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How to choose wordpress theme - free or premium

How to Choose WordPress Theme – Free or Premium

Before you decide whether to choose free or premium WordPress theme, it’s good to learn about their differences and the advantages/disadvantages each of them has. For most of the WordPress beginners, free WordPress themes may seem like the good starting point. Firstly, the fact you don’t need to spend money in order to use theme sounds attractive. Especially when you are all new in the WordPress sphere and can’t wait to create your unique online place. But, those with a bit more WordPress experience, will think twice before getting their theme.

To avoid confusion when choosing between free and premium WordPress themes, it’s vital you get well informed and weigh up the pros and cons of each option, in order to make the best decision for your future website.

The difference between free and premium WordPress themes

For everyone who considers free WordPress themes, we would like to emphasize that when we say free themes, we mean free WordPress themes that you can find in the official WordPress.org themes directory.

Any other free themes, created and distributed by unknown and unreliable sources, can bring potential risks, so we do not recommend downloading and installing it. Most of the free themes are produced by independent developers, with limited support and features. On other hand, premium themes bring a higher level of quality – tons of options, professional support, great responsive design and a wide array of plugins.

If you still have doubts, check our list of benefits of both free and premium WordPress themes.

Free WordPress Themes: Pros of Use

If you search for the theme that will perfectly fit your business, these free WordPress themes can be the best place to start. Why? The reasons are numerous.

  • Free themes are ideal for website newbies, who constantly experimenting or haven’t yet defined their online identity. WordPress premium themes require payment, plus some theme sellers don’t accept returns. In a case you don’t like the theme you bought, you will either have to use it or buy another. With free themes you don’t have this risk.
  • Free themes you can find on WordPress are a reliable choice since they are officially approved through a strict, multi-step process.
  • If you fancy a minimalist design, free WordPress themes could be an ideal choice. Due to their lack of premium features and widgets, these themes are perfect for everyone who wants a basic, yet a stylish website.
  • Made with beginners in mind, free themes are easy to use so everyone can create a website with no effort. You don’t need a coding knowledge or help of developers in order to install and use these themes.
  • These free themes are also usually compatible with most WordPress plugins, in a case you need more cutting-edge options on your website.

Free WordPress Themes: Cons

Using a free WordPress themes has great advantages, but it’s not all roses. There are several concerns you should have in mind before deciding to use a free WordPress theme.

  • If you plan to start a website that has many functions and requires a lot of features, a free theme may not be the right choice. Most of the free themes have limited options, so you better skip them, if you need a more advanced website.
  • Only the unique website look will help you stand out from the crowd. But, since millions around the world already use same or similar free themes, your website maybe won’t get noticed. Plus, customization options on free themes are not so numerous, which means you may have problems adjusting a theme to your needs.
  • Professional support is important especially if you don’t have knowledge to solve some bugs. With free themes, the support team is no available, so you need to rely on third-party help such as forums, Facebook groups, etc.
  • When you decide to search for free themes away from official theme depository, have in mind that the most of them are poorly coded so you may face website bugs.

What You Get with a Premium WordPress Theme

The first thing your visitors will notice is your website’s look and feel. Beautiful design and tons of features created to cover all your need are the reasons you should consider premium WordPress themes for your website.

  • There is a good reason why premium themes have premium prices. Besides, carefully designed homepages, premium themes include a wide array of elements and plugins that can help you make the most of your website.
  • Most of the premium themes are known for their pro support. This means you will get fast assistance from WordPress experts.
  • With premium WordPress themes you will get frequent updates which means your website will be more secure.
  • Besides modern design and a large set of templates, premium WordPress themes are fully-responsive which means your website will look amazing on any device type or screen size.
  • A large number of options and functionalities of premium WordPress themes allow you to easily customize each element without coding knowledge.
  • Created by professionals, these themes are compatible across different browsers and various plugins.

We hope that you found this article to be helpful. If you liked it, please feel free to check out some of these articles as well!

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