Which Multipurpose Theme is Best for Your Website?
The Ultimate WordPress Theme Comparison
Introduction
When choosing a WordPress theme, Avada and Flatsome stand out as two of the most popular options on ThemeForest. Both themes offer powerful features, but they cater to different needs. Avada is a highly flexible multipurpose theme, while Flatsome is built specifically for WooCommerce stores. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each will help you determine which is the best choice for your website.
What is Avada?
Avada is the number one selling WordPress theme of all time, used by over 900,000 website owners worldwide. Its greatest strength lies in its flexibility. It comes with the Fusion Builder, a drag-and-drop visual editor that allows users to create custom layouts without needing any coding knowledge. The theme includes over 100 prebuilt websites across various industries, making it suitable for business websites, creative portfolios, agency sites, blogs, and even eCommerce stores.
Customization is virtually limitless, with extensive theme options allowing users to tweak everything from typography to layout structures.
What is Flatsome?
Flatsome is the best-selling WooCommerce theme on ThemeForest. Unlike Avada, which is a general-purpose theme, Flatsome is optimized specifically for online stores. It features the UX Builder, a lightweight and intuitive drag-and-drop page editor designed to create conversion-focused product pages and category layouts.
With over 40 pre-designed shop templates, Flatsome provides an easy way to launch a professional-looking WooCommerce store without needing extensive design experience. Performance is another major advantage, as Flatsome is coded for speed, ensuring faster load times which directly impact SEO and user experience.
Ease of Use: Which Theme is More Beginner-Friendly?
Avada: Feature-Rich but Requires a Learning Curve
Avada is packed with customization options, but this can also make it overwhelming for beginners. If you’re just starting out, the vast number of settings, options, and configurations might feel a bit complicated at first.
However, if you’re a freelancer or an agency who builds multiple websites, Avada’s Fusion Builder and global theme settings will allow you to fine-tune every detail of your website design.
Flatsome: Simpler and Faster to Set Up
Flatsome is much easier to use than Avada, especially if you’re creating an eCommerce store. The UX Builder is straightforward, and the theme’s predefined shop layouts mean less customization is needed to get a store up and running.
If your goal is to launch an online store with minimal hassle, Flatsome is the better choice.
Winner: Flatsome (Easier for beginners, especially for eCommerce)
Customization: Which Theme Offers More Design Flexibility?
Avada: Unlimited Design Possibilities
Avada offers:
- 100+ Prebuilt Websites – Templates for business, agencies, portfolios, blogs, eCommerce, and more.
- Drag-and-Drop Fusion Builder – Create fully custom layouts.
- Global Theme Options Panel – Fine-tune typography, colors, layouts, and more.
It’s a true multipurpose theme, giving you complete control over your website design.
Flatsome: Beautiful Pre-Designed eCommerce Elements
Flatsome’s customization options are more focused on WooCommerce. While it does offer a great design builder, its real power lies in its:
- Prebuilt Shop & Category Layouts – Designed for eCommerce conversions.
- Drag-and-Drop UX Builder – Easier to use than Avada’s Fusion Builder.
- Live Theme Customizer – Edit colors, fonts, and layouts with instant preview.
If you want an online store that looks great out of the box, Flatsome is the better choice.
Winner: Avada (for general websites) Winner: Flatsome (for eCommerce stores)
Performance & Speed: Which Theme Loads Faster?
Page speed is crucial for both SEO rankings and user experience.
Avada: Feature-Heavy, Requires Optimization
- Slower by default due to its large feature set.
- Requires caching plugins, image compression, and lazy loading to optimize.
- Can be as fast as Flatsome if properly optimized.
Flatsome: Fast and Lightweight by Default
- Optimized for WooCommerce with fewer unnecessary features.
- Loads significantly faster than Avada out of the box.
- Ideal for stores where speed = conversions.
Winner: Flatsome (Faster performance without extra optimization)
WooCommerce: Which Theme is Better for Online Stores?
Avada: WooCommerce-Compatible But Not Specialized
- Supports eCommerce but is not built specifically for WooCommerce.
- Requires additional customization to create a conversion-optimized store.
Flatsome: Built for WooCommerce
- Comes with eCommerce-specific design tools.
- Features quick view, live search, optimized checkout, and product filtering.
- Ideal for high-performance online stores.
Winner: Flatsome (Best for WooCommerce)
SEO & Mobile Responsiveness
Both themes are fully responsive and SEO-friendly, but Flatsome has faster performance, which can give it an SEO advantage.
Avada SEO Features
- Schema markup support for better Google rankings.
- Optimized for mobile-first design.
- Requires performance tuning to match Flatsome’s speed.
Flatsome SEO Features
- Faster out of the box (which Google favors for SEO).
- Mobile-optimized WooCommerce templates.
- SEO-friendly product pages and checkout layouts.
Winner: Flatsome (Better for SEO due to speed)
Pricing & Licensing
Both themes are one-time purchases from ThemeForest:
- Avada – $69 (Lifetime updates + 6 months support)
- Flatsome – $59 (Lifetime updates + 6 months support)
Since Flatsome is cheaper and optimized for eCommerce, it’s the better value for money if you’re building an online store.
Winner: Flatsome (Cheaper and more focused)
Final Verdict: Which Theme Should You Choose?
Choose Avada if:
- You need an all-in-one multipurpose theme for business, blogs, agencies, or portfolios.
- You want deep customization and don’t mind a learning curve.
Choose Flatsome if:
- You need a WooCommerce-optimized theme for an online store.
- You want fast performance & easy setup.
Choose the theme that aligns with your website goals, and start building your online presence today.
