Free Vs Premium WordPress Themes

FREE default WordPress theme template is nice and looks fresh, but may not be the theme to use if your blog is for business purposes or if you want to make your blog more customizable and more impact on your readers.

For basic blog or website, there are a lot of choices out there for someone wanting to choose a free WordPress theme for their blog  Free WordPress themes are usually simple in design and typically follow the same structure of the default theme. If you just want to release content, then a free theme is suitable for your needs.  However, with free themes, there are limited options / settings built-in to make modifications easier. Additionally, most free themes do not come with color schemes / styles to change the look of your site.

If your willing to pay for the WordPress theme and would like to have more impact on your blog/website, then  you should consider a Premium WordPress themes. It's more advanced and almost always come with options panels / theme settings which can be configured quite easily. Additionally, it is common that a premium theme come pre-packaged with several styles so that you can alter the look of your site. the advanced style of themes that are more unique, stylish and in high quality. Though, these additional features come at a cost.

To solve this dilemma, you can either choose to download free themes or pay up to enjoy some premium WordPress themes. It is better to compare free theme and premium theme before you make any decision for your blog / website.

Theme Design and Functional Quality
If a designer is asking money for a WordPress theme, you can already conclude that it offers something more or different than the standard WordPress theme being offered for free. It usually means that the designer spent a significant amount of time perfecting the visuals and layouts of the theme or made sure that the theme allows more functionality than the ones derived from the default theme.

If you take a look at the online stores that sell premium WordPress themes, you may get the idea on why this particular theme could be worth the money. Many premium WordPress themes target people that manage business blogs since they know that these webmasters need a professional design to make profits.

Theme Options
The Options Panel / Theme Settings is a major difference between free vs. paid themes. Most free themes do not come with an easy method to update the theme. However, with almost all premium themes, you can count on the fact that there will be a panel to configure your theme settings. The options panel will provide areas to configure categories for different content areas, adding Google Analytics code, and/or social media settings. There are hundreds of possible settings, and each theme varies. The Theme Options panel does make life much easier for non-techies, as well as folks who wish to just get their sites online quickly.

Support Quality

Good theme designers make sure that the theme fully works in all of the latest browsers before releasing it to the public. There are instances where users can run into problems especially if their blogs have numerous extensions and add-ons. Those that design WordPress themes for free may not have the time or resources to tend to those situations although there could be some exceptions. However, premium theme designers are more likely to be more accommodating to these issues so that they can send a subtle message to the customers that paying for the theme includes free dedicated support as well.

Security Considerations
When using a free theme, it is a good idea to pay attention to the theme author’s updates. In most cases, free themes are not frequently updated to stay in sync with WordPress releases. This may lead to security vulnerabilities. Additionally, some free themes are released with good intentions, but the authors may not be as well-versed in coding standards as some premium theme authors. Hence, the potential for security issues is greater with free themes. At least with premium themes, one can rely (hopefully) on the theme support forums for updates or to ask questions related to such topics.

Abundance

Free WordPress themes are a lot more abundant than the premium ones. In fact, the WordPress website features dozens of themes available for those that cannot host their own WordPress site. This makes searching for free themes quite useful as there may be a chance where you can encounter a nice theme with a free download attached to it.

Overall Value

Your decision in picking a free or premium WordPress theme depends on your comparison between quality and quantity. Fortunately, just about all designers offering free or premium WordPress themes have a screenshot of the theme so they can visualize how their website will be if the theme is applied.

Premium themes are priced differently as well so you really need to take some time in choosing a commercial WordPress theme. Your choice won't be disappointing at all if you look at the premium theme at all angles. It is unlikely for a free alternative to surface since premium themes usually take longer to make and require a lot of skill.