Extendability and flexibility are two of the main reasons for the success of WordPress. Because you can find WordPress themes and plugins en masse in the official directory, the CMS lets you build pretty much any type of website you want.
No doubt about it, the WordPress directory is a central part of the WordPress ecosystem. However, it is far from the only place where you can find WordPress components. By now there are many other places that offer themes and plugins.
To give you a better understanding of who they are, in this blog post we have compiled a list of high-quality alternative sources for WordPress themes and plugins. There are a lot. Prepare to be baffled.
Alternative Sources for WordPress Themes and PluginsLooking for ways to extend your WordPress site? The sources below have you covered.
Theme Forest
If you want to talk about alternative WordPress plugin and theme directories, you have to mention Theme Forest. It is, by far, the biggest vendor of WordPress themes and one of the most successful WordPress companies.
Apart from that, Theme Forest is also a client favorite as they can get cheap themes. Plus, the platform has enabled developers to sell thousands of themes. At the same time, it's not a company without controversy. Yet, there's no denying that if you are looking for lots of WordPress themes, you will find them here.
CodeCanyon
The same people who make Theme Forest also run CodeCanyon. The only difference is that the former is for themes, the latter for plugins of all purposes.
However, because the parent company is the same, much of what is true for Theme Forest also extends to this marketplace. Wide choice, competitive prices, however, problems with code quality and support.
iThemes
iThemes is another well-known company in the WordPress sphere. They make the excellent iThemes Security plugin and BackupBuddy among other things. However, despite their name, themes are not the core of their business even if they included 200 of them in their toolkit.
MOJO Marketplace
Formerly Mojo Themes, this site is now another marketplace for WordPress themes and templates for other platforms. Seems like it's pretty large with more than 5 million customers and lots of themes and plugins. Overall, a bit reminiscent of Envato's properties but, as far as I can tell, with a better reputation.
Creative Market
Creative Market is another popular marketplace for digital goods. They also have their own WordPress section where you can find both themes and plugins. Prices start as low as a few bucks and the shop has a solid reputation.
WPMU DEV
WPMU DEV is a trusted name in the WordPress sphere, not only because of their excellent blog. They also offer a number of themes, plugins and even hosting.
Among their plugins are solutions for security, speeding up WordPress, SEO, branding, membership sites and more. In addition to that, they sell the Upfront theme and starter themes for different types of websites. You need a membership to access all of the above.
ThemeIsle
The company with, in my opinion, one of the best logos in the WordPress business. They offer free and paid themes as well as plugins. Quite successfully so as over 470k users can attest. Plugins range from RSS over Google Maps to marketing. Plans start at $89 for one domain for one year.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is mostly known as the leading ecommerce plugin (read our beginner's tutorial). However, their site also offers extensions (some of them for free) and a free theme called Storefront for which they also sell child themes.
StudioPress
Here we come to one of my favorite companies in the WordPress sphere. StudioPress makes the excellent Genesis framework that I use for almost every website I build (read our beginner's guide). They offer plenty of themes individually or included in an all-inclusive package. Highly recommended.
Press75
One of the oldest established WordPress theme shops (2008) that offer both themes and plugins. You can buy them individually or get them all at once in one pack for $99. On the plugin front, there's only two: a long-form story builder and search keyword redirect.
Semper Plugins
Semper Plugins are behind the of the popular All-in-One SEO Pack (read our comparison with Yoast SEO). On their site, they offer a Pro version of that very plugin plus two more. Prices start at $57. They also have a nice blog.
Organic Themes
The focus here is on simple, minimal WordPress themes. Five of them are available for free and a whole bunch more are for sale. Buy one theme with a year of support for $69 or one of the packs that give you access to all of them. Themes cover all the usual bases and with over 800k users, they must be doing something right.
DIYthemes
DIY Themes are the maker of the well-known Thesis framework. That's also mostly what they are offering plus skins for Thesis and extensions.
Themify
Close to 75k customers trust this theme and plugin shop. They offer dozens of themes and have a nice buy-one-get-two offer. On the plugin front, there's their own page builder and post type builder, both with plenty of add-ons, and a number of free plugins. Worth checking out.
TeslaThemes
TeslaThemes is a premium theme vendor. They currently have 67 themes on offer for many different purposes. The company is trusted by almost 30,000 customers and their pricing is quite competitive.
EngineThemes
As the name suggests, here, too, you find WordPress themes. While it's currently only eleven of them, each is made for a special purpose. From freelance websites to a restaurant theme to real estate. They also offer a lot of extensions, for example, to integrate payment portals. Packages with discounts are also available.
Theme Junkie
The people behind Theme Junkie both create and collect WordPress themes. They have many different types from travel to small business. They also offer theme packages that save money. The shop has been around since 2009 and is trusted by more than 35,000 customers.
Graph Paper Press
Here you can find both free and premium WordPress products. Their themes cover all the usual types. The plugins are mostly in the realm of selling digital goods and extensions for ecommerce. Together, they have been downloaded more than a million times.
Obox Themes
Obox sells themes, plugins and even their own site builder (which is free, by the way). Their 20+ themes clock in at $79 a piece and they also have four plugins of which half are paid, half free. The latter includes a mobile plugin, Instagram support, selling on Facebook and a landing page/coming soon plugin.
Theme Hybrid
This alternative source of WordPress themes and plugins has been around since 2008. Justin Tadlock, one of the most well-known names in the WordPress sphere, is part of it. Their collection of themes is free and also available from the WordPress directory. However, here you find them all in one place. The plugins are also free.
So, how do they make money? Through club memberships that give you support, exclusive content and access to their community, that's how.
Themes Kingdom
WordPress themes with a royal seal. Themes Kingdom offers a very elegant site and the design of their themes is along similar lines. You can buy a single theme or get access to all of them with a membership.
GavickPro
Gavick is specializing in both WordPress themes and Joomla templates (check out our comparison of the two CMS). You can find both premium and free WordPress themes. To access them requires a membership, starting at $89 for all themes plus one year of updates.
Theme Horse
That's a pretty good name for a business if you ask me. As you would expect from a company with such a title, they offer WordPress themes. On the site, you find a chosen few for different purposes. Each is available individually or as a bundle.
Bluchic
A theme shop specialized in feminine designs for bloggers and entrepreneurs. Besides WordPress themes, they sell landing page templates and Canva social media templates. Their themes range from blogging to ecommerce and business and come in at $79.
Compete Themes
All themes on this site focus on content and are available both for free and paid. In fact, for each theme they usually have a free version in the WordPress directory but also offer extended and pro versions on the site for $49 each. Over 900k downloads say that this model works out for them.
RocketTheme
While they mainly seem to sell premium templates for Joomla!, Rocket Theme also have WordPress themes and plugins. You can purchase them one by one or get access to all by joining their club. Costs for the latter start at $59 for three months and one site.
ThemeZee
Another theme shop catering to a niche. If you are looking for magazine themes, this is the site for you. Again, they have free versions in the directory and pro versions available with a membership (from $59/year). On the plugin side, they offer solutions for menus, social sharing, related posts, widgets and more.
Kadence Themes
With four themes and nine plugins, the choice of WordPress components here is not too large. However, as usual, they offer free versions in the repository and sell versions with pro features. Many of the plugins are aimed at WooCommerce or ecommerce in general. You can buy a theme for $45 with one year of support or spend $75 for a membership with all products.
ThemeGrill
And one more time the same model, free themes but paid pro versions. Buy them individually or sign up for a plan that includes all themes. In addition to that, check out their plugins for maintenance pages, social icons, user registration and more.
KOPA THEME
Free and paid WordPress themes and HTML5 page templates. The shop offers a considerable choice of themes starting at $16. They also have free themes, this time hosted on their own site.
MyThemeShop
Here, too, you can find premium WordPress themes and plugins with some free ones in the mix. Over 380,000 users are already taking advantage of them and you can choose from different plans to find what works for you.
The Theme Foundry
WordPress themes for publishers. Not a very wide range (eight overall), however, with a big focus on high-quality fonts. They also offer their own free site builder and have different plans to get you started. Prices start at $99.
Array Themes
The shop promises pixel-perfect WordPress themes. While I can't vouch for that, I can tell you that some of them are free, while the majority is paid. You can get themes by themselves or join the theme club for $89/year to get access to all of them at once.
ThemeTrust
More WordPress themes, used by over 90,000 customers and a wide range of categories to choose from. In addition to that, plugins for Google Fonts, social icons, and shortcodes.
CSS Igniter
85 WordPress themes and five plugins. Themes cover everything from hotels and photography to restaurants and blogging. They also offer six free themes. Plugins range from modules for Elementor and sliders to an audio plugin. Single themes clock in at $39, after that there are several options for bundles and lifetime access.
FameThemes
In this shop, you find both free and premium themes for everything from spa websites to magazines. They also have a menu plugin and pro versions of two of their themes. As usual, you may buy them individually or use one of the two available package options.
Tribulant Software
The final entry on our list is a rare pure plugin provider. Their inventory includes plugins for SSL, newsletters, a shopping cart, FAQs, slideshows and more. They also have further extensions for individual plugins. Only one plugin is free after that prices start at $14. Bundles are also available.
Do You Know Other Places to Find WordPress Themes and Plugins?WordPress themes and plugins build the backbone of the success of WordPress. Without them, the platform wouldn't be nearly as flexible or beginner friendly.
This is also reflected in the hundreds of thousands of downloads the WordPress directory sees every month. While it's clearly the central hub for WordPress components, as we have seen in this article, there are plenty of other places to find them.
The list above shows you alternative sources for WordPress themes and plugins. While, naturally, the majority is paid stuff, there are also a lot of freebies. Plus, the above list is far from exhaustive. The web has plenty more high-quality vendors. It just goes to show how much the WordPress ecosphere has grown.
Do you know additional alternative sources for WordPress themes and plugins you can recommend? Please share in the comment section below!
Nick SchäferhoffNick Schäferhoff is an entrepreneur, online marketer, and professional blogger from Germany. He found WordPress when he needed a website for his first business and instantly fell in love. When not building websites, creating content or helping his clients improve their online business, he can most often be found at the gym, the dojo or traveling the world with his wife. If you want to get in touch with him, you can do so via Twitter or through his website.
Source: Where to Find WordPress Themes and Plugins (35+ Directory Alternatives)
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