Custom or Free Theme

[Shole]

After getting a review of my site I got that I should change my theme to a custom one because it would benefit my site. Is there any benefit to a custom theme compared to a free modified theme that looks good on your site?

 

[ulterios]

As long as the theme has good coding and is a good starting point, then a free would work.

Custom would always be the first choice if money was no object.

 

[Ron Killian]

One benefit of going with a paid theme is that you should get updates. Some free theme's update, but not too many of them. Course the other benefit, for a true custom theme is that you should be the only one to ever have that exact look/layout.

If people are telling you, you need a custom them, they are not giving good advice. In my opinion.

And if you have even a little skill with CSS, just about any theme can be modified to look different than it was originally. So it doesn't look exactly like all the other people using the same theme.

Paid is not always the best way. Several months ago I did a major re-vamp on one of my sites. Went though a ton of paid/premium theme's and ended up using a free one, it did what I needed. All depends

 

[ulterios]

If people are telling you, you need a custom them, they are not giving good advice. In my opinion.

That's a very good point Ron! It's not really telling you anything specific or very helpful.

Paid is not always the best way. Several months ago I did a major re-vamp on one of my sites. Went though a ton of paid/premium theme's and ended up using a free one, it did what I needed. All depends

I have done that myself on numerous occasions.

 

[Ron Killian]

Ron Killian

Well you know that that is. Junk posts, one-liners and people just trying to boost their post count or get their sig viewed Sadly, FAR too many of them. Guess always will be.

 

[ulterios]

ulterios

Yes, some people like to dance on that fine line between spam/post count glory & making a contribution!

 

[Shole]

As long as the theme has good coding and is a good starting point, then a free would work.

Custom would always be the first choice if money was no object.

One benefit of going with a paid theme is that you should get updates. Some free theme's update, but not too many of them. Course the other benefit, for a true custom theme is that you should be the only one to ever have that exact look/layout.

If people are telling you, you need a custom them, they are not giving good advice. In my opinion.

And if you have even a little skill with CSS, just about any theme can be modified to look different than it was originally. So it doesn't look exactly like all the other people using the same theme.

Paid is not always the best way. Several months ago I did a major re-vamp on one of my sites. Went though a ton of paid/premium theme's and ended up using a free one, it did what I needed. All depends

If I am getting this right, there are no real pluses besides updates and more uniqueness when you compare free and paid themes?

 

[ulterios]

ulterios

Many premium themes are updated more often, but not always. It depends on the developer/author/etc. They do tend to have more extra features or capabilities right from the start but many times they are features that you might not need or use. Also, some of the free themes are just as capable as their paid counterparts with just a little CSS modification or addition.

As Ron said above, it depends on what you are trying to do and what the site will be about. Some people also like a simple theme and setup, while others like lots of extra bells and whistles. Figure out what things are important for you and your site, then check around and go from there.

 

[Ron Killian]

Updates can be quite important. I would also say, that "usually" the paid theme's have more options and features. Not always, but usually. So that could be a big plus. From what I've seen, paid theme's can be a little more advanced.

It depends on what your trying to do, what your site will be about, how you want it to look. If you want a real fancy magazine style or even a recipe site, than a paid theme might be best for you.

 

[KatnissEverdeen]

I dont believe that I have ever used a paid theme. I just use free ones and edit it to my liking and for my purpose. I make a commonly used free theme more my own. Hopefully you have some knowledge on how to do this. If not, there are many resources on this forum to help you out or feel free to ask questions and for help.

Good Luck to you

 

[daniel27lt]

Yes a custom theme is always best. It's yours and unique. But having said that, with free themes all you need to do is edit them to make the look unique, and that's fine too.