Everything you need to know about the Starter Sites Library
📝 Note: Some of the starter sites are available based on the subscription type for Neve PRO: Personal, Business, Agency.
The Starter Sites are a powerful tool of web development, very useful for users since it does not require any technical skills. You can design an entire website with a wide palette with just a few clicks.
🧰 Tools needed:
- The Neve theme - here is a doc about how to install it.
- The Starter Sites & Templates by Neve plugin - here is a doc about how to install it.
- The Otter Blocks plugin — required by all Gutenberg-powered starter sites.
⚠️ Important: All Gutenberg-powered Neve starter sites use Otter Blocks for their layouts and content. Importing a Gutenberg starter site without Otter Blocks installed and activated will result in broken or missing page sections. Elementor-powered starter sites do not require Otter Blocks.
📥 Onboarding New Users
If you are a new user, right after activating Starter Sites & Templates by Neve plugin, the Starter Sites experience will be facilitated by the onboarding modal. After introducing the type of website you need, you can select from the available designs according to the page builder.
📝 Note: Please note that this section is exclusively for new users. You will be able to access the onboarding modal only if you have activated Neve on the last day or if you didn't complete the import (you didn't click on Subscribe/Skip and view website). For existing users, please refer to the next paragraph.
Once you have made your choice, you can upload a logo and customize the design directly from the modal, using Colors and Typography controls:
In the following step, you can select the plugins that will be installed with the starter site. If you chose a Gutenberg starter site, Otter Blocks will appear in this list and is required — make sure it is selected before proceeding.
After that, you can click on Import Website, and everything will be ready.
🗒 Where to find them
The collection of Starter Sites can be found here. Scroll down and explore all the available starter sites, separated according to the page builders and pricing plans.
🗂 Free - Premium Starter Sites
The library of Starter Sites is very wide, but it depends on the pricing plans: Personal, Business, and Agency.
| Free | Premium |
Free
The free starter sites are available in all versions of Neve: free | Personal | Business | Agency.
Premium
To use premium starter sites available for other page builders as well (Elementor), you will have to purchase one of the Business or Agency plans.
You can find the plans with all the features detailed here.
🔌 Otter Blocks Dependency
All Gutenberg-powered Neve starter sites are built with Otter Blocks, a free Gutenberg blocks plugin developed by Themeisle. Every Gutenberg starter site template uses Otter blocks for its layouts, columns, sections, and interactive elements. Without Otter Blocks, imported pages will display broken layouts or missing content. Elementor-powered starter sites do not have this requirement.
Otter Blocks is installed automatically when you import a starter site through the onboarding modal or the Starter Sites library, as long as you keep it selected in the plugin step. If you skipped that step or deactivated the plugin later, follow these steps to install it manually:
- Go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for Otter Blocks.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
📝 Note: Otter Blocks is free and available on WordPress.org. It does not require a paid plan to use with Neve starter sites.
📝 Note: If your imported Gutenberg starter site shows generic Atomic Wind blocks (such as Box, Text, Image, Link, or Icon), this is an Otter editing model and not an import failure. Learn how it works in the Atomic Wind Blocks guide.
🧩 Lightweight Alternatives
If you prefer to avoid installing additional plugins or want a more minimal starting point, there are alternatives to importing a full starter site:
- Neve + Otter Block Patterns: Otter Blocks includes a block patterns library with pre-designed sections (hero areas, testimonials, pricing tables, etc.) that you can insert individually into any page. This lets you reuse polished design components on a page-by-page basis, rather than importing an entire site.
- Build with core Gutenberg blocks: You can build your pages from scratch using only WordPress core blocks. This approach requires no additional plugins and gives you full control over your layout with no third-party dependencies.
💡 Tip: If site performance is a priority, building with core Gutenberg blocks or selectively using Otter block patterns will produce lighter pages than importing a full starter site.
🔍 Troubleshooting: Starter Site Missing from the Dashboard Library
If you can see a starter site on demosites.io but it does not appear in your WordPress dashboard under Starter Sites, work through the following checklist before contacting support.
1. Update the Neve theme and the Starter Sites plugin
Outdated versions may not include the latest templates.
- Go to Dashboard > Updates.
- Update the Neve theme to the latest version.
- Update the Starter Sites & Templates by Neve plugin to the latest version.
- Return to Appearance > Starter Sites and check if the template now appears.
2. Clear cached data
The in-dashboard template list can be affected by stale cached data. Clear all of the following:
- Browser cache — hard-refresh the page (
Ctrl + Shift + Ron Windows/Linux,Cmd + Shift + Ron Mac) or clear your browser cache entirely. - Caching plugins — if you use a caching plugin (e.g., WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache), purge all caches from its settings.
- Server-side cache — if your host provides server-level caching (Varnish, Redis, or a hosting panel cache option), purge it from your hosting dashboard.
After clearing caches, reload the Starter Sites library and search for the template again.
3. Check your plan and filters
- Plan availability — some starter sites are only available on Business or Agency plans. Verify that the template you are looking for is included in your current Neve pricing plan.
- Page builder filter — at the top of the Starter Sites library, make sure you have the correct page builder selected (Gutenberg or Elementor). Templates are only shown for the selected builder.
- Category/search filters — clear any active category filters or search terms to display the full library.
4. Contact support
If the starter site still does not appear after completing the steps above, contact the Themeisle support team with the following details:
- The exact name of the missing starter site (e.g., "Lumen Yoga").
- The demo URL from demosites.io, if available.
- A screenshot of the Starter Sites library showing the search results for that template.
- Your Neve theme version and Starter Sites & Templates by Neve plugin version (found in Plugins > Installed Plugins).
- Your WordPress Site Health Info — go to Tools > Site Health > Info, click Copy site info to clipboard, and paste it into your support message.
Providing this information helps the support team investigate the issue quickly without additional back-and-forth.
🛡️ Troubleshooting: Import Blocked by Server Security Rules
If the Neve starter site import stops partway through and you see a message such as "Something went wrong while importing the website content" or "There seems to be a configuration issue with your server", your hosting server's firewall or web application firewall (WAF) may be blocking the import requests as a false positive.
Symptoms
- The import progress bar stops before completing.
- You see an error message about a server configuration issue or failed content import.
- Retrying the import produces the same error on the same step.
- Other WordPress features work normally; only the starter site import fails.
Why this happens
Hosting providers often run server-level security software — such as ModSecurity, OWASP Core Rule Set (CRS), or a WAF (Web Application Firewall) — to protect against common web attacks. These tools analyse incoming requests and can sometimes incorrectly flag the large batch of data sent during a starter site import as a potential threat, blocking the request before it completes. This is known as a false positive — a legitimate action that matches a security rule pattern.
Step 1: Download and check the import log
When an import fails, Neve generates a log file with details about what went wrong.
- After the import fails, look for a Download Log or View Log link in the error message or the import modal.
- Click the link to download the log file.
- Open the file and look for messages that mention blocked requests, 403 errors, WAF, ModSecurity, or OWASP CRS rules.
If the log shows blocked requests or references to security rules, proceed to the steps below. If you are not sure how to interpret the log, include it when contacting your host or the Themeisle support team.
Step 2: Ask your host to temporarily disable or whitelist the blocking rule
Because the WAF or ModSecurity rules are managed at the server level, you will need to contact your hosting provider to resolve this.
Ask your host to do one of the following only during the starter site import:
- Whitelist the specific OWASP CRS or ModSecurity rule that is blocking the import requests.
- Temporarily disable ModSecurity or WAF protection for your site, complete the import, then re-enable protection immediately.
⚠️ Important: Do not permanently disable ModSecurity or WAF protection on your site. These rules protect your site from real attacks. Ask your host to re-enable them as soon as the starter site import is complete.
Most managed and shared hosting providers (such as SiteGround, Kinsta, WP Engine, Cloudways, and others) allow you to control ModSecurity or WAF rules from your hosting dashboard or by raising a support ticket.
Step 3: Re-enable security rules after the import
Once the starter site has imported successfully, confirm with your hosting provider that all security rules have been re-enabled. You can verify by checking the WAF or ModSecurity status in your hosting control panel.
Message to send your host
If you are unsure how to phrase your request, use the following template when contacting your hosting provider:
Hello,
I am trying to import a starter site using the Neve WordPress theme, but the import is being blocked and fails with a server error. I believe my server's WAF, ModSecurity, or OWASP Core Rule Set (CRS) may be flagging the import requests as a false positive.
Could you please check the Apache or server error logs for blocked requests from my WordPress site (URL: [your site URL]) and let me know if any WAF or ModSecurity rules are blocking the import?
If a rule is blocking it, could you either whitelist that specific rule or temporarily disable ModSecurity/WAF protection for my domain while I complete the import? I will notify you as soon as the import is done so you can re-enable the protection immediately.
Thank you.
If your host confirms that security rules were blocking the import and you have re-enabled them, but the import still fails, contact the Themeisle support team and include your import log and any information provided by your host.