Where To Find The Best WordPress Themes

In an earlier article, we provide new WordPress users with a comprehensive overview of WordPress Themes.

If you haven’t yet discovered WordPress themes and what makes themes so revolutionary in terms of web design, then go here to read our article: An Overview of WP Themes

In this blog post, you will learn where to browse hundreds of free and paid themes for your WordPress site. You will also learn about the different types of WordPress theme resources and get tips on how to make sure that you get the right themes for your needs and avoid having to deal with problems like lack of support and poorly-coded themes.

As we’ve explained in our previous post, a theme is a special kind of web design template used on WordPress-driven websites and designed specifically in the WordPress CMS platform.

Many talented web designers and web development companies create themes for WordPress. Consequently, WordPress users can access thousands of professional themes covering a wide-range of applications.

Finding Great WP Themes: Your Time-Saving Guide

If you were to launch Google and type a key phrase like the following:

• best premium themes for WordPress
• WordPress themes free
• best paid WordPress themes for blogs (type in whatever your business, area of interest or blog is about)

You are probably going to get an overwhelming amount of disorganized information to sort through in your search listings.

So, to help you save time and make things easier, we’ll just cut through the clutter and make the process of finding great WordPress themes simple.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org Themes

Before we get started, you need to know that WordPress offers both a hosted and a self-hosted version. We’ll cover these differences in a different article. For now, we’ll only be covering the topic of finding themes for the self-hosted version of WordPress (WordPress.org) in this post, which gives you more freedom, more options and more control over the design aspects of your website.

Free vs Paid Themes

Next, it’s important to know that you can find thousands of Free and Paid WP themes made available. Free WordPress themes are generally distributed as Free Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License, or they are made available to users as Premium (paid) themes.

Theme Directories vs WP Theme Design Houses

There are 2 kinds of places where themes can be found. The first is in WP theme marketplaces and theme directories. The second are the commercial and independent theme development firms.

Theme marketplaces and theme directories are big theme stores. theme developers (both commercial and independent) list their themes (both free and paid) in the marketplace or directory and buyers shop for these just like they would if they were shopping for apps on an app store or software marketplace.

Some of the bigger theme stores don’t just sell WordPress themes. They can also sell WordPress plugins and templates for other web applications (e.g. Joomla, Drupal, etc.)

Commercial and independent theme shops typically will develop both free and paid WordPress themes, and can vary in size, from an individual theme designer or a small team of designer, to large theme development companies.

As you will see, many commercial or independent theme stores sell themes exclusively on their own web sites, but some will also list their themes in marketplaces and directories, or even create a free or “lite” version of their themes for free WP theme directories .

Let’s now show you where to search for the best themes for your website.

Finding The Best Themes For Your WordPress Website Or Blog

WordPress.org

(WordPress.org – WordPress Theme Directory)

The official WordPress theme directory is the largest and best place to search for WP themes for free. In fact, it’s probably the only free directory you should use when looking for free WordPress themes. The reason for this, is because –as some free software users have discovered– downloading free software, add-ons, apps, templates or themes from untrustworthy places can contain malicious code and put your computer, digital presence and even your entire business at risk.

The WP theme directory is not only a trustworthy and reputable place to download themes for your WordPress site, but it also uses a team of theme reviewers to review and make sure that each theme in the directory meets their quality and security standards.

To browse thousands of great-looking FREE WordPress themes from the official WP Themes Repository, go here:

http://www.wordpress.org/extend/themes

You Don’t Even Have To Leave Your WP Dashboard

Useful Tip: You can easily browse through every WP theme in the WordPress.org directory and not only find a great theme for your website or blog, but also easily install and activate it directly from inside your WordPress admin panel with only a couple of mouse clicks.

Use The Theme Filters

WordPress has a built-in filtering function inside the dashboard area that lets you narrow down your search for themes based on criteria like Colors, Layout and Features …

This makes it easier to find what you are looking for. For example, you could search for themes with predominantly light color design, with a two-column layout and a full-width template, or themes that support custom menus, etc.

Note: in the post mentioned earlier where we present an overview of WordPress themes and discuss the importance of choosing “responsive” WordPress themes, we explained how these ensure that your theme will display without problems on all devices (e.g. your computer, smartphone and tablet) …

It’s a good idea to use responsive themes, and the WordPress theme filter lets you do just that …

… and find only themes that use “responsive” design standards …

Pros & Cons Of Using Free Themes

The obvious “pro” to using free themes is that there is no cost to download and use the theme on your site. Additionally, many free themes are professionally designed and provide a number of built-in customizable settings, giving you great flexibility and choice in how you configure all of its various layout elements.

The ”cons” of using free WP themes are that your themes may not get updated as often with new features and bug fixes, and it’s unrealistic to expect the developer to provide personal support, especially if they are not getting paid. Most freely distributed themes will ask you for a donation to help cover their costs of providing support and updates, bug fixes, etc..

When downloading free themes, therefore, check to see when the theme was last updated. If it’s been more than 1 year since any updates were made, then you should think carefully about using it, as the theme may have been abandoned by its developer.

If you’re just getting started and your website is still quite new, it’s a good idea to start with a free theme until you have a better idea of the kind of site design that would work best for your site before spending money on paid themes. Who knows, the theme you downloaded for free could be exactly what works for your site and for converting your site visitors into customers.

Now that we’ve seen how to find free WP themes in the WordPress theme directory and ways to filter your search for themes that meet specific requirements, let’s turn our attention to finding premium WP themes.

Paid Themes

If you are looking for themes with stunning design, or professional quality yet highly affordable WordPress web design themes with a distinctive look, unique customizable options and ongoing support, then search through the WordPress theme galleries of the “Premium” theme design agencies listed below:

Theme Directories

ThemeForest

ThemeForest is one of the largest and well known WordPress theme directories online.

ThemeForest lets many professional WordPress theme creators showcase their designs through their online marketplace. There are well over 17,000 premium themes listed (some starting from as little as $3) …

(click on the images above to browse all themes on ThemeForest)

If you visit the ThemeForest theme directory, you will be able to browse for specific WordPress themes in a range of categories, such as:

• Blog/Magazine – themes for bloggers and political blogs, etc.
• Corporate – themes suitable for business sites or advertising purposes.
• Creative – themes for creative work, galleries, etc.
• Directory Listings – themes ideal for sites related to employment opportunities, buy & sell, community resources, etc.
• eCommerce – themes for online shopping, membership sites, etc.
• Education – themes that suit sites related to teaching, etc.
• Entertainment – themes for gossip blogs, dining out, etc.
• Mobile – e.g. mobile-switching themes.
• NonProfit – themes for nonprofit organizations, charities, etc.
• Real Estate – themes for real estate and real estate listings (e.g. home sales, etc.)
• Retail – themes for health products, trades or professionals (repairers, chiropractors, etc.)
• Technology – themes related to software, newsletters, etc.
• Wedding – e.g. themes for wedding sites and dating advice blogs
• Miscellaneous – themes suitable for writing or discussing environmental issues, parenting sites or blogs … even themes you can use if your site is still under-construction!

When you purchase WordPress themes from ThemeForest, you will receive email notifications when a new update is available for your theme …

(ThemeForest sends you theme update notifications)

Browse lots of quality premium themes in the ThemeForest themes directory here:

• ThemeForest

Creative Market

(click on the above images to view all Creative Market themes)

Creative Market is another leading WordPress theme directory where you can search through thousands of quality premium WP themes from independent theme creators.

As stated on their website …

“Creative Market is a platform for handcrafted, mousemade design content from independent creatives around the world.”

Creative Market doesn’t just sell WP themes in its marketplace, but you can easily find themes for WordPress and narrow your search using theme categories using the site’s dropdown “Themes” menu …

Browse through hundreds of great premium WP themes crafted by independent WP theme designers in the Creative Market themes marketplace here:

• Creative Market

Mojo Themes

(click on the images above to see all themes at Mojo.com)

Mojo is a marketplace for premium WP themes where theme vendors are strongly encouraged to provide customers with lifetime support and upgrades.

According to their website …

“Mojo is a marketplace where anyone can find, rate and buy quality themes & templates in one trusted place.”

Like Envato and Creative Market, Mojo doesn’t focus exclusively on WordPress themes, but you can easily find WordPress themes and narrow your search with theme categories (e.g. BuddyPress or eCommerce themes and theme frameworks, etc.) by selecting the site’s dropdown “WordPress Themes” menu …

Visit the site to find quality premium themes in the Mojo directory here:

• Mojo

Now that we have looked at WordPress theme directories, let’s turn our attention to commercial WP theme agencies.

Commercial WordPress Theme Developers

SoloStream

SoloStream provides WordPress users with a great selection of professional quality premium themes and the option of accessing all themes through a WordPress theme membership.

(click on images above to see more themes from SoloStream)

Woo Themes

Woo Themes creates functional premium themes for WordPress that are very popular and highly sought after by web users and offer a membership option that allows members access to their entire WordPress theme collection.

(click on the above images to view more WooThemes themes)

StoreFront

StoreFront Themes creates amazing e-commerce themes for WordPress. StoreFront themes also integrate well with some of the most powerful e-commerce platforms and plugins available.

(click on the above images to see more themes from StoreFront)

StudioPress

StudioPress provides WordPress themes based on a framework (called the “Genesis” framework) that lets you quickly and easily build a professional and search optimized WordPress website, and provides a self-updating design architecture, turn-key designs with beautiful frames for the content and unprecedented control of the framework.

Many web developers prefer using this framework not only because it’s well-coded and well-supported (the development team at StudioPress keeps the framework frequently up-to-date to reflect best coding practices and to ensure that it is always compatible with the latest version of WordPress, but because you can update themes built using the Genesis framework without losing any customizations you may have made to your theme.

This is because themes built using the Genesis framework use something called “child themes,” which are like a paint job that sits on top of the framework and gives your site its unique design.

If this sounds too technical, don’t worry about it. StudioPress themes are very easy to work with, just like all other WordPress themes. The great thing about choosing StudioPress themes is that one low price entitles you to receive unlimited support and updates, and you can install your themes on unlimited domains.

For more details, click here: StudioPress.

(click on the above images to see all themes from StudioPress)

Theme-Checking Tools

To round things up, here are a couple of useful WordPress theme-related tools worth keeping in mind:

What WP Theme Is That – WP Theme And Plugin Search Tool

What WordPress Theme Is That? is a free web tool that allows you to easily detect what WP theme a site is using (including parent and child WordPress themes).

This is a great resource if you have come across a WordPress site that you like and would like to know what theme the site is using.

Tip: If you can’t tell whether a site uses WordPress or not, we have posted a a great tutorial that helps you tell whether or not a web site is WordPress-driven: Is My Web Site WordPress?

Using this tool is very simple. Just enter the site’s domain name into the field and click the search icon or hit “Enter.” The tool will then not only confirm whether or not a site was built on WordPress, but it will also list the theme being used on the site and list any WP plugins it detects.

• To use the online tool visit the website here: What WordPress Theme Is That.com
• To learn more about this tool go here: Tell-Tale Signs It’s A WordPress Site And WP-Checking Tools

Theme Authenticity Checker - Plugin

We said this before and it’s worth repeating again: If you decide to use FREE themes for your WordPress site, we strongly recommend sticking with the WP themes listed in the official WordPress theme repository.

A commonly-used tactic employed by many hacking groups and cyber criminals is to put up sites offering “Free” themes for WordPress all over the web and then distribute themes containing malicious code. In fact, some of these sites even display on Google for phrases like “free WordPress themes“, “best free WordPress themes”” etc. It’s best, therefore, to stick with the official WordPress.org theme directory, or use established and reputable sites.

If you are in doubt about whether a WordPress theme installed on your blog may be infected with malware or unwanted code, you can use a free WordPress plugin like Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) to perform a scan of your theme files. The TAC plugin scans the source files of every installed theme on your site for signs of malicious code and then presents you with a report as shown in the screenshot below …

(TAC Report Page – Screenshot Source: Plugin)

We hope that you have found this information useful.

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