Is ThemeForest Dead in 2026? What Changed, What Didn't, With Sources

By Manob Editorial · November 5, 2026

No. ThemeForest is running and still lists over 67,200 website templates and themes, as of November 2026. But 2026 has put it under real pressure: a flat 50% author fee, exclusivity gone, new author applications paused, reported staff cuts at Envato, and some of its best-known themes moving new versions to their own sites.

The 2024-2026 timeline, with sources

People ask because a lot happened in a short time. Here is every dated event we could source, each linked. Where the source is a theme seller with a stake in the topic, the row says so.

Read down the table and the shape is clear. The owner changed, the author terms changed, and a few big theme makers started selling their newest versions elsewhere. None of the rows is a sales figure, and none is a closure notice.

What Envato itself says

Envato's announcement of the July change is the most direct source. It says Envato Market "has faced challenging market conditions for some time", that customers are "increasingly moving toward subscriptions and bundled offerings", and that Envato Elements "continues to be our core focus". Those are the company's words about its own business, not numbers.

The same post says Elements author applications are open only for selected content types: video, 3D, animated graphics and fonts. Themes and templates aren't on that list, so a theme author can't simply move from Market to Elements. Our Envato Elements vs ThemeForest guide compares the two from the buyer's side.

On staff, Startup Daily reported in March 2026 that Envato planned to cut up to 200 jobs, about a third of its staff, and that the CEO cited a focus on AI as one reason for the restructure. Envato said it was "not in a position to share details about role reductions or numbers".

What still works on ThemeForest

A store that is "dead" doesn't keep selling, reviewing and supporting items. ThemeForest still does all three:

• Range. As of November 2026, ThemeForest lists "over 67,200 website templates and themes" and says they are hand-reviewed. TemplateMonster, the closest like-for-like marketplace in our ThemeForest alternatives guide, listed 21,416 products in its footer as of October 2026.
• A public track record. Items have rating and comment pages, so you can read how an author answers problems before you pay.
• Support rules in writing. As of October 2026, Envato's item support page says supported items include 6 months of support, extendable to a maximum of 12. An extension costs 37.5%, 62.5% or 87.5% of the item price, depending on when you buy it.
• Refunds, case by case. Envato's refund page says requests are assessed case by case, given that items are digital and can be previewed before purchase.
• Big names still there. Avada's own post says "The original Avada will continue to be sold on ThemeForest", with new features, maintenance improvements, security fixes and support.

What it means if you buy a theme there now

Buying on ThemeForest is still a normal licensed purchase. The difference in 2026 is that the item page may no longer tell the whole story. Check four things first.

1. Is this the current version or a legacy one?

Some authors now sell their newest version outside ThemeForest. The7's update policy says "The7 14 is now a legacy version and will only receive security and essential maintenance updates." If your ThemeForest purchase is older than 12 months, it says the purchase code "is no longer eligible to upgrade to The7 15". As of November 2026, The7 15 is sold on the7.io at launch prices of 39 dollars the first year, then 49 dollars a year, for one site, or 199 dollars, then 249 dollars a year, for unlimited sites. The7 says existing sites keep working on the installed version.

Avada took a different route. Its new product, Avada One, is separate, and the original keeps getting updates on ThemeForest, per Avada's own post. Some third-party write-ups describe the original's updates more narrowly; Avada's post is the one to trust.

2. Read the author's own update policy

If the theme maker runs its own site, look for an update or licensing page there before you buy. One author's survey on the ThemeREX blog reports that several top themes raised their ThemeForest prices, often from 59 to 69 dollars, and that several opened their own stores or subscriptions. It names Betheme, Houzez, Porto, Impreza and JNews among others. ThemeREX sells on ThemeForest itself, so treat it as one author's survey and confirm on each theme's own page.

3. Know what support covers, and for how long

Six months of support on supported items is the default. Some buyers report on item pages that the demo import didn't reproduce the demo, with missing content or images (one example). Support is where that gets fixed, so know your window. Our preview guide and after-you-buy checklist cover what to look for.

4. Count the buyer fee

Envato adds a buyer fee to the item price, and the sum is the list price you see. The7's developers say the visible ThemeForest price includes a fixed buyer fee of 12 dollars "that goes entirely to Envato". That is their description, so compare total cost at checkout, not the sticker. For license types, see how licenses work.

What it means if you sell there

Since July 1, 2026, Envato's rule is that authors receive 50% of the item price component of the list price. The buyer fee sits on top and isn't part of your share.

Here is a worked example. The Pure Themes blog takes a 79-dollar theme with a 12-dollar buyer fee. That leaves a 67-dollar item price, and half of that is 33.50 dollars. Pure Themes says a top exclusive author who paid as little as 12.5% before would have earned roughly 58.62 dollars on the same sale. Those are one theme seller's numbers, not Envato's. For non-exclusive authors, Envato says the fee fell from 55% to 50%, so their share went up slightly.

Two other changes matter to sellers:

• New authors can't apply. As of October 2026, Envato's Author Help Center says applications are paused and new Market authors join by invitation only.
• You can sell elsewhere. Envato's Market Author Terms say items are listed "on a non-exclusive basis", and the fee applies "irrespective of whether you make your Items available elsewhere".

So staying and expanding aren't opposites any more. Our guide to what changed for ThemeForest authors in 2026 has the full fee table, and selling on multiple marketplaces covers running several listings. If you add manob.ai, the free manob Migrator imports your ThemeForest, CodeCanyon and TemplateMonster items with files, images, demo, description, tags and price. It's a Chrome extension that never asks for your password. Envato's user terms ban scripts that mass-download items, so it works one item at a time after your click, and we don't present it as approved by Envato.

What we can't show

• No public sales data. Neither Envato nor any independent source we could find publishes ThemeForest sales for 2026. We can't say sales are up or down.
• The7's sales claim is The7's. Its update policy says "one-time ThemeForest sales have been declining for years", and that, based on the sales data it tracks for leading WordPress themes, "the category dropped by more than 50% in just three months from March 2026." It publishes no data behind either line, and it now sells its new version on its own site.
• Job numbers are unconfirmed. The 200 figure is Startup Daily's report. Envato didn't confirm it.
• No count of themes that left. ThemeREX names themes, but it's one author's list, not a census.
• No shutdown notice. We found no Envato announcement that ThemeForest is closing.

Our view (we run a marketplace)

manob.ai is a template marketplace too, so weigh this section accordingly. Our read is that "dead" is the wrong word. ThemeForest is a large, working store whose operator says its core focus is a different product, and whose terms got worse for exclusive authors. For buyers, that mostly means more homework per purchase. For sellers, it means a second channel no longer costs you the first.

manob.ai is one such channel, and a much smaller one: our homepage listed more than 2,000 templates on October 27, 2026, against ThemeForest's 67,200+. As of October 2026, sellers keep 65% of product sales (35% commission), listings are non-exclusive, every product is manually reviewed before it goes live, and every item can be previewed before purchase. Buyers get 6 months of seller support, and compatible items can be edited with AI in the manob.ai workspace after purchase. You can browse the catalog or read how to become a seller. For the wider question of what comes next, see what will replace ThemeForest and our 2026 marketplace trends post.

When ThemeForest is still the better pick

• You need range. Over 67,200 items against manob.ai's 2,000+ means niche designs that smaller marketplaces, ours included, simply don't have.
• You want a long support window. Extending to 12 months is built into Envato's support policy.
• The theme you want is still developed there. Avada's own post says the original keeps getting new features and fixes on ThemeForest.
• You sell, and your ThemeForest income is steady. A second listing adds upkeep for every update. Since nothing is exclusive, you can wait and add one later.

Frequently asked questions

Is ThemeForest legit?

Yes. ThemeForest is Envato's marketplace, and Shutterstock completed its acquisition of Envato in 2024. Envato says items are hand-reviewed, supported items include 6 months of support, and refunds are assessed case by case. Quality still varies by author, so read an item's ratings and comments before buying.

Is ThemeForest shutting down?

We found no announcement that it is. What Envato did announce: from July 1, 2026, no exclusivity and a 50% author fee for everyone, with Elements described as "our core focus". Its help center also says new author applications are paused. ThemeForest still listed over 67,200 items in November 2026.

Who owns ThemeForest?

Envato runs ThemeForest. Shutterstock announced on July 22, 2024 that it had completed its acquisition of Envato.

Can I still become a ThemeForest author?

Not through an open application, as of October 2026. Envato's Author Help Center says applications are paused and new authors join by invitation only. That page can change, so check it before you plan around it.

Is ThemeForest still worth it in 2026?

For buyers who need range, often yes, if you check the version, the author's update policy, the support terms and the buyer fee. For authors, it depends on your old terms: Envato says the change is a reduction in earnings for exclusive authors, while the fee for non-exclusive authors fell from 55% to 50%. Either way, you can now sell elsewhere too.