Having a responsive theme is a must for any website but when it comes to WordPress, there is a wide range of options available. Well, this is one of the reasons why over 70% of the websites are using WordPress as their CMS.
Talking about amazingly responsive themes, we cannot forget about GeneratePress which is one great WP theme.
But, like most of the WordPress themes (eg Schema and Schema Pro), GeneratePress also has two versions: Free and Premium.
If you are confused about which one to choose, let’s compare what wins.
Let’s start the war: GeneratePress Free vs Premium.
What is GeneratePress Pro?
In the modern age of page-builders, the task of finding a compatible, fast, and user-friendly theme used to be a hard nut to crack. However, Generatepress solved this problem and had the best minimal layout along with the immense customizer panel.
GeneratePress theme is a boon for bloggers/web developers. While the design is competitive and clear, the speed is outstanding on the other hand.
Here’s a preview of satyawp.com which is built on the top of GeneratePress Pro.
Indeed, it took me ages to customize this site (just kidding).
GeneratePress has been around for more than 7 years. Moreover, it is one of the most stable and extremely supportive themes available today. Where it is known as the best free themes, it also offers the premium plugin that makes it even better.
Now, let’s see which one is better.
What all do you get in GeneratePress Free?
FREE is always the best option for beginners and amateurs who are not familiar with any technicality. Also, there are users who look forward to saving as much as possible. So, there you go. You can enjoy the GeneratePress FREE, however, with certain limitations.
You can use the best-ever WordPress theme without spending a penny. Download the free version of the theme now and get ready for the thrill. The best part is, this free version supports major page builders be it Divi, Elementor pro, or Beaver Builder.
Another best part? Well, people often choose GeneratePress because its free version has all the best quality features. Some of them are as good as the premium that is chargeable on other platforms.
What to expect from GeneratePress Premium?
To make your simple website more appealing, the premium version offers a more sleek look to your website.
You will have more options such as colors, graphics, block edits, headers, WooCommerce elements, and much more.
Moreover, there will be more options in language and typography + blog designs, background features, and much more.
The best thing that I like about GeneratePress Pro aka GP Premium is the option to add hooks using “Elements”. Though you need some advanced level of understanding of PHP code to be able to customize the site, it is going to be fun.
Price- There are two plans available in GeneratePress Premium: Yearly- $59/year, and Lifetime- $249/one-time payment.
In a nutshell, the premium GeneratePress will allow you to take your simple-looking website to a next level. Not only because of the excellent designs but also because of all the complementary premium-level plugins.
Let’s just sum up the features of Free and Premium version of Generatepress.
GeneratePress Free vs Premium Comparison 2021
Generatepress Free
- Site Header
- Footer (limited options)
- Blog layout (limited options)
- Colors (limited options)
- Typography (limited options)
GP Premium
- Custom Background
- Extended Blog layout options
- Colors (extended)
- Copyright
- Site elements
- Hooks
- Menu plus
- Sections
- Site Library
- Typography (extended)
- WooCommerce customization
What are some of the similarities between GeneratePress Free and Premium versions?
While comparing GeneratePress free and premium, we must look at how similar these two versions are. This is the list of features that you will find in the Free version. All these features are also available in the premium theme. So, here are some of the similarities you can find amongst them.
Light-weight and fast loading
No matter if you use the free or premium version, your website will be lightweight for a lifetime.
This is because GeneratePress is one of the most lightweight themes available on WordPress that takes up only 1 MB on your server.
Below is a test site with minimum content built with GeneratePress. We’ll run all the speed tests on this domain to see how it performs on several benchmarks.
https://speedtest.generatepress.com/
Everything is 100/100 about the theme. However, you will not see such scores when you run speed test on your production/development site.
Using the above speed tests, the theme ensures the most optimum use of scripts, fonts and code.
Mobile Friendly
The theme’s default layout is 100% mobile-ready and optimized for all the devices. Since mobile-friendliness is one of the most important SEO factors in 2021, the best theme of 2021 must have this too.
Another great feature in your theme would be the option to choose from Float or Flexbox for responsiveness.
This becomes a crucial feature when you add custom coded sections to your theme. Changing this configuration in Theme options >> General may break any custom code.
SEO Friendly
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most essential feature of any website. It is good news that you can enjoy this SEO responsive website even if you are using the free version of GeneratePress.
Hence, both GeneratePress free and premium allow you to perform well on Google.
Layout Control
GeneratePress does not interfere with any of your edits to the website. So, no matter if you are using a free version or the paid ones, you will have full control of the website in your hand.
Updates
The team of WordPress does not stop you from updating the theme be it is free or premium. Therefore, you are all free to keep your website up-to-date with the constant updates it offers.
Translations
This one is a bit restricted. Yes, GeneratePress allows you to translate your website into multiple languages with 100+ free fonts and typography options. This not only will your website versatile but will also make it reachable to as many people as possible worldwide.
However, if you are using a free version, you would have to stay within the limits. On the other hand, the premium version will allow you to translate to as many languages as you want.
What can you expect from GeneratePress Premium?
You pay $59 a year just for a WordPress theme. There must be something special about it. Don’t know about other themes but GeneratePress surely has many great features especially when it is about premium choice. So, read on and find out how good it is.
Elements
There is a vast use of elements in GeneratePress theme. You can use it to get more control over your website and to have unlimited number of customizations without editing any code inside your theme files.
Yes, without editing any code.
Easily implement the PHP code using a hook element and make it visible anywhere. Not just inside the top or bottom of the post content, but also inside the header navigation or after the footer.
The possibilities are endless.
The best part is, you can also add shortcodes here to make the best use of it.
Hooks are just a small part of the “Elements” feature. You can also create a block element with content and display it anywhere on the website.
Most people need a theme that has a full-width hero section for their blog title. In a single post, it can be tough because many themes won’t have that option. Even the GeneratePress free version does not have it.
But when you have the premium version, you can use the “header” element to achieve it.
Simply go to Appearance >> Elements and create a Header element.
Check out this amazing guide on how to create a stunning header in Generatepress.
Additionally, you can choose to show such header in certain posts, pages or post types.
It is also easy to edit, enable and disable these site elements.
Copyright/Credits removal
You may come across websites with the name of the theme at the end of the page. Well, that is what you call copyright.
You can easily get rid of this and make your website look more work-oriented and formal by using the premium theme.
When you have the Premium version, you can see the option to edit the footer text in the customizer.
Blog layout edits
From images, masonry, to unlimited scrolling, a blog needs a lot when it comes to making it valuable to the readers. There are a LOT of options available on GeneratePress premium that can make your blog even more attractive than you can ever expect.
Custom Backgrounds
Adding background image can make your website look more beautiful and theme-focused; not always.
However, the premium version does have the option to add a background image for each section. This lets you do immense customizations and add different backgrounds for each sections.
Though I do not recommend using background images for all sections. Upload background image only if it is necessary.
So, with GeneratePress Premium, you can not only upload the image for the background but also edit it, and adjust its size and position as per your requirements.
WooCommerce Customizations
It’s not like GeneratePress has nothing for the WooCommerce website. There is store customization available for commercial websites as well. This helps you create your online store with ease. So, add color, typography, columns, and choose a different layout to make your online store worth doing business.
These options are only visible when you have installed the WooCommerce official plugin on your website. Also, to be able to find the options in the customizer, enable the WooCommerce module in Appearance >> GeneratePress >> Modules
Once you enable the module, you should be able to customize a several options in the customizer itself.
Extended Color Options
Where there are limited color options available in the free version, you get all the freedom in the premium GeneratePress. It allows you to take control of your color options and you can choose from over 60+ colors.
Now, all these amazing features make GeneratePress premium a world-class choice for the users.Â
Pros and Cons of GeneratePress (Free)
Pros
- It is all free for a lifetime.
- No credit/debit card information is necessary.
- Apply the theme to unlimited websites.
- A simple and clean look to your website.
- Mobile-friendly website
- Light-weight taking up only 1 MB of data.
- Great SEO support
- 14 add ons to make your website better.
Cons
- GeneratePress the copyright footer.
- Limited colors and typography options
- Nothing premium-quality feature.
- No import and export of elements and content.
- Some coding knowledge is necessary.
Pros and Cons of GeneratePress (Premium)
Pros
- 100+ typography and 60+ color options available
- 30-days money-back guarantee.
- Full control and full access to your website activity.
- 24/7 support from the team.
- 30+ demo sites to choose from
- Premium-level modules are available.
- Site-library with full accessibility.
- Many customization options are available.
Cons
- Nothing: GeneratePress is just perfect.
Wrapping up
Now that you know the difference between GeneratePress free and premium, you know which one will suit the best for you. So, know your preference and start your WordPress website with GeneratePress today.
GeneratePress Premium Review $59
Summary
GeneratePress has been around for more than 7 years. Moreover, it is one of the most stable and extremely supportive themes available today. Where it is known as the best free themes, it also offers the premium plugin that makes it even better.
Overall
-
Fast Loading - 100
-
Mobile-friendly - 100
-
Site Library - 100
-
Elements (Hooks( - 100