Sahifa
Elementor Classic Theme One-time Purchase
Author: TieLabs |

Sahifa

Quick Verdict

Sahifa is a long-standing and feature-rich news and magazine theme with exceptional support for right-to-left languages. However, its aging architecture leads to mediocre out-of-the-box performance and limited compatibility with modern page builders like Elementor, making it better suited for traditional, content-focused websites.

Analysis

Sahifa is a classic and highly successful WordPress theme designed for news, magazine, and blog websites. For over a decade, it has been a go-to choice for publishers, particularly those requiring robust support for right-to-left languages like Arabic. Its main strengths lie in its stability, long history of updates, and a comprehensive set of built-in features, such as a review system and live search, which can reduce the need for extra plugins.

However, the theme’s age is apparent in several key areas. Its performance on a fresh installation is subpar by modern standards and requires a suite of optimization plugins to achieve acceptable Core Web Vitals scores. Furthermore, it was created before the rise of modern page builders like Elementor, resulting in limited compatibility. Its proprietary options panel, while powerful with over 200 settings, can be overwhelming and confusing for clients who are not technically proficient.

Ultimately, Sahifa remains a viable option for developers building traditional, content-heavy websites where its built-in features and RTL support are primary requirements. It is less suitable for projects that demand top-tier performance, a modern drag-and-drop editing experience, or a simple backend for client handoff. For new projects, its successor, Jannah, often presents a more compelling and up-to-date alternative.

Elementor
WooCommerce
Classic Theme
✅ Pros
• Excellent RTL & multilingual support
• Many built-in features
• Long history of stable updates
❌ Cons
• Poor out-of-the-box performance
• Not built for modern page builders
• Overwhelming admin options panel
Plugin Compatibility
Will my plugins work?
Research Confidence: High
Safe if
This theme is a safe choice for projects requiring strong multilingual capabilities, as it is officially compatible with WPML and has excellent, long-standing support for right-to-left languages like Arabic [3].
Check before purchase
Exercise caution when using modern page builders like Elementor, as Sahifa was designed with its own proprietary builder and does not fully support the architecture of third-party builders, leading to potential layout issues [1].
Avoid if
Avoid Sahifa if your project relies heavily on advanced post-filtering plugins, as there are documented reports of conflicts between the theme's built-in AJAX pagination and third-party filtering solutions, causing loading errors [11].

Community Quotes

"The theme was built with TieLabs' proprietary page builder and does not properly support the architecture of modern builders like Elementor, which can lead to layout and functionality issues."

— Reddit [1]

"Users have reported 'page 0' errors and loading loops when combining Sahifa's AJAX autoscroll feature with third-party plugins that filter post results."

— PluginUs.net [11]

"A historic report indicated that Wordfence's two-factor authentication could break the login functionality for the Sahifa theme, although the root cause was not definitively established."

— WordPress.org [12]

"While compatible with WooCommerce, users may experience slowness in the WordPress admin dashboard, a common issue with WooCommerce's backend complexity that is not specific to the Sahifa theme."

— Reddit [5]

Client Handoff
Can the client manage it?
Research Confidence: High
Safe if
This theme is a safe choice if the project is for a publisher who needs a content-first layout and will not be performing extensive design customizations themselves.
Check before purchase
Exercise caution when handing off to non-technical clients, as the proprietary "TiePanel" contains over 230 settings that can be overwhelming for users unfamiliar with complex theme options [7].
Avoid if
Avoid this theme if the project requires a simple, modern interface for clients who need to make frequent and significant design changes without developer assistance.
Panel Difficulty
Complex
Documentation
Good
Learning Curve
Days

Community Quotes

"Sahifa's proprietary admin panel, TiePanel, features over 230 customization options, which can be overwhelming and confusing for non-technical clients to navigate."

— Design Bombs [7]

Freelancer Recommendation
Sahifa is best suited for developers building sites for clients who prioritize content publishing over granular design control. The extensive options panel, while powerful, presents a steep learning curve for the average user, making a thorough handoff and training session essential.
Alternatives: Jannah, Newspaper, Soledad
Performance & SEO
Will the site be fast?
Research Confidence: High
Safe if
This theme can be a viable option if you are prepared to implement a comprehensive optimization strategy using caching, asset optimization, and lazy loading plugins to improve Core Web Vitals [6].
Check before purchase
Use this theme with caution if you require good out-of-the-box performance, as a default installation exhibits slow loading metrics and requires multiple optimization plugins to achieve acceptable PageSpeed scores [6].
Avoid if
Avoid Sahifa for projects where top-tier performance is a critical, non-negotiable requirement and you lack the technical expertise or budget for advanced, multi-plugin optimization work.
61
Mobile
Benchmark: 90+
98
Desktop
Benchmark: 90+
4.66s
LCP Mobile
Benchmark: <2.5s
4.62s
LCP Desktop
Benchmark: <2.5s
0.420
CLS Mobile
Benchmark: <0.1
0.370
CLS Desktop
Benchmark: <0.1
Overall Performance Rating
8/100
Test Information
Test Date: 2026-02-22
Tested URL: https://preview.themeforest.net/item/sahifa-responsive-wordpress-news-magazine-newspaper-theme/full_screen_preview/2819356

Code Observation (demo):

The theme's demo scored 61/100 on PageSpeed Insights mobile, with a poor Largest Contentful Paint of 4.66s and a poor Cumulative Layout Shift of 0.42. Analysis reveals that the theme's AJAX live search feature creates a hard dependency on jQuery, while its use of dynamic CSS per category prevents optimal CSS aggregation, both of which hinder modern performance optimization strategies [6].

⚠️ Based on DevTools inspection of demo, not a production audit

Community Quotes

"Sahifa's signature feature—AJAX live search—creates a hard dependency on jQuery that cannot be deferred or removed without breaking site functionality. This constraint limits JavaScript optimization strategies."

— YouTube [6]

"A default Sahifa installation shows concerning baseline metrics like a high Time to First Byte and an unoptimized PageSpeed score around 60/100, requiring immediate optimization work."

— YouTube [6]

"Achieving acceptable PageSpeed Insights scores (e.g., 90-95) is not possible out-of-the-box and requires a comprehensive stack of optimization plugins like Cache Enabler and Autoptimize."

— YouTube [6]

"The theme generates dynamic CSS on a per-category basis, which prevents CSS aggregation tools from combining all stylesheets into a single file, slightly hindering optimization efforts."

— YouTube [6]

Freelancer Recommendation

To use Sahifa effectively, a developer must budget time for performance tuning. A standard optimization stack (e.g., Cache Enabler, Autoptimize) is necessary to get mobile scores into an acceptable range. The theme’s reliance on older technologies like jQuery makes it challenging to achieve elite performance levels without significant effort.

Alternatives: GeneratePress, Kadence, Blocksy
Update Safety
Will updates break the site?
Research Confidence: High
Safe if
Sahifa is a safe choice if you value a theme with a long and proven history of stability and consistent development, ensuring your site is built on a mature and well-supported codebase [15].
Check before purchase
Be cautious if you plan to make direct code modifications to the theme's core PHP or CSS files, as these customizations will be overwritten during routine updates, which can break your site's functionality [9].
Avoid if
Avoid this theme if your project requires a cutting-edge architecture, as Sahifa's foundational code is older compared to its modern successor, Jannah, which offers more advanced features and design flexibility [16].
Freelancer Recommendation

Sahifa’s long history is a testament to its stability. As settings are stored in the database, updates are generally safe and non-destructive [9]. For any customizations, it is critical to use a child theme to prevent loss of work during updates.

Alternatives: Jannah, Newspaper, Avada
Scalability
Can I use it for multiple projects?
Research Confidence: Medium

Community Quotes

"Occasionally, settings configured in the TiePanel fail to save. This is typically caused by an incomplete theme file upload during installation or updates."

— TieLabs [10]

"Compared to its successor Jannah, Sahifa offers far fewer pre-built demos (1 vs. 25) and page builder blocks (16 vs. 28), indicating less design flexibility for modern, visually complex projects."

— TieLabs [16]

Costs
Pricing breakdown
Explicit Costs
  • Regular License $0
  • Support (6) Included
Hidden Costs (Community)
No hidden costs reported.
Demo Gallery
0 example sites

No demos available.

Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions from community

Is Sahifa compatible with the Elementor page builder?

Plugin Compatibility

Compatibility is limited. Sahifa was developed with its own proprietary page builder and was not designed around Elementor's architecture, which can lead to integration issues [1].

Sources: 1

Does Sahifa support right-to-left (RTL) languages like Arabic?

Plugin Compatibility

Yes, Sahifa has excellent and well-documented support for RTL languages. It was officially certified as "Multilingual Ready" by WPML and is frequently recommended in guides for Arabic WordPress themes [3, 4].

Sources: 3,4

What is Sahifa's performance like on a fresh installation?

Performance & Speed

Out-of-the-box performance is poor. Tests on a default installation showed a mobile PageSpeed score of 61/100 and a high Time to First Byte (TTFB), indicating that it requires significant optimization to meet modern web standards [6].

Sources: 6

What plugins are required to optimize Sahifa for Core Web Vitals?

Performance & Speed

To achieve good performance, a combination of plugins is necessary, typically including a caching plugin (like Cache Enabler), an asset optimization plugin (like Autoptimize), an SSL manager, and a lazy loading solution [6].

Sources: 6

Will I lose my settings when I update the Sahifa theme?

Updates & Stability

No, your settings are safe during updates. Sahifa stores its "TiePanel" configurations in the WordPress database, not in the theme files, so they persist across new versions [9].

Sources: 9

Is Sahifa a good choice for an e-commerce site using WooCommerce?

Plugin Compatibility

Yes, Sahifa is compatible with WooCommerce. While some users have noted general admin slowness with WooCommerce, this is a common issue and not specific to Sahifa [5].

Sources: 5

What is the main difference between the Sahifa and Jannah themes?

General

Jannah is the modern successor to Sahifa from the same developer. Jannah offers significantly more pre-built demos, more page builder blocks, and a more modern design, while Sahifa is a more traditional, content-focused theme [16].

Sources: 16

Can the theme's AJAX live search feature cause performance issues?

Performance & Speed

Yes, the AJAX live search creates a hard dependency on jQuery that cannot be easily deferred or removed. This can negatively impact JavaScript optimization and contribute to lower PageSpeed scores [6].

Sources: 6
Sources & Methodology
17 sources indexed

Timeframe

Last 12 months

Analysis Date

January 23, 2026

Confidence Assessment

Data confidence: HIGH (16 analytical sources, 17 total)

Methodology Note

Analysis based on user discussions from forums, social media, and review sites.

Referenced Sources 17