Qalam – Newspaper and Magazine WordPress Theme Review

In the world of online publishing, design, readability, and content structure matter just as much as the stories being told. Whether you’re building a news website, online magazine, editorial platform, or personal blog, your theme must support high-volume content, multimedia integration, and seamless user experience. That’s exactly what Qalam – Newspaper and Magazine WordPress Theme is built for.

Qalam is a clean, responsive, and highly customizable WordPress theme designed for content-heavy websites. With its robust typography, multiple homepage layouts, category-based customization, and ad placement flexibility, Qalam empowers digital publishers to focus on what matters most — delivering compelling content to readers.

In this detailed review, we’ll explore everything Qalam offers — its design philosophy, core features, performance, use cases, and why it remains one of the go-to WordPress themes for modern publishers.

What Is Qalam?

Qalam is a premium WordPress theme created by codexcoder, specifically designed for:

News portals
Online magazines
Editorial websites
Personal and professional blogs
Review platforms
Content marketing websites

The name “Qalam,” meaning “pen” in Arabic, hints at its core philosophy — empowering writers and content creators with the tools they need to publish with style and substance.

Qalam offers:

Multiple homepage and post layouts
Category-based design customization
Gutenberg and Elementor compatibility
Prebuilt demo sites
Optimized ad space and monetization options
SEO-friendly architecture

Whether you’re a solo blogger or a full editorial team, Qalam gives you the infrastructure to grow your digital presence effectively.

Who Should Use Qalam?

Qalam is a perfect fit for:

Digital newspapers and online journalism platforms
Political, financial, tech, or entertainment magazines
Personal bloggers looking for a professional layout
Multi-author websites and content teams
Review sites or niche media brands
WordPress users who want flexible editorial control without sacrificing performance

If your business or passion involves publishing high volumes of content, Qalam is built to support you.

Key Features of Qalam WordPress Theme

Let’s explore the key features that make Qalam a strong contender among content-focused WordPress themes.

1. Multiple Homepage Layouts in Qalam

Qalam offers a variety of homepage designs tailored to different publishing models, including:

Classic newspaper style
Grid-based magazine layouts
Featured carousel sliders
Masonry blogs
Sidebar-focused editorial columns
Single-category-focused front pages

These templates are ideal for showcasing:

Breaking news
Popular or featured posts
Trending categories
Multimedia content
Sponsored content blocks

Each layout is fully responsive, meaning your site will look professional and perform well across all devices.

2. Custom Category Styling in Qalam

One of Qalam’s standout features is the ability to:

Apply different templates to specific categories
Assign unique colors, headers, and post styles per category
Create category-based landing pages
Segment your content visually and functionally

This is incredibly valuable for multi-niche publishers looking to manage politics, tech, fashion, or lifestyle content under one site — while maintaining a clear structure and brand identity.

3. Responsive and Retina Ready Design in Qalam

Qalam is built with modern users in mind:

Fluid layouts for desktop, tablet, and smartphone
Mobile-first elements like collapsible menus and swipeable carousels
Retina-ready assets for high-resolution displays
Google Fonts integration for readable and scalable typography

Your readers will enjoy fast, accessible, and attractive reading experiences across all screen sizes.

4. Built-in Ad Management & Monetization

Qalam supports:

Dedicated ad spots in headers, sidebars, and within posts
Native advertisement blocks
Google AdSense and affiliate link placement
Sponsored post formats
Sticky and rotating banner options

Monetize your platform efficiently without cluttering your user interface.

5. Post Layout Variations in Qalam

Qalam includes multiple single post layouts:

Standard single-column articles
Featured image with full-width header
Magazine-style image blocks
Sidebar left or right templates
Review-focused layouts with ratings

You can customize each article format based on content type — long-form essays, product reviews, interviews, or listicles — for a tailored reader experience.

6. Featured Sliders & Carousels

Highlight trending or important stories with:

Top story sliders
Horizontal post carousels
Category-based featured posts
Image gallery sliders
Full-screen background carousels

These elements help draw attention to key content and improve session duration.

7. Gutenberg and Elementor Compatibility

Whether you prefer the native WordPress editor (Gutenberg) or a visual builder like Elementor, Qalam supports both. You can:

Use drag-and-drop to build homepage sections
Customize post blocks and widgets visually
Create reusable templates for different categories or content types
Add custom call-to-actions or promo boxes within posts

Content flexibility meets ease-of-use in Qalam’s editing framework.

8. Optimized for Speed and SEO in Qalam

Performance features include:

Clean, lightweight code
Mobile-first design
Lazy loading of images
Minified CSS and JS
SEO-ready HTML markup
Compatible with Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and other plugins

Qalam is designed to help you rank well on Google and load fast for visitors.

9. Mega Menu and Navigation Customization

Qalam’s advanced menu system includes:

Multi-column dropdowns
Category thumbnails
Recent post previews
Custom link structures
Sticky navigation on scroll

This improves UX by making it easier for readers to navigate large volumes of content.

10. Dark Mode Support in Qalam

Qalam includes an elegant dark mode toggle, which:

Enhances readability at night
Saves battery life for mobile users
Offers an additional branding touch
Appeals to modern design trends

You can also set dark mode as default, or allow user toggling via the header.

11. Translation and RTL Support

Qalam is fully translatable and RTL-ready, with:

.POT files included
WPML compatibility
RTL layout support for languages like Arabic or Hebrew
Multi-language menu support

Ideal for global publishers or news platforms operating in multiple regions.

12. Built-in Widgets and Custom Blocks

Qalam includes several custom widgets and blocks, such as:

Latest posts
Popular posts by views or comments
Newsletter subscription form
Category tabs
Author box with social links
Related posts and “read next” features

These tools boost engagement, reduce bounce rate, and support better content discovery.

Real-World Use Cases for Qalam

1. News Portal

A political news outlet uses Qalam’s category templates to divide national, international, and local news — with sticky headlines and breaking alerts on the homepage.

2. Tech Magazine

A digital publication focused on gadgets, apps, and startups customizes Qalam to display review scores, comparison posts, and featured YouTube videos on product pages.

3. Multi-Author Editorial Blog

A content team runs a lifestyle blog with multiple contributors. Qalam’s author box, role-based permissions, and multi-column blog layout make it easy to manage.

4. Niche Review Site

A gaming website builds long-form reviews using Qalam’s star rating templates, affiliate-friendly buttons, and related post widgets to drive engagement and sales.

5. Blogger Monetizing With Ads

A personal finance blogger uses Qalam’s sidebar ad widgets and sticky banners to promote sponsored content and AdSense campaigns, all while keeping the blog professional and fast.

Pros and Cons of Qalam

Pros

Designed specifically for high-volume publishing
Multiple homepage and post layout options
Clean and responsive design
Custom category styling and organization
Ad-friendly, with native monetization support
Elementor and Gutenberg compatible
SEO-optimized with structured content
WPML and RTL ready for global publishing
Great performance on both desktop and mobile

Cons

WPBakery not supported for users who prefer that builder
Setup may be overwhelming for WordPress beginners
Dark mode customization may require minor CSS tweaks
Limited WooCommerce styling (not an eCommerce-focused theme)

Licensing, Updates & Support

Qalam is available on ThemeForest, and comes with:

Lifetime theme updates
6 months of premium support (extendable to 12)
Detailed documentation and setup guides
One-click demo import functionality
Compatible with the latest versions of WordPress, PHP, and major plugins

Support includes help with:

Theme installation
Bug fixes
Basic customization advice
Plugin integration issues

Final Verdict: Is Qalam Worth It?

Yes — Qalam is one of the most versatile, user-friendly, and content-optimized WordPress themes for digital publishers.

Whether you’re:

Running a blog
Launching a digital magazine
Publishing breaking news
Hosting long-form reviews
Managing multiple authors or categories

…Qalam gives you the speed, structure, and design flexibility to scale your content platform with confidence.

Its powerful features, combined with clean UX and responsive layouts, make it a standout choice for WordPress users who want both performance and polish.

Ready to Build a Scalable News or Magazine Website?

Whether you’re creating the next big digital publication or building a niche blog that monetizes through content, Qalam provides the framework to make it happen.

Download Qalam today, install a demo, customize your layouts, and launch a stylish, fast-loading content platform that keeps your readers coming back.