I often get asked questions like “Should I use a premium WordPress theme?“, “Are premium themes good?“, or “Is premium better than free?“. And my answers are mostly the same but it depends on the situation.
There are many good premium WordPress themes but also many great free themes. So, which is better and why? Well, the question is what is your goal, and what do you want to achieve.
Table of Contents
What Is A Premium WordPress Theme
Everybody has their understanding of the premium theme and I have mine. I think there are two kinds of premium WordPress themes.
The first kind of theme is Asta, which is a subscription-based theme. You pay a monthly fee and get all the updates and pro features. This kind of theme also has free versions and demo sites.
But the kind of premium themes I am talking about are WordPress themes you can buy on ThemeForest. These themes are made by individuals or a small team.
There are specific themes for a specific type of website -portfolio, blog, gym, etc. Most of them have different demo designs you can choose from.
Also Read: How To Optimize Images
I personally don’t like these premium themes. I have tried many of them and all of them have the same problems. Code is not well-written, they are slow and have many features you don’t need. Also, many of them require different plugins, etc.
But sometimes there are situations where a premium WordPress theme may come in handy and I offer you the 3 reasons why you should use them.
Reason 1: You Don’t Know WordPress
The first reason why you should use a premium WordPress theme is when you do not know how WordPress works and how to create websites with it.
Because in order to create a WordPress website, you should know how it works, how themes & plugins work, and how to use page builders.
WordPress has a learning curve and not everybody wants to learn it or just doesn’t have time for that. In this case, a premium WordPress theme is a great solution. You just upload it, choose a demo, and add your content.
But you should at least know a little about themes & plugins, how page builders work. Because most of these themes are built with Elementor or other page builders. And in order to add your content, you have to know a little.
There are many tutorials on Youtube and blogs. You can quickly understand page builders and you will be able to edit content. It is an easy way to create websites with WordPress.
Also, there are some great WordPress hosting platforms, so you don’t have to know how to install it manually. All you have to know is how page builders work and how to add content to a WordPress website.
Reason 2: You Are In A Hurry
The next reason why a premium WordPress theme may be good is when you are in a hurry. When you have a theme you can build and launch a WordPress website in one day. So, premium themes are great in this case.
There are all kinds of templates with additional demo sites and it is not hard to find a suitable theme for your project. Whether you want to build a blog, portfolio, corporate, or any other type of website, just buy hosting & domain, install a theme, choose demo, add your content and that’s it.
Also Read: Top Ad Networks For Monetization
This is one of the main reasons why these kinds of premium themes are popular. Because it is very easy and fast to start a website and you don’t have to know much about WordPress.
But people who don’t know WordPress, don’t think about speed, how this theme is made, etc.
And another downside is that you don’t get support. For example, ThemeForest themes have 6-month support, after that, you have to pay an additional fee.
So, if you decide to buy a premium theme, search for popular themes, pay attention to when it was made, was it updated lately, and are reviews good.
Reason 3: The Design Is Exactly What You Wanted
The last and 3rd reason why you should use premium WordPress themes is when a theme has a design you are looking for. That is a good reason because not everybody is a great UI designer. UI design can be tough and it’s time-consuming.
So, premium themes are great options in this situation. There are many beautiful portfolios and creative themes. If the speed is not a concern to you, you can buy a premium theme.
Also, these themes are great for blogs. Because if you use free themes and plugins, it may become difficult to build a good blog design.
You have to use too many plugins to achieve your goal. Now, you can buy a premium theme and don’t worry about it.
And there are too many blog templates. You can find templates for personal blogs, news, niche blogs, etc. But still, pay attention to different things like creation & update date, reviews, the team behind the theme, etc. If your theme is slow or uses many third-party plugins, it is not worth it.
It is better to hire a developer, pay a little more and you will have a professional, fast, and modern website. Or you can learn WordPress and make your website by yourself.
But Still… Is Premium WordPress Theme Worth It?
Yeah, I told you the 3 reasons when it is a good idea to use a premium WordPress theme, but if you want my honest opinion, I really don’t like premium themes. I don’t like how they are made, how slow they can be, and how many additional plugins you need to install for them to work.
So, I always build websites myself with page builders. I build pages with Elementor and I think it is the best page builder. Yeah, it can slow down a website a little, but it can be solved with caching and other tweaks.
And also, Gutenberg is always improving and becoming more powerful. Perhaps, soon it will be a great page builder.
So, if you want my honest opinion and suggestion then learn WordPress, it is not that hard. Use page builders with free themes and you will build any kind of website. It may take more time than a premium theme, but you will build better websites.
Another option is to buy pro themes like Kadence, Neve, Blocksy, and use its demo sites. These themes are regularly updated and very high-quality.
Or another great option is to buy a CrocoBlock plugins package and build any kind of website.
Conclusion
So, premium themes are a great option in some situations. If you want to build websites faster and want to save time, then a premium WordPress theme is a great solution. But in other cases, I suggest you use free or pro themes with page builders.
Install WordPress locally, install these free themes, and try it yourself. Understand how they work, how page builders work and you will be able to build a website by yourself. You will forget about premium themes soon.
