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The WordPress community developed thanks in part to a love of the platform’s amazing customizability. And though a high level of customizability is generally considered as a positive, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be an overwhelming notion. For those new to WordPress, one of the most pressing questions has to do with the difference between using themes for WordPress, free vs paid.

Here’s the thing:

For many just getting started with WordPress, the thought process around using WordPress free vs paid (at least as far as themes are concerned) probably revolves around the fact that if there’s a free option that works perfectly, why would anyone shell out money for a premium option? This mentality falls in line with general startup advice suggesting that people wanting to start a new blog or website keep costs low so as not to have excuses getting in the way of launch.

Many questions still remain:

• Do you really need a premium theme to have a beautiful website?
• Does a premium theme guarantee that your website will run faster?
• What are the disadvantages of sticking with a free theme?
• Free/premium WordPress themes? Which one is right for any given project?

Luckily, you’ll find the answers to all of these questions and more below. Let’s take a look at WordPress, free vs paid theme options:

Free Themes on WordPress

It’s quite easy to find free WordPress themes after installing a new instance of WordPress on your web host of choice. You’ll find options in the WordPress official theme directory by navigating to Appearance > Themes > Add New Theme from the WordPress dashboard (here’s our guide on how to change a WordPress theme).

Note that this certainly isn’t the only place to find free WordPress themes—there are also thousands of other free theme options available on the internet (more on that later).

That said, the real advantage of choosing a theme from the WordPress theme directory is that they are officially approved, meaning that any theme submitted to the official theme directory is subject to strict review.

The theme review process starts with an automated WordPress plugin that scrutinizes the theme against WordPress’s strict coding standards. If it is approved, the submitted theme will be manually reviewed by WordPress theme developers. It’s only after these two steps have been passed with flying colors that a theme becomes available to the public on the official theme directory. 

Free WordPress Themes: Pros of Use

Why would someone choose to use a free WordPress theme? The reasons are numerous:

• Free is always a good thing for new website owners, and ideal for those constantly experimenting or itching for a change every now and then. WordPress premium themes require payment, and many of these don’t come cheap! In fact, according to CodeinWP, the average price for a premium theme is $57.54. Some theme sellers don’t accept returns, so if you don’t like the theme you bought, or it isn’t compatible with your must-have plugins, you may be stuck with something you can’t use.
• At least for the options listed on the official theme directory, free themes are officially approved through a multi-step process on WordPress.
• Free themes tend to have a fairly minimalist design because they don’t have a lot of premium features and widgets. If your website does not employ the use of a lot of plugins, this could make for a speedy WordPress website (which will improve your technical SEO).
• Free themes are usually built with beginners in mind, and as such, are simple and easy to use. Before approving a theme, WordPress developers make sure that the themes in the theme library can be used by a beginner as part of their testing process. These free themes are also usually compatible with most WordPress plugins.
• Besides the official WordPress theme directory, Host SEO also recommends Just Free Themes and MH Themes for their large selections of high-quality free WordPress themes.

Free WordPress Themes: Cons

Since there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there are quite a few holdups to consider when it comes to using a free WordPress theme:

• A free theme has limited features and no extra functionality, which many larger and more professional websites require.
• Some free themes have over 1 million downloads! Free themes are not uniquewhen compared with premium themes. Since anyone can download them without the barrier to entry of payment, many similar types of websites will make use of the same theme. Since there aren’t as many customization options available on free themes as there are on premium themes, the differences will be negligible, and users will probably start to pick up on these themes’ repetitive features.
• A fair portion of the themes on the WordPress repository site are rarely updated, which might render them incompatible with frequent version updates of the WordPress CMS.
• Free themes offer no support if there is an issue. There are so many contributors to free themes that WordPress cannot track who the theme author or developer is. You have to rely on third-party help (WordPress forum, Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, paying a web developer), and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a quick reply (or any) if you’re not paying someone to help you.
• Free themes not found on the official theme depository might be poorly coded(buggy), which could also make your site vulnerable to security issues.
• A word to the wise: not all free themes are created equal (there are different WordPress licenses) so when you download a theme, it’s best to know what you can legally do with it.

CyberChimps is a business theme with over 1 million downloads and 80,000+ active installs.

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