Divi vs Genesis: Which is Right For Your WordPress Blog?

Are you struggling to decide between ‘Divi and Genesis themes’ for your WordPress blog? I was just like you when I started this blog. I’ve restyled this blog several times and tried everything from free to paid.

I experimented with several free themes and finally switched to Studiopress. I’ve styled several client websites with Studiopress and Elegant theme (Divi) layouts and had ample of hands-on experience with the most popular themes, which is why I decided to write this detailed comparison review of two most popular themes today.

OK, no more dilly-dallying, let’s dive straight in!

If you’re still wondering, ‘Is a Premium Theme Really Necessary?’

In the beginning, you might want to start off with a free WordPress themes, but pretty soon, you’ll realize the importance of having a paid template. And, I bet you will definitely feel so. Let me tell you, why?

• Lack of proper customization options, site speed, and security concerns are a few issues that come with free themes.
• Moreover, mobiles have dominated the web. They have already surpassed the number of desktop users and this trend is only growing stronger. About half of the internet traffic comes from mobile phones these days. So, to catch up with the blazing change in technology you need to change your website themes accordingly to a responsive one.
• If you’re an ambitious blogger/ entrepreneur and want to turn your blog into an online business, you definitely need a premium theme (that renders a professional touch). Of Course, it is, one of the main reasons why a blog theme is so important is because a professional theme can mean the difference between a great website and a mediocre one.
• Themes are built to be engaging, fast, and most importantly, boost traffic. With features to help increase social sharing, you’ll get more traffic from the web’s top social media websites and also boost your search engine rankings. Lesser bounce rate means more money (yes more products & affiliate sales).
• A blog design that is welcoming and pleasing to look at is always going to attract visitors. A poor design will always repel them. Look at your web browsing history and check which website you spent more time on, a good-looking one or a mediocre website that goes beyond its way to make the text unreadable? That’s what I thought.

A legible and attractive blog design will turn visitors away from competition and towards your blog. So, think no further, go for a premium theme and make your blog brand-able with a custom designed theme of your choice!

You might Want to: Grab Premium WordPress Themes for FREE

DIVI Vs GENESIS Themes

Today, I present to you the pros and cons of the two most popular platforms for building WordPress websites (i.e Studiopress Framework and Elegant themes).

I’m an affiliate of Studiopress & Elegant themes, so this would be the most comprehensive impartial review, from a person well-equipped with both the platforms.

Hope this helps you to decipher the theme that better fulfills your blogging goals.

Let’s start with…StudioPress Framework:

They are many themes out there, but Studiopress themes continue to dominate the premium WordPress theme market. It’s the world’s most popular theme framework for the millions of  WordPress sites that comprise 30 percent of the Web.

Update – As of July 2018

WpEngine, the world’s most fastest, safest premium WordPress hosting platform has acquired Studiopress, creators of Genesis framework.

Since 2010, StudioPress has offered world-class themes that excel in both design and infrastructure. It’s no wonder over 201,344+ online publishers trust Genesis to provide a solid foundation for their sites. And still continues to remain the primal choice for most WordPress developers and professional bloggers.

The reason being their Genesis Framework, which makes a website to load faster, keeps it secure, offer high-end customization and above all makes it SEO-friendly.

Mashable calls Genesis the ‘best of the best’ among premium frameworks.

Here are the rocking SALIENT Features of Genesis Framework Studiopress Themes.

1. Search Engine Optimization
2. Turn-key designs
3. Unlimited Everything
4. State of the art security
5. Empowered Operations

CUSTOMIZATION

The customization aspect used to be the only drawback for Genesis. But with the advent of “Design Palette Pro Plugin“, its no more a con.

You don’t need to be a web developer to run a gorgeous site. Whether you want to change the layout or add a new widget, Studiopress makes it simple for you to make the adjustments on your own. Also switching themes is a snap, which will be helpful if you like to change your design every now and then.

Design Palette Pro Plugin simplifies the customization process and makes it easy, that even non-coders can perform the advanced edits with a push of a button.

The plugin allows you to tweak the theme’s settings, colors, and content, fonts, backgrounds, margins, and padding and see a preview of those changes in real time. You can quickly and easily modify the look of each area on your site without touching any code. This includes the header, navigation, content area, sidebars, and footers.… all can be changed in a jiffy.

PRICING

Genesis theme framework alone costs $59.95. The best option would be to purchase a theme package, (Genesis parent + 1 Child theme), which start at $99.95 and upwards.

I understand, no one wants to spend money unnecessarily. While a custom website can easily cost $2000 or more, your investment in the Genesis Framework and one of the child themes can give you the presence you desire within no time.

If you’re planning to build multiple websites or offer WordPress services, you can purchase the Pro-Plus theme package (Genesis and all available child themes and future child themes) for $499.95. The Pro Plus Package also includes additional themes from 3rd-party developers.

Unlike others, there is no requirement to purchase a developer license, or annual membership. That’s why so many WordPress website owners choose StudioPress … and why so many WordPress developers choose StudioPress for their clients.

You can simply use your Genesis theme package on unlimited websites, whether they’re your own or your clients’ websites.

Amazing isn’t it?

Interested? Here’s the list of 10 Best WordPress Themes from Studiopress in 2018!

• Foodie Pro
• Mai Lifestyle Pro
• Business Pro
• Magazine Pro
• Parallax Pro
• Infinity Pro
• Refined Pro
• Altitude Pro
• Daily Dish Pro
• Agent Press Pro

FINAL VERDICT:

I’m a woman of my words and only recommend the ones, that I use for my site.

This website is built on Genesis Framework + Market Child Theme — since then I’ve never looked back.

The one thing I love the most about Genesis is that you literally get unlimited everything for what you pay, including updates and support.

There is definitely a small learning curve, but once you familiarize the plugins, it’s pretty easy to work with it. You definitely need not be a coder. Click here to Download The Genesis Setup Guide for Absolute Beginners!

Using a custom (or pre-built) Genesis child theme lets you make a website that is clean and consistent and ensures that your content is always going to be displayed beautifully. So, if you’re looking to build a professional WordPress website, then look no further, choose the Genesis Framework because it provides exactly what you need to build a robust, lightweight, secure, SEO-friendly, powerful WordPress site without the bloat.

Get Genesis Right Here!

Divi WordPress Theme from Elegant Themes

You might have heard of Divi, the premium flagship theme widely used by WordPress bloggers!

It constitutes a drag & drop visual builder that makes customization super simple. For me, it’s super easy to get everything done, the way I want them to be in a less time-consuming way. I love that you can create lead pages for your email list, A/b testing, neat social plugins, and a wide range of pre-made templates to choose from, and above all, they have great customer service.

And the best part is, you can use the theme on multiple websites by paying for just one. The drag and drop builder is just one of the many features of Divi. Other than updating your headings in the Theme Customizer and maybe fixing the layout a bit you don’t need to format each individual post, but you will need to format each page. Their customer team is amazingly helpful too.

The most popular of DIVI THEMES being EXTRA…

CONS:

• As for Divi, it does have a bit of a learning curve for some people.
• Divi theme is bloated at times, which obviously reduces your site speed if you’re not using a good caching/minification plugin or a CDN.
• The most important thing to consider when moving to Divi – if you decide, not to stick with Divi any longer, you’ll have a lot to clean up on the back-end (the theme uses shortcodes to build the desired framework). So, if you’re not tech-savvy, you’ll need to hire a web developer to move to another platform or recreate the website. Otherwise, your website ends up being messy!

PRICING:

 

BEST FREE ALTERNATIVE TO DIVI:

My personal recommendation to get the same flexibility as Divi is to use a simple, lightweight, and less bloated theme called, GeneratePress (a less expensive paid version, that is fairly easy to customize) and Elementor Plugin.

Both GeneratePress + Elementor have FREE versions to try out and then if you like it I recommend upgrading to the pro version of both.

Elementor is a plugin that gives your site a page builder setup (and I think better) to Divi. You can also try the popular Beaver Builder Plugin (which is free), in place of Elementor.

Another kick-ass replacement for the above combo could be Asta + Elementor. 

Go Ahead and Get the Right Theme for your WordPress Blog!

Everyone wants to start out for free, there is no mistake in that but if you want your blog to look professional, you need to rethink. You have to choose between quality & cash. The choice is yours.

I would say, Studiopress themes are what I highly recommend! Their design is clean minimal, light-weight, and SEO-friendly, which are the basic requirements for a professional blog. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an easy to handle, DIY website layout for an affordable price then it would certainly be Divi or its alternatives.

So what is your choice of WordPress theme for your business website? If you have a better alternative for the above, let me know, I would like to hear from you. You probably might have a theme already, but is it the right theme?

Ask for yourself, have you chosen a theme to make your website a hit or turn it into a disaster? What are your thoughts on these themes, what do you use for your own blog? Share below!