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Wordpress Theme Forest Themes

  • 22-01-2019 7:43am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭


    Hi All,

    Anyone use Theme Forest themes in Wordpress?

    If I buy a copy of a good seller, can I only use this once per wordpress install? I've heard I need a key provided at purchase per install...?

    Thanks!


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    GPL licence means you're not paying to use the theme itself, just to access the files, and to get support and updates.

    Beware though - a lot of commercial themes look great in the demo but are a complete clusterfūck of plugins and page builder shortcodes underneath making them difficult to setup and manage.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    GPL licence means you're not paying to use the theme itself, just to access the files, and to get support and updates.

    Beware though - a lot of commercial themes look great in the demo but are a complete clusterfūck of plugins and page builder shortcodes underneath making them difficult to setup and manage.

    Many Thanks. I see a lot of coverage on the Elegant Themes Divi. Theres a fee for annual use, have you used this? The custom page builder looks impressive on a few YouTube guides...


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    sticker wrote: »
    Many Thanks. I see a lot of coverage on the Elegant Themes Divi. Theres a fee for annual use, have you used this? The custom page builder looks impressive on a few YouTube guides...

    Yeah, to have used it once on a customer site but wouldn't again - I'm sure I could have done it faster and tidier without it. Do you really need all those features (distractions)? Is it your own site that you will be updating, or a customer's?

    BTW that's under the GPL licence also, so you don't have to renew each year unless you need support and updates.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    Yeah, to have used it once on a customer site but wouldn't again - I'm sure I could have done it faster and tidier without it. Do you really need all those features (distractions)? Is it your own site that you will be updating, or a customer's?

    BTW that's under the GPL licence also, so you don't have to renew each year unless you need support and updates.

    I have been working for many clients with html5 but looking to migrate my toolset to Wordpress for ecommerce etc.

    I suppose a quick look at guides for Divi look to make design a very simple experiecne for a very polished result, but a look online has many critics saying the like of Divi mucks up the code...


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    WordPress has its own blocks editor now anyway, "Gutenberg", and this might have an effect on the big themes and page builders. With Divi you have to decide what features you don't want and then find that there's very little that you do.


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  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 17,642 Mod ✭✭✭✭Graham


    When you buy from Themeforest, the standard licenses are something like this:
    Regular License

    Use, by you or one client, in a single end product which end users are not charged for. The total price includes the item price and a buyer fee.

    If you find a theme that you think will do absolutely everything and comes bundled with dozens of plugins, I'd avoid it like the plague. It will be bloaty, slow and take hours/days of customisation.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    Graham wrote: »
    When you buy from Themeforest, the standard licenses are something like this:



    If you find a theme that you think will do absolutely everything and comes bundled with dozens of plugins, I'd avoid it like the plague. It will be bloaty, slow and take hours/days of customisation.

    OK - Many Thanks.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    While I have you, what is the general source of content do professional WordPress developers use for small business - Theme Forest? I'm using them for years for my html5 work...


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 17,642 Mod ✭✭✭✭Graham


    That really depends on the end of the market your pitching at. If you pricing is in the 3 or low 4 figure range then something you can customise (rather than design from scratch) is the only realistic option.

    If your clients budgets starts moving up, you can start and consider custom designs/themes.

    The low budget small business end of the market is absolutely cut-throat. You're competing with freelancer marketplaces, off-shore freelancers and beer-money 'developers'. It's not a nice end of the pool to be paddling in.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,387 ✭✭✭wonga77


    I find that themes from themeforest are built in such a way that really leave you stuck with them so to speak. I have worked on a few different themes with built-in page builders and they are dreadful to deal with. Especially when you are not used to the little details that go with them.
    For me, a nice simple theme like generate press or astra has tonnes of options without overloading your site full of junk.
    Re other builders - Divi is incredibly popular but leaves a lot of shortcodes if you ever decide to move away from it. Beaver Builder and Elementor are streets ahead of the rest imo.
    Theres usually a bit of trial and error before finding a solution that works for you


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  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 10,461 Mod ✭✭✭✭Axwell


    As above the main issue with any of those page builders on ThemeForest is bloat and the fact they use shortcodes - as does Divi. Down the line, if you ever want to change to a different editor your website is broken. Shortcodes tend to also not perform well for SEO.

    If you are looking at options then using Beaver Builder or Elementor are a much better choice and using a lightweight theme like Generate Press or Astra. You are basically starting from scratch with a lot less bloat and not restricted or tied to shortcodes.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    wonga77 wrote: »
    I find that themes from themeforest are built in such a way that really leave you stuck with them so to speak. I have worked on a few different themes with built-in page builders and they are dreadful to deal with. Especially when you are not used to the little details that go with them.
    For me, a nice simple theme like generate press or astra has tonnes of options without overloading your site full of junk.
    Re other builders - Divi is incredibly popular but leaves a lot of shortcodes if you ever decide to move away from it. Beaver Builder and Elementor are streets ahead of the rest imo.
    Theres usually a bit of trial and error before finding a solution that works for you

    Thanks! - I really like the look of Divi to be honest. Have you used it yourself? I want to start on a platform that works well with good SEO / ecommerce plugins...


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    Axwell wrote: »
    As above the main issue with any of those page builders on ThemeForest is bloat and the fact they use shortcodes - as does Divi. Down the line, if you ever want to change to a different editor your website is broken. Shortcodes tend to also not perform well for SEO.

    If you are looking at options then using Beaver Builder or Elementor are a much better choice and using a lightweight theme like Generate Press or Astra. You are basically starting from scratch with a lot less bloat and not restricted or tied to shortcodes.

    Thanks - Didn;t see this post before my last post. I'd be happy to shell out for Beaver Builder if you feel its a better solution. I suppose the quick fix and instant drag and drop of great layouts makes Divi very appetising!


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    I purchased one specific theme at a customer's request but when I saw how the demo sites were built I had to abandon it. It was a complete mess and relied heavily on plugins for even basic stuff. Nightmare.

    As mentioned above, GeneratePress is excellent and works well with Elementor if you need an extra kick for the front page or whatever. GP Premium unlocks more features (most are accessed in the WordPress customiser) and is only €50 or something for unlimited sites.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,387 ✭✭✭wonga77


    I havent used divi as much, used it once or twice and didnt get into it.
    I use bb a lot, its great as you can hand it over to clients who can make changes themselves without bothering you all the time. This entirely depends on your clientele though. BB free is limited enough, you need the paid version to get the most value. elementor free version is fairly good and has alot of options. Theres a tonne of addons for both too if you need extra features, of course if you can code a bit yourself then you may not need these extras but always nice to have the options if needed for a quick fix
    Take a look at the generate press theme, it wont break the bank and has a load of really good features


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    Many thanks everyone. I think Divi looks very attractive but the general feedback has me looking to the suggestions made here. I've a lot of coding knowledge with HTML5. It's just knowing what direction to take as I'm enerting WordPress for the first time.

    Cheers again.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    One last point.. I've used theme forest HTML5 themes for the past 5 years. Would you all consider the premium WordPress Themes akin to Divi in terms of backend code issues? Im a bit of a soft touch to the elegant out of the box design frameworks...


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,387 ✭✭✭wonga77


    Personally I would ya. Themeforest themes are fine if you want a straight out of the box site that require little changes. You have a fair bit of clutter in the background. One of the reasons that I like bb and elementor is firstly, that you can build unlimited sites for the fee and secondly if you ever have an issue you can head to their facebook page. Chances are you will get an answer there straightaway as they have massive communities.
    Probably best just to try stuff out on a demo site first. You wont be long getting the hang of it


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 10,461 Mod ✭✭✭✭Axwell


    sticker wrote: »
    One last point.. I've used theme forest HTML5 themes for the past 5 years. Would you all consider the premium WordPress Themes akin to Divi in terms of backend code issues? Im a bit of a soft touch to the elegant out of the box design frameworks...

    Yes - a lot of the themes use a modified version of Visual Composer and name it their own, such as Muffin Builder etc. At the end of the day they have the same issues across the board but the bigger problem is bloat from all the plugins etc they need which slows a site down dramatically and requires constant updating.

    A lightweight theme like Astra or Generate Press along with Beaver Builder or Elementor will give you a move faster solution but you can still use drag and drop elements to create the site. The pro versions of the builders are better (more elements) but you can trial them to begin with and see what you prefer. For those you renew your license annually but you can use them on as many sites as you want - same with the themes, purchase them and pay annually for the updates but you can use them on as many sites as you want - as oppose to the Themeforest ones which are single license/single website.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,056 ✭✭✭sticker


    Thanks again all. Input and advise much appreciated


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,475 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    I use StudioPress Genesis as my base theme. I find it fast and lean though, unlike Generate Press, most of the configuration is done in code via hooks and filters. I like this because it stops clients changing and breaking things.

    I use CMB2 to add admin panels or custom fields.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    daymobrew wrote: »
    I use StudioPress Genesis as my base theme. I find it fast and lean though, unlike Generate Press, most of the configuration is done in code via hooks and filters. I like this because it stops clients changing and breaking things.

    I use CMB2 to add admin panels or custom fields.

    GeneratePress (premium) also has hooks and header/layout elements. I've been using it with ACF but I've never used CMB2. Looks interesting. Cheers.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,387 ✭✭✭wonga77


    Likewise, I have never heard of CMB2.
    I have the studiopress lifetime but rarely use it, I got into the routine of a different theme and out of habit stick to what im used to.
    Do you custom code a genesis theme or use one of the demo sites? Some pretty nice designs in there to be fair, not so customer friendly though if you have someone that likes to poke around and edit themselves


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,475 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    GeneratePress (premium) also has hooks and header/layout elements. I've been using it with ACF but I've never used CMB2. Looks interesting. Cheers.
    I've downloaded GeneratePress and I'll give it a look.

    CMB2 does not have a front end - you use get_post_meta() to get the data. This means that it doesn't slow your site down like ACF.
    wonga77 wrote: »
    Do you custom code a genesis theme or use one of the demo sites?
    As I have StudioPress Lifetime, I generally start with one of their themes and customise it via a functional plugin so that I don't change the child theme.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    Good to know, thanks. I do find ACF very handy for options pages and repeater fields but must have a closer look at CMB2.


  • Registered Users Posts: 337 ✭✭garyskeepers


    has anyone used Envato elements? Lots of wordpress themes there.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 10,461 Mod ✭✭✭✭Axwell


    has anyone used Envato elements? Lots of wordpress themes there.

    Lots of bloated themes with shortcodes..see previous comments as to why thats not a great idea.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15 elenaaustin87


    Nothing wrong with Themeforest, go for it. As always make sure to take a look around, and get one from a highly ranked author, to insure a good template.


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