In this article, we will do a Simple Comparison of WordPress Theme Frameworks and we hope that, after reading this article, you will have a good idea of the various theme frameworks available and the differences between them.

We have learned about the WordPress Theme frameworks and the Options frameworks in our previous blog article Simple Guide for WordPress Framework.

A theme framework is the code library which contains all the functionalities, code elements. For developers these frameworks are a great help, as they don’t need to start from scratch, theme frameworks are effective and give them a boost while developing a new custom or child theme.

This example will help you to understand the theme frameworks even better, let’s consider the theme framework as the structure of a house, and the child theme as the exterior styling options like coloring walls, designing interiors. Whatever changes you want to do you can do with the interiors or the coloring you can do easily without changing the structure.

Let’s check out some of these WordPress theme frameworks and their pros and cons.

Genesis is a powerful, secure, SEO friendly theme framework. It’s one of the most used theme frameworks and has a great community, where developers/bloggers share helpful tips and tricks. The themes of Genesis are mobile-friendly. We can use it to build almost any kind of WordPress website, whether it’s an e-commerce website, blog or magazine.

Pros

Search Engine Optimized

Secure

Large User/Developer Community

Beautiful Collection of Themes

Responsive

Cons

Difficult for a complete beginner

Not always fit for small sites

Another popular theme framework is the Headway theme framework. It has powered over 47,000 websites since 2009. It’s a great option for those who wish to create a website without learning a piece of code and by just doing drag and drop. This framework is good the developers as well as they can create custom themes and blocks as per their requirements.

The plans include Standard $89 for 3 sites and $199 for unlimited sites.

Pros

Design editor and drag-and-drop builder for custom designs

Easy to use for beginners and non-coders

Lots of options via extensive blocks

Range of action hooks

Cons

Limited nos. of child themes

Pay extra for extensive block

Wonderflux theme framework is a free and open-source WordPress theme framework. It is for professionals who have a good knowledge of HTML, CSS, and PHP. Professionals can make any custom changes they want. The themes are dynamic and responsive. These are mobile-friendly. A number of developers are working with Wonderflux framework, so the support will be good.

Pros

Free and open source

Clean Code- minimal bloat

Dynamic and Responsive Layout

Cons

Support is not that good.

Limited child themes

Cherry framework is also a free and open-source framework for WordPress. This framework is suitable for developers who are building a small business website or users starting their own websites. TemplateMonster built cherry framework. And they are maintaining it. Cherry shortcodes are the most popular tool of this framework.

Pros

Responsive design

Plenty of customization

Free and open source

Free and open source More than child themes

Cons

Child themes are not free.

Some features can be difficult for beginners

Unyson theme framework is another useful WordPress theme framework. It supports drag and drop like the arrangement and gives you the flexibility of creating themes fast and easy. It’s also a free and open-source theme framework and also starting with the starter theme is also free. You can use extensions to make the development faster.

Pros

Drag and Drop Builder

Free and open source

Sliders, Breadcrumbs, Mega Menu, and more features

SEO friendly

Cons

Only one free starter theme

Styling extensions can make it heavy

Other Theme Frameworks, such as Canvas, Thematic are no longer supported or maintained. So, we don’t recommend using these.

The thematic theme framework hasn’t been updated in over 2 years. It may no longer be maintained or supported and may have compatibility issues when used with more recent versions of WordPress.

I have tried to list some of the Best WordPress theme frameworks and hope you find this blog helpful. In case I missed any theme frameworks, please let me know in the comment section. If you are already using any of these WordPress theme frameworks, then please share your experience with the users and us. We would love to hear from you.

Also, Read:

Image Editor Plugins for WordPress – Top Plugins

List of 5 Best WordPress Anti Spam Plugins