WordPress Free or Premium Theme: Points to Consider Before Finalizing

As a WordPress developer with more than 14 years of experience, I have often been asked by website owners and beginners whether to choose a free or premium WordPress theme to build a website. The truth is that both has its own advantages and disadvantages. 

It is obvious that you should always prefer to choose the theme that will offer a fresh and unique look to the site and premium themes tend to seduce us with their rich features and sleek appearances, whereas free solutions are tempting because of their cost free nature.

To avoid much confusion while considering premium or free WP themes, it is important to arm yourself with the essential knowledge and weigh the pros and cons of each option. Here in this blog, I will help you to decide which WordPress CMS theme is better for you and why.

Understanding the Difference between Free and Premium WordPress Themes:

Premium WordPress themes that are typically available in the marketplace costs money for good reasons. They are feature rich, responsive and also well supported by experienced staff members along with documentation that guides the user throughout the setup process. 

Also Read: Best Social Sharing WordPress Plugins That You Should Consider in 2019

Typically, it comes with features out of the box and offers great customization options and also third party integrations that help to extend the website’s functionality.  With premium themes, you can always expect a higher level of quality when compared to the free counterparts and the themes are secure and comes with regular update cycle.

On the other hand, free WordPress themes are typically produced by independent developers and there is only very limited or no support for the users. 

Due to their lack of cost, at times the themes have to sacrifice high quality and customization options, which can vary and such themes rarely meet the standards set by premium themes. Over time, this may lead to security vulnerabilities also.

Top Tips: Before choosing a theme for your WordPress website, read the theme reviews for a better understating of the theme’s overall performance and quality. 

Although premium themes are regarded as a superior choice, but this is actually not so in many cases. Here is what you should consider before choosing a free or a premium theme:

Value for Money: Price is the most important factor that distinguishes both the themes and many startup business owners are often wary of paying for a theme when they don’t know if their project will work or not. 

Though a free theme may help you in saving some money, on the whole it won’t offer you extensive features. So, at times it may cost you even more than a premium theme, but if your free theme offers you the features that you require, then it may be the best option for startups.

Web Security and Updates:

Premium themes are often considered more secure than free themes, but this is not the case always. Free WordPress themes also go through a rigorous review process and this ensures that they meet the security elements, which are a main part of the standard. 

If you purchase your free theme from a reputed WordPress developer in India, then you should be able to sleep easy.

Usability:

The usability of your WordPress theme is extremely important to consider when selecting a new theme for your site. 

The free theme may lack some functionalities, and may have to compromise on the usability, but this simplicity and limited features often make it very quick and easy to set up. Premium themes focus more on impressive usability and attractive designs and also enjoys the customization process.

To conclude, I can only say that whichever option you choose for your website, make sure that you do a thorough market research and always download the theme from a reputed and reliable source.