By WordPress is the most popular CMS (content management system) that comes to mind when discussing themes or website creation.
It’s generally fair as the number of WordPress users will rise to 810 million in 2023. One of the reasons behind this popularity is that WordPress allows you to use custom or premade themes.
However, a beginner can easily get confused about which one to prefer.
If so, today’s guide is for you, where we will discuss the pros and cons of both custom vs premade themes so that you can make a well-informed choice.
So, let’s dig in.
What is a Custom Theme?
A custom WordPress theme is a theme that is specifically designed for one website only. These themes are usually built to meet the criteria of user experience and brand identity or to reflect and adjust individual preferences.
However, a custom theme requires the coordination of both a designer and a developer. A designer will help create a customized site design, and a developer will bring life to those designs.
Custom-made themes also have some pros and cons that are good to know.
Pros of a Custom Theme:
Limitless Customizations
One of the most significant advantages of custom-made themes is that you can customize your theme. You can completely optimize or rebuild the theme to suit your individual preferences.
Suppose you already have created your brand identity or selected a color scheme. In that case, a customized theme is all you need to convert it into a website.
This will also save you from spending hours figuring out how to convert or customize a pre-made theme to suit your needs. Your developer will also be able to unlock and enjoy the WordPress customizations using codings fully.
Ideal for Future Growth
Another perk of choosing a custom theme is that they are ideal for future growth.
In case you want to customize your site in the future or add some new features to the existing one. Everything becomes possible. All you need is a developer to make it happen.
Gaining Knowledge and Experience
Knowledge and experience are critical factors in a website’s growth.
And if you are getting a custom theme, you will also get the knowledge and experience of your developer or designer.
So, their years of experience will help you achieve your goals more quickly.
Uniqueness
The uniqueness factor must be the most significant cause of adopting a custom theme.
All other premade themes usually have the same kind of interface. It doesn’t matter how much you customize them it will be hard to make the theme unique.
Furthermore, any other website may have used the same theme. Whether it’s been used with less customization will still affect your brand uniqueness.
That’s why custom themes are best to achieve unique layouts, graphics, content, fonts, and media requirements to enjoy the biggest perk of uniqueness.
More Control
A custom theme is usually built by considering your unique preferences, so it’s easier for you to adjust it accordingly.
Additionally, as such themes are built specifically for you, you can eliminate unnecessary functionalities or customizations.
It will also make a website theme less bulky, which will help optimize SEO and enhance speed performance.
Cons of a Custom Theme:
Difficult to Customize
Although custom themes have endless customization opportunities, they are difficult to customize.
Only a senior developer could do this. This can also result in an increased cost.
Costly
If you want a custom theme, remember it will be costly.
Hiring a professional web developer could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars. That’s why another big con of custom themes is the cost factor if you have any budget issues.
Development Time
If you are about to choose a custom theme, you must remember a significant amount of time will be spent on its development.
It’s because you have to go through specific procedures first.
For example, it will be time-consuming to build a custom architecture for several testing sessions until it gets final.
Client Involvement
Client involvement is the biggest con when creating a custom theme, especially when the client doesn’t have any active resources to communicate.
While creating a custom theme, a developer’s goal will always be to meet the client’s expectations.
The unavailability of clients during the testing phase or in the designing process will make the task daunting.
What is a Premade Theme?
Simply put, a premade theme is already built and is now available for purchase.
Now, any people globally can reach out to them and get the theme.
After that, all you need will be to install it on your website and perform the fewer customization settings to set the theme according to your website or blog requirements.
Pros of a Premade Theme:
Affordable
Premade themes are affordable as they save you from hiring a web developer.
You only need a free or premium theme and technical knowledge to install and customize your site.
If you don’t know how to do so, hiring a web designer is less costly, and you will also get a good bang for your buck.
Furthermore, themes like generatepress or Astra have the monthly or yearly subscription opportunity to help you get a website without breaking the bank.
Fewer Customizations
A well-built premade theme is easier to customize and has fewer customizations.
However, if you have hired a professional web designer, he will unlock the customization opportunities of premade themes and make the site more appealing.
Quick and Easy Setup
The beauty of premade themes is that you will get a quicker setup than the custom ones.
When you get a premade theme, download and install it on your site. This process usually has no waiting around and is quick.
You can also check the real-time customization interface to see how it will look. Conversely, the preview mode is also there to serve you.
Saves Development Time
Premade themes usually have fewer customizations to do, and this will lead a developer towards quick and easy development.
As a result, speedier project timelines will enhance productivity.
Additionally, depending on the client’s requirements, a web designer can manage the time and deliver precisely what’s expected.
Updated:
Keeping the site current is crucial in this evolving technology era. And premade themes have made access to updates a lot easier.
Whichever theme you have purchased, each will give you access to monthly or yearly updates.
These automatic updates will also help your site to stay upgraded and compatible with this digital world.
Cons of a Premade Theme:
Not Many customizations
Although many customizations can be performed in a premade theme, you must still be very professional in that there are fewer available customizations.
With that, you can not expect to make your site unique by using that customization. That’s why, somehow, you may have to compromise on it.
Less Uniqueness
As we all know, a premade theme means it will be widely available for use. And for these reasons, the element of uniqueness is more likely to be lost.
The chances of seeing the same theme used by someone else are more likely to increase.
However, this con can be overcome by choosing a theme with many customization options. Still, it is considered as a disadvantage.
Compatibility Issue
The common issue raised in premade themes is that they are incompatible with all the plugins you want to use.
Additionally, the themes available worldwide are huge in numbers, and for developers, it is not even possible to check and make every theme compatible with each plugin.
The only way to eliminate this downside is to check the compatibility of each theme before you even decide to purchase.
Custom Vs Premade Themes in a Nutshell:
| Aspect | Custom Themes | Premade Themes |
| Definition | Uniquely designed for one specific site | Pre-built and available for purchase |
| Customization | Highly customizable, limitless options | Easier to customize, but with limitations |
| Cost | Costly, requires hiring a professional web developer | Affordable, may involve lower upfront costs |
| Development Time | Time-consuming, specific procedures and testing sessions | Quick setup, minimal waiting time |
| Client Involvement | Requires client input and feedback | Less client involvement, quicker development |
| Uniqueness | Highly unique, tailored to brand identity | Less unique, more widely used themes |
| Control | Full control over design and functionality | Limited control due to predefined structure |
| Updates | No automatic updates, need manual maintenance | No automatic updates need manual maintenance |
| Compatibility | Generally well-matched with specific needs | Compatibility issues with certain plugins |
Custom Vs Premade Themes – Which One Should Be Your Choice?
To wrap up today’s discussion, choosing between custom vs premade themes entirely depends on a person’s preference.
However, if you struggle to choose one, consider the critical points mentioned above to make an informed decision. That’s why, considering your requirements, budget, and level of uniqueness, you can easily choose one between both.
Hopefully, this guide has created some value in yours. If so, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to keep reading more exquisite posts like this.
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