Over the Labor Day weekend, I had the pleasure of working on my first website using the Genesis Framework from StudioPress. I say pleasure because it happened to be my husband’s new photography site, and it was the first theme he’s chosen that didn’t lead me to using a string of obscenities that might actually shock people who regularly watch HBO.
His previous choices of themes have included several from ThemeForest, and I must say that while they did have beautiful designs, they also had some of the worst set of installation and setup instructions I have ever seen. These led to the previously mentioned string of obscenities, but I digress.
One thing I found very exciting about working on his site was that I got to know the Genesis Framework a bit better. I have seen a lot of well-known bloggers make the switch from Thesis to Genesis since it was released, so I have been curious what the fuss is about.
Thesis vs Genesis
Over the last few months, I’ve been asked what I thought of both themes, and now that I’ve had a bit of experience with both, I thought I’d share the head-to-head comparison of both frameworks.
Since it’s a lengthy post (and yes, links to themes & skins are affiliates because I recommend them all), I added some little jump tags throughout it so you can see the sections you want to know about quickly. Enjoy!
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Pricing
Let’s start with pricing, because that is usually the make or break point when it comes to purchasing a premium WordPress theme.
| Thesis by DIYThemes | Genesis by StudioPress | |||
| Personal | Developers | Framework | Theme + Framework | Pro Plus |
| $87 | $164 | $59.95 | $79.97 | $299.95 |
Each of the above options / packages include the following:
Thesis Options
- Personal Option – This option allows you to use the Thesis framework on one live website and one localized development server.
- Developer’s Option – This option allows you to use the Thesis framework on an unlimited number of sites that you or your business owns. If you want to use the Thesis framework for client work, you must pay an additional $40 per client site ($36 per client site if you purchase 5 licenses or $32 per client site if you purchase 10 licenses).
Both the Personal and Developer’s Options include lifetime access to the DIYthemes support forums, answers center, and lifetime upgrades.
Genesis Options
- Genesis Framework – This option allows you to use the basic Genesis Framework on an unlimited number of websites, whether they are for you or for a client.
- Theme + Genesis Framework – This option allows you to use the Genesis Framework plus a child theme on an unlimited number of websites, whether they are for you or for a client.
- Pro Plus Package – This package allows you access to the Genesis Framework plus all of the child themes created by StudioPress (currently over 40 plus future theme designs) to use on an unlimited number of websites, whether they are for you or for a client.
All of the above options include lifetime access to the support forums and lifetime upgrades. Since Genesis does doesn’t charge additionally for developers who are creating websites for their clients using their framework, this makes the Pro Plus Package by StudioPress the best option for developers.
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Base Framework Design
The following are examples of the base Thesis vs Genesis Framework designs with some content, sidebar widgets, and other fillers.
Click below images to see theme preview.
Neither are necessarily pretty at this stage, but are both functional. This is where you have two options. You can dive right into the custom coding, or you can purchase skins for Thesis or child themes for Genesis.
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Thesis Skins
DIYthemes does not offer anything outside of the Thesis framework, so you will need to look toward outside developers for Thesis Skins. Some sites that offer Thesis Skins include the following.
Thesis Awesome
Click below images to see skin preview.
Thesis Awesome offers a variety of Thesis Skins (including one specifically for sales / product pages) ranging in price from $37 to $87 which you can buy individually, or you can purchase a personal membership which includes access to all skins for unlimited use on your own sites at $120 / year or a developers membership which includes access to all skins for unlimited use on your own sites or client sites at $260 / year.
Kolakube
Click below images to see skin preview.
Kolakube offers one free Thesis skin and several others at $37 each which you can buy individually, or you can standard membership which includes six month access to all of their skins for $77 or a full membership which includes one year access to all of their skins for $147. I use the Marketer’s Delight skin on my fledgling Rockin Affiliate site – the opt-in box still gets subscribers daily even though there is no freebie offer.
More Thesis Skins
Thesis Themes offers four free Thesis Skins and several others that range in price from $39.95 to $70, with a few themes packaged together at a total of $120. All themes come with a free lifetime subscription. Themedy offers several skins that work for both Thesis and Genesis Frameworks that are $49.95 each or you can purchase an extended plan for $104.45 which allows you six months access to their current themes or a lifetime plan for $239.45 which allows you lifetime access to current and future themes. I haven’t tried out either of these services, but they might have the right designs for your site.
There are even more Thesis skin sites out there, but their skins were either outdated or I couldn’t find a price on them and wasn’t willing to register just to see the pricetag. Another thing to keep in mind with Thesis is since DIYthemes did not design the skins, you will be dependent on the skin developers’ support if there are any issues with the next Thesis or WordPress updates.
Overall, Thesis Skins are generally designed for businesses, marketers, and serious bloggers.
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Genesis Child Themes
When you purchase the Genesis Framework, you have the option to buy what are known as Child Themes along with the framework or separately. One thing that I really appreciate about the Genesis Child Themes is that they are also created by StudioPress. This means that when the Genesis Framework is updated, the child themes are supported by the same developers of the framework. Once you’ve purchased them from StudioPress, you have lifetime support for both the framework and the designs. They have a variety of designs including:
Business
Photography
Creative
Miscellaneous
If you don’t find what you are looking for by StudioPress, they also offer a marketplace where approved outside developers also have their own child themes for an additional $24.95 each. These are not included in the Pro Plus Package from StudioPress.
Overall, Genesis Child Themes are designed for everyone – businesses, marketers, serious bloggers, photographers, creative types, health bloggers, and more.
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Installation
Which theme is the easiest to install? Here are the basic instructions for both themes.
Installing the Thesis Framework
Installing Thesis requires an FTP program and some permissions changes. You cannot do it through the WordPress dashboard. The following are the latest directions from the DIYthemes website.
- Upload the new Thesis 1.8.2 folder to your /wp-content/themes folder.
- Locate the /custom-sample folder and change its name to /custom.
- Locate the layout.css file inside your newly-renamed /custom folder, and change its permissions to 666.
- [optional but highly recommended] If you’d like to give Thesis the ability to auto-crop thumbnail images for you, then you’ll want to change the permissions of your /custom/cache folder to 775.
- Inside your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Themes, and then activate Thesis 1.8.2.
If you don’t follow these directions exactly, your theme will not work correctly. Also, for those that can’t change the numbers for the permission settings, 666 is RW-RW-RW and 775 is RWX – RWX – RX
Installing the Genesis Framework
Genesis, on the other hand, is the winner when it comes to installation. To install the base Genesis Framework, you can simply go to your WordPress dashboard > Appearance > Themes > Install Themes > Upload and select the Genesis zip file that you downloaded when you purchased the theme. Then you hit the Install Now button and activate the Genesis theme. If you purchased a child theme, you will want to do the same process with the theme’s zip file. Theme installed!
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Admin Options
I could explain all of your options to you, but I thought a simple screenshot would do.
Genesis Framework Theme Settings
Click below image to see expanded version.
Thesis Framework Site & Design Options
Click below image to see expanded version.
The design options is one area where Thesis has Genesis beat – you can do a LOT of customization of the design without having to enter the world of custom coding or CSS editing.
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
SEO Options
Again, I could explain all of your options to you, but I thought simple screenshots instead.
Genesis Framework SEO Site & Post Settings
Click below images to see expanded version.
Thesis Framework SEO Site & Post Options
Click below images to see expanded version.
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Theme Customization
Both Thesis and Genesis Frameworks use a hooks system where, instead of going directly into a PHP template to make changes to the theme, you add hooks instead. For example, to add my social sharing buttons without a plugin, I have the following code in my custom_functions.php:
add_action('thesis_hook_byline_item','custom_byline');
function custom_byline() {
if (is_single()) { ?>
· <span class="url fn"><?php the_category(', '); ?></span><br /><div
class="social-single"><div
id="social-twitter"><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div> <a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="<?php the_permalink() ?>" data-counturl="<?php the_permalink() ?>" data-text="<?php the_title(); ?>" data-via="kikolani" data-related="kikolani">Tweet</a></div></div><div
id="social-fb" style="padding-top:-2px;"><a name="fb_share" type="button_count" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php">Share</a><script src="http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/connect.php/js/FB.Share" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div
id="social-su"><script src="http://www.stumbleupon.com/hostedbadge.php?s=1"></script></div><div id="social-su"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.linkedin.com/in.js"></script><script type="in/share" data-counter="right"></script></div></div><br />
<?php }
}
(Read more about adding social sharing buttons in single post template pages here.)
Thesis gives users custom_functions.php and custom.css files to add their customized coding in. This way, when you upgrade the theme, you can backup these two files, update the new theme files, and still have your custom coding safe. Genesis, on the other hand, allows you to directly edit the theme’s main functions.php and style.css. You can see how the hooks apply to both themes in the Thesis Hooks and Genesis Hooks visual references.
I’m new to Genesis, but one of my commenters alerted me to this little issue with editing the Genesis style.css:
While it *is* possible to edit the style sheet file within the Genesis theme, it is definitely not recommended to do that, since making use of the one-click automatic update feature in Genesis will wipe out those customisations.
Instead, you can install the free Sample Child Theme (it looks exactly like the default Genesis theme) and make the customisations to style.css there – you’ve then got the power of Genesis (unmodified), coupled with all your customisations safe elsewhere.
Thanks Gary J. for the tip!
If you’re not comfortable editing your functions file, your alternative are the simple hook plugins. Thesis has a OpenHooks plugin, and Genesis similarly has Simple Hooks – both lets you add custom coding within hooks through a simpler interface.
Click below images to see expanded version.
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Who Uses Thesis and Genesis
Now the part where we do a little name dropping. Here are some famous names around the interwebs using themes built on the Thesis and Genesis Framework.
| Thesis by DIYThemes | Genesis by StudioPress |
| Neil Patel (Quick Sprout) | Darren Rowse (ProBlogger) |
| Matt Cutts (Google Spokesperson) | Chris Brogan (Social Media Expert) |
| Ramit Sethi (NYT Bestselling Author) | Brian Clark (Copyblogger) |
| PsyBlog (Popular Psychology Blog) | Jay Baer (Social Media Specialist) |
Jump to: Pricing | Framework Design | Thesis Skins | Genesis Child Themes | Installation | Admin Options | SEO | Theme Customization | Who Uses These Themes | Summary
Thesis vs Genesis – Comparison Summary
That’s a pretty good bit of information to digest. Even I was a bit overwhelmed compiling this post. To summarize, here are my thoughts between the two frameworks.
- When it comes to pricing, the two are relatively comparable until you look at the developer’s options. For developers who are designing websites for clients, the one time $299 investment in the Pro Plus Package for StudioPress’ Genesis Framework plus Child Themes is the best way to go.
- Out-of-the-box design for both frameworks are pretty bland. Genesis Child Themes have the best designs for a variety of industries vs. the Thesis Skins which are more business and marketing focused. Plus Genesis Child Themes are supported by the makers of the Genesis Framework. The Thesis Skins are not supported by DIYthemes but by the skin’s developers.
- Thesis wins when it comes to design options customizable through the admin options panels. But if you know enough about CSS, you can easily fix the same things just by editing the Genesis style.css file.
- The initial installation of Genesis is much simpler than Thesis, unless you’re already familiar with FTP and file permissions.
- Theme customization must be done through the hooks and functions or using the simple hooks plugins. Both themes break if you mess up the functions file – you don’t have better luck with one over the other between Thesis or Genesis.
- SEO types seem to be heavy users of Thesis. Social media types are leaning with Genesis.
Alternative Premium WordPress Themes
If, after reading all of this, you’re not convinced you want to try Thesis or Genesis Framework, I thought I’d add a few other premium WordPress themes I would recommend as I have used them for various projects over the past few years.
Elegant Themes
Elegant Themes offers over 60 premium theme designs built for businesses, personal portfolios, photographers, magazines, and more. For $39 you get access to all of their themes for one year for your personal websites, or for $89 you get access to all of their themes plus the Photoshop files for each theme for personal and client websites.
Press75
Press75 offers premium theme designs built for video, photo, portfolio, news, and commerce sites. Their themes are $75 each, or you can subscribe to packages offering access to all of their themes for use on an unlimited number of websites for two months ($100), six months ($200), or a lifetime ($400).
Which Theme Do You Choose?
Now I open the floor to readers. What premium WordPress theme do you use on your site, and how do you like it? If you have experience with both Thesis and Genesis, which one do you like the best? Any other theme suggestions? Let us know!
Related Posts- WordPress Thesis Theme Customization Part One: Options
- Free WordPress Themes – With a Catch
- WordPress Thesis Theme Customization Part Three B: Posts & Social Bookmarking
- WordPress Thesis Theme Customization Part Two: Plugins
- WordPress Thesis Theme Customization Part Three A: Custom Coding
 | This post brought to you by Kristi HinesKristi is a blogger, freelance writer, online marketing consultant, and social media enthusiast. Connect with me on Twitter and Google+. Kristi has written 470 awesome article(s) for Kikolani. |
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Twitter: grantlylynch
September 6, 2011 at 8:39 am
These look really interesting as I have a event photography wordpress blog and have been looking to change my theme. The Genesis theme looks great.
Grant@Event Photographer London recently posted..Event photography
Twitter: EugenOprea
September 6, 2011 at 8:57 am
Wow!
That’s a really great comparison between 2 excellent themes. Personally I still have Thesis on my blog, but I use Genesis for my other projects and client websites.
I didn’t switched yet to Genesis because I have to redesign everything, but one problem with Thesis from last week, moved this task up in my to-do list.
Excellent article, Kristi!
Eugen
Eugen Oprea recently posted..10 Great WordPress Photo Gallery Plugins
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:09 am
Thanks Eugen! I’m still happily on Thesis myself for this site and several others, but it’s nice having both options depending on my needs as I’m always building sites for myself and others!
Twitter: EugenOprea
September 7, 2011 at 9:00 am
I agree!
By the way, well done for your husband’s site. And great pictures!
Eugen Oprea recently posted..14 Awesome Features in the New Google Analytics v5
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Thanks Eugen – I’ll be sure to pass the compliment!
Kristi,
You made me laugh when you mentioned the “string of obscenities” that flew from your husband’s mouth at having to set up a new website. I can relate!
This is the exact reason I’ve kept my current theme in place for nearly 2 years. I don’t feel comfortable installing a “fancy” theme. I’ve been contemplating installing Headway vs. Thesis for a while, as I’ve heard it didn’t require “coding.” After reading your article I’m going to learn more about Genesis.
Thank you for sharing so much information on both themes with us. This was very helpful to me.
Angela Artemis recently posted..Giving Up The Illusion of Control When Things Don’t Go Your Way
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:10 am
You’re welcome Angela. I’ve heard good things about Headway, but I’ve noticed a lot of the people who did use it are switching to Genesis now too. I’ve never used Headway myself, so I couldn’t say why, but I don’t really need anymore options since I have both Thesis & Genesis now.
Kristi,
I read through most of the comments and saw that a few people mentioned liking Headway for it’s ease of use and installation. If you ever have an opportunity to compare Headway to Genesis–I’d sure love to read it! (I don’t have an IT bone in my body – so the easier it is w/out coding – the better) Thanks again for all the great info here.
Angela Artemis recently posted..Giving Up The Illusion of Control When Things Don’t Go Your Way
Twitter: kikolani
September 9, 2011 at 6:30 pm
I’ll definitely look into it… I do hear good things about them Angela.
This is an excellent comparison of the Studiopress and Thesis themes Kristi.
The Genesis framework makes setting up a site really simple. No more expletives required to get the job done. I’ve worked with Thesis as well from time to time, but the winner for me is definitely Studiopress.
Thanks Kristi
Kathleen recently posted..Your Online Presence
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:11 am
Eh, I still throw out a few here and there Kathleen, mostly when I break the functions files with messed up code.
Twitter: DannyBrown
September 6, 2011 at 10:20 am
Awesome comparison, Kristi, and very informative for anyone looking to make a decision on premium WordPress themes/frameworks.
Having used Thesis, and then Headway, and then Genesis, I have to say for the easiest options I always recommend Genesis now. Like you say, their child themes are truly beautiful and it always makes a difference when it’s the developers themselves that are building them (or endorsing them).
One quick note – if you buy the ProPlus package, you get access to a really cool plug-in that allows you to edit the basic Genesis framework without any coding skills. So, change fonts, sidebars, colours, etc.
Again, cheers for a great overview!
Danny Brown recently posted..How to REALLY Measure the ROI of Social Media
@Danny:
Just to note this for interested users.
The “plugin” you mentioned is actually the Prose child theme – which is included in Pro Plus package but also can be purchased as a single child theme
I am a Genesis user from Germany using this framework and ecosystem since last year July and really satisfied with it. I had used Thesis before and didn’t like it also their developer option is not a good option for my business/clients work. So all in all Genesis is also my winner!
-Dave from Germany
David Decker recently posted..How the Genesis Framework Turned My Business Around
Twitter: DannyBrown
September 6, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Hi there David,
Cheers mate – I didn’t know Prose was the plug-in, learn something new every day. I thought there was a standalone plug-in for any Genesis theme if you bought the ProPlus Package. I’ll have to revisit the forums.
Danny Brown recently posted..How to REALLY Measure the ROI of Social Media
Twitter: GaryJ
September 6, 2011 at 8:13 pm
No, Prose is definitely a child theme (not a plugin), and it’s the only thing which adds a Design Settings page for controlling the styles.
The Pro Plus package is currently for themes only – SP make all of their plugins free – GenesisConnect is written and supported by a 3rd party.
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:12 am
Thanks Danny! I’ll probably be getting the Pro Plus package in just a few weeks when I start some other projects – good to know about that plugin!
Twitter: liveurlove
September 6, 2011 at 10:30 am
Kristi, this is such a detailed review, I really love it. I am using Thesis and really like it but there were times I was thinking if I made a mistake. Sometimes I think I should have picked a “simpler to work with” theme. Then again when I do some small customizations others can’t do with their theme, I realize why I love it.
Brankica@Best book recently posted..Complete Guide to Customizing your Facebook Fan page
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:14 am
Thanks Brankica! I haven’t regretted having Thesis – I’ve used themes with and without frameworks / hooks, and they both really take a lot of time to customize, depending what you want to do. One thing nice about the hooks is you don’t have to figure out which div goes where in a template – just knowing the hook will get your code where you want it to be!
Twitter: MikeHale
September 6, 2011 at 11:08 am
What a great review & comparison! I’m a big fan of (and use) Genesis. Another great thing about Genesis is access to their support forums. Answers are answered quickly and accurately by some very talented people. This is really important when you start digging into how to customize your themes! I have yet to find something I’m trying to do that hasn’t already been addressed in their support forums.
Twitter: rshahbaz
September 6, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Totally agreed with you Mike, that the support at Studio Press is really great.
I did not use Thesis so can’t say much about their support.
Rana @ Google + Addict recently posted..12 SEO Experts Shared How +1 Button Can Impact on the Google Search Results
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:15 am
I probably should have touched more onto the support, but I’ve had good experiences with both DIYthemes and StudioPress Mike. Both of their support forums have a lot solutions already detailed, and if you happen upon a new issue, someone always chimes in with a good response!
Kristi, I agree, a great, detailed post and review. And as someone who trains beginners, and having used both themes, I am partial to Genesis and its child themes. It’s more intuitive for the casual user and actually has quite a few options including several plugins that add even more functionality.
My vote is Genesis : )
Bob Dunn recently posted..An overview of inserting a photo or image into a WordPress page or post
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:16 am
I definitely had less need for the hooks in Genesis Bob, so I have to agree it is a bit more beginner friendly!
Nice post. I like Genesis IMHO. I have used Thesis too and like what genesis has to offer when it comes to the foundational framework and integration with many plugins and seems to be a bit easier to use.
ben@wordpress video tutorials recently posted..Hello world!
Thanks for this great comparison, Kristi. Having used both (as well as Headway), I’m on the verge of switching back to Thesis instead of the Elegant Themes template I’m using now. Thesis was a bit scary at first, but once you get used to adding hooks, it’s infinitely customizable and there are zillions of articles to help you on the interwebs.
Sharon Hurley Hall recently posted..Do You Prefer Personal or Impersonal Article Writing?
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:16 am
Definitely lots of great support out there Sharon. I haven’t found anything that someone hasn’t already written an article about so far.
Twitter: rshahbaz
September 6, 2011 at 12:25 pm
I use Genesis and always had some thing in my mind that probably I am missing something by not using Thesis.
Thank you for a detailed comparison.
Regardless of what option you go for, one thing I would say for people who is just thinking to start a blog, should not spend their time and energy on free themes. It’s worth paying for a premium theme.
Rana @ Google + Addict recently posted..11 Google Plus Predictions from 11 Social Media Pros
Twitter: DannyBrown
September 6, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Agreed – doesn’t matter which premium framework people prefer, the real winners here are us WordPress users.
Danny Brown recently posted..How to REALLY Measure the ROI of Social Media
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:17 am
Nah, I think they both have great value Rana – you’re not missing out at all!
I agree with you that paying for a premium theme is the way to go. The hard part is the research. The framework, in my opinion, is the way to go.
I use Thesis for my eyewear photoblog.
Clarence Johnson recently posted..Zane Caplansky
Twitter: bloggingaccess
September 6, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Wow! What a long comparative post. Anyway, I haven’t used the Genesis and I am new in using the Thesis Theme.
Currently, I spent more time in customizing my blog that uses thesis. The fact is that, it really consumes most of my time because I don’t have much knowledge with CSS and I haven’t fully understand how hooks are being use.
But anyway, it is still worth because I have many technical knowledge that I learned in my journey of customizing thesis. If I already have the budget, I may use the Genesis Framework.
For me, I guess using the Thesis for niche websites is a good choice because of its Search Engine Friendly coding while the Genesis Framework is more in Social Media.
Thanks for this post Kristi. You really put some great effort creating this post.
- Felix
Felix Albutra recently posted..Hello Guys! Please Help Me to WIN This Guest Blogging Contest.
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:18 am
I’m fortunate in the fact that I played around with other templates’ PHP and CSS, so after the learning curve with the hooks, it is easier to understand. I found the visual reference to the hooks to be a life-saver!
Twitter: The Franchise King
September 6, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Kristi,
Great job!
I just moved my main site and main blog from Typepad to Wordpress.
I’m using StudioPress for two main reasons;
1. The folks behind StudioPress are top notch professionals. I don’t think that brian Clark would let me down. He’s a pain in the neck. (In a good way. ) He expects and demands the best, and it shows.
2. My web designer was very positive about using SP for my site/blog, and was familiar with it.
Again, great job, Kristi!
The Franchise King®
JoelLibava@franchisebooks recently posted..How to Capitalize on a Weak Housing Market
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:19 am
Thanks Joel! Having a web designer that is knowledgeable about the theme you want is a plus – I feel bad for the people that end up with designers who only want to use the thing they are most familiar with and force their clients into using it even when they don’t like it. Seen that one too many times.
Twitter: The Franchise King
September 8, 2011 at 9:20 am
For sure.
And, you do approve of my new site/blog design using StudioPress, right?
JL
JoelLibava@franchisebooks recently posted..10 Minutes
Twitter: kikolani
September 8, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Yep, it looks good! I think my only suggestion would be to add a Google+ link in the top – it might go unnoticed in the sidebar.
Twitter: AmyLynnAndrews
September 6, 2011 at 12:34 pm
I never used Thesis extensively as so many have, but I recently made the switch to Genesis from mostly free themes and love it.
One thing I thought I’d mention is that the Prose Child Theme for Genesis is very similar to Thesis in that you have extra no-coding-required options.
Great post, Kristi!
Amy Lynn Andrews recently posted..Do You Keep a Buzz File? You Should.
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:19 am
I’ll have to take a look at that one Amy – thanks for letting me know!
Twitter: Chris_L_Harris
September 6, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Hi Kristi,
Thanks for the detailed post on Genesis vs Thesis. I first started my blog out on a theme from ThemeForest. In recent weeks I moved to Thesis. I really like Thesis a lot. Customization options are big for me. Being able to remove some plugins as a result of using Thesis was nice too.
The extra money to use Thesis for clients does not bother me as I pass that along to the client as cost of doing business, a nominal cost at that.
I also appreciate that Thesis has brought my page loads down from almost 11 seconds to 3 to 4 seconds.
While Genesis looks great, I am sold on Thesis.
Chris Harris recently posted..20 LESSONS I LEARNED IN BUSINESS
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:21 am
Good point about passing along the expense Chris. I’m always trying to keep the costs down for people when I do work for them, and I figure if I want the Pro Plus pack just for myself, then I don’t really need to add on extra expenses for the licenses. Plus I do a lot of developing for my husband, and he’s not letting me charge.
Twitter: rdempsey
September 6, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Hi Kristi – great writeup.
I’ve used both Thesis and Genesis, and have both installed on sites today. My main sites though and all of my client sites are running on the Genesis framework.
I’ve found that if you want something easy and no frills Thesis works great. I have a few Amazon affiliate sites that I simply added a header to and changed a few colors.
For flexibility and serious control I chose Genesis. The child themes are very easy to customize for clients, the additional plugins to control the sidebars and menus are great (though you can use them outside of Genesis) and it’s very fast as well.
For me what it comes down to is having a faster start out of the gate. If you want that go with Genesis and the child themes. I have the Pro Plus package and have gotten way more value from it than the $300 price tag.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:22 am
That’s what I’m planning Robert. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of mileage out of the Pro Plus pack even without clients!
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
September 6, 2011 at 1:01 pm
I think there’s a significant typo. You said, “Since Genesis does charge additionally for developers who are creating websites for their clients using their framework”, when I think you meant to say, “Since Thesis does charge additionally for developers who are creating websites for their clients using their framework”.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:23 am
Whoops… thanks for catching that Donna! Definitely makes a difference in the meaning!
Twitter: mrjWells
September 6, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Hi Kristi, this was some great info. It is so valuable to see a side-by-side comparison like this, especially for a diehard Thesis fan. There’s been a lot of buzz about Genesis and I really appreciate you bringing us up to speed here.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:24 am
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about Genesis or seen people make the switch. Always drove me a little bananas not knowing why, and since I like having all the details, as I was writing this I had to share all of them too!
Twitter: eugenefarber
September 6, 2011 at 1:15 pm
That was really comprehensive! I did use Genesis at one point but switched over to Headway. I don’t like to spend my time learning new codes and hooks when I can easily edit the site with a few clicks here and there. Plus, Headway offers you the option to use custom CSS and hooks too. And the price can’t be beat
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:24 am
I really have to look at that theme a little closer Eugene. I was supposed to get a free copy of it a while ago, but ended up so busy that I never asked for it. Of course, now I have my hands full of themes!
Twitter: harleenas
September 6, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Hi Kristi,
Informative and educative post!
It sure is an eye opener for someone who is wanting to switch to WordPress, like me- as I have been confused and wondering which of these to go in for.
It is indeed tough to make a decision on premium WordPress themes/frameworks, but your timely article cleared the clouds.
Thanks for sharing
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Twitter: barrywheeler
September 6, 2011 at 2:14 pm
I’ve recently started migrating from Thesis to Genesis and have to admit, I’m a lover of Genesis. I’m finding it loads fasters, provides me more options and flexibility as a blogger.
This is my personal experience and I’m sure there are others who will disagree!
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:26 am
Everyone has their preference Barry – someone earlier said Thesis loads faster. I haven’t noticed too much of a difference between the two, but a huge difference between those and some others I’ve tried with other sites. Both are very well optimized!
I always prefer to use Genesis theme. I use it on all my sites.
I really don’t like elegant theme. It is just not flexible. If you know a little coding, Genesis can do almost everything you need. Especially you can easily integrate new custom post type into Geneis with Genisis SEO. Not too easy with Thesis in my opinion.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:27 am
Templates are bit trickier with Thesis. I was looking for the hard way to do a new template for Genesis, then I just read you can just upload a new template file like you do with other themes. Problem solved!
I develop most of my sites with Genesis. I don’t think you mentioned how helpful the community can be. When you ask a question on the forums, you usually don’t have to wait very long to get an answer.
Genesis is very well coded, so it will be faster (less database queries), it also has excellent SEO settings built-in and is regularly audited for security best practices.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:28 am
I’ve had good experience with both the StudioPress and DIYthemes forums Paul. No complaints for either. ThemeForest on the other hand – don’t get me started!
I’m a developer and I love Genesis. I pick a child theme and modify it to suit my client’s design needs and it really is pretty painless. I find the code nice and clean and easy to work with, and their support forum rocks. Worth noting that if a client wants access to the support forum they need to buy the single site license, but a small price to pay if they want to ‘break free’ of me and do their own thing.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:29 am
Ah, good point Alison – didn’t even think about getting the clients access. Most of the ones I’ve worked with just ask me for updates anyway though.
Twitter: saraharrow
September 6, 2011 at 5:01 pm
I frequently swap between Thesis and Genesis. Thesis although harder to set up initially does become easier over time, uploading headers and design customisation is much easier across the the site compared to Genesis. As Amy mentions above Prose is a lot like Thesis in the settings.
When it comes to ease of use for clients, I use Genesis. They don’t seem to get in as much trouble as they do with Thesis
I also have found Gabfire themes pretty spectacular for sites with a whole heap of content and am considering moving Birds on the blog over to that. We currently use Serenity and we need a lot more functionality than we are currently getting. We shall see, I’ll probably change my mind again.
This post and the comments should help a lot of undecided bloggers make up their mind
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:30 am
Hadn’t heard of Gabfire themes Sarah – and I thought I knew all the major premium theme players out there!
Twitter: jameshicks
September 6, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Loving the detail you put into this post.
I, personally, have been a Pro-Plus member of the StudioPress and Genesis community for about a year now and absolutely love it. I still experiment with various other themes, and frameworks, but tend to come back to Genesis for the ease of use, theme variety, and as importantly their online support forum.
In all fairness, I have seen the back-end and used the Thesis Theme and think Chris Pearson has done a fantastic job with his product (the shortcodes and custom hooks are mindblowing – in a good way)
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:31 am
They are definitely both top notch systems James! Can’t argue that with either framework!
Great article. I’ve got both themes and have been trying to figure them out. I’m not a coding geek, but I do love putting together DIY websites, so I’ll have to give them both another look.
Twitter: DavidBennett
September 6, 2011 at 7:07 pm
As well as being a great resource, I enjoyed reading this very much.
I use Thesis and have often wondered whether to take a wander over to Genesis. Now the only problem is that Sarah Arrow’s comment has led me to look at Gabfire. Something else to stir into the mix.
David Bennett @ Quillcards recently posted..I Spy Modern Art In Edinburgh
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:32 am
Gotta love it when that happens David!
Twitter: virtuallyassist
September 6, 2011 at 7:33 pm
This is an awesome and detailed comparison. You were in my head weren’t you. I JUST asked a client to switch to Genesis. I have utilized Themeforest & Elegant themes…just like you said, beautiful sites…but installation was hell. It took many hours to understand the installation and then all the things for setting it up for me and clients…but I was faithful because the cost of those was less. I have been working with Genesis for week and have already done two sites for client and now transitioning mine and you are right…WAY better and much easier, the tutorials are helpful through the forum and instructions were clear…so agree!! I remember my first stab at Thesis was scarry and I was less experienced with Wordpress at the time…Genesis..by far was much easier and I love the choices of child themes.
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:34 am
I know what you mean Michelle. The sites I’ve put on Elegant haven’t been too bad, but most of them are very low-traffic sites. I feel like Genesis (or Thesis) have “lighter” themes and coding than Elegant or ThemeForest, so they would handle traffic stress much better. I wasn’t sure if it was just because I had the hooks experience, but the learning curve on Genesis was really not too bad which I took as a good sign!
Twitter: GaryJ
September 6, 2011 at 8:21 pm
One small correction please:
While it *is* possible to edit the style sheet file within the Genesis theme, it is definitely not recommended to do that, since making use of the one-click automatic update feature in Genesis will wipe out those customisations.
Instead, you can install the free Sample Child Theme (it looks exactly like the default Genesis theme) and make the customisations to style.css there – you’ve then got the power of Genesis (unmodified), coupled with all your customisations safe elsewhere.
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:34 am
Thanks for pointing that out GaryJ! Will work on moving that code around – also added your comment to the post.
Twitter: kshaykubiak
September 6, 2011 at 10:46 pm
Kristi, thank you for the time you spent on this fairly exhaustive review of Wordpress frameworks. You even managed to stay objective!
I’d love to see a head-to-head review of how long it takes to implement a Photoshop home page design in Genesis vs. Thesis (no purchased child theme) — and how much custom coding it requires outside of the theme options.
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:35 am
I really like both themes for different reasons Karen – I couldn’t find any reason why one was awful and the other one was a life-saver. Just depends on your needs!
Twitter: weborigination
September 6, 2011 at 10:59 pm
Great article, as always, Kristi. I’ve been meaning to try both of these frameworks and this is a big help. And, you should check out a pretty good framework / theme that is free… Atahualpa. I’ve used it for several sites and it is highly flexible – and again – it is free for personal, business, or client use.
Thanks.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:36 am
It’s been awhile since I went with a free theme Brian. I’ve had some pretty nasty experiences with them – one even came with some encrypted PHP code that the theme designer had planted in to force your site to display links to completely unrelated businesses. Kind of just lost the feel for looking at the freebies from that point on, although I’ll trust that one you mentioned is a good suggestion.
Twitter: wpblackbelt
September 6, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Great article as always. I’d like to suggest WPZOOM (for magazine sites) and PageLines. I have to say ThemeForest is a bit of a hit and miss.
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Twitter: kriistjanm
September 7, 2011 at 4:47 am
I’m a big fan of Thesis myself and use it on almost every website I make. Never used a skin, always customize them myself.
Haven’t tried Genesis though, but I have seen some awesome looking websites with it.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:13 pm
The skins come in pretty handy for sites you want to look better than the base framework but don’t want to spend a lot of time customizing.
Very nice and detailed comprehensive review for premium WordPress themes and WordPress frameworks. Personally, I am using premium themes Dark and Light Prestige from Digital Cavalry and with few plugins i am really satisfied with them but I have to consider some new options for clients and I think both themes, Thesis and Genesis are excellent option.
Thanks again, for very informative article. :]
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:13 pm
You’re welcome Ivan!
Genesis is the better theme for several reasons, one being that Genesis uses parent -child themes which alloas for painless upgrades.
If you customize thesis, you’ll need to mess around with FTP to update the Thesis files without overwriting your custom folder
Paul recently posted..deploying WordPress sites with Capistrano on hostgator
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:14 pm
The installation process for Genesis definitely wins over Thesis. I’ve had a few upgrades go wrong because I didn’t follow the instructions precisely – who really likes reading directions anyway.
Twitter: JymTarrant
September 7, 2011 at 8:05 am
Hi Kristi,
Congrats – this is the best comparison I’ve seen on these themes so far (and I’ve read just about all of them!). Not long ago I went on a ‘theme hunt’ and most of the race saw these two vying for pole position.
In the end Swift snuck in as my final choice. Why? Speed and SEO as good as Thesis and Genesis, comparable customization possibilities, more accessible without any technical expertise (as far as I could tell). Holding out for the Swift’s imminent HTML5 overhaul before I tweak it hard, but so far, very happy.
I actually did get a copy of Thesis, but couldn’t swing a comment without hitting a Thesis themed blog which put me off it a little.
Anyway, brilliant review, hope anyone considering these two themes finds this post!
Jym | Blog Productivity recently posted..How to get More Google Plus One Clicks While You Boost Your Business
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:16 pm
Thanks Jym! I was hoping to have the most detail possible! Hadn’t heard of Swift before – will have to take a peak at it.
Twitter: technicallyeasy
September 7, 2011 at 8:22 am
I have thought about purchasing either Thesis or Genesis but have decided to stay with my own custom theme. I enjoy learning about Wordpress, in terms of themes, so for my blog I’ll just go with what I can create.
I have, however, been thinking about creating a photography blog, so for that I may go with a framework. I have been thinking about which framework to choose, and your comparison has really helped in that regard. With the information you provided it will help me make a more informed decision.
Paul Salmon@Technically Easy recently posted..Best Places to Shop for a Laptop
Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:18 pm
I wish I had the time to get into creating a custom theme too Paul, but my design skills are definitely not up to speed for that kind of work. Glad to have helped with giving you choices for your photo blog. Let me know once you have it running. My husband and I are both into photography!
Twitter: BioScientific
September 7, 2011 at 8:24 am
What a great commentary! I’m in the procrastination phase of converting my free Wordpress blog to a paid one, since I use this to showcase my work much more than my other already paid website (which I don’t like). I say procrastinating because I’m a dummy when it comes to all-things-IT, so I’m a bit of a deer in the headlights right now, figuring where to start. I had no idea that these skins even existed! So your article has really helped give me some wonderful pointers. Many thanks
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:21 pm
If you’re not a fan of too much tech work Nicky, I’d definitely go with Genesis. Lots of pre-done templates to choose from and exact instructions on how to get them working as shown in the demo!
Twitter: BioScientific
September 7, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Thanks Kristi, I’ll definitely bear that in mind!
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Twitter: janesheeba
September 7, 2011 at 11:12 am
Kristi,
This is an awesome and detailed comparison. I am using Thesis. My initial reaction when I installed Thesis and when I was reading through the documentations were frightening. For quite some time, I was thinking about switching to a simple theme where things work at click of a button.
But now being a Thesis user for about an year, I must say I understand the power of a plain framework where there is so much room for creativity to make my website look exactly the way I want it to be.
Additionally, I’ve learned so much customization and Thesis Customization service is one of the major source of income through my services.
I have put my hands on Genesis theme on one of my client’s websites and I am leaned towards Thesis!
Cheers,
Jane.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 12:31 pm
That’s great Jane! There’s got to be a good bit of demand for Thesis customization – glad to hear that it worked out so well for you!
Twitter: type1online
September 7, 2011 at 1:45 pm
I have tried Genesis and Thesis, but in the end I went with Headway. It’s so simple to setup a blog very quickly. I also have been able to customize it to match my needs.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 10:42 pm
I’ve heard good things about Headway Matt. Will have to check that out one of these days!
Nice overview, thanks Kristi!
I use Thesis on my own blog but I’ve been curious about Genesis. I think I’m going to test it out when I set up a site for my wife.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 10:42 pm
That’s how I got into Genesis Adam – setting it up for my husband on his photoblog. He loves it!
Twitter: thewahwife
September 7, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Kristi, thank you! I have been ready to make the switch to one or the other, but I haven’t been able to get a straight answer as to the real lowdown on both themes. This definitely clears quite a few things up for me.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 10:43 pm
I’m glad it helps Angie!
Twitter: wpkube
September 7, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Hey Kristi,
Great comparison. I’m using Thesis for most of my blogs and i think it is a great theme framework. Thanks for doing this excellent comparison.
I’m going to try Genesis Framework very soon.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Thanks Dev! If you’re already familiar with Thesis, getting into Genesis is pretty simple!
Twitter: TheProfitShare
September 7, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Hi Kristi,
I’m new here and like your blog’s nice clean layout.
I must admit that I have looked at both of these themes and used Thesis for a little while in test mode on my site.
I think that WooThemes have the best themes out there and they have their own framework with a parent/child setup for intricate customisations.
Thanks for the comparison post though.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 7, 2011 at 10:46 pm
I’m sitting on a few WooThemes actually – will have to give them a go to see how they pan out Wayne.
Twitter: MusingMainiac
September 7, 2011 at 6:01 pm
I have been thinking about switching to Genesis. My theme stinks! Thank you for the great information.
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Seriously a great comparison between these 2 great themes. Elegant Themes is by far one of the cheapest and you guys can get it for even cheaper at WPWebHost.
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I have been using Studio Press Genesis themes for myself and my clients and have really gotten spoiled. Their support is awesome. I just recently installed a couple Thesis themes and, although it is very versatile theme, it requires more knowledge than the everyday business owner/blogger has time to deal with. I’m having fun with it though.
I was a little put off with the fact that I paid for the developer package for Thesis thinking I could use it for client sites, only to find I had to pay extra for each client.
After working with some really awful themes that clients insisted on, I have to say that Genesis rocks in so many ways. I also love the Premise plugin, by Copyblogger, which allows you to create landing pages inside of your existing theme without having to create a new directory or additional site. It’s fabulous!
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Twitter: kikolani
September 8, 2011 at 2:01 pm
I know what you mean Rebecca. Developer does sound like it should be inclusive of developing websites for other people, but oh well. I’ve seen my share of pretty awful themes too (one was “custom” and the developer didn’t bother to put in an archives or comment template), so StudioPress is definitely a welcomed treat comparatively!
Fabulous! Have been looking for an article comparing these two legendary themes. Typically a site will promote one or the other. A side-by-side comparison is the first step to taking the plunge.
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Twitter: JulieBMack
September 8, 2011 at 2:03 am
I actually use Thesis on my InspiredtoWrite blog and my freelance blog. I love it because of all the support and customization. I have not tried Genesis, but I know it is popular. I guess it depends on the need of your blog.
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Twitter: kikolani
September 8, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Definitely depends Julie. My site is pretty happy on Thesis, but for the photo blog, I needed the skins from StudioPress. It’s nice to know that between the two, I’m covered on any project I plan to do.
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