A free Joomla template framework by JoomShaper with a starter template: layout builder, mega menu, color presets and SCSS compilation. Joomla 4.4, 5 and 6.
Helix Ultimate consists of a starter template and a framework system plugin. The whole site design — layout, menus, colors, fonts — is configured in the template panel. The framework and the starter template are free, licensed GPLv2 or later.
Features
- Drag-and-drop layout builder.
- Mega menu builder: 2–4 column submenus, modules inside columns, icons, badges, animations.
- Off-canvas mobile menu with logo, search, login and contact details.
- 8 ready-made color presets plus a custom style.
- Typography with a Google Fonts list.
- SCSS to CSS compilation, CSS and JS compression with an exclude list.
- Lazy loading of images.
- Template settings import/export as JSON.
- Custom CSS, JS and meta fields, Google Analytics 4 ID.
- Header variations, extended blog options, maintenance mode, multilingual support, Bootstrap 5, overrides for core components and modules.
Installation
- Download the template package from the Helix Ultimate page on the JoomShaper website.
- Install it via Extensions → Install: the shaper_helixultimate template brings the framework system plugin with it.
- For a new site there is a Quickstart package — a full Joomla with demo data; it cannot be installed into an existing site.
FAQ
Does it work with SP Page Builder? Yes, JoomShaper states that SP Page Builder is supported by Helix Ultimate.
How do I update? Through the standard Joomla updater. Keep both the template and the plugin on the latest version: 2.2.9 and 2.2.10 are security releases.
The Google Fonts list is empty? Put webfonts.json into templates/TEMPLATE-NAME/webfonts/.
Is there a Joomla 3 version? The 2.2.x line does not support it; Joomla 3 sites stay on 2.1.4 plus the separate security-fix packages on GitHub.
Compatibility and requirements
- Joomla 4.4 (legacy), 5 and 6.
- PHP 8.3 or newer (8.4 recommended), OpenSSL enabled, 128 MB of memory or more.
