Where to Buy WordPress Themes in 2026: 8 Places Compared, With Sources
By Manob Editorial ·
You can buy WordPress themes in eight main places: the free WordPress.org directory, ThemeForest, Envato Elements, TemplateMonster, an author's own store such as Avada or The7, Elegant Themes for Divi, Creative Market and manob.ai. They differ on price model, support and license. ThemeForest has the biggest pay-once catalog, and WordPress.org themes cost nothing.
The 8 places compared
Each cell comes from the seller's own page, read in the month shown. "Not listed" means that page doesn't say, so ask before you pay.
| Place | Price model | License | Support | Preview or demo | Refund policy | Source (as of) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.org directory | Free download; 8,777 themes listed | "100% GPL or compatible" | Community forum | Preview on each theme's page | not listed | wordpress.org (November 2026) |
| ThemeForest | One-time price; buyer fee added on top | Regular (end product not sold) or Extended (sold) | 6 months included, extendable to 12 | Item preview | Case by case | Envato licenses (November 2026); Envato help center (October 2026) |
| Envato Elements | Subscription from 16.50 dollars a month | Commercial use incl. client work, one license per project | No direct item support | not listed | No refunds on canceled subscriptions | Elements pricing (November 2026) |
| TemplateMonster | One-time price; customer fee added on top | not listed | 6 months free, extendable | not listed | Exceptional cases only | TemplateMonster policies (October 2026) |
| Author's own store (Avada One, The7 15) | Yearly plans: Avada One from 49 dollars, The7 from 39 dollars the first year | Priced by number of sites | Avada One: while the plan is active; The7: standard or priority | Avada One: prebuilt websites; The7: not listed | not listed | avada.com, the7.io (November 2026) |
| Elegant Themes (Divi) | 89 dollars a year, or 249 dollars once (lifetime) | Unlimited websites | Around-the-clock chat and email | not listed | Full refund within 30 days | Elegant Themes (November 2026) |
| Creative Market | Fixed price per theme; optional membership | Personal, Commercial or Extended Commercial | not listed | Screenshots; demo not listed | not listed | Creative Market (November 2026) |
| manob.ai | One-time price per item | Regular (end users not charged) or Extended (charged) | 6 months free; extension 30% before expiry, 75% after | Every item previewable before purchase | not listed | manob.ai (October 2026) |
The eight places, one by one
1. The WordPress.org theme directory
The official theme directory listed 8,777 themes on November 5, 2026. WordPress's theme documentation says every theme in it "is reviewed by a dedicated team and tested against a wide range of rules", and each theme page has a Preview feature. The themes are "100% GPL or compatible", and questions go to a community forum, per the getting-started page.
It's the right first stop for a blog or a simple business site, though without a vendor support deadline. WordPress.org's commercial themes page says some people "want to use something that they know has support behind it and don't mind paying for that."
2. ThemeForest
As of November 2026, ThemeForest lists "over 67,200 website templates and themes", which it says are hand-reviewed. You pay once per item. Envato's license page offers Regular, for an end product that's free to its users, and Extended, for one that's sold. It also says "you may charge your client for your services to create an end product, even under the Regular License", though one license can't cover several clients.
As of October 2026, item support is six months, extendable to twelve, at 37.5%, 62.5% or 87.5% of the item price. Refunds are assessed case by case. The buyer fee sits on top of the list price, and since July 1, 2026 authors receive 50% of the item price component, per Envato's Author Hub. For the rest of this year's changes, read is ThemeForest dead? and ThemeForest alternatives.
3. Envato Elements
Elements is Envato's subscription. As of November 2026, its pricing page lists Core from 16.50 dollars a month with "unlimited downloads of 30+ million creative assets", and its menus include WordPress themes. Each download gives "an ongoing license for a single, specific project", client work included.
Two lines matter to theme buyers: "The Envato subscription does not provide direct item support", and "we do not refund canceled subscriptions." After you cancel, projects you already licensed stay covered, but you can't use items in new ones. That suits agencies shipping many small sites. See Envato Elements vs ThemeForest.
4. TemplateMonster
TemplateMonster sells items one at a time, with a customer fee added on top. Its help desk's own example, read in November 2026: a product priced at 50 dollars shows as 58 dollars with the customer fee, and the author receives 20% of the 50, or 10 dollars. It says that rate applies from July 1, 2026 and is "fixed and does not depend on sales volume or account status". Exclusive products ended on January 1, 2026.
As of October 2026, its support policy gave 6 months of free support, extendable at 50%, 75% or 100% of the price, and its refund policy allowed refunds only in exceptional cases. See our TemplateMonster review.
5. An author's own store
Some theme makers now sell direct. Two dated examples:
- Avada. On May 28, 2026, Avada wrote that "the original Avada will continue to be sold on ThemeForest", still getting features, maintenance and security fixes. A separate product, Avada One, "will be sold directly through avada.com". As of November 2026, its pricing page starts at 49 dollars a year for one site (Essential) or 99 dollars (Pro), with tiers up to 1,000 sites. Updates and support run while the plan is active, and it says "your sites stay yours" if you cancel.
- The7. Its update policy says "The7 14 is now a legacy version and will only receive security and essential maintenance updates." ThemeForest purchases older than 12 months can't upgrade to The7 15, sold on the7.io: 1-Site is 39 dollars the first year, then 49 dollars a year; Unlimited is 199 dollars, then 249 dollars a year (launch offer). Its developers cite Envato's push toward Elements, higher author fees, and their view, with no figures, that one-time ThemeForest sales have been falling for years.
Buying direct pays the people who maintain the theme. The catch is a yearly renewal, and an older marketplace version can become a legacy version.
6. Elegant Themes (Divi)
Elegant Themes sells Divi, a theme and visual builder, from its own site. As of November 2026, its pricing page lists Divi at 89 dollars billed yearly or Divi Lifetime at 249 dollars once, both with "unlimited website usage", around-the-clock chat and email support, and a full refund "within 30 days of your purchase". It suits people who build many sites on one tool. You're buying into one builder rather than shopping across many authors' designs.
7. Creative Market
Creative Market sells assets from independent shops, WordPress themes among them, at a fixed price each. As of November 2026, its WordPress category also promotes a membership it says can "save up to 25% on the entire catalog". Its licenses page lists Personal, Commercial and Extended Commercial tiers but doesn't cover theme support or refunds. Check its platform fee article for the current fee before you pay.
8. manob.ai
manob.ai is our marketplace, and it is much smaller: more than 2,000 templates as of October 2026, mostly WordPress and HTML. Every product is manually reviewed before it goes live, and every item can be previewed before purchase. You pay once per item. Regular covers one end product whose end users aren't charged; Extended covers end users who are (see licenses).
Each purchase includes 6 months of free seller support, extendable at 30% of the price before it ends or 75% after. Sellers keep 65% of each product sale (a 35% commission, as of October 2026) and can sell the same items elsewhere, because manob.ai is non-exclusive. Compatible themes can be customized after purchase with plain-English AI edits in your workspace; not every item is compatible, and the AI plans are on the pricing page.
A few WordPress themes on manob.ai across niches:
Advola is a WordPress theme for law firms and lawyers. It includes practice area and team sections, a case portfolio, an appointment booking system and images.
Agrion is a WordPress theme for farms, farmers, eco solution providers and organic food businesses. It includes three home layouts, three one-page versions and 30+ inner pages.
A WordPress theme for doctors, clinics and healthcare providers with a clean, corporate style. Built on Elementor, it includes a large set of custom elements and adapts to every…
Acadamy is a responsive WordPress theme for universities, business schools and career education providers. It has 25+ header styles and sections for showing services and skills.
An Elementor WordPress theme for construction companies and contractors. Its sections cover finished work, the people on your team, the services you offer and enquiries.
Bekland is a WordPress theme for bakeries, pastry shops and cake makers. It showcases baked goods, supports order and inventory tools through its e-commerce features, and works…
More in the WordPress category and all products.
How to pick a place and a theme safely
- Open the live demo, on your phone too. A screenshot is not a demo. Some ThemeForest buyers report that a demo import didn't reproduce the demo, so ask the seller what the import includes. See how to preview a template before buying.
- Check the update history and legacy rules. Look for a changelog and a recent update, and ask what happens when a new major version ships. The7 14 now gets only security and essential maintenance updates; Avada says its ThemeForest version keeps getting features.
- Read the support terms. Note the length and extension price. Six months is the stated default at ThemeForest, TemplateMonster and manob.ai. Elements gives no direct item support, and Avada One ties support to an active plan.
- Match the license to the job. Envato's Regular license lets you charge a client for building the site, one license per project. Elements licenses each download for one project. Divi allows unlimited websites. If the site's users pay to use it, you probably need Extended; see Regular vs Extended license.
- Add up buyer fees. ThemeForest and TemplateMonster add a fee on top of the list price. The7's developers say ThemeForest buyers pay a fixed 12-dollar fee that goes to Envato. Compare checkout totals, not list prices; our WordPress theme cost guide adds up the rest.
- Know where the money goes. ThemeForest authors receive 50% of the item price component. In TemplateMonster's example the author gets 10 dollars of a 58-dollar checkout. manob.ai sellers keep 65%. An author's own store skips the marketplace's cut.
After you buy, read how to install a WordPress theme manually, what still needs doing after you buy and WordPress plugins.
Our view (we run a marketplace)
Pick by the job, not the brand. On no budget, start at WordPress.org. For the most choice in one store, ThemeForest is still the biggest. If you build many sites, Elements or an unlimited-site license (Divi, The7 Unlimited, larger Avada One tiers) can cost less per site. If you want a smaller catalog where every product is reviewed by hand and previewable, with six months of support, manob.ai is one option. We're biased, so check each claim against the linked page.
When to look elsewhere
If a free theme does the job, use it: WordPress.org's themes are reviewed and GPL, and trying one costs nothing. For a narrow niche or a long update record, ThemeForest is far bigger than manob.ai, with over 67,200 website templates and themes against our 2,000-plus. If you'll build dozens of sites on one tool, Divi's lifetime license or an author's unlimited plan may beat buying theme by theme. For the wider marketplace picture, see what will replace ThemeForest.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best place to buy WordPress themes?
It depends on the job. WordPress.org is free, ThemeForest has the largest pay-once catalog, Divi and author stores suit people who build many sites, and manob.ai is a smaller hand-reviewed marketplace with previews and six months of support.
Are WordPress.org themes safe to use?
WordPress says every theme in its directory is reviewed by a dedicated team and tested against a wide range of rules. Keep any theme updated, free or paid.
Can I use a ThemeForest theme on a client's site?
Yes. Envato's license page says you may charge your client for creating an end product, even under the Regular License. Buy one license per client project.
What happens to Envato Elements themes if I cancel?
Per the Elements pricing page, projects you already licensed stay covered, but you can't use items in new projects, and canceled subscriptions aren't refunded.
Is it better to buy from the theme author's own store?
More of your money reaches the author, and some new products, such as Avada One, are sold there directly. The trade-off is usually a yearly plan, so check what keeps working if you stop paying.