Perhaps one of the most striking features of WordPress is the easy availability of themes. Take a look at any of the other CMSs – be it Joomla!, Drupal or Textpattern – none of them comes even close when it comes to the availability of ready-made themes and templates. Not only does WP have numerous free themes to its merit, it is also well supplemented for by several Premium theme providers.
So, what exactly are Premium and Free themes anyway? In simple terms, Premium themes are those which come at a price that is paid to the theme provider whereas Free themes are just that – free! Premium Themes
Just like any other commercial commodity, Premium themes too often undergo the debate regarding pricing – there are some who claim that Premium themes are an unfair means to monetize an open source project, whereas there are still others who hold the view that Premium themes are solutions which cannot be provided in the absence of commercial funding and, owing to the competition, often Premium themes are under-priced.
Pictured: 'Unsigned' -- a Premium Theme by WooThemes
When it comes to positives, Premium themes have many advantages:
- First up, most Premium themes come with A+ grade support which is missing in Free themes. This is because the developers build Premium themes as a means of livelihood and thus tend to provide excellent grade support.
- Further more, Premium themes are reliable. They are updated on a regular basis, often come with extended or lifetime support and extensive documentation.
- Premium themes also have several unique features that are otherwise lacking in Free themes. Plus, due to stiff competition, theme providers are working hard to make their offerings the best of the lot and thus, Premium themes happen to be super-rich in features.
- Premium themes generally pay great attention to details. In fact, they often have better tweaks for settings such as SEO than their Free counterparts.
- Along similar lines, Premium themes come in several forms to suit your needs – there are special offerings depending on the genre of your website.
- Unlike Free themes, Premium themes are not so common and this can lend a unique appeal to your blog.
On the downside, Premium themes also have their share of disadvantages:
- Unlike Free themes, which are generally added to the official WP repository and undergo a reviewprocess, Premium themes can at times be mere commercial entities that may or may not be standards compliant in terms of licensing.
- Premium themes generally come for a fee and spending money on a blog that might just be a hobby may not suit everyone’s purpose.
- While this does not apply to everyone, at times, Premium themes, in their bid to be super-awesome, may come loaded with several features, whereas in reality, you may not need all of them. You will therefore, be using just a sub-set of the total number of features. In other words, for certain scenarios, using a Premium theme might be an overkill.
WP Theme Repo is an excellent place to look for free themes
Free Themes
There are several Free themes for WordPress from different providers. Often, many developers develop Free themes to build their portfolio or just for fun. On the other hand, many Premium theme providers as well as WP-related blogs may release Free themes for their visitors.
Pictured: 'Sight' -- a Free Theme by WPShower
There are several advantages of Free themes:
- Firstly, Free themes don’t burn a hole in your pockets – simply download and use! There are no prices to pay.
- While personalized support is generally absent with Free themes, many developers respond to queries and comments in forums. Plus, you can always get great support from WP Codex and official forums.
- Since Free themes are more common, the number of plugins and configuration settings that they support is also large. And just in case a particular plugin does not work with a given theme, you can always report the issue to the official repository. With Premium themes, however, due to smaller user base, the process takes some extra time.
On the downside, Free themes come with certain disadvantages too:
- Free themes generally do not come with any warranty or assurance of working.
- Unlike Premium themes, you cannot expect top-notch personalized support with Free themes.
- The update frequency, though good, is not as great as that of Premium themes.
- Most Free themes tend to be quite common and this can kill the ‘unique’ look of your blog.
- Lastly, there are several Free theme providers who offer themes with spam or phishing links. If you are downloading Free themes, the ideal method is to do so from reputable providers, instead of simplysearching for themes on Google.
Tips for Choosing an Ideal Theme
Irrespective of it being Free or Premium, a theme should serve your purpose well. Only you can comment on what exactly your needs are, but it helps to bear a few basic points in mind when settling on a theme:
- Do not compromise on the features and functionality that you need. A good theme should provide ample features to suit both your present and future needs.
- Even though you may be well-versed in coding, look for a theme that is easy to use and modify. In other words, try to choose a theme that does not require rocket science for customization – the time and efforts invested in configuring a theme, if saved, can be invested elsewhere too.
- If you have a specific genre of website, such as a photo/video gallery, opt for a theme meant for that specific purpose.
- Ensure that the developers are active and the theme is regularly updated.
- Plus, check for the available support options. If it’s a Premium theme, ask for nothing less that personalized email support/ticketing system. And if it’s a Free theme, look for the level of activity in the forums (if any) and/or the frequency with which the developer responds to the comments on his website.
- Next up, bear in mind that the theme you are opting for should not be too old – this is especially true if you are choosing a Free theme. Web technology tends to get updated at a rapid pace, and it makes sense to opt for a theme that is updated.
Just in case even Premium themes fail to impress you, and you have the budget, consider opting for a Custom Design.
Which theme do you use for your blog? Is it free or Premium? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
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