Themeforest is a massive marketplace for all types of designs for websites, including static HTML/CSS templates and themes for the major content management systems. With the immense popularity of WordPress, the WordPress section of Themeforest is understandably the most popular. WordPress users can grab all types of themes, ranging from all-purpose/general themes to niche themes, such as themes for photographers and churches.
There are a few main reasons why I do not use Themeforest anymore and will not in the future. First, I have grown to cringe at the thought of bloated theme administration panels that let users customize their website by simply inputting some numbers and selecting some fonts. Sure, these admin panels make for easy editing but almost all of the options can be substituted for some simple CSS. Instead, themes become incredibly bloated with hundreds (or thousands) of lines of code that allow for such easy editing. Not only are the theme files larger, the database becomes larger in order to save those options. All this added bloat for things that could be done with a couple dozen lines of CSS.
I just bought a bold themes theme through themeforest and about 1 week later my card had three fraud charges against it. This is really the only unusual charge source I have used the card at. I think they are hacked. If you google you can find many articles about wordpress plugin vulnerabilities.
We purchased the Avada theme from Theme Forest and found out it is completely garbage. Fair enough, our mistake, but to warn others from making the same Rookie error, we posted a negative review, which was completely honest.
The authors had this taken down and then three more times afterwards, as we continued to post.
I recommend to stay away from this Market Place and do not buy or do any business with them, I attach the response they gave me when I made the claim to give me a valid reason to cancel my account after 9 years of being a customer:
Unfortunately like all companies we have a number of internal policies in place which, for business reasons we do not divulge. After reviewing your application for service, we are unfortunately unable to re-enable your acco
There are many ways to use or support the plugins without envato. Envato are just cancer. They popped up like cancer does and everytime they have been carved away they come back with more shit themes and code and infesting the web with their greed business plans.
So Themeforest, at the end of the day, is also a great toolkit to have if you do want to build a site. Its good to identify and play with functions already built first, then it will help you identify how to build your product better.
Because I work on so many offline aspect of my business, this is usually the best way I can learn. And it also has made me a much better code writer as well as knowing limitations of the scripts and what I will ask of outsourced developers when making my own scripts.
The website is akin to going to a junkyard. There are so many parts for so many things! Maybe you can fit this code here, or wow! This one can set up an interface for MongoDB along with pre-populated fields for a customized CRM! Or this has 40 PSD templates I can use for my newsletters.
My very own Amazon marketplace clone??? Why the hell not!
How can I migrate back to a more simple wordpress theme. I could not get on with Envato. But when I moved it back everything is in boxes, my media library is not visible at the top of posts page. How can I get rid of all the Envato stuff and just return to a simple theme?
I bought a theme from this company but met a lot of issues i asked a refund but no any response, i asked a Paypal dispute, they locked my account, there is some digital assets and balance in my account. they promised to unlock my account once i cancel Paypal dispute, but , after i cancel Paypal dispute, there is no any response from them. Total cheater and fraud.
You are right. Yes I am also not fan of themeforest. Because now every theme comes with long list of features. Most of the features we never going to use but those codes remains inside the theme and it increases the loading time. Recently I was working for a client and it was just 5 page website with simple layout but they used a theme which was loading 20+ css and js files inside the theme.
I took a chance and missed the mark. My lesson learned, use a repeatable developer that has a an active forum and will provide tech support for not only the theme but the whatever platform the theme has been built on.
But this depends on the authors, not themeforest. I bought themes from wonderful authors with < 24h response time (fair) and easy incident management e.g. via ticksy.
Others are crap and don't react. So rate the stuff you buy. But I still can't see what envato/themeforest got to do with it. They just provide the marketplace, not the products and services.
Hi Ren,
I have a good grasp on HTML and CSS, but am a complete novice with PHP (I study finance/marketing full time so have just been using CodeAcademy to learn code). I am stuck trying to choose between using Divi or challenging myself and using Genesis.
Hello,
I am a newbie developer, i am going to develop websites for customers, i was thinking to use themeforest themes because i think it is easy customized and no hassle of coding so i save time, but after reading this post i need a recommendation from you guys for the best framework and theme builder like genesis, Beaver Builder and CSS Hero
i need the best framework which gives me best performance.
hi i use themefiorest last year but there is no support in most cases thi smena if you buy something and in most cases this dotn work then you contact author he dont answer or just send message to you like i reply soon or read this linkxxxxx now we buy wp sms pro and ? dont work w econtact support create support account write dotn work and send login thats all user must do bu t10 days after suppoirt send us many message but never login and check plugin just aks for login we say we send we check it on support account wbesite and there was our login that we send and day later we send new password because we change it today themeforest close our account we can not comunicate with other seller we buy items from and dont ask us or contact us we think reason is because we coyp all we write with support in public comments and other user can read that we send our login
-sms-professional-package/9380372/comments search for robertnbg thats we are then you see that we on public commetns hide some letter of login like test to texx but not on support account we dont understand why themeforest delete account without contact us because we think seller sell items and themeforest earn money if many user read no support no work bad support then they dont buy
How do you feel about building sites via a framework like Foundation and using Advanced Custom Fields to control the content on the backend. We have had a lot of success with this, and build massive sites like winemag.com this way.
Informative post!
This post clears the doubt surrounding Themeforest. I agree with the people and of course with Ren that flexibility, clean code and support are the key ingredients to be present in the theme providers. Genesis and Headway are good since having a flexible interface.
I use TemplateToaster, a flexible theme builder compatible with all the major CMSs and it works great.
Just studying about templates. I m a photograher teaching landscape and macro photograpy. Also teaching photo editing and giving lectures. All mostly in the Netherlands. Probably also selling online courses and course materials later. I want a separate website for my me as a photographer and me as a teacher. I m looking now for the teacher site.
But Envato team ignoring a point that Themeforest become popular because of developers like me who but themes and setup for others with a reasonable price.
Do you guys think Now Themeforest should decide what will charge our customers?????
So, I need to enter to the comments section and wait until the support team answers or try to find an answer in over 10,000 comments. That is NOT premier support (as they advertise), and they do not protect their customers. I have bought other products from ThemeForest, which I am very happy with, like Enfold or NewsMag (great support!) I just want to buy what is accurate. And a fair trade for my money! I am never buying from Envato again, I am very disappointed.
I am wondering for the alternatives. May I have your opinion on the combo as an alternative?: Beaver Builder+ Beaver Builder Theme + CSS Hero? Thanks!
When it comes to visual building, Beaver Builder is one of the best ways to go. It certainly knocks the socks off of Visual Composer. You can use the Beaver Builder theme, or go with something like Genesis for a really solid foundation.
Thank you for explaining why Themeforest Sucks. We have a really hard time explaining the value of the custom themes we build using advanced custom fields on the backend to control content. I hope more and more people realize why you cannot go the Themeforest Route. I might want to update my blog just saying never go Themeforest hahah!
When you combine Genesis with Advanced Custom Fields you can pretty much create anything in a way that makes it very simple for clients to maintain, without all the bloated code that many ThemeForest themes come with.
I could certainly understand it being a bit difficult to understand for a graphic designer, but you do need to learn some php to work with the actions/functions/filters, but it is well worth it. That and the StudioPress community is wonderful.
Hi,
I am not that much of a developer and yes visual composer was such a headache when I started to work with it(developing shortcodes for it still is). I think Visual Composer needs time a few days and you will get along well(this is from those customers of mine with few coding knowledge).
I agree that theme on TF, sometimes are not that great, also I do agree with option panels toooooo many unnecessary lines of codes but let us be frank here can a person with no coding knowledge has a website similar to those on ThemeForest without hiring someone with some coding knowledge? The answer is a big no. I am not defending TF, HELL no, but I think (SOME OF) these themes are designed the way that let every one patch up a blog, a shop, a website in general, I can not help to not to love the idea, even though I hate Envato and its policies.