WordPress Child Themes : Why I Stay Away From ThemeForest

When you start building a site on WordPress, it is always better to use a child theme. That is, for most themes. Child themes allow you to add a personal touch to the original themes, in order to obtain web pages that can really meet your needs. If you have custom code you need to add to your site, a child theme is also a great de facto place to store that code.

Nowadays, a large number of marketplaces sell child themes. ThemeForest is one of the best known in the field. Although this marketplace has its strengths, I don’t recommend purchasing child themes from the platform. I will share with you the reasons why I prefer not to use the themes provided by ThemeForest.

Get Ready for an Invasion of Plugins!

Although ThemeForest is considered to be an effective marketplace, the functions it offers can influence the performance of websites created on WordPress. Indeed, the platform often makes several plugins available to users. These items are installed automatically on the system. So, when you buy a theme, these plugins are directly integrated into the selected pack and you cannot do without them.

However, they can have a detrimental impact on site performance. The more plugins there are, the more complicated the manipulation of the child theme will be. This is not wise for site creators, especially those who are new to the subject. As a result, instead of making your task easier, plugins can clutter you up. They may even prevent you from developing the site you want beforehand.

In other words, you find yourself somehow held in the shadow of the platform. Even if plugins are designed to help you in the process of setting up the site, they may on the contrary constrain you. It should be noted, however, that this problem of abundance of extensions does not concern all WordPress theme providers. There are indeed platforms that are little known but whose functionalities are not likely to obstruct you during the site creation process.

You’ll be Forced to Use Page Builders You Don’t Want

In general, page builders are provided with ThemeForest child themes upon purchase. WP Bakery and Elementor are some of the most common. Although these components provide many benefits, they are not as good as many people think.

For example, there is the case of Elementor with which you are not free to modify your pages according to your preferences. You must in fact use its editor before you can personalize them. In addition, these page builders are not always suitable for SEO processes. You must then use other specific tools if you want to optimize your site.

Therefore, the extensions offered by ThemeForest with its child themes are not always what site creators expect. For my part, I prefer to use Kadence, a practical page builder offering countless options.

A One-way Lock-in Relationship with the Vendor

Another reason why I don’t use ThemeForest child themes is the risk of editor dependency that this could cause. When you enter the system, you easily acquire a taste for the products offered there. At first glance, the platform’s products seem to be absolutely interesting. Certainly, many sellers sell interesting themes there, but you also find yourself facing a large number of malicious suppliers.

Moreover, the proportion of ineffective products is much greater than that of themes that can meet the specific needs of creators. However, the flaws in the elements are only noticed after purchase. It is then impossible to go back when the product is acquired.

This is not really reasonable in terms of profitability even if ThemeForest child themes are sold at absolutely attractive prices. It is true that the prices charged by sellers on the marketplace are affordable, but if the themes are not very effective, expenses may increase considerably.

Furthermore, once you get into the habit of using marketplace themes, it is not easy to do without them. You then risk not being aware of new updates available on the market. However, in terms of website creation, it is essential to always know the new trends. Page functionality needs to be improved as technology evolves.

Goodbye Flexibility

The products for sale on ThemeForest also have a weakness in not being able to be modified according to user needs. Indeed, if you want to make changes to purchased child themes, you must contact a developer. Using them requires a certain mastery of the codes.

Therefore, if you are not able to manage the various coding processes, you must plan additional expenses for the developer’s service. So, even if a child theme from ThemeForest costs, for example, 19 Dollars, the amount invested for it could go beyond 30 Dollars if you wish to modify it.

By opting for ThemeForest products, you are not free to add your personal touch to the sites. If you are a creative person, who enjoys putting your tastes and personality forward, the marketplace is probably not a good alternative for you. The child themes that the platform markets are very unwieldy. However, these features are basically designed with the main aim of allowing site creators to personalize their web pages.

To conclude, despite the popularity of ThemeForest, its child themes are not always as effective as many people believe. They are very inflexible and limit the possibility of adding touches of originality. Instead of allowing you to obtain a good site, they risk influencing its quality. Although this is my personal point of view, I would also like to point out that many WordPress users share this same opinion about the marketplace.