for you.

The Port theme is an agency parallax theme that features several parallax sections on the home page and slide-out main navigation.

You select your theme options, including logo, colors, and custom CSS when it comes to designing. It also includes video support, compatibility with Contact Form 7, and you can include your favorite Google fonts.

Check out a live demo of the Port theme here.

Roxima

The Roxima theme
Parallax for a business theme site is what Roxima specializes in.

The flexible one-page parallax theme, Roxima, is perfect for businesses. Its responsive and retina design is eye-catching and a great experience for users.

The drag-and-drop homepage builder makes setting up a breeze. Plus, it includes content widgets and several layout designs.

When it comes to optimization, it’s quick and SEO-ready right out of the box.

Baylie

Baylie header.
Baylie is another great choice for agencies.

Baylie is a bold agency theme that features a full-screen parallax slideshow.

It includes a shortcodes plugin, so you can easily create slideshows, buttons, toggles, tabs, and columns. Plus, you can incorporate a hovering effect and smooth filtering animations.

This theme is also highly customizable, with theme options for your own logo, colors, custom CSS, and more.

You can check out a live demo of Baylie here.

Salon

Salon header.
Run a hair salon? This might be the perfect theme for you.

Living up to its name, Salon is a perfect choice for spa and beauty salons when it comes to a parallax theme.

It has theme options that will ensure you get set up quickly and easily with their drag-and-drop builder. Plus, it’s super flexible in terms of color schemes, images, and more.

It’s retina-ready and stands out on numerous devices. So, like a great hairstyle, your site looks amazing. You can see a live demo of Salon here.

Illdy

Illdy header
Illdy is free, slick, and a terrific parallax option.

For a free option, Illdy might suit you well. It’s a responsive, mobile-friendly parallel theme designed to capture your users’ attention immediately in the header.

Since it’s not geared towards any particular company or service, it’s a great choice for freelancers and agencies alike.

Additionally, it’s highly customizable and includes unique features, such as a project grid and testimonial slider.

Create

Create header.
Create is a page builder that can get your parallax theme in tip-top shape in no time.

Create is an open-source page builder that gives you a ton of control when creating a parallax theme. It’s also bundled with the top slider plugin, Slider Revolution.

One of its features includes a one-click demo import to get you started. From there, you can edit and adjust accordingly. And there are multiple layout options, video background implementation, and works with Google Fonts.

You can check out a live demo of this theme here.

Moesia

Moseia header.
Moseia works well for businesses.

If you have a business website, Moesia might be for you. You choose between eleven predefined blocks and create a homepage that works best for your company.

Each of the blocks for the homepage can have an individual parallax background image and its own set of colors. Also, you can include animations, a parallax header, and include Google Fonts.

Moesia has over 9,000 downloads and is rated 4.5-stars, so it’s got a solid reputation and is worth exploring for yourself to see if it’s the perfect parallax option for you.

WPparallax

WPparallax header.
WPparallax gives you a lot of options for your homepage.

With the WPparallax theme, you can create an endless amount of homepage sections with prebuilt layouts. It’s a modern and lightweight theme with an impressive design layout.

WPparallax has unlimited color options, features a live preview, supports WooCommerce, and is compatible with Elementor.

On top of that, you can create your header and footer with its easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder. It has a ton of header elements to design and customize to your specific needs.

ParallaxSome

ParallaxSome header.
For a free option, give ParallaxSome a shot.

ParallaxSome is a free one-page theme that features parallax scrolling. There are many options for customization, including a fully customizable base theme, a testimonial section, a contact area, and more.

It comes with a variety of homepage sections that are all customizable. The theme is based on WordPress Live Customizer that lets you customize your theme while previewing live.

You can view a demo of ParallaxSome here.

AccessPress Parallax

AccessPress Parallax header.
AccessPress Parallax works with any business, service, blog — anything!

AccessPress Parallax is a one-page parallax theme that works for any website (e.g. personal, business, etc.). You can choose layouts for teams, portfolios, services, and more.

It’s compatible with Elementor and comes with six starter websites. AccessPress Parallax also includes a prebuilt demo, custom footer, responsive design, and custom colors.

Check out a live demo of this theme here.

Hemingway

Hemingway header.
Like the author, this one is made for writing.

Fitting for its name, the Hemingway theme is made for writers and bloggers. It comes with a beautiful two-column design and sharp typography.

You’ll make a great first impression with your readers by including a custom parallax header that can be modified with your own image. Plus, you can change colors and adjust almost everything.

This is a parallax theme I’m sure Hemmingway himself would’ve used (if he was blogging and alive, that is). Be sure to view a demo of this theme here.

Radiate

Radiate header
Radiate adds some nice visuals to your parallax theme.

Radiate is a sleek and simple blog-focused parallax theme. It features clean typography and an easy blogging experience for its users.

You can choose your own color variations, include custom widgets, and features two ready-to-use starter sites.

If you want to sell products or services on your website, it’s fully WooCommerce compatible. And, it works great with Beaver Builder, Elementor, and SiteOrigin.

A preview of this theme is available here.

evolve

evolve header.
For easy customization, try evolve.

evolve is a minimal theme that features modern, easy-to-customize parallax displays.

The premium version features a built-in Mega Menu, up to five unique header layouts, custom post/page layouts, color schemes, and much more.

It’s compatible with WooCommerce, bbPress, Elementor, and plenty of other WordPress plugins and companies.

You can check out some demos of evolve here.

Plugins

You don’t have to resort to a theme to include parallax displays on your WordPress site. Like just about anything else, there’s a plugin that can help.

Here are a handful of plugins that can assist you in creating awesome parallax displays.

Advanced WordPress Backgrounds

AWB header.
For a plugin, AWB can really spruce up your images by including parallax.

With Advanced WordPress Backgrounds, you can add parallax backgrounds with the help of the JavaScript plugin, Jarallax.

You can create custom speed options, add scroll effects, including opacity effects, and more. Also, it has mouse parallax.

This plugin works well with WPBakery and can be used for various uses (e.g. blog, eCommerce, etc.).

The Jarallax plugin used in conjunction with Advanced WordPress Backgrounds is on GitHub, which may be tricky for beginners or intermediate WordPress users since it requires a bit of coding knowledge. Otherwise, it’s a good plugin to consider using for your parallax background.

SiteOrigin Page Builder

Page Builder header.
Customize your parallax images with the help of Page Builder.

SiteOrigin Page Builder is a content creation interface that can allow you to use parallax options to a row.

You can select your parallax type between Modern and Legacy. Plus, add a parallax delay and customize how the parallax image is scaled.

What’s nice is the live page editor, so you can see your parallax images in action and adjust accordingly as you’re building your site.

Parallax Image

Parallax Image header.
Parallax Image uses a simple shortcode to get the parallax job done.

Lastly, the Parallax Image plugin is a free uncomplicated choice to add a parallax script via shortcode.

One thing about this plugin is still working out some updates to get their Gutenberg widget. However, it’s recently updated and can still work well when implemented.

You can see a demo of this plugin in action here.

Relax and Add Parallax.

Hopefully, this article was a nice and parallaxing (okay, I made this word up) journey. As you can see, adding some depth to your site catches your viewers’ eyes and keeps them sticking around!

Obviously, there are definitely some benefits for including parallax into your WordPress site. So, if you want some more examples of parallax sites and information, no worries — we have you covered.

All of this being said, once implemented, sit back — and enjoy the parallax!

Are you using a parallax theme or plugin? What do you think of this effect? Let us know in the comments!
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