We cover four different WordPress frameworks.
Genesis Framework:
Genesis Framework from StudioPress https://www.studiopress.com is one of the most popular of all the WordPress frameworks its very developer focused and need quite a bit of development experience to get the best from it.
Prices: Genesis Framework on its own $59.95 with all the Studio commercial themes $399
One of the ways to use Genesis if you are not an experience developer is to use this third party plugin tool Dynamik Website Builder for $59.
Pros
a) very well document.
b) Well coded.
c) Big library of child themes.
Cons
a) complicated if you are not an experience WordPress developer.
b) the child themes do tend to look very similar in design.
c) not all the child themes are fully responsive.
Headway Framework
Headway: from Headway Themes https://headwaythemes.com/ is an other very popular WordPress framework. It is very different from Genesis, as it has its own built-in drag & drop page building functionality.
Prices: 1 site for $59 with one template, or with the developer license for $199 you get all of Headway themes. At the present moment, they have a Christmas sale where you get a 35% discount on everything.
Pros
a) Easy to use if you are not an experienced developer.
b) Very well documented.
c) Very attractive child themes.
Cons
a) The code can be a bit bloated, which leads to slow loading themes.
b) You are locked into the Headway Framework ecosystem.
c) If you go down the fully custom route with this Framework, keep in mind that the designs will need a lot of testing.
Canvas Framework
from WooThemes https://www.woothemes.com/
This is very popular framework from the people who develop and support Woocommerce.
Price: $119 unlimited domains or $399 which includes a number of nice looking themes.
Pros
a) Well coded.
b) Great documentation.
c) Works with WooCommerce.
Cons
a) Not setup to work with child themes.
b) Limited selection of themes compared to StudioPress.
c) Some of the themes are not responsive.
Thesis Framework
https://diythemes.com/ is one of the oldest WordPress frameworks.
This framework uses a very custom way of developing WordPress websites. You could say it’s a hybrid system that is taking its own route compared to the rest of the WordPress development community.
Price: $87 for a one domain license, or you could buy the professional level for $199. The $199 level gives you unlimited lifetime support and the ability to use the framework on as many different domains as you like.
Pros
a) Very well coded.
2) Extremely powerful. In the hands of an experienced Thesis developer, development can prove very quick.
3) This framework has been around for a long time.
Cons
a) You need to be an experienced developer to use this framework.
b) Uses skins instead of a child theme.
c) It does things its own way, which are not compatible to the norm of WordPress.
Finally for 2014 I have my guilty secret to share:
I have become a big fan of “Crusoe The Celebrity Dachshund.” So for the start of the New Year I would share with you Crusoe’s latest adventure. Have a great 2015 folks!
020 WP-Tonic: WordPress Frameworks was last modified: April 5th, 2021 by
