About iThemes – Creator of the incredibly popular Builder Theme
I have to admit that I love buying WordPress themes. I enjoy imagining what my particular new website (or a site for someone else) will look like.
I then demo the themes I’m interested in and try to figure out if that theme will do exactly what I need it to do.
In late 2009, I was alerted to the upcoming release of a theme called Builder. The Builder WordPress theme was truly something I had never seen in a theme before. It is essentially a WordPress theme builder. You have almost no restrictions on the way you present your site and design your site.
I love WordPress, but often get frustrated with the limitations in design and functionality when using themes. Sure, most premium theme developers have come a long way, but if it’s flexibility in a WordPress theme you’re after, then Builder is for you.
iThemes Overview
iThemes was a major player in the premium WordPress theme industry long before they released the incredibly popular Builder theme.
If you’re just starting out with your own website or perhaps switching your blog from a free hosting service to a paid hosting service that runs WordPress, you’ll do yourself a huge favor by learning all about iThemes as a premium WordPress theme developer. Not only do they provide a good collection of themes, with Builder being their core offering, they also offer plugins and extensive resources for understanding WP and web design in general.
iThemes not only offers a great collection of professional WP themes, but also tries to educate its customers. That gives them a competitive edge for those just starting out with WP or web design in general. They even offer a tutorial on how to choose the right one for your needs.
Pricing and Licensing Model of iThemes WordPress Themes
The license that comes with all iThemes packages gives you permission to use the theme on as many domains as you want and to make all the modifications you deem necessary. You never have to give iThemes credit for the design. There are no restrictions on the use of these themes on sites to be sold to clients. Every purchase comes with a solid year of technical support and access to topic updates.
iThemes operates on several different levels, making it easy for each customer to customize the themes they buy and what they pay for in the end. The easiest way to buy a theme is to find one you like and buy the single theme pack. This usually costs around $80 and provides unlimited use of a theme pack with the extended year of updates and themes.
Another popular offering from iThemes is the Flexx theme, which is a bit different from other themes as it includes 18 different versions of the theme. You can buy a single theme pack that includes only one theme version of the pack, or you can get a great deal by buying the full Flexx pack for $199.95. Flexx was the forerunner of Builder.
For $127 you can also buy the Theme Builder, which is more like a program that allows you to design your own theme step by step. This is a great value if you don’t see any themes you really want to implement as-is.
If you build a lot of client websites or blogs, you’ll get the most value out of an all-access pass. This gives you unlimited access to all themes offered by iThemes for unlimited use on as many sites as you like. A six month membership will cost you $297 and a full year membership will cost $497. This is the best option for professional web designers.
refund policy
You cannot get a refund for any theme purchased from iThemes. This is industry standard.
Technical support
iThemes offers an online support forum to address bugs and other issues while installing and getting your WP themes and plugins fully functional. They don’t offer a phone number or email address for help, but this is standard with most premium WordPress theme developer services these days.
Custom Options with iThemes Premium WordPress Themes
You can get some tips and answer basic questions about iTheme customization through the support forum, but no services are offered for extended mods. The Builder theme is a great option if you don’t see any iThemes you’d like to use as-is. See the details of this theme (more like a program) in the Pricing and Licensing Model section of this About iThemes overview.
iThemes History
iThemes started with a blogger and website manager who learned through personal experience just how valuable and affordable WordPress could be to small business owners (I totally identify, except I didn’t start a company as reputable as iThemes). The company was developed to provide professional-quality, SEO-oriented, and functional themes not only for bloggers, but also for small businesses who need affordable and well-designed websites.
Who is behind iThemes?
Cory Miller is the online entrepreneur who founded and continues to operate the premium WordPress theme developer website iThemes. Chris Jean is the “ninja” programmer.