17 Best Premium WordPress Themes of 2022 [+ Why You Should Buy One]
Are you looking to take your WordPress website to the next level? While there are plenty of free themes available, investing in a premium theme can provide a range of benefits that can help you achieve your goals faster and more effectively.
In this post, we‘ll explore 17 of the best premium WordPress themes for 2022, and dive into the key reasons why you should consider purchasing one for your site. Whether you‘re a business owner, blogger, or web designer, you‘re sure to find a theme on this list that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations.
Why Buy a Premium WordPress Theme?
Before we get into our top picks, let‘s take a closer look at some of the benefits of using a premium WordPress theme:
1. Enhanced Design and Customization Options
One of the biggest advantages of premium themes is that they offer a much wider range of design and customization options compared to free themes. With a premium theme, you‘ll have access to:
- Multiple pre-built website demos and page templates
- Drag-and-drop page builders for easy customization
- Extensive color, typography, and layout options
- Custom header and footer builders
- Mega menu and other navigation enhancements
All of these features give you greater control over the look and feel of your site, allowing you to create a truly unique and professional design that aligns with your brand.
2. Improved Performance and SEO
Another key benefit of premium themes is that they are often better optimized for performance and search engine visibility. Many premium themes are built with clean, lightweight code that loads quickly and is easily crawlable by search engine bots.
Additionally, premium themes often come with built-in performance optimization features like:
- Lazy loading for images and videos
- Minification and concatenation of CSS and JavaScript files
- Compatibility with popular caching and performance optimization plugins
By using a fast, SEO-friendly theme, you can improve your site‘s user experience and search engine rankings, leading to more traffic and conversions over time.
3. Enhanced Functionality and Integrations
Premium themes also tend to offer more advanced functionality and integrations compared to free themes. Depending on the theme, you may have access to features like:
- WooCommerce integration for eCommerce stores
- Built-in social sharing and email opt-in forms
- Integration with popular email marketing and CRM platforms
- Custom post types and taxonomies for advanced content organization
- Advanced blog and portfolio layouts and templates
These features can save you time and money by eliminating the need for additional plugins or custom development work.
4. Higher Quality Code and Support
When you purchase a premium theme, you‘re not just paying for the theme itself – you‘re also investing in the quality of the code and the level of support provided by the developer.
Premium themes are typically created by experienced developers who follow WordPress coding standards and best practices. This means that the theme is more likely to be compatible with the latest version of WordPress and any plugins you may be using.
Additionally, premium theme developers often provide a higher level of support compared to free theme developers. This can include:
- Detailed documentation and tutorials
- Regular updates and bug fixes
- One-on-one support via email or live chat
- Access to a community forum or knowledge base
With this level of support, you can feel confident that any issues or questions you have will be addressed quickly and effectively.
How to Choose the Right Premium WordPress Theme
With so many premium WordPress themes available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one for your needs. Here are a few key factors to consider:
1. Niche and Industry Fit
First and foremost, you‘ll want to choose a theme that is well-suited to your niche or industry. While some premium themes are designed to be multipurpose, others are created specifically for certain types of websites, such as:
- Business and corporate sites
- eCommerce stores
- Blogs and magazines
- Portfolios and agencies
- Learning management systems and online courses
By choosing a theme that is tailored to your niche, you can ensure that it includes the specific features and design elements that are most important for your site.
2. Customization and Flexibility
Another key factor to consider is the level of customization and flexibility offered by the theme. While some premium themes provide a wide range of options for changing colors, fonts, and layouts, others may be more limited in scope.
Before making a purchase, be sure to check out the theme‘s customization options and tools, such as:
- WordPress Customizer settings
- Page builder compatibility (e.g. Elementor, Beaver Builder, etc.)
- Header and footer builders
- Custom CSS and child theming
Ideally, you‘ll want a theme that strikes a balance between ease of use and flexibility, allowing you to create a unique design without requiring extensive coding knowledge.
3. Performance and Speed
As mentioned earlier, performance is a crucial factor to consider when choosing a WordPress theme. A slow-loading website can hurt your search engine rankings, drive away visitors, and ultimately cost you business.
To evaluate a theme‘s performance, look for key indicators like:
- Lightweight, clean code
- Minimal use of external scripts and libraries
- Compatibility with performance optimization plugins and strategies
- Fast demo sites and page load times
You can also use tools like Google‘s PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to test the speed of a theme‘s demo site and see how it stacks up against other options.
4. Customer Reviews and Ratings
Finally, be sure to read through customer reviews and ratings before making a purchase. These can provide valuable insights into the quality of the theme, the level of support provided by the developer, and any potential issues or limitations to be aware of.
Pay particular attention to reviews from users in your same niche or industry, as they may have specific insights or requirements that are relevant to your needs.
The Top 17 Premium WordPress Themes for 2022
Now that you know what to look for in a premium WordPress theme, let‘s dive into our top picks for 2022:
1. Astra
Astra is a lightweight, multipurpose theme that‘s designed to work seamlessly with popular page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Brizy. It offers a wide range of pre-built website templates, extensive customization options, and performance optimization features to help you create a fast, responsive site.
Key features:
- 180+ pre-built website templates
- Customizable header and footer layouts
- WooCommerce integration and features
- Built-in performance optimization options
- Extensive typography and color controls
Pricing: Starts at $59 for a single site license.
2. Divi
Divi is a popular multipurpose theme that comes with its own drag-and-drop page builder, allowing you to design custom layouts without any coding knowledge. It includes a huge library of pre-built website packs and individual page templates, as well as extensive design options and features.
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop Divi Builder for custom layouts
- 800+ pre-built website packs and templates
- Global elements and styles for easy sitewide changes
- A/B testing and conversion optimization features
- Built-in lead generation and email marketing tools
Pricing: Starts at $89 per year for access to Divi and all other Elegant Themes products.
3. Avada
Avada is one of the best-selling WordPress themes of all time, and it‘s easy to see why. This multipurpose theme includes a powerful visual page builder, a massive library of pre-built websites and templates, and tons of customization options and features.
Key features:
- Avada Website Builder for drag-and-drop design
- 73+ pre-built websites and 400+ individual page templates
- Advanced theme options panel for global customization
- Extensive WooCommerce features and settings
- Dynamic content and custom post types for advanced content organization
Pricing: $60 for a single site license.
4. Ultra
Ultra is a multipurpose theme from Themify that includes a front-end drag-and-drop page builder, a library of pre-designed layouts and templates, and powerful customization options. It‘s fully responsive and retina-ready, and includes features for eCommerce, blogging, and more.
Key features:
- Themify Builder for drag-and-drop page design
- 60+ pre-built website demos and page layouts
- Mega menu and other navigation options
- WooCommerce integration and shop templates
- Built-in caching and performance optimization
Pricing: $59 for a single site license.
5. X
X is a powerful multipurpose theme that includes multiple unique designs, a front-end page builder, and extensive customization options. It‘s fully compatible with WooCommerce and other popular plugins, and includes features for marketing, portfolio showcasing, and more.
Key features:
- Cornerstone front-end page builder
- 40+ unique demo sites and page templates
- Integrated marketing and lead generation tools
- Advanced portfolio and blog layouts
- Extensive header and navigation options
Pricing: $59 for a single site license.
6. Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a creative multipurpose theme that‘s great for agencies, freelancers, and other creative professionals. It includes a variety of pre-built website demos, a custom drag-and-drop page builder, and powerful design and customization options.
Key features:
- Brooklyn Page Builder for custom layouts
- 40+ pre-built website demos and templates
- Advanced theme options panel for global customization
- Parallax scrolling and other special effects
- WooCommerce integration and features
Pricing: $59 for a single site license.
7. Hestia Pro
Hestia Pro is a lightweight, multipurpose theme that‘s optimized for speed and performance. It includes a variety of pre-built website templates, a drag-and-drop homepage builder, and extensive WooCommerce features and integration.
Key features:
- One-click demo content import
- Drag-and-drop homepage builder
- Extensive WooCommerce integration and features
- Fully responsive and retina-ready
- Mega menu and other navigation options
Pricing: $69 for a single site license.
8. Uncode
Uncode is a creative multipurpose theme that includes a front-end visual page builder, a massive library of pre-built templates and layouts, and advanced design options and features. It‘s great for agencies, portfolios, blogs, and eCommerce sites.
Key features:
- Visual Composer page builder
- 70+ pre-built website concepts and 400+ individual page layouts
- Advanced grid system and layout options
- Lightbox and other special effects
- WooCommerce integration and features
Pricing: $59 for a single site license.
9. Shopkeeper
Shopkeeper is a premium WooCommerce theme that‘s designed specifically for eCommerce stores. It includes multiple unique demo sites, a drag-and-drop page builder, and extensive shop customization options and features.
Key features:
- WPBakery Page Builder for custom layouts
- 14+ unique eCommerce demo sites
- Product quick view and wishlist features
- Advanced product filtering and sorting options
- Built-in mega menu and product catalog mode
Pricing: $59 for a single site license.
10. Exponent
Exponent is a modern multipurpose theme that‘s great for business websites, creative agencies, and other professional sites. It includes a variety of pre-built website demos, a custom theme options panel, and integration with popular page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder.
Key features:
- 20+ pre-built website demos and templates
- Drag-and-drop header and footer builder
- Extensive blog and portfolio options
- Parallax and other special effects
- WooCommerce integration and features
Pricing: $49 for a single site license.
With so many high-quality premium WordPress themes to choose from, there‘s no reason to settle for a generic, poorly designed site. By investing in one of these top themes of 2022, you can take your website to the next level and achieve your goals faster and more effectively. Whether you‘re looking to build a business site, eCommerce store, blog, or portfolio, there‘s a premium theme on this list that can help you create a professional, high-performing website that stands out from the competition.
