Free vs. Premium WordPress Themes
Fri, 09 Apr 2021
There’s an almost overwhelming choice of WordPress themes available, and that’s before you decide whether to pick WordPress themes free or premium. Premium WordPress themes tend to seduce us with their sleek appearances and rich features, while free solutions tempt the bargain hunter in us all forever. You could potentially be left chasing your tail when it comes to the crunch.
You must arm yourself with the necessary knowledge and weigh up the pros and cons of each option to make an informed decision to avoid confusion when considering free or premium WordPress themes. The question is simple: WordPress themes that are free or premium. As you’re about to find out, the answer needn’t be too challenging.
We’ll highlight some key differences between free and premium WordPress themes in this blog, so you can fully evaluate both options for yourself before you make a choice.
- Free, with no strings attached
- Themes downloaded from the official WordPress.org theme directory will have undergone an official review process
- Will typically have a minimal number of features, which in turn should make them leaner and therefore quicker to load – thus boosting the speed of your website
- Rarely come bundled with documentation, and support can be limited
- Usually lack in-depth customization options; you may need some coding knowledge to get the best out of it
- Updates can be few and far between. Over time, this could lead to security vulnerabilities
- Browsing and installing free themes are easier given access to the theme directory from your WordPress dashboard
- Generally reasonably priced, considering the extensive benefits listed below
- Not required to undergo an official review process before hitting the market
- Generally speaking, the overall build quality is far superior. This may even cancel out the ‘quick and lean’ nature of free themes, as a premium option may be designed with speed in mind, despite its feature-richness
- The vendor should provide excellent support, along with documentation to guide you through the setup process
- Typically comes with more features out of the box, including greater customization options and third-party app integrations to extend your website’s functionality
- You can typically rely on a far more regular update cycle to keep your theme secure. However, there is always the danger that a theme vendor will discontinue a product, leaving you with the same long-term security vulnerabilities as any free WordPress theme
- Available from a wide range of independent theme shops and marketplaces
What should your WordPress theme choice be?
When it comes to choosing between free or premium WordPress themes, there’s no best option across the board, ultimately up to you. Having said that, we believe the benefits of selecting a premium theme far outweigh those of a free theme. So if you can afford to do so, we recommend that you plump for a premium option.
Buying a premium WordPress theme, you support the developer community directly in WordPress. Spending your money that way ensures the growth of the community, which means building up more awesome themes and plugins in the future.
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