DropDeadSites

Do you know that currently, the best WordPress themes are Enfold, Divi, and Astra? 

Among 283,252 websites using WP themes, the Enfold theme is used by over 30,000 websites, Divi by over 17,000 websites, and Astra by over 12000 websites (Source: BuiltWith).

So, which one should you use on your site?

Let’s find out.

What are the best themes for WordPress?

Before I let you know everything about WordPress themes, let’s come straight to the point.

What themes are the best ones?

Well, if you want free themes, then you can choose one from the WordPress themes library itself.

From the WordPress dashboard go to Appearance -> Themes and then click on the Add New button on the top to go to the library.

Some of them are completely free, some are freemium and the rest are premium themes.

But all of them are multipurpose WordPress themes, which means, they can be used to build any type of site.

I always recommend installing freemium themes because these will be at least well-coded.

And you may also get updates and customer support, although they are not guaranteed.

I recommend installing Astra or GeneratePress if you want a free theme.

Both of them are coded well and are very fast.

Astra has free templates too.

However, if you want to build a website quickly, then buy a premium theme.

Premium themes are ready-made themes that will have all the features necessary for specific businesses like real estate, art galleries, dealerships, etc.

Buying a premium theme will give your website a professional look straight out of the box. 

All you need to do is to customize the theme.

You can buy a premium theme from marketplaces like ThemeForest, TemplateMonster, ThemeIsle, etc.

It will be difficult for me to suggest the best premium theme for you unless I know your industry or niche.

But you can click on the Categories menu at the top of this site where I have listed the best premium WordPress themes for many niches.

If you are confused about whether to buy a premium theme or use a free one, then continue reading our Buying Guide below.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is an online app to build websites.

It is available in 2 versions – free and paid.

You can download the free version from WordPress.org to install it on your own server or you can install it through a web hosting company after you have bought a hosting account.

The paid version is available at WordPress.com.

You have to subscribe to one of their subscription plans in order to build your site.

How many WordPress sites can I have?

The number of WordPress sites you can have depends on the hosting plan you have bought.

How much does WordPress cost per month?

It does not cost anything to use WordPress if you have bought a hosting plan from a web hosting company.

However, there may be some associated costs to building your website. (See “what’s the real cost of building a WordPress website” below.)

If you are building your site on WordPress.com, the paid plans start from $4 per month.

More on that is below.

How much does WordPress premium cost?

WordPress.com is the official SAAS (Software As A Service) platform from Automattic, the company that built WordPress.

You will get everything under one roof to build your website like domain, hosting, themes, plugins, support, etc. depending on the pricing plan you have bought.

There are three pricing plans – Free, Starter, and Pro.

The Free and Starter plans are very basic while the Pro or the WordPress premium plan has everything in it.

The Starter plan costs $4 per month but does not include themes or plugins.

The Pro plan costs $11 per month and includes themes and plugins.

What’s the real cost of building a WordPress website?

Although WordPress is available for free with every hosting company, there are various costs associated with it.

Knowing these will help you to understand the real cost of building a website with the free WordPress app available with the hosts.

Top WordPress Alternatives to Consider

I have been asked many times to compare WordPress cost vs Wix and other such platforms.

The top alternatives to WordPress are Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, Weebly, Joomla, Drupal, HubSpot, etc.

However, do note that all these are SAAS platforms, similar to WordPress.com, and have various pricing plans.

What is a WordPress theme?

A WordPress theme helps you to build your site on WordPress.

WordPress is a no-coding app, which means you can build your site even if you do not know how to code.

WordPress themes work with the WordPress core to define the layout and the design of your site like fonts, colors, pages, logo, etc.

You can easily change the design of the site by customizing the settings in the theme.

You can also change themes.

Are WordPress themes free?

There are both free WordPress themes as well as premium ones.

How many WordPress themes are there?

There are over 31,000 WordPress themes across different theme developers and marketplaces. (Source: Sceptermarketing)

What is the default WordPress theme?

The WordPress default theme is the one that is activated by default for your site when you install WordPress for the first time.

The name of the default WordPress theme is exactly the same as the year of its release.

So, if you are using WordPress version 6.0 which was released in the year 2022, the name will be Twenty Twenty-Two.

Likewise, if the released version is 2021, the name will be Twenty Twenty-One, and so on.

You can change the default theme with another one very easily. (See “How to change the WordPress default theme” below.)

The WordPress themes directory has a library of over 9000 themes for you to install on your site.

Some old default WordPress themes are still updated regularly, so you may get an old one for your website if you want.

But, before installing it, always check whether it is compatible with your current WordPress version.

Why a default theme is needed in WordPress?

A default theme is needed in WordPress as you cannot design your site without a theme.

Default WordPress themes over the years

WordPress has evolved over a span of 19 years.

Let’s look back at the different themes it came up with since the beginning.

How to customize the default WordPress theme?

There are 5 ways to customize a WordPress theme.

To customize the default WordPress theme, click on Appearance -> Customize in the WordPress dashboard and go to Customizer. (Fig.24)

Choose any settings on the left pane to customize the theme.

Preview the changes on the right and then hit Publish on the top of the Left Pane.

How to change the WordPress default theme?

To change the WordPress default theme and install another free theme from the WordPress themes library, click on Appearance -> Themes -> Add New and go to the WordPress themes library. (Fig.25)

Then select a new theme, hover your mouse cursor over it and click on Details & Preview -> Install.

Once the theme is installed, click on Activate.

Installing a premium theme can be done in several ways. Please go to “Installing a Premium theme” under the “Types of WordPress themes” section below.

Should you use the default theme or install a new one?

The default theme is actually good for giving demos of the different features of the current WordPress version.

They are simple and have minimal features.

If you are creating a simple blog and favor minimalism, then they are perfect for you.

But, if you are building a business website and need a lot of custom features, then you should get a more robust theme.

For example, if you are building a deals and coupons website, then you need to get a theme that has features such as a coupon carousel, coupon expiry date, coupon pop-ups, etc.

Or if you are building a directory site, you need to get a strong search system with filters for category, price, etc.

Hence, it is better to buy a premium theme that already has these features as having them will be best for your business.

The difference between a free theme and a premium theme is that you will have more features, regular updates, and customer support in a premium theme than in a free one.

However, even if you use another one to build your site, do not uninstall the default theme.

The reason for keeping it installed is that, should something go wrong with your current theme, you can easily switch back to the default theme and troubleshoot the issue.

As they are simple, lightweight, and do not have complex codes, they are less likely to cause any major issues.

Hence, you may find out easily whether your existing theme is causing the issue.

How to install a WordPress theme on a self-hosted site?

The installation processes for free themes and premium themes on a self-hosted site are somewhat different.

We will first understand the different types of themes available and then know how to install them.

Types of WordPress themes

1. Free WordPress Themes

A free WordPress theme is a multipurpose theme that is suitable to design any type of website.

Pros	Free to use.
Cons	Limited features, no niche-specific features, no demo content, no guarantee of updates, and no guarantee of customer support.
Where to find the best free WordPress theme?	The best place to look for a free WordPress theme on the web is the WordPress themes library.

(i) How many free themes are there in WordPress?

There are over 9000 free themes In the WordPress themes directory.

(ii) Where can I get WordPress themes for free?

If you are still wondering “how can I get free themes?”, then let me assure you that the best place for free themes is the official WordPress themes directory.

(iii) Which is the best free WordPress theme?

The best free WordPress theme according to me is Astra.

I recommend this theme because being a freemium theme it is definitely well coded.

The chances of getting updates and support are also higher compared to other free themes.

And there are many WordPress templates for you, which they call “Starter Site Templates”, that will help you to build your website quickly.

(iv) Installing a free theme

Here is the step-by-step process for installing a free WordPress theme.

(a) Select a theme

Log in to WordPress and go to Appearance -> Themes. (Fig.27)

The Themes page will show all the themes currently installed.

Click Add New. (Fig.28).

You will be now on the Add Themes page which is the WordPress theme directory. (Fig.29)

The themes will be categorized into Popular, Latest, and Favorites. (Fig.29)

There is also a Feature Filter button, which you can use to filter the themes in the library according to different features.

A new feature has been introduced in WordPress 5.9, which is called Full Site Editing.

You can now edit any part of a theme if the theme supports Full Site Editing.

The themes that support this feature are called Block themes.

You can apply the Full Site Editing filter under Feature Filter to select a Block Theme.

However, I have selected the Hello theme to install on my site.

(b) Installing the theme

If you hover your mouse cursor over the theme, a Details & Preview button will appear (Fig.29).

Click it and you will be on the Installation screen.

The installation screen has two panes – the theme details on the left and the theme preview on the right. (Fig.30)

There is also an Install button on the top.

When you click the Install button, it will install the theme and the button will now change to Activate.

(c) Activating the theme

You can Activate the theme immediately or later.

If you want to activate it later, click the “X” button to close the screen and return to the WordPress Themes page.

Or, click Activate, which will change the current theme you have to this theme.

You will now be on the Add Themes page, where the first theme will be the newly installed theme. (Fig.31)

The Activated button will be greyed out.

You can now customize the theme by clicking the Customize button.

2. Premium WordPress Themes

A premium WordPress theme is a paid theme that you can buy from a marketplace like Themeforest, Template Monster, etc.

They may be multipurpose or niche-specific.

Pros	More features, niche-specific features, clean codes, professional design, some cost one time, a guarantee of updates, and a guarantee of customer support.
Cons	Some are subscription-based.
Where to buy the best premium theme?	Some of the best marketplaces to buy a premium theme on the web are ThemeForest, TemplateMonster, StudioPress, Themify, etc.

(i) Are premium WordPress themes worth it?

Yes. Premium WordPress themes are worth their cost because you will get a professional design, great features for your niche, regular updates, and customer support.

If you install a free WordPress theme, the theme developer is not obligated to update the theme or provide any customer support.

Whereas, if you buy a premium WordPress theme, you are actually paying for them too.

So, the developer has no choice.

(ii) Where to find premium themes?

To find premium themes you should look at one of the marketplaces such as ThemeForest, TemplateMonster, Themify, CreativeMarket, ThemeIsle, etc.

There are thousands of premium niche-specific and multipurpose WordPress themes in these marketplaces.

When buying a premium theme, always buy it from a reputed marketplace or a reputed WordPress theme developer.

Avoid installing a null theme as they may contain malicious codes using which hackers may hack your website.

Also, read the reviews of other users before buying a premium theme as it will help you to avoid troubles later.

(iii) Installing a premium theme

There are three methods for installing a premium theme.

These are – 

• Uploading directly in WordPress
• Uploading using FTP.
• Uploading through Cpanel.

We will now look at how to install the ThemeForest theme Re: Hub on WordPress.

(a) Uploading directly in WordPress

Here is a step-by-step process on how to install the WordPress theme from the zip file.

Log in to your ThemeForest account, click your profile name and go to Downloads.

Click the Download button, select Installable WordPress file only and download the theme you purchased to your computer (Fig. 34).

The downloaded file will be in zip format. You do not need to unzip it.

Now, log in to WordPress click on Appearance -> Themes, and go to the Themes page.

Then click the Add New button on the top and go to the WordPress Themes Directory or Add Themes page.

Now click the Upload Theme button on the top (Fig.35)

Click on the Choose File button and select the zip file of the theme you downloaded from ThemeForest. (Fig.36)

Then click the Install Now button.

After the theme is installed you will get the “Theme installed successfully” message. (Fig.37)

You can either click on Activate to activate the theme immediately or click on the Go to Themes page.

We will go to the themes page.

You will find the Re: Hub theme installed in the Themes dashboard. (Fig.38)

Hover your mouse button on the theme and click on Activate to activate the theme.

(b) Uploading using FTP

You can also use an FTP client like FileZilla to upload a premium theme that you have purchased.

First, we need to unzip the zip file of the Re: Hub theme that we downloaded from ThemeForest.

Now, launch FileZilla on your computer and log in to your server. (Fig. 39)

Then open the wp-content folder and then the themes folder.

Drag and drop the unzipped Re: Hub file into this folder.

FileZilla will upload all the files into the themes folder. (Fig.40)

After all the files are uploaded, you will find the theme in the Themes dashboard of WordPress.

Hover your mouse cursor over the theme and click on Activate to activate it.

(c) Uploading through Cpanel

Uploading a file through Cpanel is almost the same as uploading through an FTP client like FileZilla.

The only difference is that you do not need to unzip the theme file that you downloaded.

Upload the theme file using File Manager of Cpanel, navigate to the themes folder, and upload the file. (Fig.41)

Once, the file is uploaded, follow the same process as above to activate it.

3. Custom WordPress Themes

A custom WordPress theme is a theme that is developed specifically for your site.

Either you have to create it yourself or hire a developer to create one for you.

Pros	Custom features, exclusive design, clean codes, priority customer support.
Cons	Costliest, needs a long time, finding the right developer is difficult, needs a lot of communication, risk of fraud.
Where can you order a custom WordPress theme?	Developer and freelancer marketplaces such as Upwork, Codeable, etc.

(i) How to create a custom WordPress theme?

To create a custom WordPress theme knowledge of programming languages such as PHP, CSS, HTML, and Javascript are necessary. You should also be familiar with the WordPress core library.

(ii) How much does it cost?

Hiring a developer to create a custom WordPress theme can cost upwards of $1000.

(iii) What are the factors that influence the cost?

The costs of hiring a freelancer and hiring an agency to create a custom WordPress theme may be different.

Generally, the cost of hiring agencies is more as they have more overheads.

Other factors such as features needed and the time needed for development also add up to the final cost.

Also, if you are hiring someone reputed or has wide experience in building WordPress themes will cost you more than hiring someone with less experience.

(iv) How to Avoid Overpaying?

• Check references.
• Check reviews.
• Check the portfolio before hiring a developer.
• Order all the features you need in the beginning.
• Do not modify your order
• Check the terms carefully before ordering.

How We Should Choose WordPress Themes

Here are the steps to choose the right WordPress theme for your website.

• Decide on the features you need: This is the first step you should take when you are choosing a WordPress theme. Themes that are meant for personal blogs may not be suitable for a business website or a website on photography. So, first, decide on the design of your website and how it should look. Then make a note of the features you need in a theme.
• Responsive: The WordPress theme should be responsive for all screen sizes. This is an important ranking factor in Google and other search engines.
• Speed: The speed of your website is also an important ranking factor. The speed of a website depends on many factors and one of them is the code that a theme is built with. The code should be clean and lightweight. It is not possible to check the code of a theme if you are not a coder. So, be sure to choose a theme that has a lot of positive reviews. See what other users of the theme have to say about it. You can also use a tool like GTMetrix to test the speed of a theme.
• Plugin Compatibility: The theme you choose should support all the mandatory plugins like Yoast, Rank Math, WP Forms, Updraftplus, etc. Remember a WordPress theme is mainly for designing a website whereas WordPress plugins are for building the functionality of a website. You need both.
• Browser Compatibility: A theme that works well on Chrome does not necessarily mean that it will work the same on Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc. People use different browsers, so your theme should support all of them.
• Customizations: A theme should definitely provide basic customization options like color, font, layout, sidebars, etc. Some premium themes also provide additional customizations like sticky headers, scroll-to-top, header and footer builder, embed analytics codes, etc., which are good to have. But some features like mega-menu, integrations with various premium plugins, etc. may not be necessary for your website. More customization means more codes and if you don’t need them, it’s better not to have them at all.
• Support: Please take a look at the “Last Updated” date when choosing a theme. If the theme is not updated regularly, it simply means that the theme is not actively supported. So it may not work with the latest versions of WordPress and the plugins. Such themes may break your website or may open the gates to hackers. Also, check the reviews and see whether the developer really cares to answer the queries and issues of the users.
• Free vs Paid: A free theme does not necessarily mean that it is a bad one. In fact, some free themes are better than premium themes. So, do not pick a theme just because it is a “Pro”. You may not need all the features anyways. Instead of getting confused about whether to buy a premium or a free theme, consider all the above points first and then pick anything that’s just right for your website.

Updating WordPress themes

The WordPress themes can be easily updated by going to the Dashboard -> Update, selecting it, and then clicking on the Update button.

You can also select auto-update to update the theme automatically by hovering your mouse cursor over the theme, clicking on Theme Details, and then clicking on Enable auto-updates.

Changing WordPress themes

To change a WordPress theme, first, install the new theme in WordPress following any methods above.

Then hover your mouse cursor on the new theme and click on Activate.

However, please note that changing themes may affect SEO.

SEO is a vast topic and is outside the scope of this article.

My advice, in this regard, as far as themes are concerned, is to choose a well-coded and lightweight theme, if you want to change your current theme.

But, make sure to always install a new theme on a staging site first before going live.

How to use a WordPress template?

A WordPress template is a pre-designed page in a theme that you can customize.

Some premium WordPress themes like Astra, provide many WordPress templates that you can import to your site.

So how to use templates in WordPress?

The process of using templates varies from one theme to another.

Usually, you will find the page templates under Posts and Pages of the WordPress theme.

All you need to do is to customize it.

In some themes, you need to install a separate plugin provided by the developer to import the templates.

If they do not have a plugin, there will be a guide on their site on how to use templates in WordPress.

How much do WordPress themes cost?

The cost of WordPress themes may be free, minimal, costly, or very costly.

It depends on how you choose them to design your website.

If you do not buy it, you obviously won’t need to pay for it.

But if you buy a premium one, you will pay between $13 to $500, either one time or every year.

And if you hire a developer to build a custom WordPress theme for you, expect to pay a price upwards of $1000.

Factors for WordPress theme pricing

I have already discussed the factors influencing the cost of custom WordPress themes.

But what are the factors that influence the cost of premium themes?

Cost of WordPress themes in the marketplaces

The cost of WordPress themes in the marketplaces seems to be dependent mostly on the competition.

The themes that are released recently are priced much lower than the ones that have been around for a while.

On marketplaces such as ThemeForest, you can buy a newly released theme for as low as $13.

But other very popular ones like Avada costs $69.

Are themes marketplaces good for consumers?

Yes. Themes marketplaces have a variety of themes for you to choose from. 

You can easily get a theme for any budget. 

Hence they are indeed good for you and me.

Should all themes be priced the same?

It is not possible to have the same price for all themes.

There are too many factors at play when pricing themes such as the time needed, tools needed, features to have, APIs, plugins, etc.

How to choose between free and premium WordPress themes?

To choose between free and premium WordPress themes, you need to think about your needs and your budget.

If you are building a hobby site, then you do not want to spend a lot, right?

So, you can enroll in the free plan on a SAAS platform like WordPress.com and build a site for free.

Or if you want to impress others, just buy a domain, a cheap hosting, and use a free theme.

However, if you are building a site for your business, then it makes a lot of sense to buy a good domain, buy good hosting and buy the best or a premium theme for your niche. 

Because you do not want any friction in your business when the main motive of building a site is to get leads and customers.

Premium themes have advantages like professional design, niche-specific features, regular updates, and customer support.

You will get peace of mind over technical things like themes and concentrate on more important things in your business.

I think that is the best mindset to have if you are looking forward to having more traffic, more leads, and more sales on your website.

WordPress Free vs Paid Themes

Here are the differences between a free WordPress theme and a premium or paid theme.

Free WordPress Theme	Paid WordPress Theme
The cost of a free theme is well….free.	The cost of a paid theme varies between $13 to $500. It may be one-time or yearly.
All free themes are multipurpose themes.	Some paid themes are multipurpose themes.
A free theme has minimal features.	A paid theme has a lot of features.
Free themes are not niche-specific.	Some paid themes are niche-specific.
Free themes are not guaranteed to be updated.	Paid themes are guaranteed to be updated.
Free themes are not guaranteed to have customer support.	Paid themes are guaranteed to have customer support.

FAQs

Conclusion

Here is a summary of everything we learned today:

• WordPress is an app to build websites.
• There are two WordPress versions – Free and paid.
• You can use the paid version on WordPress.com.
• There are three subscription plans on WordPress.com – Free, Starter, and Pro.
• You can install the free version on your own server by downloading it yourself from WordPress.org.
• You will also get the free version if you buy a hosting plan from any web hosting company.
• If you use the free version, then you may have to incur other costs like domain registration, hosting, CDN, SSL, themes, and plugins.
• WordPress cannot function without a WordPress theme. So, whether you use the free version of WordPress or the paid version, you have to install a WordPress theme.
• WordPress comes with a default theme.
• The default themes in each WordPress version are named after the year of release of that version.
• You may use the default theme if you do not need a lot of features on your site.
• But, if you need more features you may have to change the default theme.
• There are three types of WordPress themes – Free, Premium and Custom.
• Free themes are multi-purpose themes that can be used on any site.
• Updates and support are not guaranteed in a free WordPress theme.
• The best place to get a free theme is the WordPress themes library.
• The best free themes recommended are Astra and GeneratePress.
• Premium themes are ready-made professional themes having in-built features that are needed for websites in a specific niche or an industry.
• The best place to get premium themes are marketplaces such as Themeforest, Themefy, Template Monster, etc.
• The cost of premium themes can be between $13 and $500 either one-time or yearly.
• Custom themes need to be developed from scratch either by yourself or by hiring a developer.
• The cost of developing a custom theme by hiring a WordPress developer starts from $1000 onwards.
• Installing a free theme or a premium theme depends on the type of site you are building, the features you need for your site, and your budget.
• If you are building a hobby site or you need a minimalistic design and features, use a free theme.
• If you are building a site for a business, buy a premium theme for your niche, as it will have all the features needed for the industry.
• There is a list of the best premium themes for many niches in the Categories section on the menu of this site.

I hope you will be able to now decide on whether to use a free or a premium theme for your site.

Thanks for reading.

[author]