These days, it’s not easy to find high-quality, original WordPress themes. And sometimes, when you think you have found one, you quickly realize that the theme club you’re interested in joining or the theme framework you want to buy is hundreds of dollars.
But it doesn’t have to be like that.
Today we’re going to take an in-depth look at a WordPress theme shop called Elegant Themes. They offer a few exceptional premium themes and even some helpful plugins like Monarch and Bloom, which are designed to help website owners build beautiful, highly converting websites that generate a large following and lots of money.
And to help you out, we’ve created a table of contents, just in case you want to skip ahead:
So, let’s get started!
Elegant Themes is a WordPress theme shop that’s highly recommended by some of the top WordPress enthusiasts and experts. Nick Roach, who started the theme club in his college apartment, has grown Elegant Themes exponentially over the past 11 years since its inception.
Centered around the idea of community, rather than simply existing as a company, Elegant Themes is powered by a team of people from across the globe. In fact, WordPress experts from over 20 different countries come together to bring website owners the very best WordPress themes and plugins for an affordable price.
And to top it off, they strive to provide nothing less than stellar customer support so site owners can achieve their dreams, no matter what they are.
In the past, Elegant Themes offered WordPress site owners approximately 87 themes and a handful of plugins. However, in an attempt to provide the highest quality product to its customers, Elegant Themes has downsized and now only offers two premium themes – Divi and Extra – and three powerful plugins designed to help you grow your site – Monarch, Bloom, and Divi Builder.
On top of that, Elegant Themes maintains its popularity in the saturated WordPress theme and plugin marketplace because they’re not out to break your bank account.
Offering both themes and all three plugins for the low price of $89/year, or an impressive one-time fee of $249 if you want “Lifetime Access” to everything Elegant Themes has to offer, this company continues to stay competitive.
And just in case you’re wondering, there’s a generous 30-day money-back guarantee on all purchases. If you buy and decide you don’t like Elegant Themes’ themes or plugins, just request a refund – no questions asked.
Sounds great, right? Well, we’ve got the inside scoop on Divi, Extra, Monarch, Bloom, and the Divi Builder so you can see for yourself.
Check out our 10% off Elegant Themes Coupon if you’re ready to get started today!
Just like you’d expect from any reliable WordPress theme, Divi and Extra come packed with a set of standard features site owners can utilize with ease:
Divi, first launched in 2013, is a multipurpose theme that is nothing short of amazing. It also happens to be the flagship theme of Elegant Themes and what helped propel it to success in such a short amount of time.
With it, you can create any type of website you want. For example, you can start a WordPress blog, launch an eCommerce shop, and even manage an online business using this highly versatile theme. In fact, Divi is one of the best multipurpose themes in the market to date.
Divi comes pre-packaged with its matching counterpart – Divi Builder. Divi Builder is a drag-and-drop page builder (more on this later) that offers you the chance to create a standout website without having any technical knowledge.
You can drag-and-drop columns, rows, site elements, and exclusive Divi modules to make your own unique layouts – all without ever needing to look at our touch a single line of code.
You can either do this via a backend wireframe editor (pictured below) or via a visual front-end editor where you can see your finished design while you’re building it:
And to makes things really simple, Divi has included over 46 content modules for you to pick from to help you build each webpage on your site. For example, you can add a call to action button, number counter, image, video slider, testimonial, and so much more.
Once you choose the right content module, you can then customize it to fit your needs. Change the typography, font size, colors, position, and more depending on the module you’re using.
This gives you complete control over how your theme, and thus your website, looks. It also helps you prevent your site from looking like every other website on the internet.
Here’s more of what you get with the Divi theme:
Another standout feature of Elegant Themes’ Divi theme is its pre-designed layout packs. With over 100 to choose from, it won’t matter what niche your website is in, there will be a layout that caters to it.
When you find a layout you love, just import its content straight into your WordPress site. And don’t think that you’ll just have one template to pick from. Divi will provide you with pre-made templates for your home, about, landing, team, and even shop pages. Of course, the templates available will depend on the niche you choose. But there is no shortage of variety with this theme.
Lastly, one of the best reasons to use the Divi theme is the front-end, inline editing option that’s available. Not only can you choose from a set of pre-designed, high-quality templates to guide your web design, but you can also access the front end of your site and use the WYSIWYG drag and drop user interface. This gives you the freedom to create anything your want from scratch with ease.
When it first launched, you could only use the visual, drag-and-drop Divi Builder to design the content for your posts and pages. Now, that’s completely changed as of Divi 4.0 thanks to theme building.
With Divi’s theme building, you can use the visual editor to design 100% of your theme, including your header, footer, and the templates for your individual blog posts, pages, blog lists, and more.
Essentially, this lets you control every single part of your website using visual, drag-and-drop editing.
With this feature, Divi basically gives you two ways to build your site:
Boosting your marketing efforts with the Divi theme is a cinch. It comes with a built-in email optin module for building a bigger email list. And with support for popular email marketing service providers like Mailchimp, AWeber, ConvertKit, and MailPoet, growing your following or your business, segmenting your email campaigns, and maintaining GDPR compliance is a reality.
And to make sure everything is performing the way you want it to, you can utilize Divi’s split testing system. Broadcast different versions of your website to your target audience and access powerful insights that you can use to make better data-driven decisions.
Extra, launched after the Divi release, is another theme brought to you by Elegant Themes. It’s a magazine theme that’s also fully powered by the Divi Builder plugin, which makes site building a cinch. Not to mention, Extra helps you create a website worth reading.
With Extra, you have access to a built-in review system, which is perfect for gathering your site visitors’ reactions to your content. With enough positive reviews, you’ll be able to boost engagement on your website and establish a reputable brand in no time. And if you have a ton of content for people to read, you can easily separate it into easy-to-digest categories and utilize Extra’s tab feature for a better user experience.
Extra makes it easy to create an engaging website filled with imagery and text that keep people wanting more. In fact, the Divi Builder framework has been extended for Extra to accommodate content modules designed specifically for online publications and bloggers.
With these content modules you can:
Want to make money online while you continue to run your online publication or blog? Extra integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce so you can monetize your site by selling physical products, digital downloads, or even services.
Display your top products in the sidebar, add a ‘filter by price’ slider to make finding the perfect product easy on customers, and of course, showcase thumbnail images, descriptions, and prices of items in your online shop. Each product page will be just as visually appealing as any other webpage on your site thanks to Extra’s dedication to consistency.
And to help you boost sales and generate more revenue, the Extra theme comes with eCommerce shop features like:
Though most of what you find in Extra is also found in Divi (they were created by the same team after all), there is one feature that’s exclusive to Extra: portfolio custom post type.
Using this exclusive custom post type, you can get creative and build custom portfolio archive layouts using the Extra category builder and highlight your best work for your loyal readers to view over and over again.
Other great features found in Extra include:
In addition to Divi and Extra, joining the Elegant Themes theme club gives you access to some powerful WordPress plugins:
Monarch is a social media sharing plugin that lets you add social share buttons to five places on your site:
There are over 20 social networks to choose from with Monarch. Plus, you can enable specific triggers on your popups or fly-ins so the right people get the right message at the right time.
Plus, you can enable specific triggers on your social share popups or fly-ins so the right people get the right message at the right time:
You may not feel like you can customize your social share buttons that much, but with Monarch, you can. For example, choose from 3 button shapes, 5 sidebar hover effects, and 4 inline button hover effects. In addition, you can pick your icon orientation, show network names and social counts, and even change the native colors to match your brand’s color scheme, too.
When you use Monarch, you have access to an intuitive dashboard that lets you manage everything from customization to statistics. In fact, you can see real-time stats regarding shares, follows, and likes. And when you need to switch websites, you can easily import and export Monarch data and settings from one WordPress site to another.
Bloom is an exceptional email opt-in plugin that makes it easier for you to connect with your target audience long after they leave your website by building a bigger email list. For instance, let subscribers know about upcoming sales in your online store, alert them when new content is published, and share valuable information about your business – using the Bloom plugin.
Once Bloom is activated on your WordPress site, you’ll be able to create stunning opt-in forms using one of six display types:
And just like Monarch, you’ll have your choice of triggers so you don’t disrupt the user experience, but you also give site visitors as many chances to subscribe as possible.
Bloom integrates with 19 email marketing service providers. Some of the best include GetResponse, MailerLite, ConvertKit, and AWeber.
And with over 100 beautifully designed templates, Bloom gives you everything you need to create an optin form on your site without having to do much work at all. Of course, if you prefer to build a form from scratch, there’s always that option too.
Other features found in Bloom include:
The Divi Builder plugin comes built into both Divi and Extra themes. It also works as a standalone plugin, much like Monarch and Bloom, should you decide to use another theme on your WordPress site.
The best part about the Divi Builder plugin is that you don’t have to have any coding knowledge to use it. It comes with a drag and drop visual editor that allows you to edit on the front-end of your site. All you have to do access the Divi Builder interface. In other words, rather than using the default WordPress Editor (whether that be the Classic Editor or Gutenberg), you’ll use Divi Builder instead.
With over 40 content modules to choose from (such as CTA button, countdown times, pricing table, and more), even a novice website owner can build a successful website from the ground up. And to save you time and improve your page building efforts, Divi Builder comes with features like:
Most Divi Builder content modules comes with plenty of settings, so you can customize them to match your brand and your vision. For example, things like colors, font styles, animation effects, and more can be adjusted in real-time. This ensures your site looks the way you want it to before ever clicking ‘Publish.’
Best of all, Divi Builder also comes with the powerful new theme building feature in Divi 4.0. So you can start with any base theme and use Divi Builder to design 100% of your content and templates.
Be sure to read our comprehensive Divi Builder review to find out more about this amazing page builder plugin.
A well-coded WordPress theme is of no use to you if you don’t get regular theme and plugin updates or support. Unfortunately, many theme shops fail to provide their customers with proper updates and support, despite the high prices they command.
But not with Elegant Themes.
As long as you are a member of the Elegant Themes theme club, you can be sure that your theme will always be compatible with the latest version of WordPress. You’ll also receive routine updates that improve security and come with more advanced features.
Plus, you’ll have access to their premium support channels. For example, whether you’re a customer or not, you can access Elegant Themes’ 24/7 live chat support. And once you become a theme club member, you’ll be able to manage your products and account using the clean, intuitive dashboard.
In addition, you can access the Community Forum, Developer Documentation, and Elegant Themes Documentation to get all your pressing questions answered one way or another.
Our experience of using Elegant Themes’ support has been positive. If you are interested in how the company fared, read our Elegant Themes support review.
As for getting involved with the ever-growing Elegant Themes community, there are a few opportunities to get involved:
And don’t forget to check out the active Elegant Themes blog. With plenty of fresh new content being published on a regular basis, anyone looking to learn about Elegant Themes products or advance their skills will never run short on information.
Elegant Themes comes with 2 straightforward plan options:
Best of all, “unlimited websites” includes both your personal websites as well as any websites you build for clients. That’s pretty generous, as a lot of other WordPress extensions would make you buy another license for client websites.
And don’t worry, no matter which plan you choose to go with, you also get a 30-day money-back guarantee. That way, if for any reason you’re not 100% satisfied being an Elegant Themes club member, you can get a full refund – no questions asked.
Here are some common questions you might have about Elegant Themes to finish out our review…
Elegant Themes offers excellent value for the money because you get access to all of their products to use on unlimited sites for one flat fee. A lot of other companies charge ~$60 for just a single theme, while $89 at Elegant Themes gets you two premium themes and three premium plugins.
Elegant Themes was founded by Nick Roach in 2008. Nick is still the CEO as of 2024, though the Elegant Themes team has grown to have over 100 employees in 20 different countries.
Elegant Themes used to offer a lot of themes, but now they only offer two – Divi and Extra. Of the two, Divi is much more popular.
Bloom is a plugin that helps you grow your email list with popups and opt-in forms. You get it as part of your Elegant Themes membership. You can learn more in our full Bloom plugin review.
Elegant Themes cost $89 per year for yearly access or a one-time $249 payment for lifetime access. For your payment, you get access to every single theme and plugin that Elegant Themes offers.
You can also save 10% with our Elegant Themes discount.
With your membership, you can use all the Elegant Themes products on unlimited personal or client websites.
Yes! Your Elegant Themes license lets you use all of the products on both personal and client websites.
Yes! If you start with the yearly access and then decide to upgrade to lifetime access, you can upgrade and only pay the difference. So if you already paid $89 for yearly access, you’d only pay another $160 to upgrade to lifetime ($249 minus $89). You’ll see an option in your Elegant Themes dashboard that lets you upgrade.
However, this only applies if your yearly membership is still active. You cannot get this deal if your yearly membership has expired.
Yes! Elegant Themes offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with no questions asked. Just reach out to support and they’ll give you your money back.
Divi comes in both a theme and plugin version, though most people mean the theme version when they’re talking about “Divi”.
Divi is a WordPress theme that includes the built-in Divi Builder, which is the actual visual, drag-and-drop interface that you use to design content. Divi Builder also comes as a standalone plugin that you can use with any WordPress theme.
Yes and no. You can install all of Elegant Themes’s themes and plugins if you’re on the WordPress.com Business or eCommerce plans. However, you cannot install Elegant Themes (or any other themes/plugins) if you’re using the WordPress.com free or cheap plans.
In the end, there aren’t many WordPress theme clubs that can match up to what Elegant Themes has to offer.
What Elegant Themes lacks in quantity, they make up for in quality. In fact, two high-quality themes and three versatile WordPress plugins for a very low price is just what you get when you become a member.
Remember, as an exclusive WPKube reader, you have access to our 10% OFF coupon when you sign up to become an Elegant Themes theme club member.
If you want to learn more about any of the products in the Elegant Themes membership, you can also check out our dedicated reviews:
And just in case you’re not convinced Divi or Extra are the themes for you, be sure to check out our roundup of the best responsive WordPress themes in the market today.
Are you thinking about becoming an Elegant Themes theme club member? What do you think about WordPress theme clubs in general? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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View Comments
Hi Devesh,
It's always good to know about the options out there. Elegant themes certainly look stylish.
Are they SEO-friendly? Some themes seem to be much better in this than others... Also, I wonder how customizable they are...
Thanks for sharing this mate,
Jym
Hi Jym,
Elegant Themes are top notch in quality. All of their themes are SEO Friendly, and very customizable. May be you should check out Heather's blog, she is using eNews theme but her blog looks very unique.
Thanks for commenting here, Jym. Have a great weekend.
Interesting since it seems to have functions that add to its attraction. May come in handy one day if I decide to start another blog.
Yeah, Elegant Themes have lot of functions and at the same time they are very affordable.
Just $39 and you're getting 60+ quality themes.
Thanks for the comment, catarina.
Hey Devesh,
Comprehensive review of elegant theme! I see a lot of rave about themes but not as comprehensive as this.
I will also like to have an answer to Jym's question about whether it is SEO friendly.
Thanks for sharing!
Tosin
Hi Tosin,
Glad you liked the Elegant Themes.
Yeah, all Elegant Themes are very seo friendly and comes with many great features.
Thanks for the comment, as usual.
I use Elegant Themes and really like the functionality, customization and, of course, the cost.
Another great point about Elegant Themes is that they have really awesome support forums on the site. Other users respond really quickly to unique customization issues. It makes it easy for altering the themes for those of us who aren't as strong coders.
Great evaluation, Dev!
Hi Steve,
I haven't seen theme club like Elegant Themes selling 60+ themes for $39.95. I've to say they are most affordable themes on the planet.
Thanks for the nice comment, steve. Have a great weekend.
Okay, don't shoot me but I signed up with them a couple years ago and hated it!
I will admit though that I know the basics when it comes to getting myself around with certain themes but every time I would upload a theme, something was off or out of whack and I had no idea how to fix it. So a lot of it was probably me.
There were only a few that I really did like though but like I said, it was a couple years ago so maybe they offer even more user friendly themes now. So for someone who isn't a seasoned smart coding person, not so user friendly. At least that was my personal experience.
Would be interested to hear how they've improved over the last few years. Thanks for sharing though Dev... Hope we're still friends! :-)
Adrienne
Adrienne,
I don't about how they were 3-4 years ago. Actually i recently started using Elegant Themes (a year now) and since then they are getting better day by day and Nick is doing awesome work on releasing awesome designs & providing great support.
Thanks for the comment and yeah, we're still friends :) !
Have a great day.
I have done a lot of research and I believe that you are correct Adrienne. They are not a user friendly website. I think that good posts have been dummied as a means for promotion. Notice they don't get specific about anything other than how great they are, over the top kudos, especially when someone says anything negative. Beware!
Hi Devesh,
I will have to keep that in mind when I make the move over to a paid theme. Thanks for the great review!
Stacy
You're welcome and thanks for the comment.
Hey Dev, as you know I was tossing up between Elegant and Thesis.
You know for the price, I really would recommend the Elegant Themes to someone on a budget for sure. I have seen so many in action and they really do seem to offer the most terrific bang for the buck.
then of course Dev... as we all know... if there are any problems, a person could always hire someone who is incredibly smart and savvy.... YOU!!
Great Review Dev.
I hope you got my email the other day... re fixing my buttons and bouncing another job off you. Make sure you let me know what I owe you.
Jayne
Jayne,
I had a hard time choosing between Thesis & Elegant Themes but later i end up buying both the themes.
Exactly, Elegant Themes is great theme provider with awesome and affordable rates.
Thanks for the compliments.
I already replied to your message at Blokube, Please check your Blokube inbox.
Have a great day.
~Dev
Great post. We just signed up for Elegant Themes membership last week!
Still waiting to implement our first theme, but are excited with the possibilities & features they offer.
That's great to hear Cory. I bet you'll love them.
Thanks for the comment.
Been looking for this article for long time ago and finally found here. Please continue this awesome work and I look forward to more of your superb articles.
On the go is one of the best themes from ET, to my mind.
Of course, it needs to be customized, but still the main page layout with a slider and cool "recent posts' field as well as nice hand-made design make this theme quite positive for an online magazine or any interesing project site.
I used this theme for one of my project for parents and kids based on books and articels about kids education and intelligence development, so you can have a look at how this theme works in real life here: http://www.mamatoma.com/