Review of Three Of The Best Professional Wordpress Themes

Review of Three Of The Best Professional Wordpress Themes

Posted on 17. Jan, 2009 by Derrick in Blogging, Making Money Online, Reviews

Looking for a new look and feel for your blog?  Not sure where to look?  You can spend hours searching for the right theme (I have!, in fact I would say I’ve probably spent a good week searching!)  Here is a breif review of  3 of the best wordpress theme design companies I have discovered over the past few weeks and my experience in dealing with them.

1.WooThemes -

WooThemes - Open Air - One Of There Many Themes

WooThemes - Open Air - One Of 17 Current Themes

Really love these guys designs, but most importantly they mentioned they offered theme support for customization (which I needed).  Also they have developers who can help you make the changes should you not want to do it yourself (at about $50-100/hour). The help to customise was the main reason why I went with them, also they have a permanent 2 for 1 offer, so you get 2 for the price of one at $70.  They also have a theme club offer where you can have access to all the themes for a great price.  Currently they have 17 theme designs (all with colour theme variations) and they also have 4 Free ones now - Check them out here

They are really responsive when I made these sales enquiries (usually answered within 24 hours) plus their after sales support was excellent and they lived up to their promise of helping me customise my theme - my initial queries were answered within 30min. My last query is still unanswered, but it is the weekend! and I think I was lucky to get the others answered so quick on a Saturday night!

WooThemes - Quality - 4.5/5, Customer Service 4.5/5 so far, Value 4.5/5


2. Revolution Themes by Brian Gardner.

revolution-chrome

Revolution Two - One of Ten Current Themes

Another great set of themes, (Currently they have Ten different theme styles).   I have previously purchased a theme from Brian, and I have to say his service and response is also excellent.  He also has a support forum set up for customers, and I found this very useful in getting an issue resolved.  I would say quality and customer service is level with Woo Themes.  He also has a single theme price ($59.95) or a developer price where you get access to all his themes plus lifetime support. (199.95).  For repeat customers you also get 25% off:)

Revolution Two - Quality : 4.5/5,  Service 4.5/5, Value 4/5


3. Unique Blog Designs.

Unique Blog Designs - MoneyMaker

Unique Blog Designs - One of Three Current Themes

Many people use these guys. and they also produce great looking professional themes.  I would  say these guys are slightly more upmarket in terms of they have a more corporate professional feel.  This is reflected in their cost -  their current lineup of three themes are $79.00 each. and they have an equal focus on creating customized themes for mid-high end level clients.  I would definitely consider using them If I had the budget for a customized design - you’re looking at least around $1500 for a fully customized solution from them.

I did submit a couple of requests for more information, and they were a bit slow in responding. (about 2-3 days) - not sure if this was because I contacted them at the beginning of the year, and they may not have started work yet, nevertheless they were very professional, and were happy to discuss on the phone as well as via email.   A lot of the big boys use them, so if your budget allows - definitely worth checking them out for the fully customized option, or just get one of their professional ready made themes for $79.

Unique Blog Designs - Quality : 5/5  Customer Service 3.5/5 (based on slow response to sales enquiry only - have had no contact with support after sales), Value 3/5

I also made some enquiries to random wordpress designers, and even got a quote for up to $10,000 to get one done!  So if you are on a budget, but do want a ‘pro’ look for your theme with support (the problem with free themes are, it may be more difficult to do troubleshooting and therefore waste time, as compared to getting a professional theme, where they offer good support to help you get your theme working as fast as possible.

Here is a comparison table for these theme designers:

Wordpress Theme Designers Comparision

Wordpress Theme Designers Comparision

* Revolution themes offers 25% off any purchases after initial purchase.

Ultimately who you choose will largely depend on personal preference of design, and budget.

Here are quick links to their sites so you can take a look for yourself.

  1. WooThemes
  2. Revolution Themes
  3. Unique Blog Designs

Feel free to make a comment, and let me know if  you have any questions,  or if you have any other wordpress theme designers you would recommend!

Derrick

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6 Responses to “Review of Three Of The Best Professional Wordpress Themes”

  1. Mark Forrester

    18. Jan, 2009

    Thanks for the feature Derrick. Glad you like our themes and good to see us ranking well against the competition :)

    Reply to this comment
    • admin

      20. Jan, 2009

      No problems :). .thanks for the fast response in solving my problem with my video not showing up!

      Reply to this comment
  2. Blogging Tips

    19. Jan, 2009

    Well, Derrick

    You’ve made the right decision choosing Open Air. The other two are just not to my liking. Besides, they are pretty common nowadays.

    This theme has that fresh and soothing look if you ask me.

    Yan

    Reply to this comment
    • admin

      19. Jan, 2009

      Hey Yan,

      thanks for the comment!
      . . and for alerting me to a very important point I have left out of the review. Each of these companies have a number of designs, I merely just put up one for an example. . So I will modify the review and add this information in, so people are aware they make more than just one design :)
      thanks for pointing this out!!

      Cheers,

      Derrick

      Reply to this comment
  3. Blogging Tips

    19. Jan, 2009

    Well, WooThemes is still one class above the rest if you ask me.

    Yan

    Reply to this comment
  4. Mitch

    26. Jan, 2009

    Hey Derrick,

    Interesting review - I still reckon Thesis is a notch above the rest though. The WooThemes are beautiful, but the philosophy behind Thesis is what really makes the difference.

    Check out my thoughts on why Thesis rocks here.

    Let me know what you think!

    Reply to this comment

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