Why manob.ai Started as ThemeForest and TemplateMonster Changed Course

By Manob Editorial · November 5, 2026

We started manob.ai because, in 2026, exclusive ThemeForest authors were asked to keep less, new authors could no longer simply apply, and buyers were still largely on their own after checkout. manob.ai pays sellers 65%, is non-exclusive, reviews every item, shows previews, allows AI edits on compatible items and has a free migrator. It is also far smaller.

We run manob.ai, so this is our side of the story. Every claim about Envato, ThemeForest or TemplateMonster links to a dated source. Where a source is silent, we write "not listed".

What we saw in 2026

A theme marketplace serves two groups, authors and buyers. In 2026, both had cause to look around.

For authors: a smaller share and a narrower door

Envato, the company behind ThemeForest, changed its author terms on July 1, 2026. Its Author Hub announcement says all authors now receive 50% of the item price component of the list price, and that exclusivity requirements were removed entirely. For exclusive authors, Envato says the change "represents a reduction in earnings". The new split first showed up in the August 15 payout.

The same post gives Envato's reasons. 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 Envato's words, not a sales figure. Separately, Startup Daily reported in March 2026 that Envato planned to cut up to 200 jobs, about a third of its staff. Envato did not confirm numbers.

Getting in also became harder. As of October 2026, Envato's help center says author applications are paused and new Market authors join by invitation only.

TemplateMonster made its own changes. It stopped supporting exclusive products on January 1, 2026. From July 1, 2026, its commission page says authors receive a flat 20% on every product type, a rate that is "fixed and does not depend on sales volume or account status". Its own example: on a 50-dollar item, the author receives 10 dollars, and the customer fee is added on top. As of November 2026, its authors FAQ says that since January 1, 2026 it no longer accepts bulk new product submissions for WordPress themes, HTML templates, landing pages or graphic products, and no longer accepts bulk open registration for new authors. Each application is reviewed individually.

Then some well-known themes moved new versions to their own sites. Avada's May 28, 2026 post says "the original Avada will continue to be sold on ThemeForest", while the new Avada One "will be sold directly through avada.com" as a subscription. It names "recent changes to Envato's author ecosystem" among its reasons. The7's update policy says The7 15 is sold on the7.io. The7's developers also say one-time ThemeForest sales have been falling for years. That is their claim, and they give no figures. The full author picture is in are authors leaving ThemeForest?

For buyers: the work after checkout

Buyers face a different problem. A theme is sold on its demo, but what you download is a starting point. Some buyers report in ThemeForest item comments and ratings that importing the demo didn't reproduce what they saw, that content or images were missing, or that the vendor asked for an admin login to set it up. Some vendor replies blame a missing plugin. We can't say how often it happens, only that it does.

Clearing demo content afterward is manual on many themes. Vendors' own docs, such as this guide to removing demo content, walk through deleting posts, media, menus and widgets.

Version changes add another layer. The7's policy says "The7 14 is now a legacy version and will only receive security and essential maintenance updates", and that ThemeForest purchases older than 12 months are "no longer eligible to upgrade to The7 15". So a ThemeForest buyer of The7 now owns a legacy version, and can't upgrade once the purchase is over 12 months old. Our guide to what still needs doing after you buy a template covers the rest of that list.

That was the gap we chose to work on: authors keeping more without lock-in, and buyers getting real help after they pay.

How manob.ai is different

Here are the three side by side. Competitor cells come from their own pages as of October 2026 unless marked; ours come from manob.ai's pages. "Not listed" means we found no published term.

Sources: Envato's announcement, item support and refund pages, the ThemeForest catalog, TemplateMonster's commission page, authors FAQ and support policy, and our own homepage, migrator and licenses pages.

Read the bottom row too: ThemeForest's catalog is many times ours. Our three-way comparison adds refunds, licenses and support prices.

For buyers: what changes after checkout

Most of what we built for buyers sits after the purchase.

• AI edits on compatible items. Compatible themes and starter kits can be customized with our vibe coding AI directly in your workspace after you buy. You describe a change in plain English and deploy the site from the same workspace. AI use is measured in AI Energy. As of October 2026 there is a free Starter plan with 1,000 a month, and paid plans start at 12 dollars a month, as listed on our pricing page.
• A person when you need one. If a change is more than a prompt can handle, independent sellers offer development services on manob.ai. They aren't our staff.
• Six months of support. Each purchase includes 6 months of free support from the seller. You can extend it at 30% of the price before it expires, or at 75% after.
• Plain licenses. A Regular license covers one end product whose end users aren't charged. The Extended license is for when end users are charged. Neither lets you redistribute the source. The full terms are on the licenses page.

None of this makes the work disappear. A compatible item still needs your words and photos, and the AI is a tool for changes, not a developer. But a small edit no longer has to mean learning a settings panel or hiring someone. Browse the catalog and open any item's preview first.

For sellers: keep more, keep your other listings

• 65% of each product sale. We take a 35% commission on digital products and 20% on development services, as our homepage showed in October 2026. Sellers keep 65% and 80%. On TemplateMonster's own 50-dollar example, that is 32.50 dollars to the seller here, before taxes and payment costs, against 25 under ThemeForest's 50% rule and 10 under TemplateMonster's 20%.
• Nothing exclusive. Envato's Market Author Terms say items are listed "on a non-exclusive basis", and TemplateMonster dropped exclusive products in January 2026. Your ThemeForest and TemplateMonster listings can stay where they are.
• Reviewed by people. Every product is manually reviewed before it goes live, and buyers can preview it before they pay.
• A free migrator. You don't have to rebuild listings by hand.

The manob Migrator imports your ThemeForest, CodeCanyon and TemplateMonster items with their files, images, demo, description, tags and the price they have today. It runs as a Chrome extension (Edge and Brave work the same way) and never asks for a password. Files are fetched on our side, so you can close the tab. Imported items go through the same review, and we take our 35% only when an item sells.

One caution. Envato's user terms ban scripts or bots that mass-download items, so the extension handles one item at a time, after you click. We don't present it as approved by Envato or anyone else, so read your marketplace's terms first. The step-by-step version is in how to move your ThemeForest items to manob.ai, and you can open a seller account on the become a seller page.

What we haven't solved yet

• The catalog is far smaller. We had more than 2,000 items in late October 2026, against over 67,200 on ThemeForest and 21,416 on TemplateMonster. Most of ours are WordPress themes and HTML templates, so choice on other platforms, such as Shopify, is thin.
• No long review history. The older marketplaces have years of buyer ratings and comments on their items. We don't have that yet.
• AI edits cover compatible items only. Not every item is compatible, and on complex work the AI is no match for a developer.
• We are young. A marketplace earns trust through years of updates, payouts and support. We are at the start of that.
• No public traction numbers. This post gives no sales or seller counts, and makes no claim that authors are moving to us.

When ThemeForest or TemplateMonster is still the better pick

• You need the widest choice. Over 67,200 items on ThemeForest and 21,416 on TemplateMonster make a niche layout far more likely to exist there.
• You want a long track record on the item. Years of comments, ratings and update history help you judge a theme before you buy it.
• You build many sites a year. An Envato Elements subscription, from 16.50 dollars a month with unlimited downloads as of October 2026, may cost less than buying item by item. Per Envato's help center, access to downloaded items needs an active plan.
• Your sales there are steady. If an older marketplace already sells your items well, a second listing adds upkeep with every update. Try a few items before you move a whole catalog.

For other options, including direct stores, read what will replace ThemeForest.

Frequently asked questions

Is manob.ai like ThemeForest?

In part. Both sell themes and templates with previews and 6 months of included support. manob.ai pays sellers 65%, offers AI edits on compatible items and lists services from independent sellers. Its catalog is far smaller.

Who runs manob.ai?

manob.ai is run by Manob AI Limited. Independent sellers make and support the items, and every product is manually reviewed before it goes live.

How much do sellers keep on manob.ai?

As of October 2026, sellers keep 65% of product sales (a 35% commission) and 80% of service sales (a 20% commission). The commission is taken when an item sells.

Can I sell on ThemeForest and manob.ai at the same time?

Yes. manob.ai is non-exclusive, and Envato removed exclusivity requirements on July 1, 2026. TemplateMonster has been non-exclusive since January 1, 2026, so you can list the same items on all three.

Can every template be edited with AI?

No. Only compatible items can be edited with AI in the workspace, and the AI doesn't replace a developer on complex changes. For those, independent sellers offer development services.

Is ThemeForest shutting down?

We found no announcement that it is. As of October 2026 it lists over 67,200 website templates and themes, and Envato's 2026 changes concern fees, exclusivity and who can join. Our post is ThemeForest dead? sets out the dated evidence.