WP Premium THEMES - THESIS Vs. FRUGAL - The Winner Is...

I use the Thesis theme so I suppose I'm biased. To be honest the Frugal theme looks very similar.....

The stuff that goes on the pages of the Thesis theme depends on the person using it, not the theme itself, it can be as clean or as cluttered as you want.

I've not seen the "backend" to the Frugal theme, but can say that the one with Thesis is very easy to use, even for noobs like me.

Just my 2 pence worth

I really like Thesis. Updated often as well.

Hi, everybody

Thanks for all your useful comments.

It sounds like more people are using Thesis than Frugal WP themes.

I also like Thesis, I am new to IM with no wordpress experience and I found the theme very use friendly.
Jose

I like flexsqueeze. They have two free one to check out and it's 129 for unlimited. Be sure to use the best free plugin for any wp site. Search for jeff johnson seo plug.

I like Thesis

I have not been able to afford trying another after using Thesis...lol. There is a huge support system around thesis is my big thing.

More people own Thesis because it's been out longer and has an active community of owners. I have both and can give you a good honest opinion. They both are great and I think you can't go wrong with either but it really depends on what you're using them for. Here's a breakdown:

Easy of Use - Winner > Frugal

Frugal is easier to use, especially for newbies. Frugal's admin is cleaner and more user friendly. It also offers more built in customization options. With Thesis you'll have to get into the code to make certain changes (Be sure to download the Thesis Hooks plugin to do this). Although Thesis just upgraded to 1.6 which makes some customization easier like drop down menus, it's still not as user (especially newbie) friendly as Frugal.


SEO - Winner > Thesis

One of Thesis' strengths has always been it's so SEO friendly. You don't need to install the usual plugins like All-In-One SEO, etc. because it's already built into Thesis. Also, the fewer plugins, the faster your site should render - so Thesis is usually fast. Now, Frugal just upgraded to version 3.2 and now has built in SEO as well. I haven't used or tested the new SEO features and can't vouch for it. So for now Thesis is the champ here.


Built In Customization/Website Variety - Winner > Frugal

This may seem a strange category but one of Frugal's best assets is it's ability to create a variety of websites directly from the admin (no code digging). What do I mean? With Frugal you can create actual websites (not just blogs) because it has an option for a separate homepage and a few other page templates. So let's say you want to create a website for a small business you have, it very, very easy to do with Frugal. You can create your standard business looking (no sidebars, comments, etc) Homepage, About, Products/Services, Contact, etc. and then still have a business blog section too.


Customization - Winner > Thesis

If you want to make MAJOR changes, additions, etc to your website over and above the built in customization then Thesis is what you need. If you like digging into the code, Thesis is just easier to play with than Frugal (please note that I haven't tested this on the newest version of Frugal which just came out the week before this post). Just go to the Thesis website and you can see a few of the many customization people have made. So if you know your way around code Thesis may be for you.


I hope this helps.

I'm in the same boat, but leaning towards Frugal.

I own both themes and I have to agree with mobetman. Frugal is definitely more geared toward the person that doesn't want to spend any time learning how to implement hooks and simply wants a great and clean looking website.

With frugal 3.2, SEO has now been implemented into the backoffice.

And just like Thesis, you can create great looking "sales" pages directly out of the box.

As far as support goes, frugal in my opinion is better because the user base is currently smaller and the users aren't as proficient with coding than some of the geeks using thesis (go onto the thesis forum and ask a how to question and you will get some geek speak jargon that you are naturally supposed to understand).

Have never used frugal but heard its easy to navigate and customize. But thesis, I have used it and after some hard customization its of the best in looks.

Have to check frugal, use it and then decide the winner

I am not use both of theme [ I will buy one of them, when I have enough money ] but, I think Frugal is better than thesis...just at my opinion...lol

I can vouch for Thesis. It's a quality premium
theme that also has a great following, and
thus support.

With that said, Frugal theme does look well
worth a look.

It's interesting that Frugal (and Headway)
use the same basic pricing structure as the
big daddy Thesis does...

I just changed my blog from thesis to Frugal and wrote a detailed review comparing thesis and frugal here Frugal Theme Review – Frugal and Thesis Themes Compared | Passive Income Online: Lis Sowerbutts

If you are not a css or php coder then I think frugal wins hands down - I took a theme that needed coded custom css and php in thesis and practically reproduced the look and feel using nothing but menu options in Frugal.

Thesis has a loyal following but I think for beginners and those of us who are not so new - Frugal wins hands down on usability. (I still can't believe that there is no option in Thesis that easily allows me to import a header image!)

I own both Thesis and Headway (which I purchased several months after Thesis when I realized that Thesis was not as non-css friendly as I hoped)

I can create an amazing website with Headway in minutes (custom widget layouts, widget colors etc) which would take forever and a day using Thesis.

Food for thought in your competition here...


~Dexx

I think Headway is an interesting option too Dexx - I am a little suspicious of drag and drop interfaces though - how do you find the speed?

My only reservation with both themes is that if you buy a developers license, you still need to pay $40.00 each time you create a site for a client, but that is just a minor annoyance really.

Headway doesn't require any additional payments once your purchase the developer's licence as long as it is sites that YOU build or own. (i.e. can't resell the software or just give it out)

Another reason why I chose it for client sites.

Lissie, the original interface was pretty brutal is why I never used it, but the new 1.5 interface is great and saves / loads within 5 seconds (when you save and load new pages or open/close the editor)

~Dexx

Suggest me ........ I

Always wanted to create good solid classy websites to small business owners - who are particular of some stunning yet simple websites ( not blogs)
I'm a Non techy, business analyst involved in developing websites which work for my clients.

I'm now inclined for Frugal. Am I right

if I choose Frugal -- Can it accommodate all my customization plans which I prefer to deliver to my clients ?

Almost exactly one year ago, I voted for thesis. I still think it's a great theme, but have switched over to Headway almost exclusively. Just thought I'd update this with my current opinion.

I say thesis. It's great seo but like others have said, unless you know css not newbie user friendly. If you do opt for thesis, get someone to do the design for you. There are loads of people on the warrior forum who will be able to design a great site for you.

To the interested Warriors,

Please visit the links below which may be of your interest:

Thesis vs. Frugal vs. Headway

Thesis vs. Headway - Are we at war?

Both of the above links are for blog posts. I hope you will find it useful somehow. By the way, I have both Thesis and Headway except Frugal and I personally prefer the the Thesis.

Kind Regards,

Rabindra