Free vs. Premium WordPress themes: Which one is the best choice?
When you start to create a website, you surely think of either using free WordPress themes or premium WordPress themes. Choosing a better option to create a beautiful website is not supposed to be an easy decision.
Generally, those who are new to the WordPress world and planning to start a WordPress blog. Follow up if you don’t know about the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
First of all, let’s learn what the benefits of using free WordPress themes and premium WordPress themes will be:
Benefits of Using Free WordPress themes
- It’s totally free. Yes, you heard it right. Every feature, and facility you get in free WordPress templates is completely free to use. If you’re having a problem due to a budget, then free themes will work perfectly to make a brilliant website.
- All the free themes can be downloaded only from the official WordPress.org directories. After the core review process from the Theme Review Team improved all the errors and malicious code, only the team will live the theme in the directory.
- You can easily install a WordPress theme and extend the functionality of the website if you are pro on coding.
Benefits of Using Premium WordPress themes
- Paid themes come with additional exemplary features and customize option. They offer full support and are able to give a quick response with the solution to your problems.
- Implementation of dynamic features and compatibility with the superior plugins will add more sparkle on your site.
- Purchasing premium themes is worth the money because you don’t have to worry about the updates and security being hacked or the malicious attack, that means you don’t need to hire developers to fix it.
Furthermore, in this article, we will discuss which is the best option: a free or paid theme, on the basis of six different categories:
1. Features and Updates
| Free WordPress Theme | Premium WordPress Theme |
| 1. Commonly free WordPress themes come with limited features, so it is only possible to create a simple and lightweight website, despite that the website’s loading speed will be faster. 2. In the case of updates, once the free theme is live, developers won’t be concerned about the updates. | 1. The premium theme provides advanced and powerful features to make your website attractive and flexible with functionality. 2. The premium theme is the best one, though it is expensive but worth purchasing. It is updated regularly. |
2. Customization and Documentation
| Free WordPress Theme | Premium WordPress Theme |
| 1. If you are familiar with the coding, then you can create the best website with free themes because the chances of getting the customization option are rare. 2. In terms of documentation, some of the companies provide documentation. | 1. Premium themes come with full customization, where you can enhance the functionality of the website by adding plugins. 2. They provide comprehensive tutorials exclusive videos and images that make easier for users to understand and bring the best version with it. |
3. Design Quality and Support:
| Free WordPress Theme | Premium WordPress Theme |
| 1. Of course, the quality of design can differ between a free and premium WordPress theme. The layouts and design elements make a huge difference, but a free theme has the limited option to choose the layouts and style for the website. 2. Developers can provide support, but not as much as on the premium theme. | 1. Uniqueness and the use of a variety of design elements can be found in the premium theme that makes you feel the best experience on your website. 2. Similarly, get top-notch support and available 24/7 free extensive support on this theme. |
Let’s check out some of the best free and premium WordPress themes that are ideal for you.
Free WordPress Themes:
- News Portal – Free Ultimate Magazine WordPress Theme
- Shopay – Free Responsive E-commerce WordPress Theme
- Color Blog – Free WordPress Blog Theme
- Scholarship – Free WordPress Education Theme
- Saaya – Creative Blogging WordPress Theme
- Easy Store – Free Creative E-commerce WordPress Theme
- EDigital – Free E-commerce Responsive WordPress Theme
- Matina – Free WordPress blog theme
- Mismo – An Ultimate Magazine WordPress Theme
Premium WordPress Themes:
- News Portal Pro – Ultimate Magazine WordPress Premium Theme
- WP Diary Pro – Creative Premium Blogging WordPress Theme
- Mismo Pro – Creative Premium Responsive WordPress Theme
- Swipe Pro – Premium Multipurpose WordPress Theme
- EDitorial Pro – WordPress Premium Magazine Theme
- Fotogenic Pro – Premium Photography WordPress Theme
- Matina Pro – Premium Creative WordPress Theme
- Newshive – Well-designed and Lightweight WordPress Magazine Theme
Conclusion: Which one is the best choice?
We can swiftly come to the conclusion that if you’re unsure whether to use the free or premium theme, then you should pick the free one because free themes can be easily swapped for pro themes. Test the free templates on your website; if the free ones worked for you, then it is fine; otherwise, you can buy the premium WordPress themes and add the advanced features to your website.
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HI,
A very informative article. It will help to select WordPress themes for beginners like me in WordPress development.
Thanks for sharing.