Nick Roach’s Elegant Themes Review
Updated: April 12, 2021 – 2021 is nearing the middle of the year, and now is a good time to update one of our most popular articles here on Blogging Experiment. For several years we have been singing the praises of Elegant Themes, and 2014 is shaping up to be no different. In a day and age where companies and websites come and go, Elegant Themes has not only stood the test of time, they have continued to innovate by creating massive value for their over 250,000 customers! In the following article, we’d like to give you a detailed overview of just why we call Elegant Themes the Best Deal in WordPress!
After all, having the right WordPress Theme is crucial to your websites’ success. It’s kind of like the study that showed how people looking to buy a home can make up their mind within 8 seconds of walking in the door whether they like it or not – by not giving your visitors the right first impression (your design) – you’re literally inviting them to hit the back button.
The Dilemma
As a blogger your focus should be on content. Blog design is important, but when you think about it, do people go to Craigslist because it looks pretty? Absolutely not. They use it because they’re the best in the field.
Since we’re not all Craigslists, we must merge the design and content aspects together in as seamless a manner as possible. You want to have a nice looking design, but you most likely are not strong in design itself (much less coding that pretty design). You want a unique, impressive look that conveys professionalism and passion about your craft, but you’re probably not an expert at usability (how “usuable” your site is to visitors). And finally, you want to do all this in the cheapest, most cost effictive way possible (nothing wrong with that).
Elegant Themes
Have you ever spent any length of time browsing around countless free wordpress theme sites only to be left feeling unsatisfied? Does it seem like most of the free themes are … well … free for a reason? Where are all the best wordpress themes? After going through these motions for a period of time, I decided to take a look at some premium wordpress themes to see if they were really that much better than the free ones. Shortly thereafter, I discovered Nick Roach’s Elegant Themes, and that changed everything for me.
I knew I could hire a web designer to create a nice looking website as I’ve done countless times in the past. But at $800 to $3500/pop, designers can be expensive. I was interested in finding a nice looking design that I could learn to tweak and modify myself to make it more personalized and customized to my liking.
As a website and blog developer, I am frequently developing new sites, and aside from the content itself, I want each design to be unique and professional. Enter ElegantThemes.
Elegant Themes Premium WordPress Theme Club
Forget $200 to $500 like many other premium theme clubs, for $69…YES, $69 – members get unlimited access and unlimited use to all of Nicks’ premium WordPress Themes. To date there are 80+ elegant WordPress Themes.
I’m going to get out of the way and let Nick’s design speak for itself. As you will see, these are top notch designs that would normally run you several thousand dollars a piece (I’ve researched hiring a good WordPress theme designer, and that is the going rate – typically the floor of their going rate).
Without further ado, here are some of the premium WordPress themes from Elegant Themes:
Nexus WordPress Theme
Nexus Features:
- Magazine style
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Nexus Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Nexus Theme, and we’ll list you here.
- Language Mastery
More Information On Nexus From Elegant Themes:
Vertex WordPress Theme
Vertex Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Vertex Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Vertex Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Vertex From Elegant Themes:
Fable WordPress Theme
Fable Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Fable Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Fable Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Fable From Elegant Themes:
Foxy WordPress Theme
Foxy Features:
- eCommerce
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Foxy Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Foxy Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Foxy From Elegant Themes:
Explorable WordPress Theme
Explorable Features:
- Location based directory
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Explorable Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Explorable Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Explorable From Elegant Themes:
StyleShop WordPress Theme
StyleShop Features:
- eCommerce
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the StyleShop Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the StyleShop Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On StyleShop From Elegant Themes:
Fusion WordPress Theme
Fusion Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Fusion Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Fusion Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Fusion From Elegant Themes:
Harmony WordPress Theme
Harmony Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Harmony Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Harmony Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Harmony From Elegant Themes:
Origin WordPress Theme
Origin Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Origin Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Origin Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Origin From Elegant Themes:
Nimble WordPress Theme
Nimble Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Nimble Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Nimble Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Nimble From Elegant Themes:
Lucid WordPress Theme
Lucid Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Lucid Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Lucid Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Lucid From Elegant Themes:
Flexible WordPress Theme
Flexible Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Secure and valid code
- Complete localization
- Browser compatibility
- Perpetual updates
- Unparalleled support
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
Example Site(s) using the Flexible Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Flexible Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Flexible From Elegant Themes:
Trim WordPress Theme
Trim Features:
- Responsive design
- Unlimited color schemes
- Dozens of fonts
- Optional blog-style structure
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Alternate slider layouts
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Trim Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Trim Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Trim From Elegant Themes:
Gleam WordPress Theme
Gleam Features:
- Five color schemes
- Advertising management
- Portfolio tamplate
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Gleam Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Gleam Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Gleam From Elegant Themes:
DailyJournal WordPress Theme
DailyJournal Features:
- Fully responsive
- Four color schemes
- Advertising management
- Optional blog-style structure
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the DailyJournal Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the DailyJournal Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On DailyJournal From Elegant Themes:
Convertible WordPress Theme
Convertible Features:
- Drag and drop builder
- Advanced column layouts
- Ajax powered options page
- Re-sizeable modules and columns
- Unique CSS3 effects
- Dozens of fonts
- INCLUDED MODULE: Small to large buttons
- INCLUDED MODULE: Image slider
- INCLUDED MODULE: Large quotes
- INCLUDED MODULE: Paper callouts
- INCLUDED MODULE: Toggled content
- INCLUDED MODULE: Content sliders
- INCLUDED MODULE: Images with lightbox
- INCLUDED MODULE: Various list styles
- INCLUDED MODULE: Ribbon headers
- INCLUDED MODULE: Testimonial boxes
- INCLUDED MODULE: Video embedding
- INCLUDED MODULE: Tabbed content
- INCLUDED MODULE: Box Styles
Example Site(s) using the Convertible Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Convertible Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Convertible From Elegant Themes:
Notebook WordPress Theme
Notebook Features:
- Unlimited color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Advertising management
- Optional blog-style structure
- Unique CSS3 effects
- Dozens of fonts
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Notebook Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Notebook Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Notebook From Elegant Themes:
Evolution WordPress Theme
Evolution Features:
- Fully responsive design
- Four unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Advertising management
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Evolution Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Evolution Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Evolution From Elegant Themes:
eList WordPress Theme
eList Features:
- UNLIMITED unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Advertising management
- Classic directory structure
- Custom form builder
- Optional blog-style structure
- eCommerce integration
- Paid featured listings
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the eList Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Sky Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On eList From Elegant Themes:
Sky WordPress Theme
Sky Features:
- FIVE unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Advertising management
- Gallery section
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Sky Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Sky Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Sky From Elegant Themes:
HandHeld WordPress Theme
Hand Held Features:
- HandHeld Theme is actually a plugin that works alongside any WordPress Theme you have installed (even if it’s not a theme from Elegant Themes)
- Mobile Optimized
- Plugin Options
- Gallery Selection
- Smooth Ajax Loading
- Unlimited Colors
Example Site(s) using the Hand Held Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the HandHeld Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On HandHeld From Elegant Themes:
LeanBiz WordPress Theme
LeanBiz Features:
- FOUR unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Advertising management
- Optional blog-style structure
- SUPPORTS: WP eCommerce Plugin
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the LeanBiz Theme (Showcase):
More Information On LeanBiz From Elegant Themes:
Boutique WordPress Theme
Boutique Theme Features:
- Unlimited unique color schemes
- Dozens of fonts
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- User and author ratings
- Advertising management
- Alternate blog layout
- SUPPORTS: WP eCommerce Plugin
- SUPPORTS: Cart66
- SUPPORTS: Shopp
- SUPPORTS: Simple PayPal Shopping Cart
- SUPPORTS: eShop
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Boutique Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Boutique Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Boutique From Elegant Themes:
Feather WordPress Theme
Feather Theme Features:
- Unlimited unique color schemes
- Dozens of fonts
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Feather Theme (Showcase):
More Information On Feather From Elegant Themes:
Aggregate WordPress Theme
Aggregate Theme Features:
- Unlimited unique color schemes
- Dozens of fonts
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- Custom Widgets
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Aggregate Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Aggregate Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Aggregate From Elegant Themes:
Chameleon WordPress Theme
Chameleon Theme Features:
- Unlimited unique color schemes
- Dozens of fonts
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- Alternate slider layouts
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Chameleon Theme (Showcase):
More Information On Chameleon From Elegant Themes:
InReview WordPress Theme
InReview Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- User rating system
- Affiliate integration
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- Advanced author ratings (very cool feature)
- Custom ratings widgets
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the InReview Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the InReview Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On InReview From Elegant Themes:
MyCuisine WordPress Theme
MyCuisine Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Location page template
- Menu Selection
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the MyCuisine Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the MyCuisine Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On MyCuisine From Elegant Themes:
Envisioned WordPress Theme
Envisioned Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Envisioned Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Envisioned Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Envisioned From Elegant Themes:
Webly WordPress Theme
Webly Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Webly Theme (Showcase):
More Information On Webly From Elegant Themes:
Modest WordPress Theme
Modest Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Modest Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Modest Theme, and we’ll list you here.
- Brandy M. Rich
More Information On Modest From Elegant Themes:
InStyle WordPress Theme
InStyle Theme Features:
- Background photo switcher
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the InStyle Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the InStyle Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On InStyle From Elegant Themes:
Memoir WordPress Theme
Memoir Theme Features:
- Four (4) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: page templates
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Memoir Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Memoir Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Memoir From Elegant Themes:
Anticipate WordPress Theme
Anticipate Theme Features:
- Intuitive options page
- Email collection form
- jQuery slider
- Progress bar and countdown
- social networking integration
Example Site(s) using the Anticipate Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Anticipate Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Anticipate From Elegant Themes:
Event WordPress Theme
Event Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Event Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Event Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Event From Elegant Themes:
Nova WordPress Theme
Nova Theme Features:
- Six (6) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- Advertising management
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Nova Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Nova Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Nova From Elegant Themes:
AskIt WordPress Theme
AskIt Theme Features:
- Seven (7) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- User signup/submission (unique to AskIt)
- Comments Voting System (unique to AskIt)
- Member Ratings (unique to AskIt)
- Advertising Management (unique to AskIt)
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the AskIt Theme (Showcase):
More Information On AskIt From Elegant Themes:
Magnificent WordPress Theme
Magnificent Theme Features:
- Seven (7) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Magnificent Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Magnificent Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Magnificent From Elegant Themes:
TheStyle WordPress Theme
TheStyle Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using TheStyle Theme (Showcase):
More Information On TheStyle From Elegant Themes:
Glider WordPress Theme
Glider Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Glider Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Glider Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Glider From Elegant Themes:
DeepFocus WordPress Theme
DeepFocus Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the DeepFocus Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the DeepFocus Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On DeepFocus From Elegant Themes:
ElegantEstate WordPress Theme
ElegantEstate Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the ElegantEstate Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the ElegantEstate Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On ElegantEstate From Elegant Themes:
SimplePress WordPress Theme
SimplePress Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the SimplePress Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the SimplePress Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On SimplePress From Elegant Themes:
eStore WordPress Theme
eStore Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Ecommerce integration
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the eStore Theme (Showcase):
More Information On eStore From Elegant Themes:
Professional WordPress Theme
Professional Theme Features:
- Four (4) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style structure
- ADVANCED: ePanel theme options
- ADVANCED: shortcode collection
- ADVANCED: complete localization
- ADVANCED: support and updates
Example Site(s) using the Professional Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Professional Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Professional From Elegant Themes:
DailyNotes WordPress Theme
DailyNotes Theme Features:
- Four (4) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Tumblr-style post types
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using the DailyNotes Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the DailyNotes Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On DailyNotes From Elegant Themes:
DelicateNews WordPress Theme
DelicateNews Theme Features:
- Four (4) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using the DelicateNews Theme (Showcase):
More Information On DelicateNews From Elegant Themes:
LightBright WordPress Theme
LightBright Theme Features:
- Four (4) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Tumblr-style post types
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using the LightBright Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the DailyNotes Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On LightBright From Elegant Themes:
MyApp WordPress Theme
MyApp Theme Features:
- Four (4) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using the MyApp Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the MyApp Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On MyApp From Elegant Themes:
TheSource WordPress Theme
TheSource Theme Features:
- Four (4) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using TheSource Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using TheSource Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On TheSource From Elegant Themes:
PersonalPress WordPress Theme
PersonalPress Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using the PersonalPress Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the PersonalPress Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On PersonalPress From Elegant Themes:
MyProduct WordPress Theme
MyProduct Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes: Blue, Green, Refined Blue, and Purple
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using the MyProduct Theme (Showcase):
More Information On MyProduct From Elegant Themes:
MyResume WordPress Theme
MyResume Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes (Wooden, Stone, Subtle, Canvas, & Modest)
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Custom Portfolio Integration
Example Site(s) using the MyResume Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the MyResume Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On MyResume From Elegant Themes:
Minimal WordPress Theme
Minimal Theme Features:
- Two (2) unique color schemes: Light & Dark
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using the Minimal Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Minimal Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Minimal From Elegant Themes:
13th Floor WordPress Theme
13th Floor Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes: Blue, Green, Brown, Yellow,and Purple
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
- Complete Localization
Example Site(s) using the 13thFloor Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the 13thFloor Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On 13th Floor From Elegant Themes:
Polished WordPress Theme
Polished Theme Features:
- Six (6) unique color schemes/skins
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
- Complete localization
Example Site(s) using the Polished Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Polished Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Polished From Elegant Themes:
The Corporation WordPress Theme
Corporation Theme Features:
- Six (6) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
- Complete localization
Example Site(s) using the Corporation Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Corporation Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Corporation From Elegant Themes:
BusinessCard WordPress Theme
BusinessCard Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Fully functional gallery
Example Site(s) using the BusinessCard Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the BusinessCard Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On BusinessCard From Elegant Themes:
OnTheGo WordPress Theme
OnTheGo Theme Features:
- Four (4) unique color schemes: Blue, Green, Brown, and Purple
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the OnTheGo Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the OnTheGo Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On OnTheGo From Elegant Themes:
Deviant WordPress Theme
Deviant Theme Features:
- Six (6) unique color schemes: Red, Green, Purple, Black, Orange, orBlue
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the Deviant Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Deviant Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Deviant From Elegant Themes:
Lumin WordPress Theme
Lumin Theme Features:
- Three (3) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
- Gallery layout display
Example Site(s) using the Lumin Theme (Showcase):
More Information On Lumin From Elegant Themes:
Glow WordPress Theme
Glow Theme Features:
- Three unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the Glow Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Glow Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Glow From Elegant Themes:
eNews WordPress Theme
eNews Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes: Red, Green, Purple, Turquoise, orBlue
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Featured articles display
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the eNews Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the eNews Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On eNews From Elegant Themes:
Bold WordPress Theme
Bold Theme Features:
- Five (5) unique color schemes: Red, Green, Purple , Turquoise, orBlue
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Featured articles display
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the Bold Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Bold Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Bold From Elegant Themes:
ePhoto WordPress Theme
ePhoto Theme Features:
- Two (2) unique color schemes: Black or Blue
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
- Integrated blog section
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the ePhoto Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the ePhoto Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On ePhoto From Elegant Themes:
eBusiness WordPress Theme
eBusiness Theme Features:
- Nine (9) unique color schemes
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the eBusiness Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the eBusiness Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On eBusiness From Elegant Themes:
Coldstone WordPress Theme
Coldstone Theme Features:
- Three unique post layouts*
- Three widget-ready areas*
- Advertising management
- Featured articles display
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
- Four unique background designs
Example Site(s) using the Coldstone Theme (Showcase):
More Information On Coldstone From Elegant Themes:
PureType WordPress Theme
PureType Theme Features:
- Three unique colors: Default, Blue, or Black
- Featured articles display*
- Advertising management
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the PureType Theme (Showcase):
More Information On PureType From Elegant Themes:
Basic WordPress Theme
Basic Theme Features:
- Four unique color schemes: Red, Blue, Green, or Purple
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the Basic Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Basic Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Basic From Elegant Themes:
CherryTruffle WordPress Theme
CherryTruffle Theme Features:
- Three unique colors: Default, Blue, or Purple
- Automated thumbnail resizing*
- Advertising management*
- Optional blog-style post layout*
- In-depth theme options*
Example Site(s) using the CherryTruffle Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the CherryTruffle Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On CherryTruffle From Elegant Themes:
LightSource WordPress Theme
LightSource Theme Features:
- Lifestream integration*
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Three unique color schemes: Purple, Blue, or Green
- Featured articles display
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the LightSource Theme (Showcase):
More Information On LightSource From Elegant Themes:
eGamer WordPress Theme
eGamer Theme Features:
- Author rating system*
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Featured articles display
- Video integration*
- Four unique color schemes: Rust-Red, Blue, Green, or Purple
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the eGamer Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the eGamer Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On eGamer From Elegant Themes:
eVid WordPress Theme
eVid Theme Features:
- Video Integration
- Featured articles display
- Advertising management
- Custom video interface *
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the eVid Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the eVid Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On eVid From Elegant Themes:
Cion WordPress Theme
Cion Theme Features:
- Three unique color schemes: Purple, Blue, or Green
- About me section *
- Advertising management
- Featured articles display
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the Cion Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Cion Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Cion From Elegant Themes:
eGallery WordPress Theme
eGallery Theme Features:
- Three unique color schemes: Blue, Brown, or Monochrome
- Post ratings integration*
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Unique gallery display format*
- Featured articles display
- Built-in lightbox*
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the eGallery Theme (Showcase):
More Information On eGallery From Elegant Themes:
GrungeMag WordPress Theme
GrungeMag Theme Features:
- Three unique color schemes: Red, Blue, or Green
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
- Featured articles display
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the GrungeMag Theme (Showcase):
More Information On GrungeMag From Elegant Themes:
Influx WordPress Theme
Influx Theme Features:
- Four unique background designs: Default, Grunge, Subtelty, and Oceanic
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Featured articles display
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the Influx Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Influx Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Influx From Elegant Themes:
StudioBlue WordPress Theme
StudioBlue Theme Features:
- Five unique color schemes: Blue, Brown, Green, Black, or Pink (hey, ladies)
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
- Featured articles display
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the StudioBlue Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the StudioBlue Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On StudioBlue From Elegant Themes:
WhosWho WordPress Theme
WhosWho Theme Features:
- Four unique color schemes: Blue, Red, Green, and Purple
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
- Featured articles display
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the WhosWho Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the WhosWho Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On WhosWho From Elegant Themes:
Interphase WordPress Theme
Interphase Theme Features:
- Clean design with a “cutting edge” feel
- Advertising management
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the Interphase Theme (Showcase):
More Information On Interphase From Elegant Themes:
Wooden WordPress Theme
Wooden Theme Features:
- Unique, down to earth design
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the Wooden Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Wooden Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Wooden From Elegant Themes:
TidalForce WordPress Theme
TidalForce Theme Features:
- Smooth blue design packed full of features
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the TidalForce Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the TidalForce Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On TidalForce From Elegant Themes:
Artsee WordPress Theme
Artsee Theme Features:
- A truly “artsy” design for those who love simplicity and elegance
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the Artsee Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the Artsee Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On Artsee From Elegant Themes:
EarthlyTouch WordPress Theme
EarthlyTouch Theme Features:
- Five unique color schemes: Blue, Green, Purple, or Red
- Featured articles display
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
Example Site(s) using the EarthlyTouch Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the EarthlyTouch Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On EarthlyTouch From Elegant Themes:
Quadro WordPress Theme
Quadro Theme Features:
- Five unique color schemes: Red, Purple, Green, Pink, or Blue
- Optional blog-style post layout
- Advertising management
- Featured articles display
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the Quadro Theme (Showcase):
More Information On Quadro From Elegant Themes:
Simplism WordPress Theme
Simplism Theme Features:
- Five unique color schemes: Blue, Green, Purple, or Red
- Featured articles display
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- In-depth theme options
- Optional blog-style post layout
Example Site(s) using the Simplism Theme (Showcase):
More Information on Simplism from Elegant Themes:
BlueMist WordPress Theme
BlueMist Theme Features:
- For those looking for a smooth design
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the BlueMist Theme (Showcase):
More Information On BlueMist from Elegant Themes:
BlueSky WordPress Theme
BlueSky Theme Features:
- The original theme from Elegant Themes (oh, how far they’ve gone!)
- Four unique color schemes: Blue, Red, Green, or Purple
- Automated thumbnail resizing
- Optional blog-style post layout
- In-depth theme options
Example Site(s) using the BlueSky Theme (Showcase):
- Email us if you are using the BlueSky Theme, and we’ll list you here.
More Information On BlueSky From Elegant Themes:
Elegant Themes Standard Features
Throughout the list of premium wordpress themes, you may have noticed an * next to a certain feature. Certain features are theme specific and others are used in all of them. Before we explain what each * feature is, we want to share what’s standard and included with ALL premium themes from ElegantThemes:
Widget ready sidebars
Theme options page
Custom thumbnail images
PSD Files
Valid XHTML + CSS
Smooth tabless design
Sitewise search bar
Gravatar ready
Firefox compatible
IE8 + IE7 + IE6 compatible
Opera compatible
Netscape compatible
Safari compatible
WordPress 3.1+ compatible
Elegant Themes Review Final Thoughts
OK, if you made it this far, you know what you need to do. ElegantThemes is the best deal in premium WordPress themes hands down! No other WordPress source has so many high quality, highly customizable premium WordPress themes for such a ridiculously low price.
I’ve been a proud member for nearly four years and couldn’t be happier with what I’ve received for the price! If you’re serious about finding the best looking premium WordPress themes (at a truly unbelievable price), give Nick Roach’s Elegant Themes a try. You’ll be glad you did!
Note: If you are the owner of a site we listed in the Elegant Themes Showcase and would like us to link directly to a certain page of your site, please feel free to contact us, and we’ll be happy to oblige.
Note: Many of the articles on this site include affiliate links that may earn us a commission if you decide to buy the recommended product.
Wow, these themes are beautiful, and most of them convey “credibility.”
Nice list of standard features, and it seems most of them have nice menu controls. Honestly, one can put most of this together with hacking free themes and plugins–that’s what I did but it’s a pain, takes time, and takes focus away from content.
I prefer to edit my own version of default themes, they may not look professional but I think the information available on the site is most important.
Often, I use one of my own photos to add to the header. Unique images are better than fancy curved corners IMO.
Good post though.
– Ned
If you check out my link you can see what a site looks like using one of Nick’s themes. All I can say is for a non-programmer type like myself it’s gold. Whenever I have a had a problem with my theme I login to the forums and with a day or so I have my answer… if it isn’t there already.
I wouldn’t have a clue on how to edit themes or even what html is supposed to look like, so for me it was the perfect solution. I did make the logo in picnik though… until I learned how to make logos in Photoshop on the Mac!
I definitely like the style of these themes..but you’re right, free themes look free for a reason..designers expect to be rightfully paid for their quality work as with any other profession..
Very true, Melody. So often it seems good blog designs or good looking premium wordpress themes are pretty expensive. To get all that you get with ElegantThemes for $20 is a pretty unique offer.
I invested in one of Nick’s themes just last week. I chose eGamer as it fitted perfectly with the theme of my site (gaming hardware reviews) and it’s been a joy to use. Simple to install and it looks great, plus the thumbnail resizing is a godsend. I think it even fixed a previously unknown SEO problem in my previous self-made theme, as Google traffic has suddenly increased by 4x.
For just $20 this is a steal and beats other premium themes I’ve used.
Hey! What colourful themes they are. They are so wonderful and I love most of them, from my point of view, even though they are expensive, it is worth to make designing, because they are so elegant and high quality. I am going to make my own now as it is a best option for me, so I will be trying it soon, but I thank you for providing these elegant themes. Keep doing it.
All I can say about these themes is Elegant. They have really good menu controls.
I would like to say that Nick is a very great guy! I was lucky to find his themes and I also subscribed to it 🙂 He helped me do a lot of side edits when I asked on the forums.
He’s probably a lot more busy now, but he is very responsive!
-Mike
These are very, very nice new themes, especially the Grungemag WordPress Theme. I think thats very unique to my standards. I found what I was looking for. Thanks!
Nice themes (I personally like the Cion theme) but I’d say the theme is not only less important than content, but less important that pictures you choose to display in your posts (Which I guess is part of content). That catches my eye before I even look at the colors of the page (Unless it’s just a very awful color scheme).
Good looking themes! I would probably go for the “Simplism” theme. I like simple looking themes and when you are looking from the blog visitors point of view, they visit because of your content.
With less “bells & whistles” on your blog, the reader doesn´t get confused and you can get the reader to act as you want, click on a link or sign up for your newsletter, because there are no other options available.
Thanks for including CathrynGray.com as an example for the Grungemag theme!
Cathryn, glad to do it. I think your design was probably one of my favorites in terms of customizing the original theme. Your colors and attention to detail are superb!
Tom, great point. “Bells and Whistles” can be an excuse to not writing good content, and you’re spot on when you mention how it’s important to not confuse the visitors. Narrow their options and you’ll receive a more specific result.
I agree 100% – I just signed up this afternoon for ElegantThemes and look forward to working with Nick and team!
Wow… those are stunning. One of the best “club” deals I’ve seen for WordPress. Still, I prefer going completely unique — it allows me to release the theme to build links.
Wow ! Its really very attractive theme and so secure for our blogs. Nice job well done keep it up.
I really like his themes!
I’m glad you are spreading the good word about Elegant Themes. I use them for all of my sites.
Also, thank you for listing my site (L2mastery.com) as an example for the GrungeMag theme. Please note that I have switched to Quadro for this site.
Feel free to use my other site as well if you want another example
http://satoriphotos.com –> StudioBlue
Great write review
Hey John! Thanks for sharing your blogs! How you pushing out so many? Are you running them all? High energy!
Extremely cool themes. The information is detailed and I really like the styles. Those are best to use in blogs. Thanks for sharing.
I ordered a membership at elegantthemes. I must say i am very impressed + that when he add layered PSD files it’s great.
In a overfilled market this days with people wanting freebies non stop, it’s important to over deliver. People want to pay for good information, content, good themes etc.
But using this recurring business model will cause more fish aiming for the fish-hook. Selling something multiple times often pays off more than selling something once for decent money.
And another thing, he doesn’t walk away from this like a careless prick. He covers the most common issues and takes responsibilities for his work as well as adding good video tutorials.
People want things to be spoon fed with information these days.
So after all, Nick did a pretty great job.
I just discovered these themes and I think they are wonderful! I am going to be building some new blogs and I will definitely be subscribing!
Belinda
Excellent selection of themes here. I wish I had access to these resources before – it would have saved me hours of searching for the right themes. I cannot believe the low prices that are being charged. This is an excellent way for anyone, webmaster or individual, to get a superb looking site at a reduced cost.
Kind regards,
John.
@Melody
[quote]designers expect to be rightfully paid for their quality work as with any other profession..[/quote]
Well as designer and coder I expect to be paid correctly but also when I release some libraries as open source I don’t expect to be paid and not for this reason I’m going to relase something that is useless, bugy or incomplete.
Just beacause it’s free doesn’t means that it must be bad… (and most of the free wordpress themes out there are just very very ugly).
Thank you so much for this review, since it’s still up-to-date. I had found these themes allready but wanted to learn more. I’m new to wordpress, and have a question: How easy is it to change basic styles like background, header, font size and font colour? I really like the features and structure of many of these themes but I want to be able to personalize it by tweeking it…
Annika, the themes are very easy to tweak given a basic understanding of CSS and/or HTML. Nick has even redesigned the management panel for all of his themes allowing even those no CSS/HTML knowledge the resources to change things by simply point, click, update.
Kyle, Thank you so much for your quick respones. That sounds greats.
You’re most welcome!
I have been looking for the perfect theme to use for my blog and found it with Elegant Themes. I also want to point out how AWESOME Nick is! I am not the most graphics or wordpress literate person but he has been patient with me and all my ridiculous questions. Thanks Nick!
I am looking for someone with the know how to upload my theme files to my ftp site or wordpress account. I am also looking for someone that can create a basic text with color logo for my theme.
I’ve applied Elegant Themes to a few more sites of mine:
Help Me Build a Site: How to create an attractive, professional website fast, easy, and on a tight budget
http://helpmebuildasite.com
Tian Wu Dao: All Martial Arts Under Heaven
http://tianwudao.com
Speaking Adventure: Follow Adventure Author Antonio Graceffo as He Explores the Lesser Known Cultures, Languages & Martial Arts of the World
http://speakingadventure.com
Elegant Themes are somewhat not for the newbies because it needs a little customization.
You will need to have knowledge of FTP because themes and plugins are uploaded separately. But it looks great too. And cheap of course.
I like his themes very much.
yepp … these themes are absolutely great. And the support forum is really professional.
Hi
I use Elegant Themes eBusiness theme – fell in love with it the first time I saw it.
Couple of points:
1 – Nick’s recent themes are even more jaw dropping than the ones you are showing.
2 – The support you get with these themes is fantastic.
Forget free themes, beg, steal or borrow but subscribe to Elegant Themes.
The support is great. Nick has a little team of coders (3 or 4) and himself, and they are quick to provide solutions for problems or changes that you want to make. In most cases, they simply give you the code and tell you what to replace or delete or add to achieve the desired change, and tell you specifically where. So if you are not a coder, you can make needed changes fairly quickly with their help. They have it together really well and all of their themes are great looking. The only negative is that the themes are great looking! By that I mean with great looks come a price. What is the price? Load time. If 4 seconds or less to load is the goal, Elegant Themes fails. More like 7 to 13 in any website speed tester online. You can reduce it somewhat by optimizing your site with compression, but you will not get under 6 seconds load. Other than that, they are great themes and Nick is an amazing artist. He just gets better and better. Well worth the small investment…now $39 for a year.
I have noticed very slow load times as well and am concerned. Is there any way to reduce the load times of these elegant themes?
Josh I just checked your site and it loaded extremely fast for me. Is that the one you were referring to?
I just started to use the evid template from Elegant Themes, and i must say it is great, in spite of being a little bit hard to work with at first.
Wow those theme are awesome. i like the pictures very much.I required so much time and mind to make such theme. I just make some pictures like this not exactly. these themes are so beautiful and very good use of color. my Special wishes to the maker of this themes.
After reading this post, I went ahead and purchased a subscription. Even though I’m still trying to figure out how to get all functions working using eStore theme, I’m very pleased so far. Great price too!
Thanks,
Mike White
You bet, Mike! I’m sure you’ll enjoy your membership to Elegant Themes (and be sure to check out the Elegant Themes Forum for any and all support questions you may have. I think Nick has like 3 or 4 guys – plus himself – in there full time to answer questions).
OK, I am very interested in the membership to Elegant Themes but have a few questions –
Do the plugins really have to be uploaded by FTP?
How complicated is it if you want to add different ‘pictures” regardless of the theme you choose from Elegant Themes.
Dont get me wrong here, I love their Themes, but, I am looking for something that is simple to use. I do have the experience in WP website creation – on the other hand, just wondering how much of a learning curve there is (if any) with these themes.
Thanks!
Chris, my apologies for the long delay – somehow I missed your comment.
1) Yes, typically it is best to upload all plugins via FTP. Alternatively, you can now search/add the plugins directly from within your WordPress dashboard.
2) Changing pictures is typically a breeze although I can’t speak as to how complicated it will be for someone who is completely new to WordPress, etc. If you get stuck on anything, The Elegant Themes Forum is a GREAT place to ask any and all questions (and get them answered quickly)!
All in all, I think Elegant Themes is probably the best choice if you are a beginner to WordPress and WordPress Themes in general. It doesn’t mean they skimp on the details either and only make “newbie” product – quite the contrary – I use ElegantThemes on some of my own sites and couldn’t recommend any one Premium WordPress Theme site more.
These are great themes. I’m gonna get them for my sites. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your excellent review of Elegant Themes for WP. I have been searching for an affordable alternative to the free themes I have found and this looks like a good one. I especially like the support that a forum offers. My only worry is that it’s so ridiculously inexpensive, why doesn’t everyone use it? But like one person said, stop searching and just do it! In today’s high speed environment do we really need to worry about load times with Nick’s themes? I don’t think so.
Hey Dick,
First off, thanks for the kinds words. I’ve been a big fan of Nick Roach and ElegantThemes from their beginning. Second…in response to your question about why everyone isn’t using him…all I can say is that I think that is slowly changing 🙂
Nick’s site is just about in the top 1000 sites on the entire web! He is getting several million unique visitors per month, and I believe many of those are people such as yourself who are just discovering what others have known for years.
ElegantThemes is the absolute best deal in all of WordPress. There is simply no better offering for the price, and Nick continues to add value to an already “invaluable” product by adding more and more Premium WordPress Themes to his portfolio.
Regarding load times, I would say that load time is very important (Google’s Webmaster Tools even has a beta feature that let’s you see how your site’s load time compares with a general aggregate of the rest of the web…so for instance, they may tell you that “Your site loads slower than 67.8% of sites on the web”).
This is yet another reason that Elegant Themes is such a wise investment. Nick has completely retooled his entire theme library no less than 2 or 3 times to continue to improve as new technologies and features come available. Load optimization through minimizing “code bloat” while not a stated feature is definitely something you will see when you use some of Nick’s themes. He optimizes them to their fullest extent and is committed to keeping them that way both now and in the future.
Kyle,
“ElegantThemes is the absolute best deal in all of WordPress.”
This statement describes Elegant Themes very well. I have used them for just about a year and Nick keeps making awesome themes just about every week. The price is a no brainier. Where else you would get so many terrific theme for tiny yearly price.
Recent additions, like page templates and short codes make the themes even more customizable. With the contact page template I don’t even need to have contact plugin on wordpress.
If anyone is in internet has anything to do with WordPress websites then Nick’s membership is a must have tool. By the way membership is so small you’ll not find a Single premium theme for that price.
I have over dozen websites that have Nick’s themes and they all look and function wonderfully.
I am one happy customer of Nick.
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Abraham. Thanks for your insight into Elegant Themes.
The themes are good but they are very difficult and over complicated to customise so you need to know what you are doing.
Oh, DO NOT HIRE a moderator to customise your site…. they take your money and then cannot complete the task… technically inept! you will not see your money bag and our website will be left in a bad way.
Also on the forums, be careful about implementing code even from the moderators as sometimes the customising just does not work!
Tim,
I’m sorry you’ve had that experience with a moderator on the Elegant Themes forums…I can assure you that is the exception than the rule when it comes to Elegant Themes. Regarding the difficulty of the themes…have you worked on them recently?
Perhaps some of the issues could be the type of customizations you are hoping to achieve. With the constant development of the ePanel framework that runs all of Nick’s themes, I suppose you could say you lose some “ease” of customizations due to the framework nature of the themes. All that to say it’s still not incredibly difficult if you know HTML, CSS, and/or PHP. Even if you don’t, there is SO much you can customize with just point/click from within the framework.
Wow, you’ve put a lot of work into this post! I just signed up for membership at Elegant themes after it, thanks!
That’s great, Robert. You’ll be most pleased with that decision! Elegant Themes continues to provide the most compelling deal in WordPress Themes.
Great stuff man. I am working on a website for a customer and you have just saved me a few hundred bucks and countless hours of coding. Will get my membership asap. Thx
I did not like elegantthemes at all. The templates were hard to work with or modify. Also I cancelled service, they did not refund me my money. I had to initiate a claim through paypal and they have not responded. I would not waste a penny or second on this website.
Kourosh,
I’m curious as to what you felt was hard in terms of modifying the code? As we talked about in the comments above, their ePanel framework is one of the most user-friendly WordPress frameworks around today.
Regarding canceling your elegant themes membership, I know they have a helpdesk that I’ve used before with no problems (not for canceling). I’ve also never heard of anyone having an issue getting a refund even though you are the first person I’ve come across that has requested a refund for their product.
I’m sure it you had any issues getting in touch with them, it was not intentional on their part. They continue to be my absolute highest-rated product in all of WordPress Themes.
I’m in the process of customizing my ‘Nova’ Elegant Theme right now and I LOVE it. I’m not a programmer, only know a little bit about html, so yes, it can be a bit difficult to get exactly what I’m going for, but then again, I’m trying to balance my great vision with little know-how. There IS a learning curve, but all in all, well worth the membership, newbie’s wanting to streamline and customize would do well to hire one of the many talented people out there as you will spend a good deal of time figuring things out. Nick’s themes are beautiful, clean, and well-organized — everything a good web design should have!
That’s a great summary of Elegant Themes. Thanks, Michele!
Elegant Themes produce perhaps the best and cheapest themes on the Internet.
It is extremely easy to configure the theme and it is rather professional.
I couldn’t agree more, Edgar! Elegant Themes continues to provide the absolute best deal in all of WordPress.
I am currently in the process of starting up a website, and these themes just seem, well… too good to be true! They look AMAZING. There are at least 20 that I look at and can’t improve. Very impressed.
Firstly, I can set up my wordpress easily in terms of installing plugins from their website, and configuring it from the admin settings, but is it as simple to customise ElegantThemes? Or will I have to know some other code knowledge?
On a side note, your website is incredibly useful. I now know that this is the theme package to go for!!
Also slightly off topic, but I went with bluehost and noticed you don’t recommend them… are they ok/good or should I switch? They are highly recommended as Site5 are.
Thank-you Harry…and yes, there are a LOT of features you can customize from within the ePanel options (that is the name of the ElegantThemes framework that lets you customize the themes you purchase without having to get into the code).
At the end of the day, from a complete package standpoint there is absolutely no better deal in WordPress than Elegant Themes. At this price, people should at least purchase a membership so they have access to these beautiful designs should they want to use one for their own sites (or to start a business where you sell design services and simply customize one of these beautiful themes).
Regarding your question for hosting, I haven’t heard anything negative about BlueHost, I just prefer to get to the bottom line and recommend the companies that I use and continue to use on a daily basis. I am increasingly moving away from HostGator when it comes to WordPress Hosting as I feel Site5 is a better all around pick.
Let me know if you have any further questions, and be sure to check out our homepage often where we review one new Premium WordPress Theme every day.
Nice review you have Kyle,
Got curious, why don’t you use one of those themes for your website? 🙂
I own a number of different websites, and while I don’t have an ElegantThemes.com theme on any of them right now, I am a happy paying customer. I’m sure at one point I’ll be using one, or two, (or more) 🙂 At $39, it’s just too good a deal to pass up.
Gotta say.. I am 100% happy with going with Elegant Themes. I’m designing two or three sites and each one works with these themes.
My skill level is around a 3 out of 10 or so and part of my initial concern was will their support be prompt with my questions.. well, I must say, my expectations have been met and exceeded by a long shot.
I HIGHLY recommend giving Elegant Themes a shot! You will not be sorry.
Couldn’t agree more with your sentiments about Elegant Themes. Thanks for taking the time to share them for those considering a membership.
Kyle , thanks for the review of Elegant themes. The comments and answers here have been more than helpful in the decision to purchase a membership.
Now to pick a theme to suit my site that requires an unintentional rebuild.
You bet…we continue to be impressed with Nick’s product. You won’t be disappointed!
Boutique theme DOES NOT fully support WP Simple Paypal.
WP Simple Paypal variation control (which allows you to have different choices i.e. small/medium/large or color choices) is not supported by this theme.
Their forums support has not responded to this issue for almost 2 weeks. If you are a member, see:
https://www.elegantthemes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=146&t=65379
My confidence was originally voted by paying the developer fee, but with lack of support, this confidence is waning.
We are using an elegant theme on our website: although we can only recommend both the company and their themes, it’s important that all of you know – in case you just signed up and did not receive the email – that elegant themes is recommending updating the themes to the current version (released a week ago or so) because of a security hole in timthumb, which all of elegant themes’ themes used.
Although it seems like a bad comment, it is actually another reason to use this company: as soon as the problem surfaced, their team came up with a solution to safeguard all of its customers.
these guys rock.
Eh, you can’t beat the price for the support and the amount of themes you get. I find the themes to be very one dimensional for the types of sites you can create with them. In the last year their are more clunkers than gems in my opinion.
Really love the premium themes designed by Nick
Do these themes work on WordPress Multisite?
Hey Adrian, (And Hey Kyle, decided to answer to this question myself 🙂 )
Let me answer your question quickly 🙂
Yes they can be used for unlimited number of websites you own, but if you are a web designer and want to use it for client websites, you will have to get a developer’s license.
Hope that helps,
Vusal, Thank-you my friend…I missed that one somehow.
Love your commentary…
Question: Do you need the PSD files to make changes to the site for customization?
I noticed at one time PSD files came with the std. package – NOW you need the Developer package for access to PSD files.
ALSO: Do you need to purchase the Std and the Developer package or can you just purchase the Developer package? I would prefer the 39 basic package, but want access to PSD files. I want to be sure that I am purchasing the right package from the beginning.
Thx for the excellent commentary on the subject matter. You are an excellent blogger.
Hey Jewel…thanks for the kind words.
Regarding your question, it sounds like you will want to purchase the developer option. This has everything you need (including the PSDs), and it is not necessary to purchase both the developer and standard package.
OK,
I love the themes, and had been looking forward to joining. I only have 1 issue, which I am waiting for another reply back on. Is that the only way they will take my $ is with paypal. Personally I do not use paypal. I can buy everything I ever want other ways. I would hope we can do something to take care of this as I have a gift card ready to buy with.
thanks
Hey Alan,
PayPal is indeed the only way to pay for Elegant Themes membership although I don’t think you need to have an account to pay (not 100% sure on that though).
Yea, Nick’s stuff is awesome. For the beginner blogger, or even the advanced web person that can manipulate and change templates, Elegant themes makes it really easy. I just recently went with themeforest for a theme, but that’s only because Elegant themes didn’t have what I was envisioning! But, I use one of their themes on a blog I have 😉 .
Wow… Elegant themes are the best in designs. They have a easy to customize and better control on theme functionality. That’s why I use their theme on my two blogs.
I upgraded my website to an elegant theme a few months back, have had a number of positive responses to the new site and am very pleased with it.
I found it difficult to find the look and feel I was after in a free theme. Having tried both options I can definitely say it’s worth paying a little up front have the look and user friendly features I want.
I have written a review my theme in my blog.
Great review, I have a blog I need a new theme for and I think this one is it.
Hi
All i can say is I was looking for a simple solution for a good wordpress theme. I had the free Eximus theme but found myself making so many adjustments to the CSS and other stuff that my coding on the website was for sure a shocker to Google. I am very new to the website building and once I signed up for Elegantthemes I was very impressed. They are easy to modify very well written CSS .I think its a no brainer forking out $39 .Just think of the time you will spend to troubleshoot and build your own. Time is money.
I managed to adapt my scratch cards affiliate site to the themes with ease. I also know that if I do decide to change themes that it will not be hard to amongst all the others on offer at Elegant themes. The short codes will still work and they are built on the same foundation. I plan on rolling out more Scratch card Affiliate sites hopefully in the future and the fact that it is an unlimited license makes it even more of a no brainer and so easy to roll out.
I think that Nick has the right attitude to giving us such great themes at such an amazing price. I am looking forward to being a long time paying customer.
Jenny – ScratchCardQueen
Hi Guys,
I used elegant themes for my website and i’m very happy with how it turned out.
To be honest, I didn’t really try any of the other template providers as I thought the price for elegant themes was just so good that it would be crazy not to try.
Here’s my site: http://markmccann.com.au/
I’m not sure how good they are for SEO as I’ve been reading some things from yoast.com and they were not very encouraging.
Hope you guys like my site. If anyone has tips on how to improve the SEO for me I’d love to hear about it.
Mark
Hi Mark, nice website.
Well, from my experience with Elegant Themes, I can say they’re not good for SEO, also the themes run slow.
However their designs are so beautiful.
Hi,
I am fairly new to this process and have been spending a lot of time education myself. My husband and I own a small business (3 years) and initially paid a designer to develop our website. While we liked the design, the site is static and any changes we wanted to make (minor or major) was always a chore and costly! About 6 months ago we decided that we wanted more control over our site and decided to invest in a word press platform. We re-hired our designer to help us set up a word press site with the understanding that the designer would teach us how to use the site to add and update our own content (The designer had never used word press before so we purchased a theme forest design (4 star) to help the designer get a ‘jump start’ on our new site). This was a big mistake! We were charged a fortune and the work was not completed, the designer complained the entire time about how difficult word press is and swears they will never use it again. The designer never taught me (a newbie at this) how to finish the project successfully and to this day we still not having a working site.
We have decided to not continue with this site theme and start again. I discovered Elegant Themes on my own and decided to purchase a membership for $39. I have looked through the designs Nick offers and read through many forum discussions and am finding my way. I am trying to decide which design to choose as there is not one that fits my vision exactly. We do not want a blog style format as we would prefer pages with a separate blog area. We also want social media icons at the top of the home page, e-commerce, advertisements and a member login area.
My question is how difficult is it for someone with my experience to customize a theme without getting into too much trouble? We are thinking of using Evolution. Any help or tips that you can offer a newbie would be very much appreciated!
Thanks!
Cheri
Cheri,
Thanks for your detailed comment, and I’ll start off by saying that you’re on the right track by using the Themes from Elegant Themes. If there’s one “theme” that’s been consistent over the years with Nick and the Elegant Themes Club it has been their commitment to keeping themes updated with the latest features and functionality.
In regards to your question, I would say that thanks to the ePanel framework that runs each of the Elegant Themes WP Themes, you really won’t need to know much about the code to do a lot of customizations to the site. This was the point all along of making a framework that was so user friendly – so people such as yourself could customize their site with ease.
Beyond that, the support forums are great at Elegant Themes, and I know they’ll be willing to help with any trouble you may run into.
Best of luck!
Hi Cheri
WOW it sounds like your designer led you down the garden path a bit! I’d never used WordPress before this year, and I had absolutely no trouble getting started.
The only thing I can say to you about customising your site is to make sure you set up child themes (for templates and css) – that way you can customise away without changing the original core files. I learned this lesson the hard way. Thankfully it was on my own site before it was released! The more experience you have the easier it will be!
How are you going with your site now?
Cheers
Ellen
Hey Kyle,
I am new to the word of blogging but now i want to create my own blog(self-hosted). I have downloaded the default theme (twenty-eleven) from wordpress on my local system and trying some hands-on.
I am really confused on how to choose a theme/framework (Dont know if there is any difference between the two).
I have learnt that Genesis and Thesis are great wordpress themes but you are recommending Elegant theme here.
Could you please guide me on how to choose my theme?
I want it to load quicky and should be SEO friendly and ease to customize the look and feel of the blog
Thanks for your comment. You named some good themes, however at the end of the day Elegant Themes is still my absolute favorite all-around choice in WordPress Themes! You can’t get a better deal.
I definitely like the style of the themes. I appreciate talented people!
Some of the best themes on the market for your WordPress Blog.
I’ve used elegant themes in the past and they are great. I really recommend them.
Hi,
Do you know if code from one theme can be used in another? I want to build the affiliate integration, custom ratings widget, and advanced author ratings from the InReview theme into the eStore theme. Is this possible? I’m a coding novice.
Thank you!
Hey Alexis,
This would be a question best asked in the Elegant Themes forum. My hunch is that you probably “could” do it (especially since they are all powered by the same development framework) but you may run into a series of issues trying to get it all to work right…again…just a guess, but Nick and his team would be the best to ask for a more specific answer 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your membership with Elegant Themes! They’re the best.
Pretty cool review, this is what made go for it as I really wasn’t expecting to buy a theme.
I need to learn now how to customize the themes more but hands down, this is the best way to build really pro looking websites for next to nothing..
Alexis, do you have any tips on how to customize them “easily”?
Cheers!
PS: I see you have the same issue as me at the bottom of your comments (the tag crap), I can share a tutorial with you that helped me!
I’m relatively new to using WordPress (but have been building websites for a really long time!). There was so much to choose from, but your review (and everyone’s comments) helped me to choose Elegant Themes. I think they’re great – and easy to customise and excellent value for the money. I’m currently using two different themes, but have more sites in development using other ones.
First two are my own sites:
Modest Theme: http://leumesindesign.com.au
Envisioned Theme: http://leumesindesign.com.au/gallery/
Thanks!
Google for complaints on the Elegant Themes. Their pretty, but they are almost unworkable if you want to do any real customization. The support is universally rated as poor.
If you’re wanting to have flexibility in design and function, you might consider the Thesis framework.
I wish this site was really what it says it is and not just an affiliate of Elegant Themes who only sings their praises. I keep trying to find REAL actual review of Elegant Themes by real users and google is GLUTTED with fakish sites like this that are affiliates driving sales and not objective end-users.
Elegant Themes look great, but the support is community based and it’s hit or miss. If somebody happens to like you and your problem sounds interesting, you’ll get responses. If it doesn’t catch anyone’s attention, your theme can be unusable. The support forum not visited by employees of Elegant Themes necessarily, it’s a bunch of kind nerds doing it for free, so it’s highly unreliable. I’ve tried about 4 different themes and I run into a problem with every single one that nobody answers. So far, I have 3 half-built wordpress websites and it’s been nearly a year since joining Elegant Themes.
Appreciate your feedback, Barney but I can only speak to my personal use of Elegant Themes. Every time I’ve asked a question in the support forums I’ve had an answer to my question, and I actively use (currently) a Theme from Elegant Themes on another site, so this isn’t just a free pass for Elegant Themes. I use their product. I love their themes. I’ve been a paying member for several years, and I plan to as long as they are around.
I’m sorry to say that my unreserved enthusiasm for Elegant Themes is waning. With each theme update, I’ve had significant problems with my websites. And customer service seems is quite uneven. Sometimes the answer comes in a reasonable time, sometimes days later, and sometimes never. There’s no explanation when no answer if provided.
Because I’m a non-techie do-it-yourselfer, I REALLY need responsive user support. I was enthusiastically suggesting this service a few months ago. Now, I’m getting VERY nervous. I can’t launch my website without solving my remaining problems, and I have no ideal when help will come.
If you’re a technical expert, I think this is a great service. Otherwise……I’m not so sure right now, and I’m a bit sad about that, because I WANT to like and recommend these beautiful themes.
Hello!
I have read on various sites and forums that the weak point of ET is the support, customer service and SEO. Is it true?
Can you install the All In One SEO plugin pack to the themes of ET?
Thanks!
More recently I’ve seen an increase in the number of complaints about the support/customer service, and since I’ve been a member for so long, my only guess is they are having a hard time supporting the tremendous growth they’ve experienced (they have over 100,000 members).
You can definitely install All In One SEO on any Theme from ET.
I have been a fan of elegant themes for awhile now. These have such great options and functionality.
Been a member of ET for the last 2 years and their support is very poor. They offer nothing more than basic support which you can easily find on WordPress forums. Today the condition there is so bad there are about a dozen members who are on the support team but each one tries to sell customization services, even for basic requests. Nick had done a wonderful job when he started off, but today to sustain the huge buyers, he had no other option but to bring on board some freelancers. I doubt if these guys are paid fancy amounts, you can find most of them selling themes on themeforest. They are more interested in selling support rather than answering queries on forums. This is a sad side effect of offering themes at such cheap prices. Initially it may appear very luring to get so many themes at such low price. But no buyer uses more than 2 themes on an average. Then why buy here and suffer without support? Better buy one good theme on ThemeForest from any of the elite authors and support is assured. Those guys are not going themes at dirt cheap prices and hence willing to provide proper support.
Look at the recent themes you hardly find them really different. Functionality sucks big time. All you get is portfolios & blogs, and trust me there are much better free themes available today! You may say why expect too much for the $39 you pay? Yes I agree, but then whats the point buying 70 odd themes out of which after thoroughly browsing all themes, you end up deciding none fits your need!
Also beware of responsive themes from ET. The themes are responsive, but the shortcodes are not! How sad! You have to use whatever comes with the theme, no extras. You cannot even add basic stuff like image galleries to pages in responsive themes.
Elegant themes was good once upon a time. Now its time to move on. Other developers & marketplaces are not selling themes for $70 a piece just to loot the buyers. That amount is needed for providing real support and improvise the themes. Forget Elegant Themes today, my humble opinion.
Raghav – Just wanted to inform you that all Elegant Themes shortcodes are now responsive. I continue to be impressed with the quality of product produced by Elegant Themes and it is things like their constant focus on updating/modifying their features that will keep me coming back year after year. I would also encourage you to keep in mind what you are paying for what you are getting. At $39, to receive nearly 80 premium themes plus all the other features plus support is no small task.
I have been using them for 2 years and have created 4 websites with them ( my only 4 ). I would find it hard to use any others because the elegant builder drag and drop and the support make it so easy. I used the eBusiness theme to create my own.
I then used the eStore for a client. I enjoyed it so much I went on to do another 2 for a client using the cameleon theme and the nible theme. I can’t wait to do another.
To get all of these high quality themes for $39 is an incredible value. OK, some people have had issues with support, but c’mon peeps what are you expecting for a measly sum of $39. You would pay that for one theme from themeforest.com.
Aron, I agree that we shouldn’t expect over-the-top service for little money. But potential buyers can make good decisions only when we have accurate information. If Elegant Theme were to tell us that there’s no guarantee of receiving help through the support forum, then inexperienced folks like me would think twice before signing up.
I love the themes, but need accurate, responsive customer support because each time there’s a theme update, my website has problems that I can’t solve alone. And it’s taking longer and longer to get help these days.
I’m a little confused …
Raghav says that shortcodes are not responsive, https://bloggingexperiment.com/archives/nick-roachs-elegant-themes-review.php#comment-136763 then less then a month later Kyle says they are … so they fixed everything in less than a month?
Most of the rave comments above are dated around 2010, and this is now 2012, so a lot has changed in the market – and certainly in design – in my opinion, these themes are now starting to look a bit dated. And when they are dated and shrinkwrapped, there’s not a lot you can do other than start hacking code and opening Photoshop.
I bought an $89 developer subscription last month with the plan to re-do my ancient and hastily-hacked HTML site. The demos are fine, but when I actually started putting in content and logo (by fiddling with the layered PSD) somehow, something in the colors, resolution and font choices doesn’t look quite as sharp! Your logo finagle more or less has to fit into their PSD template or it can end up out of whack – you can just “move it to the left some.”
A lot of the themes need better/more font/color palettes – some of choices plain weak – like the Daily Notes theme which looks good at first, but has a weak headline and body copy font – for some bizarre reason doesn’t seem to let you change these fonts (that I can see). They should have some bolder color/font options rather for each themes like this rather than 4 shades of muted pastel.
The best thing about Elegant is downloading the whole lot and switching back and forth to see how your content flies. For this purpose, it would be good if they added a switch to make some the ePanel settings propagate throughout so you don’t have to laboriously re-assign menus etc for every theme.
The themes that have stood out for me in my endless surfing that are the standalone and pretty stunning Aware Theme ($45), the Minimalist theme from Studiopress and maybe one or two others. I’ll keep fiddling with Elegant to give it a fair try, but it’s not quite as sharp as I initially thought it was.
Correction to the previous post:
you *can’t* just “move it to the left some.”
And a revision of para 4 without typos – it’s been a long week…
A lot of the themes need better/more font/color palettes – some choices plain weak – like the Daily Notes theme which looks good at first, but has a weak headline and body copy font – for some bizarre reason doesn’t seem to let you easily change this (that I can see). They should have a more diverse range of color/font options for each theme rather than say, 4 very similar shades of muted pastel.
I would say their customer service has been decent enough. They’ve gotten all my issues fixed. Having said that, I have had a ridiculous amount of issues for a supposedly flexible theme. Plugin issues, stupid little things. I haven’t even begun to properly design my site because I keep running into yet another block. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do. I paid $39 for 70 crap themes. I’m certainly not going to use them on any of my existing sites. I had a death in the family so the trial date came and went. So, no, I really couldn’t recommend this company. There are so many better ones out there, yes, even free ones.
Great article, I have been looking for a new theme and Elegant Themes has some really great ones. Thanks for including links to those who are using the themes, it has really helped me in deciding if a theme is right for me or not!
I have purchased a couple of themes over the past year or so and downloaded a few free ones and tested the flexibility of where I can put widgets or add widgets etc. The problem is, you pay and then you find you don’t have what I describe as full flexibility, for example choosing a template with four boxes but needed 5, this is not viable in a preformatted template. I then came across Artisteer and trialled it and found it to be far more flexible in what I wanted to do. Artisteer allows you to select a pre-made theme (currently 166 available) and or create themese in WP, Joomla, HTML, Blogger, Dotnetnuke and Drupal formats outside of those programs and then export it into one of them, then upload, activate in WP/Joomla/Drupal etc
Although I know html the familiarity of the functionailty of the program took me all day but that’s because I have always found the new look styling that Microsoft introduced in programs like Word etc doesn’t appeal to me, I like the old menu systems. In saying that the program deserves my time and attention in learning it as I find that I can build a web site as I like and import it into WP which is often limiting in placing or adding widgets etc.
My partner has purchased an Elegant Theme and I had a quick look over her shoulder and admittedly looks far more flexible than what I have played with to date (excluding Artisteer). What you all have to look past is the pretty graphics and look at the layout and generally speaking there is a limitation to how many variations are possible without getting into the nit picking level of the minutest detail. If you are getting down to that level then Artisteer is a good option.
As for support, I think you will find all theme makers will have similar support issues. The advantage I see in Artisteer is that it has attracted those who are green, or like me, some idea about html and some with php skills, for those really serious modifications. I have asked questions in the forum but have found the answer myself after the fact by reading the manual and playing around with Artisteer. I did find an issue that I couldn’t figure out but someone answered it the next day.
No harm spending the $20 for the Elegant Theme as a starter but when you start getting frustrated download Artisteer play with it.(free version limitation is watermarks when you upload and activate the theme in your CMS like WP etc and you cannot save the project.)
From what I can gather you can’t utilise themes from different makers and the same goes for Artisteer, however, Artisteer has twice as many themes as Elegant Themes and if you find you need to change to Joomla over WP then Artisteer has that flexibility.
The Mrs has been struggling with her $39 template and after I had a go I realised why. The $39 is in fact a very very dumbed down and difficult version of the pro which gives you superior widget control, meaning drag and drop option which is not offered at the $39 price but at $79 pro version; and the video clips on how to are designed with the pro in mind and the documentation sucks. This is not mentioned in the blog and I think that a number of people would benefit greatly if they were made to seriously avoid the cheaper option and go for the $79 pro version to make life less hell. I did a search and found a free WP manual called EasyWPGuide which I had a 10 second flick through as I am busy with other things. As for the WooEcommerce it’s practically beyond me at the free level, so I can only assume that anything free is if anything a turnoff rather than a positive introduction. Just because 160,000 people paid doesn’t mean they are happy and from my partner’s and my own experience it has not been at all a good experience. I produced my first 105 page web site back in 2000 and have used various products including ezimerchant where I had paid $495 for the program and $500 to set it up based on a theme I liked. From then on all was a breeze to put 4,000 + items into the shop.
The fact your $39 gives you 80 themes, the problem is you will only like 2 or 3 of them anyway, or if you are really picky just the one. It is a great marketing ploy but not a practical one for the end user.
I mentioned Artisteer in the previous post, however, it doesn’t have shopping capability, but it has been promised to make it work with a number of top ecommerce programs. People have complained the slowness of the updates but they are often people with greater demands but are only 10% of the total of users. Yes, that is a plucked out of my head figure but you just have to read the replys and know what they are expecting is greater than the average bear.
Going back to Ezimerchant, the versions I have are the downloadable version but Ezimerchant is now only accessible via cloud, meaning their own server thus no installing. They have also changed the costings and to some people the charges may seem steep but they provide two important things, SSL and a creditcard payment gateway plus free support either by phone or online. However, this is has been rather poor of late, especially since it has changed hands. In saying that the forum is full of people willing to help who have been using Ezimerchant for over 10 years, so the naswer is there but it may come from a veteran and not a moderator or support team.
So why did I go to Artisteer? Well I wanted to work with WP, Joomla etc, in particular my new web site as it is far more media friendly program than Ezimerchant. Anyone that wants to use WP, Joomla, Drupal etc are loking at free to low cost and primarily use as a blog. Some Bloggers have said WP has come along way from just a blogger interface but even so it has a lot of restrictions that dedicated programs like Ezimerchant or OSCommerce don’t have. And yes I have played with and utilised OSCommerce.
In essence if you want a shop you don’t choose a free or cheap WP theme it just won’t cut it without double the hours of creating and learning compared to the dedicated eCommerce programs. If and when Artisteer has complete integration with OSCommerce or others that it says it will, then I would only recommend Artisteer.
If you follow this blog and wish to buy an Elegant Theme do NOT buy the $39 version, you will be pulling your hair out. Look for pricing on drop and drag themes from various sites as well as the theme you like, then you won’t be pulling out as much hair 🙂
Thanks for your detailed comment, Nick. I must say at first it sounded like you were somehow affiliated with Artiseer 🙂 In any event, I did just want to clarify a couple things in what you said. First, their are two differences between the $39 and $89 options (and keep in mind it’s $89 not $79 as you posted). 1) PSDs and 2) Plugins. You still have access to all the same documentation, shortcodes, and support with both plans you simply don’t have access to the PSDs for further customization and the Plugins unless you upgrade to the $89 option. With as many cool Plugins as Nick and his team have created, I would always recommend someone pay the small extra to have access to everything, but that is the nice thing about this product: if you only want the Themes you can do that for a ridiculously low price, and if you want the added functionality of their plugins and PSDs, you can do that too!
Again, thanks for stopping by Blogging Experiment!
Nick, thanks for your comments. I’m in the process of giving a try to ET but with your post I just discovered Artisteer. Sounds worth trying.
May I ask you 2 questions about it:
– are you able to develop themes with flexible width (for mobiles)?
– are their themes translation-ready (do they include .po files)?
I can ask those to their support forums but I just profit from your review.
Thanks!
I am fast becoming a VERY dissatisfied Elegant Themes customer. They are pretty on the outside and promoted as easy to use and now coding experience necessary. That is just not true. At $39 or $79, the documentation on how to set up each of the features is dismal at best. Very few video tutorials and those are even sparse in their content. Check any support forum for any of the themes and the vast majority of response (at least 90% by my count for the Chameleon theme) are: 1) paste this code in the style sheet or PHP, 2) go to this 3rd party site and see if they have the answer, 3) sorry we don’t support that but thanks for the suggestion! And much of the settings in ePanel are not explained or not complete. Example: you have to set background color in two different places for it to work, logo can be uploaded on the ePanel but slogan can not be edited there. How you get an image into the home page slider is not explained anywhere. Why aren’t font choices, colors and formats as easy as in WORD or other document program? And I o e place!!!
For the beginner, ET is a very, VERY frustrating experience. If using ET requires CSS editing knowledge, and knowing where to find and what to do with a PHP, then say so up front. Do not mislead customers. I think your praise of ET in Your blog is not as unbiased as you state. Is there no theme developer out there that makes truly easy to use, drag and drop, text/color/format flexible themes for newbies?
Hey Tom,
Thanks for your detailed analysis. I wanted to point out a couple of things that may help by starting with your final question with asking if there is “no theme developer out there that makes truly easy to use, drag and drop, text/color/format flexible themes for newbies.”
The first thing is that all of those features you stated are not nearly as easy to create as one might think. We have spent a great deal of time investigating WordPress Themes over the years and only one or two have ever had what we would call very useable drag and drop interfaces. And even so, those themes were still laden with their own issues due to the complexity it is to not only create but support a drag/drop layout builder, etc due to the constant iterations of the WordPress core.
After our own analysis, we concluded that a simple, relatively stripped down theme that was focused on speed/preformance, search engine optimization best practices, and a few other staples to good design (like getting out of the way of the content) were key to our own development and you will see this in our free responsive WordPress Theme, Best.
Having said that this was our own decision, and I’m just trying to paint a picture that theme developers can and do pick different features and functionality that is important to them and their product.
In regards to Elegant Themes, all we can do is speak from personal experience. We have been paying customers of Elegant Themes since 2009 because we think the price/value proposition is WAY in our favor as a buyer. We have used and are using different themes from Elegant Themes on other sites, and have been very happy with the results.
Perhaps what we value most about Elegant Themes has come from our getting to know Nick and his commitment to his customers. We have had several conversations with him before about his themes, his future plans, and many other aspects related to his business. Unequivocally, he is committed 100% to customer satisfaction. He has nearly 20 staff whose job it is to provide support, and he is very working to making that even better. We actually just had a conversation about this recently. When you grow as fast as Elegant Themes has there are sure to be some speed bumps along the way, however after years and years of knowing Nick, we can tell you that he is the kind of partner you’d like to be in business with for the long haul. He’s constantly looking for ways to better his product and support while continuing to create new themes and plugins.
And finally, keep in mind that Elegant Themes may not be for everyone even though we think that everyone who does anything with WordPress should have a membership with ET. We feel he creates massive value at the prices he charges considering just one theme elsewhere would be as much as his entire membership is for a year. No where else on the internet can you get 80+ themes and plugins for such a low price (and have those themes and plugins be both nice looking and utilizing the latest in web design trends like being responsive, a cool page layout builder plugin, etc).
So thank-you for your feedback, I know Nick read’s these sites from time to time…
Hope to see you back at BloggingExperiment.com soon!
Hi,
What is the difference between the Basic ($39) and Developer ($89) membership, concerning the legal side. Can either use the templates as they wish, for clients site? When your one year subscription ends, can you still use the templates that you downloaded (at $39).
Please advise…
Thanks!
Hey Marc,
There is no “legal” difference between the two membership levels except to say with the lower priced one you don’t have access to the PSDs or WordPress Plugins. If you should ever cancel, you can continue to use the Themes on the sites you have them. They will not become inactive or anything…you simply won’t have access to future themes, theme updates, support, etc.
And yes…the Themes can be used for personal or client projects.
Best Regards!
Similar to what Tom wrote, I’m a bit dissatisfied with their support. I’ve been barking up the tree to understand why Enews theme (Elegant Theme) isn’t showing the right styles in Firefox. Every other browser looks great, but firefox and opera show the site without the black border at the top. Seems to be an epidemic as many people post about it, but only get answers like 1) Disable plugins (doesn’t work) and 2) Add “xyz” to css (still doesn’t work).
I love the themes, just concerned about the functionality and support. Hoping to get an answer soon if anyone else has this issue and knows how to fix it for good.
Thank you so much for this post, dude! I’ve been looking all over for examples of Elegant Themes sites to show a client how well they can perform when in actual use. Definitely looking forward to a part 2 of this article!
Thanks again! 😀
me gustaria saber si alguien probo el EXPLORER ( http://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/explorable/ ) me parece un excelente theme, y tambien que quiere decir esto (Layered Photoshop Files)que es una de las diferencia entre los $ 39 y $ 89 x año
I’ve also noticed extremely slow loading, specifically with the Chameleon theme. By running YSlow, I see it gets dinged for all the http requests, among a few other things. Are there other issues with this theme making it slow? Are there any planned updates to help it load faster? Commenters above are right, it hurts SEO, not to mention user experience and retention on the site.
Outstanding Elegant Themes review. I believe I will definitely jump in on getting this theme package today as well.
Thanks again for the different theme options/reviews too within the Elegant line.
Elegant Themes are beautiful but not easy to work with. I’ve requested a refund and hope to get it processed quickly. One extremely dissatisfied customer – I should have paid attention to the people here who said the themes were not easy to edit and customize without CSS and other coding experience. All of the self-evident steps were easy to use, but the result was NOTHING like the theme samples.
Free may look free, but at least after you’ve spent hours trying to get the header image to fit you don’t also feel like you’ve been cheated.
Nope. Not a happy customer.
Hey all! I recently just purchased elegant themes. I am so new to this internet blogging and was wondering if someone could help me out or direct me to a place that can. I am trying to use elegant themes in conjunction with wordpress.org. I accidentally purchased wordpress.com only to realize that elegant themes could not be used with this.
Is anyone familiar with this process? I believe that I have to now purchase a domain name and then I will be able to start creating my blog. Does this sound right?! Thank you in advance for all of your help 🙂
Wow, some of these are pretty fantastic. I am going to have to seriously consider getting this pack so I can have some fresh looks. A few of my websites are definitely on the older side now and could REALLY use a fresh coat of paint with themes like this.
I’ve been working with the Aggregate theme for a while now, and it has more than lived up to expectations.
There were a few changes I needed to make to the theme (a few minor bugs and design changes) which weren’t covered by the configuration options. For example, when zooming the page the sidebar would drop to the end of the page. Also, the navigation sub-menus were multi-columned which could lead to confusion in some cases.
But thanks to Nick’s neat code it was really easy to make all the changes via CSS. Here, if it helps anyone, is my collection of the Aggregate theme tips and tricks:
http://www.calcatraz.com/blog/hacking-the-aggregate-theme-for-wordpress-975
I am a developer, and thought this would be a very good long term prospect. Was I badly mistaken,
This companies support suck! There themes are unstable and full of problems. I have had endless problems with their theme to an extent that I had to sign uo with webb-savy! what an excellent move. My last project the theme Gleam become totally unstable en would not manage ANY mp3 player on the market. I did contact the support and after three days they asked for login details which was send two days earlier. I did ask in those three days for urgent support 4 time and was ignored totally, By the time They reverted back to me i had already create another site as it was for an urgent launch.
I have since been begging for a refund from the company but they are so well mannered that they have ignored ALL my communications.
I have never dealt with a more useless crowd in my life,
Anybody wanting to buy, get you sneakers and start running,
I agree with Herman:
I’ve built hundreds of sites using themes from many of the top providers and even some free themes. When I saw the beautiful designs of Elegant Themes and the low low price . . . I jumped right in and got a membership.
It’s been nothing but frustration since. The themes are buggy, the support is AWFUL and whatever you do, do NOT provide them with login details. I did that once and their tech reset my CLIENT’s site to default after we had spent days customizing the homepage.
I’ve even seen the forums’ frustration get SO bad that a customer stepped in and created New Code to provide to the rest of us that fixed a problem ET said couldn’t be fixed.
You’re better off looking at another source, such as Inkthemes, MojoThemes or StyledThemes
~Hamland
Great Review guys! The latest Divi Theme is freaking sick.