Kaira
Kaira is a Cape Town-based WordPress themes and plugins developer offering a portfolio of free and premium WordPress products, WooCommerce extensions, and custom development services to SMBs, bloggers, and agencies globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersDesert Hot Springs, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Kaira does
Kaira is a Cape Town, South Africa-based WordPress themes and plugins developer founded and operated by Zack Viljoen. The company designs, develops, and distributes a portfolio of six free WordPress themes (Overlay, Elation, Guten, Electa, Sabino, Nikkon) and six free WordPress plugins (Theme Site Kit, Blockons, Site Chat, StoreCustomizer, Site Customizations, Linkt), all coded to WordPress.org standards with Gutenberg block editor integration and WooCommerce compatibility. Its underlying technology stack is conventional WordPress PHP/JavaScript with performance-optimized, responsive design and Customizer-based configuration.
Kaira operates on a multi-stream business model: free themes and plugins distributed through the official WordPress.org repository drive user acquisition, while premium versions are sold as one-time licenses via the company's own e-commerce storefronts (kairaweb.com, storecustomizer.com, blockons.com) using Lemon Squeezy and Freemius as payment infrastructure. Custom WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, and mobile app development services are sold separately through kaira.co to agencies and mid-market clients. Supplementary revenue comes from affiliate/referral arrangements with hosting providers (Hostinger, Cloudways, Pressable), Namecheap FastVPN, and other tools promoted through an SEO-driven content marketing blog.
The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and operates with a small team. Customer segments are horizontal and long-tailed, spanning individual bloggers, WooCommerce store owners, creative professionals, and WordPress agencies — primarily SMBs and individual consumers globally. Sub-brands including StoreCustomizer and Blockons (and the older Map My Distance) extend the ecosystem across adjacent WordPress use cases without evident dedicated funding or institutional capital.
Kaira firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kaira
- Legal name
- Kaira
- Website
- https://kairaweb.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kaira is a Cape Town-based WordPress themes and plugins developer offering a portfolio of free and premium WordPress products, WooCommerce extensions, and custom development services to SMBs, bloggers, and agencies globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kaira industry classification
Industry- Product category
- WordPress Themes & Plugins
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms (HDAEAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Low-Code/No-Code Application Development & Modernization (BPAEAFAF)
Keywords
Where Kaira is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Desert Hot Springs
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kaira business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Freemium Themes & Plugins: Free versions of themes and plugins distributed via WordPress.org and the Kaira website, with premium/Pro upgrades available for purchase. Premium plugins include additional features like catalog mode, product quick view, AJAX search, custom thank you pages, and product badges for WooCommerce.
- Premium Themes: Paid premium WordPress themes with advanced features and customization options, sold directly via the Kaira website.
- Custom Development Services: Custom WordPress, WooCommerce, and Shopify website/app development services offered through kaira.co, serving South African and international clients.
- Digital Products: PDF bundles and downloadable resources such as the Smart Website Launch Kit, sold as one-time purchases.
- Affiliate / Referral Revenue: Revenue generated through affiliate relationships with hosting providers (Hostinger, Cloudways, Pressable), VPN services (Namecheap FastVPN), calendar software, and other tools referenced in blog content. The company discloses affiliate links in blog posts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Linkt Pro — one-time license |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Smart Website Launch Kit PDF bundle |
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | StoreCustomizer — Free and Pro versions |
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | All main themes — Free versions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Kaira product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kaira designs, develops, and distributes free and premium WordPress themes and plugins through the official WordPress.org repository and its own direct-to-consumer storefronts, with premium versions sold as one-time licenses. The portfolio includes six multipurpose, blog, portfolio, and WooCommerce themes, plus six plugins covering WooCommerce customization, Gutenberg blocks, site utilities, WhatsApp chat, link analytics, and custom code injection. Kaira also sells a digital PDF bundle (Smart Website Launch Kit) and offers bespoke custom development services for WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, mobile apps, and Chrome extensions.
Product overview
Kaira is a WordPress themes and plugins company offering a portfolio of free and premium products. Their product lineup includes 6 WordPress themes (Overlay, Elation, Guten, Electa, Sabino, Nikkon) and 6 WordPress plugins (Theme Site Kit, Blockons, Site Chat, StoreCustomizer, Site Customizations, Linkt). The themes range from multipurpose designs to portfolio and eCommerce-focused templates, while the plugins provide site customization, WooCommerce enhancements, block editor blocks, WhatsApp chat integration, and link tracking capabilities. Additionally, Kaira offers a PDF-based Smart Website Launch Kit for website building guidance and custom development services for bespoke web projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- StoreCustomizer: A powerful WooCommerce plugin that lets you customize your store effortlessly - adjust shop layouts, hide prices, tweak buttons, enhance customer experience.
- Blockons
- Linkt
- Map My Distance
Products and services
- Overlay WordPress Theme Multipurpose WordPress theme with advanced design settings allowing users to customize all elements of their website; intended for bloggers, businesses, online stores, and creatives seeking a flexible, no-code site foundation.
- Elation WordPress Theme WordPress theme designed to let anyone build a beautiful website without technical knowledge, suitable for eCommerce stores or blog sites.
- Guten WordPress Theme Super customizable multipurpose WordPress theme with multiple header, blog, and footer layouts and extensive design options for general-purpose sites.
- Electa WordPress Theme Sleek grid-layout portfolio WordPress theme designed to look great on all screen sizes, easy to set up and customize via the WordPress Customizer.
- Sabino WordPress Theme Elegant and creative multipurpose WooCommerce WordPress theme with extensive customization options for online stores and content sites.
- Nikkon WordPress Theme Versatile multipurpose WordPress theme ideal for blogs, portfolios, or creative websites, offering plenty of design options.
- Theme Site Kit WordPress Plugin Swiss-army-knife WordPress plugin bundling maintenance mode, social links, disable comments, and other site enhancements to reduce the need for multiple plugins.
- Blockons WordPress Plugin Advanced Gutenberg editor blocks and site add-ons plugin providing 18+ blocks and extensions (contact forms, scroll indicators, loaders, back-to-top buttons, etc.) for easier WordPress page building.
- Kaira Site Chat WordPress Plugin WordPress plugin that adds a simple chat box to a website and sends user-typed messages directly to a WhatsApp mobile or WhatsApp Business number for personal, trusted visitor support.
- StoreCustomizer WordPress Plugin Powerful WooCommerce customization plugin that lets store owners customize shop pages, buttons, checkout fields, catalog mode, product quick view, AJAX product search, custom thank-you pages, product badges, and more without writing code.
- Site Customizations WordPress Plugin Free WordPress plugin that lets users add custom CSS, PHP, and JavaScript (including jQuery) to a site without modifying theme files, keeping custom code intact across theme switches.
- Linkt WordPress Plugin Personal link analytics and tracking WordPress plugin for managing affiliate links, branded links, and custom link tracking with live graph analytics, short/clean URLs on custom domains, and category organization; Linkt Pro sold as a $39 one-time license.
- Smart Website Launch Kit PDF bundle and downloadable digital product including website launch checklist, SEO checklist, copywriting tips for website pages, blog content advice, and email marketing guidance; currently sold as a $17 one-time purchase (price rises as content is added).
- Custom Development Services Bespoke custom development services offered via kaira.co for WordPress websites, WooCommerce stores, Shopify eCommerce stores, mobile apps, and Chrome extensions, targeting agencies and businesses needing tailored solutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Overlay theme achieved 1,000+ installations shortly after launch
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kaira
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kaira technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature12 records
Kaira partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CloudwayscoreKaira has partnered with Cloudways, a managed cloud hosting platform. The partnership involves co-authored content (tutorials and guides) promoting Cloudways hosting with Kaira's Overlay WordPress theme. The company recommends Cloudways for its simple, intuitive interface, multiple IaaS provider options (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud), and WordPress-optimized managed hosting. The content demonstrates installing and optimizing the Overlay theme on Cloudways hosting.
- HostingercoreKaira publishes hosting reviews (Hostinger WordPress Hosting Review 2025) and recommends Hostinger for WordPress hosting. The company has moved all its websites to Hostinger and promotes it as the best managed WordPress hosting. Affiliate links are used.
- PressableminorListed as one of Kaira's recommended WordPress hosting providers alongside Hostinger and CloudWays, with a dedicated review/guide page.
- InvoplexminorFounder Zack uses and endorses Invoplex (invoplex.com) as his quotes and invoicing tool for client work, promoting it through blog content. Invoplex is a simple quotes and invoicing app for freelancers and service-based businesses. Affiliate links may be used.
- Lemon SqueezycoreLemon Squeezy is used as the primary sales/payment platform for selling digital products (Smart Website Launch Kit, premium plugins). It handles checkout, payment processing, and delivery.
- FreemiuscoreFreemius is used as the sales and licensing platform for some WordPress plugins, handling payment processing, license management, and customer data for paid plugin versions.
- Namecheap (FastVPN)minorKaira publishes a comprehensive guide to FastVPN by Namecheap, recommending it as the best VPN service. Affiliate links (kairaweb.com/go/namecheap/) are used in the content.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kaira competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ThemeIsle: ThemeIsle sells free and premium WordPress themes and plugins (Neve, Hestia, Otter Blocks) through a near-identical freemium + WordPress.org distribution model. Directly comparable portfolio, pricing structure, and SMB target customer.
- WPForms: WPForms is a freemium WordPress form plugin distributed via WordPress.org with premium upsells, run by a small focused team. Highly comparable GTM, monetization structure, and SMB audience to Kaira's plugins.
- Kadence WP: Kadence WP offers free and premium WordPress themes (Kadence) and starter templates with strong WooCommerce integration. Direct competitor in Kaira's premium multipurpose and WooCommerce theme segments.
- Brainstorm Force (Astra): Brainstorm Force is the company behind the Astra WordPress theme and Starter Templates plugin — the largest free theme in the WordPress.org ecosystem. It competes head-to-head with Kaira in the multipurpose and WooCommerce theme categories.
- Beaver Builder: Beaver Builder offers a paid WordPress page builder plugin targeting agencies, freelancers, and SMBs. Comparable audience and developer-led positioning to Kaira, with overlap in customization-focused site-building tooling.
- Elegant Themes (Divi): Elegant Themes sells the Divi theme and visual builder plugin via a paid membership model, competing with Kaira in the customizable WordPress theme space. Both target SMBs and freelancers building client sites.
Broad incumbents
- Awesome Motive (WPBeginner / OptinMonster): Awesome Motive operates a portfolio of leading WordPress plugins and SaaS products (WPForms, MonsterInsights, OptinMonster) targeting SMBs, comparable to Kaira's plugin portfolio. Significantly larger scale, venture-backed, and operates across multiple product brands.
- TemplateMonster: TemplateMonster is a large multi-vendor marketplace for website themes and templates including WordPress. It is a broader incumbent with comparable end products (premium WordPress themes) but operates a fundamentally different distribution model.
- ThemeForest (Envato): ThemeForest is the largest marketplace for premium WordPress themes from thousands of independent authors. Comparable supply (premium themes for SMBs) but a marketplace distribution model vs. Kaira's direct-to-consumer and WordPress.org hybrid approach.
- Elementor: Elementor is the dominant WordPress visual page builder plugin with a freemium model and large ecosystem. Overlaps with Kaira's customization and WooCommerce plugin offerings but at significantly greater scale and brand recognition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kaira social profiles
Digital presenceKaira financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kaira leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kaira subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Kaira funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kaira M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kaira
What does Kaira do?
Kaira designs, develops, and distributes free and premium WordPress themes and plugins through the official WordPress.org repository and its own direct-to-consumer storefronts, with premium versions sold as one-time licenses. The portfolio includes six multipurpose, blog, portfolio, and WooCommerce themes, plus six plugins covering WooCommerce customization, Gutenberg blocks, site utilities, WhatsApp chat, link analytics, and custom code injection. Kaira also sells a digital PDF bundle (Smart Website Launch Kit) and offers bespoke custom development services for WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, mobile apps, and Chrome extensions.
Is Kaira a public or private company?
Kaira is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kaira founded?
Kaira was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kaira based?
Kaira is headquartered in Desert Hot Springs, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kaira make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Freemium Themes & Plugins are the primary driver. The others are premium Themes, custom Development Services, digital Products and affiliate / Referral Revenue.
Who are Kaira's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ThemeIsle, WPForms, Kadence WP, Brainstorm Force (Astra), Beaver Builder and Elegant Themes (Divi). Broad incumbents are Awesome Motive (WPBeginner / OptinMonster), TemplateMonster, ThemeForest (Envato) and Elementor.
Does Kaira have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kaira.
What industry is Kaira in?
Kaira's product category is WordPress Themes & Plugins. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAKAA, Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAEAFAF, Low-Code/No-Code Application Development & Modernization. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.