ARNEIRON LITE
The free ArneIron theme
ArneIron Lite is the free edition of the ArneIron block theme. A full-site-editing theme built on a theme.json design system: templates and template parts, patterns made from core blocks only, style variations and WooCommerce styling, written mobile-first against WCAG 2.2 AA. GPL v2 or later. Nothing is locked, nothing expires.
If you want a copy before then, write to us and we will send you the zip.
What ArneIron Lite is
Lite renders a complete site with no plugin installed. The header, the mobile bar, the menu drawer and the footer are built from core blocks, so there is nothing proprietary holding your site chrome together.
When WooCommerce is active, its account and mini-cart blocks appear in the header and the drawer lists the account pages. With TeraWallet the drawer shows the wallet balance; with Polylang the language switcher appears. Without those plugins the same places show a log-in link and nothing else.
The theme registers no blocks, no shortcodes, no post types and no roles. It bundles and installs no plugin, and it makes no external requests.
WHAT YOU GET
What is in the theme
A theme.json design system
Colour, type, spacing and radius tokens carried as native WordPress presets, so the editor’s own colour, typography and spacing controls are already on-brand.
Full-site editing templates
Templates and template parts for the front page, singles, archives, search, 404 and the WooCommerce pages. Every pattern is valid in the editor and made from core blocks only.
Style variations
The near-black, signal-red Old Arnie look is the default; ArneIron Light is a variation, and you can switch the whole site over from Appearance to Browse styles.
WooCommerce styling
Shop, product, cart, checkout and account pages are styled with the same tokens, so a shop does not look bolted on.
Accessibility, written in
Mobile-first against WCAG 2.2 AA: contrast checked, focus visible, the menu drawer keyboard-operable, and status never carried by colour alone.
Translation and RTL ready
All strings are translatable and every stylesheet ships with its right-to-left counterpart.
The look
The design is easier to judge running than in a picture. The ArneIron demo site is built on the same design system, and this site you are reading is too.
What Lite does not include
Lite is a theme and only a theme. These are the things it deliberately leaves out, and where they live instead:
- Design blocks — hero, FAQ, pricing, carousel and the rest are in the free ArneIron Blocks plugin. Installing it is your choice; Lite links to it from Appearance and does nothing else.
- A child theme — Lite does not create one. You can add your own.
- AI editing of your site — that is the ArneIron Connector, and it comes with ArneIron Pro.
- Wallet and account chrome — the balance chip, the token calculator and the ArneIron account wiring are Pro.
Questions about ArneIron Lite
Is it really free?
Yes. ArneIron Lite is distributed under the GNU General Public License v2 or later, with no paid tier inside it, no feature locked behind a key and no time limit. The same licence covers the ArneIron Blocks plugin and ArneIron Pro.
How do I get it, and how will it update?
ArneIron distributes Lite itself from this site. The theme carries an Update URI pointing at ArneIron, so once downloads open, updates arrive through WordPress’s normal Dashboard > Updates screen from us — not from a public directory. The download button is not on this page yet; write to us in the meantime.
Is it on WordPress.org?
No, and there is nothing pending there. Distribution is self-hosted from ArneIron. If that ever changes this page will say so.
What does it need?
WordPress 6.5 or newer and PHP 8.1 or newer. It is tested up to WordPress 7.1.
Can I upgrade from Lite to Pro later?
Yes. Pro is the same design system in a theme folder of its own, so you move to it from your ArneIron account; your pages, templates and global styles carry over. Nothing you build on Lite is wasted.
Does it phone home?
No. Lite makes no external requests. Fonts and scripts are served from your own site.