WordPress is a popular platform to build a website as easily as can be. There are certainly multiple languages to make amazing sites. However myriad features containing themes available within this platform make it more special. New themes with new exciting functionalities as well as time-to-time updates and improvisation in existing themes help WordPress in blossoming day by day. In this article, we are talking about Free vs Pro Themes.
The first thing that comes to mind while creating a website using WordPress is choosing an elegant theme. Often, people get confused about whether to select free themes or premium themes for their site. But the question mark is at how much better are the premium themes in comparison to free themes, if at all!
In this article, we are trying to help you to decide with a clear understanding inside.
The Pros of Free WordPress Themes
When you are a very beginner, you are likely going to pick a free theme. In the starting, you may not have an idea about what you want and what is best for you. So, it is better to start with some good templates rather than wasting your money and time on something bad. It doesn’t mean that free is just an option for practicing. You can see the list below to know the pros of free themes.
1. Free is good at no cost
The biggest benefit of free WordPress themes is you can get them without spending money. This is awesome because people love to learn new things on experiments not by paying for every single thing. It also lowers the barrier of going ahead with a blog/website.
2. The stringent review process by WordPress
Free WordPress themes are the ones that are most often used. All themes published in the official WP theme directory undergo a strict theme review process to maintain a higher quality standard. There are a lot of talented eyes that examine and test these free templates as they are functioning as training templates for new developers to sharpen their skills.
The Cons of Free WordPress Themes
If you are making a site for a professional purpose or for your business, then we’ll prefer to choose an excellent premium theme. With free themes, you may stock into legal issues and also have to be bound within limited features. Below are the reasons why free themes are not preferable sometimes:
1. Limited Features and functionalities
Free themes consist of the standard WP features but you won’t get valuable extras. Premium themes give you things like the ability to create buttons, landing pages, use convenient shortcodes, and compatibility as well as integration with highly powerful and important plugins & editors.
2. No uniqueness
Theme developers use the same styles and demos to make free templates. So, your site will appear just like many other sites. When your website contains all the same things that others have, why anyone would visit your site.
3. Fewer Support options
Free theme developers offer support through WordPress forums, but they are not obliged to reply to support queries.
4. No one responsible
You are picking free themes means you have no warranties. If you have to go through any problems then you have to deal with them on your own.
The Pros of Premium WordPress Themes
With premium themes, you get more features and customization options. See the comparison table of the Free vs Pro themes in our theme store.
Due to the high competition in the theme industry, theme stores are always trying to provide more options at a lower price. Premium Themes vary in price and styles so you have to look around before shopping to get the best one for you. You can also see our Pricing and Plans for all themes.
1. Better SEO setup
Most of all Premium themes have been developed concerning the search engine optimization factors. Therefore, you don’t need to worry much about the good ranking of your site.
2. Responsive and unique designs
With premium themes, you have multiple options to select to make an ironic and eye-catching site. All functions have been tested as responsive and supported on every device and browser during development.
3. More User-friendly
You get more elements to build your site user-friendly into the template of premium themes. With free themes, not much time has been spent on these things.
4. Supports & Updates
For premium themes, respective theme developers are 24/7 available with a good problem-solving team. Moreover, screenshots, complete documentation, and video tutorials are also available for the best customer support. You will also get timely updates on premium themes with the auto-update feature.
The Cons of Premium WordPress Themes
You can’t say that every premium theme is worth paying. They may have some cons if you pick the wrong one. To get a good premium theme, you have to be more penetrator and need more web design knowledge.
1. Poor code
Some premium themes may look good but have poor quality codes because these themes don’t have to go through a strict review process. To know this, you have to be able to interpret and understand the coding by yourself.
2. Too many features included
In order to get more customers, some theme owners can add unworthy features unnecessarily. It may cause problems on page load, bounce, and a host of other important metrics. You may probably never use those features, still, they will affect your site speed.
3. End up into plugin domains
Sometimes, themes cross over into the world of plugins, offering features they are not supposed to do. In that case, you will be in trouble while switching themes because those features will disappear with the theme.
In Short, It is hard to say whether free or premium themes will be great for you without knowing what you are trying to do. On the condition that you are just starting your journey, try out with free themes to make things familiar to you. Thenceforth, premium themes will shape your standards as they are one step ahead always. Here we describe Free vs Pro Themes with the advantages and disadvantages they have. But the total rights reserve to you about what to pick!
Hopefully, you may have some knowledge of Free vs Pro Themes as well as how to make your online presence great.
