Are you wondering what is a WordPress theme framework and if you should be using one?
WordPress theme frameworks help developers make beautiful child themes more quickly. However, they come with their own advantages and disadvantages that you may want to consider.
In this article, we’ll explain exactly what is a WordPress theme framework. We’ll also explain different types of theme frameworks, go over the pros and cons of using them, and then share our favorite theme frameworks.
What is a WordPress Theme Framework?
A WordPress theme framework contains multiple files used to create a website theme. It includes the core functions of a theme, but not styling and design.
You can think of a theme framework as a parent theme that needs to be installed with a child theme. The child theme then determines how the website looks.
However, instead of actually splitting the theme into multiples such as ‘parent’ and ‘child’, developers simply include all the code in one installation, which is the framework.
Developers like to use theme frameworks because it allows them to reuse a lot of the same code for many different sites. They can easily create many different child themes for sites that need to be styled differently, without having to rewrite a lot of the same functions.
That’s because child themes are created by the framework to inherit all the functionality of the theme framework without the danger of losing customization or functionality.
You see, in the earlier days of WordPress, there were some crucial issues with the way WordPress themes were developed and maintained.
One big issue was that there was no good way to update WordPress themes without losing custom code added to the theme by the users.
Before frameworks existed, the only way developers could re-use the same code was to copy and paste it into all their themes.
This created a WordPress security concern. For instance, if there was a security exploit in a theme, then there was no quick way to apply a patch to all the other themes that were based on the same code.
To address this issue, the WordPress core team and the community came up with parent and child themes.
With frameworks, it is extremely easy to push out an update without modifying anything customized within the child theme. This method allows you to keep the “framework” of your site strong without modifying how it looks.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Theme Frameworks?
There are a few advantages and disadvantages to using a WordPress theme framework on your site. Let’s take a look at both.
Advantages (Pros)
- Community – Most popular theme frameworks have huge communities behind them. This makes it much easier to get your support questions answered. For instance, you can view support forums for specific themes on WordPress.org and get your queries resolved.
- Built-in functionality – Theme frameworks often come with built-in widgets, blocks, and other features. You get more control over customization and can easily edit fonts and colors and try different styles. Many frameworks and theme builders like SeedProd also come with pre-built templates and offer a drag-and-drop builder.
- Code Quality – Often theme frameworks are peer-reviewed, so they are much more likely to follow all best practices. This is essential as your website theme will be responsive and lightweight. A fast-loading website will in turn boost your WordPress SEO.
- Upgrades – The ability to upgrade without losing any style customizations is a great plus. This is also helpful when restoring your website backups. Your theme customizations remain intact, and you don’t have to perform them again.
Disadvantages (Cons)
- Unnecessary Code – Frameworks often come with tons of built-in functionality which you may not use. If the framework is well-coded, however, then this shouldn’t affect your site at all.
- Framework Limitations – Often frameworks have limitations. If you want to heavily customize your site, then you might have to override core files by installing a special child theme, even if the framework handles that for you.
- Price – Most theme frameworks are not free or offer limited features in the free version. There is either a one-time fee or an annual fee to receive updates and support. However, if you go for theme builders, then you get more value for money and the starting plans are also not that expensive.
Should You Use a Theme Framework?
If you are a developer learning to create your own WordPress themes, then you can use a theme framework to reduce your development time.
On the other hand, if you are a small business, then you can purchase a theme framework and a child theme to use on your website. Often, purchasing a theme framework gets you access to many different child themes all at once.
For instance, Genesis has excellent child themes for different industries that you can use and easily customize for your own needs.
Another advantage of using a framework for your site is that once you learn how to use it, you can easily switch designs without having to learn a whole new theme or framework.
Our Pick of The Best WordPress Theme Frameworks
There are tons of WordPress theme frameworks that are available. Here are some of the top theme frameworks we recommend for different uses.
1. Genesis Theme Framework
Based on our own experience, we recommend using Genesis Theme Framework by StudiPress. It comes with a rock-solid code library that is highly optimized for WordPress speed and performance.
Genesis isn’t bloated with a lot of extra features, so you can pick and choose the specific WordPress plugins you need for your website.
There are dozens of child themes available for Genesis which can be easily installed and customized. Plus, if you sign up for WP Engine for your WordPress hosting, then you get access to Genesis and all child themes for free.
StudioPress is now part of WP Engine, the most popular managed WordPress hosting company. You can get this theme and all 35+ other StudioPress themes when you sign up for WP Engine hosting to build your website.
Bonus: WPBeginner users also get an additional 20% OFF. Get started with WP Engine today!
2. Divi
Divi is a popular drag-and-drop WordPress theme. It really is a theme framework, though it doesn’t use actual child themes. Instead, it uses a theme builder and layouts which keeps your customizations safe when the framework is updated.
Using the powerful drag-and-drop page builder, you can easily import custom templates or use hundreds of pre-made layouts to create your own pages and sites as needed.
3. SeedProd
SeedProd is the best WordPress theme and landing page builder. It is a beginner-friendly plugin that helps you create custom themes without touching a single line of code.
The best part is that you get over 50 theme template kits, over 80 blocks for customization, drag and drop theme builder, and more. This way, you can create websites for any type of niche.
SeedProd is a complete solution for launching business websites. In each template kit, you get a homepage, landing pages, a contact page, and more. You can simply replace the dummy text and image to get started.
4. Themify
Themify is a drag-and-drop WordPress theme framework with 42+ themes, a powerful page builder, lots of addons and additional templates, and more.
This allows developers and website owners to make a website without writing any code at all. Plus, you get 11 plugins and Photoshop files for all the themes.
5. Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is a popular WordPress page builder that comes with a Beaver Themer addon, which helps it function as a full framework. This allows you to create custom landing pages as well as entire custom WordPress themes without writing any code.
It offers theme templates with different page layouts. You can also create layouts for WooCommerce products, 404 pages, search pages, and more. Besides that, Beaver Builder lets you build different parts like headers, announcement bars, call-to-action buttons, and more.
6. Astra
Astra is one of the most popular WordPress themes on the market. The main theme can be used as a stand-alone theme itself, but with their Starter Sites addon, you can also import complete website designs into your main theme with the functionality of a framework.
Astra is a mix between a code-library-based theme framework like Genesis and a drag-and-drop framework like Divi. It can also be used with any page builder of your choice, which gives users a ton of freedom.
Which Is the Best WordPress Theme Framework?
The best theme framework for you depends on your skill level and how much time and money you are willing to invest.
For developers, we recommend using Genesis. They have been around the longest, and the Genesis theme framework is highly optimized for SEO and performance.
For average users who want to build a website for their business or blog, we recommend using drag-and-drop frameworks like Divi, SeedProd, and Themify. They do not require any coding skills to get started and are super-flexible.
Alternatively, you can just use a standalone WordPress theme with flexible customization options like Astra.
We hope this article helped you learn more about WordPress theme frameworks and their pros and cons. You may also want to see our guide on how much it costs to build a WordPress website and our comparison of the best domain registrars.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Diane Caron says
I’m trying to learn and understand the world of websites and website building as well as blogs and their development.
When the word ‘framework’ is being used, its meaning is a selection of specific code used to build a website or blog.
If I use the analogy between Website framework and house building framing, the wood studs framework is like the framework for website building except it’s code. Whereas the outer perimeter of wood framing is the “parent framework”which generally stays the same. The inside wood framework is the child framework which can be modified wo changing the parent framework.
Is this a good and correct analogy? Is this what you mean when you say parent and child framework when pertaining to websites and blogs?
WPBeginner Support says
It is as close as that analogy would get We would recommend re-reading our guide for the specifics.
Admin
Adrian Lightfoot says
Do you edit Genesis itself or the Child Theme added to it.
WPBeginner Support says
You would normally want to edit the child theme
Admin
Johanna says
Another disadvantage of using a framework is if the creator is a one man shop who decides to close the shop and cease support and further development.
With the continuous development of WordPress, PHP versions and plugins, it is important that the framework/themes also keep up with the changes to stay compatible.
WPBeginner Support says
While not specific to frameworks, that is something to consider as well.
Admin
Krayl says
Great article! Given this article was written in 2012 would you still recommend using the suggested frameworks or are there more current options you would suggest in 2018
.
Thank you in advance!!
WPBeginner Support says
Hi Krayl,
We still recommend Genesis theme framework.
Admin
Arif chy says
Thanks a lot sir for more valuable content. i want to know what child theme has been used for wpbeginner from studiopress? please let me know it help me a lot
WPBeginner Support says
Hi Arif,
We use a custom child theme made specifically for our website.
Admin
Paul says
Concise and well written article, your site is an excellent resource. Thankyou!
Hiwa says
dear wpbeginner thank you for good help
i have a website at the first it was based by Web2py of Python programming language next i change this to Django from web2py and after i take decide to use wordpress because python take more time at me than wordpress and now i am using the wordpress right now i am agree of wordpress and i want to design a theme for myself but i dont know to use which framework who be good for speed and tools. i read the article but i need more help
which frame work do you suggest to use?
thank you very much
WPBeginner Support says
Hi Hiwa,
You can start with the underscores it is not a framework but a skeleton theme that you can build upon. If you really want to work with a framework, then we recommend Genesis.
Admin
Joe Calka says
Hello
I have been using worpress for about 2 years now and I love your site i have learned a ton of things. I use Genesis Framework to build my sites I am not an expert coder but I love the functionality of this framework ….
George says
Hello,
Great post and helpful.
Could someone please advise me what is WordPress framework? I am using free 2016 Theme. Also, what is Genesis framework by studio press? can I use it by itself or I need a child theme with it?
WPBeginner Support says
Hey George,
Genesis is a Theme Framework. You will need a child theme with it.
Admin
George says
Great, thanks for the clarification.
Deepak Singla says
Nice post. WordPress theme frameworks are the building blocks of the theme. There are tons of theme frameworks such as Genesis, Cherry Framework, TemplateToaster, Headway available. The choice depends upon your requirements.
Abhishek says
Thank Your for This Post But. Is It possible to develop your own theme framework or not.
Nilanchala says
Some of the comments here are inducing more questions then answering problems. Though I am not having expertise on WordPress development, I believe for high volume traffic websites going with any theme frameworks might not be a best option. It might be good to start with to go live quickly but overtime you will feel to write your own custom theme.
On my site stacktips.com, I have tried many different frameworks. Currently I am stuck at Redux Framework. It just serve the purpose but it comes with the cost. It makes too many DB queries, and lot many useless code blocks it has to go through before rendering a page.
Hence, I am writing my own theme from scratch. Design the layouts you need, and place the templates required. I believe thats the way to go! Having said that, if your client is stuck at low budget, you have no choice but to use some frameworks.
Diane Broadley says
Hi Thank you for this – very helpful. As someone who has tried for years to learn WordPress, the thing i find most difficult is understanding the file scenario behind the site. EG – that you need a folder of wordpress for every site you build. When you download it from your host, why can you not choose where its put, why can’t you move it and does that affect your personal home page which maybe a separate site. I cant make the connection between a starter wordpress theme on your server and using a theme online. Basic information about the file management behind it all is really difficult to find and understand. Beginners courses are frustrating because they rattle on about blogs, which has nothing to do with building a site. Lynda beginner wordpress seems hopeless.
Thats my experience anyway!
Thierry Muller says
I always advise Genesis lovers to take a look at Beans Theme Framework. It is also a fragmented approach but offers even more flexibility without compromising on performances.
That combined with UIkit (only load what you need on a per page basis) pretty much cover any type of layouts we can imagine. The Beans API is incredibly powerful and with the ability to assign fields (post meta) to template pages, it means that we can have an admin side matching the front end on a page template basis.
No bloat, powerful and light weight. Oh and it is also free
Karen says
That sounds VERY interesting! Thank you for the recommendation, Thierry!
Kanishk Kunal says
Having worked with Beans Theme Framework for WordPress theme development, I would second that Thierry! I love how Beans gives you the power to select which UIkit components to load.and intelligently optimizes loading based on page needs.
I have only started to dive into the Beans API and find it quite powerful as well as easy to work with. Since Beans is free and we have a great community building around it, I am sure it is going to turn out to be one of the most favored WordPress theme framework.
Warwick says
A great article – thanks for the comprehensive detail, and thanks Thierry for the tip on Beans. I’m installing as we speak!
sreekanth says
present im using truepixal theme,so here my doubt is can i use the genesis framework parallel to run my website.
Tamara says
Thank you for this article. It’s helping me slowly get my head around all the terminology.
I didn’t even know of the existence of “theme frameworks” until about 10 minutes ago, but I can take any theme that I mostly like and customize it with a Child Theme. So I still don’t quite understand the difference or relationship between a Framework and a Parent Theme.
Or are you saying that the framework is not a theme itself but rather the toolbox that a theme designer uses to create a parent theme? And the average user like me then installs and perhaps modifies the parent theme? Is there any reason I need to be concerned with frameworks if I’m not a designer?
WPBeginner Support says
Exactly, a Theme Framework provides you a set of tools that you can easily use in your theme.
Admin
Roberto says
Great article! Finally something that makes sense regarding theme frameworks.
Thanks.
Pete Gregory says
Outstanding article & I especially appreciate you mentioning the learning curve involved to use these frameworks! Many newbies don’t understand the amount of work associated with building any custom website, but these frameworks, once learned do make things easier. Personally, I like iThemes Builder but it is geared more towards a developer type with at least some code experience.
kamlesh sharma says
Nice n meamingful post to let ppl understand what a framework is.
As am new to web developing. Can I still use Genesis framework ?
I have say zero knowledge of codes n all. Can I make a robust n decent website using genesis …. ?
Eric Gross says
Alright leave it to me to reopen a post from 2012, but hey still relevant for those getting deeper into web design. I’ve been using a subscription to Elegant Themes, a super cheap price which gets access to all their themes, but as I understand it no framework. You just install their themes, some of which have the functions you mentioned like sliders, or use ratings plugins. Create a child theme, tweak CSS, they even have an ePanel for adding your analytics code, uploading a logo… But I’m ready for that next step…
From my vantage point I see frameworks as a more robust way to add functions to a site, than say adding plugins. You purchase a framework with the understanding that a team of mad coders are checking to ensure that their php files that enable eCommerce, won’t conflict with their already existing js code that allows a page to be translated into Spanish. Am I right? Perhaps some examples would help. Specifically the “learning curve” to utilize the power of the framework would be nice.
My work is from SEO background, brings up the concern though of page speed. For SEO a faster loading page ranks higher than a slow one. If a site is built on a theme that has numerous capabilities, but your site doesn’t use them is that possibly hurting your page speed? In Disadvantages, you make the statement this “doesn’t directly influence you”. Makes me wonder who this article was written for and who is influenced by unnecessary code?
Thanks in advance, I’m just trying to figure things out, great website. Keep up the good work.
Eric Gross says
So am I right? The benefit of frameworks is that you benefit from the strength of a team who developed the framework, to avoid downtimes.
And what about my speed to load concerns? Thanks.
Patrick says
Quote: Our Pick
There are tons WordPress theme frameworks that are available. ….. Yes, you do need to have development skills to code a child theme for this.
You can use the Genesis Extender Plugin which has a CSS Builder and PHP Builder so that takes care of development skills.
The Genesis Extender Plugin is by Cobalt Apps. You can design any Theme with the Dynamik Website Builder if you don’t have a Genesis Child Theme.
The Genesis Extender Plugin is as Powerful as The Dynamik Website Builder but If you have a Genesis Child Theme then use The Genesis Extender Plugin.
The Dynamik Website Builder has three components: Dynamik Settings, Dynamik Design Options and Dynamik Custom Options. The Genesis Extender Plugin has two comp: Extender Settings and Custom Options which are both the same components as in The Dynamik Website Builder.
I haven’t seen anything that’s as powerful as The Dynamik Website Builder or Genesis Extender Plugin. The next closest might be DMS (Drag And Drop Design Management System) by PageLines.
Shreyans says
Something I wanted to know for long. Thanks.
Kamran Abdul Aziz says
Nice n meamingful post to let ppl understand what a framework is.
As am new to web developing. Can I still use Genesis framework ?
I have say zero knowledge of codes n all. Can I make a robust n decent website using genesis ?
Srihari Thalla says
As you said you “have zero knowledge of code”, I wouldn’t recommend Genesis at this point of time. Go on with Headway Themes. It is a complete drag-and-drop framework and you don’t need any knowledge of coding.
Later, when you develop your coding skills, you are ready to move on with Genesis
Kamran Abdul Aziz says
Its been a year now & am ready to go with Genesis.
Melanne says
When you say that you need coding knowledge to create a child theme for genesis, how much coding knowledge do you mean? Right now I create child themes for twenty eleven, and the only files I work with are style.css and occasionally some php files, though only very minor edits. Will I be able to code a child theme for genesis or do I need to know how to actually write php to do that?
Lori says
Hi!
Thank you for sharing this informations. What I can’t understand ’bout framework and parent themes working with child one is:
1) when I’m building a new theme to sell, for example, do i zipped both parent and child theme together and make them two installing as one is based on the other? Or do you develop the new theme overriding the parent one (but in this way all future updates of the parent theme can’t be done correctly)?
2) A framework isn’t actually a theme and i guess is not a standalone theme, so how can developer use it? Pasting code needed? Or putting the framework folder INSIDE the new theme folder and include and calling functions needed?
Sorry, I’m just starting right now developing with wordpress and i’m quite confused
However, i’m building my first personal parent theme
Thank you for anwser!
Editorial Staff says
1. Most companies offer the parent theme as a separate download. If you own both the parent and the child theme, then might as well go the same route as others. If you are selling a child theme of another framework, then you should send people to get that framework (whether it is free or paid).
2. Frameworks are themes themselves, but they have hooks that other developers can use to customize things without overriding a theme file.
Admin
Martin says
This is all very well, but you dont actually give a definition of “Theme”. Youve sold me on the framework, but what is it a framework of? What actually IS a theme?
Editorial Staff says
Theme is the design that you see on your WordPress site. It is also called a skin or a template.
Admin
Robin Jennings says
Genesis is a great framework. Just ensure you get a mobile responsive theme straight up as not all of them are.
Pat Fortino says
Have used genesis, woothemes, yoothemes, and twentytwelve. Twentytwelve is the is easiest to understand and very fun and easy to work with. Genesis is the most difficult to understand. woothemes canvas and yootheme warp are in the middle. For the life of me, I cannot understand the love for genesis. I hate it. Using genesis is like building a ship in a bottle: you can never get your hands on the code. Instead, you spend most of your development time scouring studeopress site and the web to find out how to do simple code changes. Also, genesis is the most expensive of all and i have not found the support to be anything other than OK.
Yootheme templates are very powerful, but their support is aweful. Mostly volunteer answers.
Utkarsh Bhatt says
The love for genesis is because of its referral program. I have used Genesis, Woothemes and pretty much any framework available for WordPress, and I have to say that Genesis was pretty hard to understand, at least in the beginning, Like you said, the best theme for development is Twentytwelve.
Editorial Staff says
Actually referral program for other themes convert far better than Genesis because most folks buy their themes based on how it looks on the outside rather than the code itself. Ofcourse creating a standalone theme works and is probably easier in the short run to just tweak something like twenty twelve. However, to speed up development time and not reinvent the wheel in every single theme… it is much better to just spend some time on how Genesis works, and then simply start using it across your site.
Admin
Bradley says
I use the Woo Framework. I love the themes, they offer a lot of useful plugins (such as WooCommerce) made specifically to work with their themes, support is great, and I can customize the backend for users.
Lara says
Hi. Thank you for the post. I am a beginner web designer and I designed my sites the hard way by modifying other people’s code without too much knowledge of css or php. Can you guys recommend a framework that has visual editor and does not require to much coding. I do not want to modify existing themes. I want to build my own. I checked Headway and genesis. Genesis doesn’t have a demo. Headway is not bad. Is there anything similar to Headway besides the ones mentioned in the comments that you would recommend? My issue with headway is that you can not overlap boxes and there has to be 1 pixel in between them and so I’m a little perplexed as to how to execute certain design elements where overlapping is necessary. Perhaps there is another way to do it? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks you.
Editorial Staff says
You will NOT find a solution that you are looking for. Headway is the closest you will get. If you are looking to design sites, then we would recommend investing some time in learning the platform. That will vastly improve the overall quality of your work. I learnt by trial and error (exactly the same thing you are doing). Modifying existing themes to make it work for me. After a little bit of time, I was able to create my own themes. I would highly recommend you to not give up. The founder of genesis and StudioPress learnt the same way.
-Syed Balkhi
Founder of WPBeginner
Admin
Lara says
Thank you!
Any advice on how to make boxes overlap in headway?
Chris Howard says
Hey Lara
Just stumbled unto this.
If you still want an answer, Headway allows you to “Nudge” blocks. That should solve your problem. Look for it in the block’s Design Mode stylings. http://d.pr/i/NTJA
Also, do you the Headway support forums. You should get an answer there.
All the best
Bernie Roseke says
“There was not a single comprehensive article that explained what is a WordPress theme framework.”
YES! Thank you! I am a small time blogger that read Darren Rowse’s book, “Problogger” and he is a pretty big supporter of the Genesis framework. So naturally I went to check it out, but I could not for the life of me figure out what a framework was. I’ve done probably 3 hours worth of web surfing (over many days). The StudioPress page is the worst. You would think if they wanted you to buy it they should tell you what it is. But all you get is “WordPress is the engine, Genesis the body, and the child theme is the paint job”….. what on earth does that mean?
Thanks for clearing this up. This post deserves higher search engine rank. Good luck.
Mick says
No mention of any Automatic frameworks?
Personally I LOVE the _s framework. Yes it is a little more advanced but it has everything there to start building your own custom themes!
Editorial Staff says
Again, this is not a list of frameworks. There are tons of amazing frameworks out there. The point of this article is to educate users on what is a framework.
Admin
Roland says
Ok, you’re right. You have to spend some time to learn the special hooks of the framework. But afterwards the framwork can save you a lot of time. I use Xtreme Theme and I never regret.
Editorial Staff says
Agreed, the first few times it takes longer. But once you get used to it, it speeds up your dev time significantly.
Admin
Martin says
As far as frameworks go there is nothing at the moment that is as powerfull as Ultimatum. I have been using it for a while now and the drag and drop part gives you the abillity to create great looking sites but if you want more you can easily add custom styles and so on. I have tried several others, but none of these even comes close to the power of the Ultimatum framework.
I would look out for this new contender in the framework market, because it’s going to be big.
The community is also excellent and very responsive. All in all, the best money I have spend over the last year!
Chris Rouse says
I’ve been using Standard Theme by 8BIT for a while now. It’s a fantastic framework to work with and has taken me from not knowing a thing about CSS to building child themes for it (that are actually being used other Standard Theme users!).
I started off with pre-built free themes and always hated something about them. They were tough to customize because I didn’t know where anything was or how to tweak it, and as you said, upgrades broke everything. Switching to a framework has been a game changer for me. Rather than looking through thousands of crappy free themes, or wishing I could afford the premium theme that looks cool, I can just build the theme that I want for the most part.
Another thing to point out about a number of frameworks, including Standard Theme, is that a number of them are now being built around Bootstrap (formerly known as Twitter Bootstrap). This means they come with built-in responsive layouts for different screen sizes. This saves a lot of work building mobile sites, or having to sacrifice design to use a mobile site plugin that converts the site for you into something that doesn’t look at all like your site.
Melissa M. Miller says
I use WooThemes Canvas and I love it!
Debra says
Child themes make perfect sense now. I finally get it! Thank you! Now I can get on to steps 2 through 2000….
Aditya says
I have been using themes from themify for long time…..but with lot of recommendations I am thinking to move towards to genesis….but as you said in the post that genesis is for developers but I am not a developer but I really love themes from genesis…..and I also intend to learn somewhat things about coding….
So should I go with studiopress or can go with drag and drop frameworks like headway or thesis ?????
Editorial Staff says
If you like the child themes from Genesis, then use that. You don’t have to be a developer to use it. You have to be a developer to customize the themes unless you go with something like Headway.
Admin
Tushar says
Thanks for this article however I could think of 2 things
1] This topic has a very large scope whereas this post could very well be a part 1 of that
2] This article seems very limited around Genesis / Headway towards the end.
Also, one must not forget about good free frameworks such as Theme Hybrid and Gantry Framework.
I am using Theme Hybrid since a year or so and the kind of support I received is phenomenal. I have also tried Gantry for few couple of client sites and that too is very good for developers.
I don’t mean Genesis is bad, its great too but when we talk about WordPress in general (and not just Blogs) – Genesis is not the last stop.
Thanks again
Editorial Staff says
Hey Tushar,
The topic “framework” is very broad YES. However, we covered exactly what the title said. It is intended to explain what frameworks are. It doesn’t say that we will list ALL frameworks that are out there. Surely there are tons of amazing frameworks out there. We haven’t tried all of them. We can only write and recommend the ones that we have tried. This is exactly why we asked users to tell us which frameworks you are using. Yes, we have heard great things about ThemeHybrid however we haven’t tried it. This is why we cannot recommend it in the article.
Admin
Zimbrul says
This is one comprehensive article about WordPress frameworks, what they are and what they do.
I’m using Headway Theme, a bit of iBuilder (not quite like it), Thesis and of course, Genesis. As with the release of Thesis 2.0 Genesis became my favourite WordPress framework and the reasons are simple: clean code, easy to alter, easy do do basic modifications without getting your hands dirty with CSS, simple to understand even for someone with little or no experience with frameworks. The nice thing you can say about Genesis is that the more you get it to know the more you want to learn. And of course it the support. Support for Genesis framework is the best I came across in the market. Never closed a support ticket without being answered and the problem clarified.
Headway Theme is amazing, you can do great things with it IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH IMAGINATION IN DESIGN (not my case).
Karen F says
Why did you leave out the Builder Framework? It’s really fabulous with a first rate community and support staff. I sound like I’m shilling for them – I am not! But it’s really great – and widely used – and I’m baffled that you don’t mention it! In addition, I’d love to hear you evaluate it’s pros and cons and compare it to the other Frameworks. And Builder has a wider reach in a way, between their BackUp Buddy plugins and their WebDesignUniversity.com from which I have learned SO much with their webinars on everything WordPress. Honestly, you are doing a disservice to the WP community to exclude them. And again, I am not associated with them as anything other than a customer!
Editorial Staff says
Hey Karen,
We know the folks from iThemes, and we are good friends with them. Yes Builder is a great framework. This article is not meant to list all frameworks that are available. Plenty of other articles do that just fine. The point of this article was to highlight what is a framework, why you should use the framework, pros and cons of the framework, and then our pick. We believe that we did a pretty good job at covering what the article intended to cover. This is exactly why we asked users to suggest which framework they use and love. In a sense that is doing pretty of service to the community. A reader can come to learn about frameworks, and then see what others are using and recommending.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
Admin
Karen F says
LOL! You are right! When I reread your post — you WERE asking for everyone’s experience with Frameworks! Well, let my ruuuusssshhhh to wave the flag for the iThemes team be a testament to their fabulous community and the loyalty they inspires! Sorry for jumping the gun there. And, it would be great for you to evaluate the strengths of the top Frameworks.
Pandoon says
And what about speed? There are a lot of unnecessary code, so does it load lower?
Editorial Staff says
It depends on which framework you are speaking of.
Admin
Rusho says
All the theme listed in this article are commercial. You should mention some free framework such as Granty or Thematic Framework. Anyway, the topic is helpful.
chris kluis says
What about Roots?
Fred Romano says
StudioPress and Genesis rock! I will never go back to other frameworks after using Genesis. The code is clean and “bloat free” compared to the competition. These guys also provide amazing support!
Carrie Dils says
I stumbled on Genesis about 18 months ago and have never looked back. The pro you mention of community”really takes the cake. I can’t speak for other framework communities, but the group of users and developers around StudioPress is TOP NOTCH.
Regarding flexibility, I haven’t really been bothered too much by this. Again, the StudioPress core dev team has demonstrated a continued desire to grow and expand Genesis capabilities.
If you can’t tell, I’m sold.
Thanks for the write-up. All that said, Genesis is a framework more geared toward developers and it’s nice to know others that might be better suited for a different kind of user.