Compare & Then Buy Website Templates: Huge Website Template Comparison Chart

Compare and Buy Website Template here. Compare the following types of templates:

WordPress themes
Joomla templates
Website Builders
Flash website templates
HTML website templates

Bookmark this page so you can refer back to it as you do your website template research before you buy website templates.
Compare the types of website templates and platforms available.

Template Comparison Chart: Learn 1st, then Buy Website Templates
Criteria	WordPress	Joomla	Website Builders	HTML / CSS	Flash
Sample Website Template VendorsMall vs. Boutique vendors?	StudioPress (Boutique vendor) Template Monster (Mall vendor – 10% off through this link) Great list of WordPress themes.	RocketTheme (Boutique vendor) Dream Template (Mall vendor) Great list of Joomla templates.	Yola (online builder) XSitePro (desktop software) Wix (Flash website builder) Great list of website builders.	Dream Template (Mall) Themeforest (Mall) Great list of HTML/CSS website templates.	Wix (online website builder) Template Monster (Mall – 10% discount through this link) Great list of Flash website templates.
Website template Pricing Models	Flat rate per theme Membership Clubs All Theme Access (i.e. developer) packages	Flat rate per theme Membership Clubs All Theme Access (i.e. developer) packages	Free (depends on service) Monthly hosting charge for custom domains Monthly fees for premium packages	Flat rate per template Buy out rate for exclusive license Memberships (depends on vendor) – limited or all-access options available.	Flat rate per template Buy out rate for exclusive license Memberships (depends on vendor) – limited or all-access options available.
What should you expect to pay when you buy website templates?	$40 to $130 per template. More for all-theme access packages. One exception is Themeforest where you can find lower-priced themes.	$40 to $130 per template. More for all-theme access packages. One exception is Themeforest where you can find lower-priced themes.	Free packages up to $50 per month for premium services.	$6 to $100 per template. Themeforest offers the lowest per template rate. Otherwise expect to pay $40 and up per template.	$40 and up per template.
	WordPress	Joomla	Website Builders	HTML / CSS	Flash
License Granted	Depends on package and theme vendor. Some offer unlimited domain use while others restrict the number of domains. Be sure to check the license granted before purchasing.	Depends on package and theme vendor of the Joomla templates you purchase. Some offer unlimited domain use while others restrict the number of domains. Be sure to check the license granted before purchasing.	Typically, one domain per hosting package.	Typically when you buy HTML website templates, you can use a template on one domain unless you pay a premium for an exclusive license.	Typically you can use a template on one domain unless you pay a premium for an exclusive license.
Ease of Adding Content	Very easy. As a content management system you can quickly add web pages and blog posts that easily integrate with existing navigation.	Very easy. Joomla is a content management system platform which makes adding a web page extremely easy – including integrating it with existing navigation.	Very easy (generally). You can add pre-formatted pages. If the website builder has a blog add-on, then adding blog posts is very easy.	Depends. HTML templates are typically a set number of formatted pages. You can add web pages using the format provided or code a new format. In order to add blog posts, you must install blogging software in sub-folder.	Difficult – Generally very similar to HTML templates. Flash is more difficult to code than HTML (in my view). Unless you have access to a web designer or have Flash experience, adding pages to a temlate is difficult.
Boutique vs. Mall Vendors (what’s the difference?)	Mall and boutique vendors.	Mall and boutique vendors.	Self-contained website service.	Mall	Mall
	WordPress	Joomla	Website Builders	HTML / CSS	Flash
Ease of Customization (without knowing any coding)	Depends on the theme. Some themes have great amount of customization without knowing any coding.	Depends on the Joomla template you purchase.	Very easy. Website builders use drag and drop technology making designing and customizing a website very easy.	Difficult. Most HTML / CSS templates do not offer much customization unless you know HTML and CSS.	Very difficult. You must know Flash. An Exception: Wix – which is a Flash website builder.
SEO-Ready	Depends on the theme. I suggest buying themes and website templates that have SEO configuration options. If not, use All in One SEO Plugin.	Depends on the template. Like WordPress, look for templates that are SEO-ready.	Depends usually on the plan you get. Some of the free packages don’t offer SEO meta configuration. If not, it’s worth upgrading for the SEO features (not to mention custom domain).	No. You’ll have to code the SEO meta-data yourself or have someone do it for you.	No. You’ll need it coded. Note that Flash websites do not do well with search engine optimization. They look great, but don’t rank well. If you want free traffic from the search engines, don’t use Flash.
	WordPress	Joomla	Website Builders	HTML / CSS	Flash test
Pros to buying the following website templates	Easy and fast installation, set up and then publish. Adding content is very easy. Depending on theme, easy to customize. Most premium themes are SEO-ready. Many vendors offer “unlimited domain” licenses available. WordPress platform is free (theme and hosting costs money). One-time cost when you buy a theme or WordPress templates. Many themes available to choose from. Huge community offering free functionality in the form of plugins. Easy to create dynamic websites with commenting, etc.	Fairly easy and fast installation, set up, and then publish (not quite as easy as WordPress – in my view). Adding content is very easy when you buy Joomla templates. Depending on template, easy to customize. Most premium templates are SEO-ready. Many vendors offer “unlimited domain” licenses available. Joomla platform is free (theme and hosting costs money). Many templates available to choose from. Huge community offering free functionality in the form of addons. Easy to create dynamic websites with commenting, etc.	Very easy and fast to set up and publish with drag and drop technology. All-in-one solution that includes e-commerce, blogging, calendars, contact forms, and other functionality. Generally excellent and many customer service options (especially if you buy a premium plan). Plenty of easy customization options to create a unique website. Generally, easy to add more content to your site (including images and video). Easy to create dynamic websites with commenting, etc.	When you buy HTML website templates they come with uniquely designed page that you can use throughout your site. Easier (if you know HTML/CSS) to create more unique pages. In other words, not pre-formatted. Get the best of both worlds with full customization and blogging by easily installing a blogging platform (i.e. WordPress). With so many templates available, you’ll likely have a unique website. You generally have the option to buy out a template so you have an exclusive license.	Flash websites even when you buy Flash website templates look fantastic. If you use Wix, it’s easy to create a fantastic looking website. Very good if you don’t rely on organic search traffic. If you use PPC, social media, or other non-organic search engine methods to drive traffic, then Flash is good.
	WordPress	Joomla	Website Builders	HTML / CSS	Flash
Cons to buying the following website templates	Restricted to similar formatting throughout site (unless theme is highly flexible such as Builder theme). Customization not always easy – depends on the theme. Some functionality restricted because using the WordPress database (unless you know PHP). Support in the form of a forum (you may or may not like this – typically no telephone customer service. Adding video is not so easy (unless merely embedding from a video site such as YouTube. E-commerce features must be added using a plugin (unless you get an e-commerce focused theme – WooThemes offers this).	More complex than WordPress. Unless your template includes it, you must add a blog (via installation in a sub-folder). Some limitations with functionality because using a formatted database with template. There’s almost always a solution and a way to do what you want, but it’s not always easy. Most Joomla template providers don’t offer telephone support. Restricted to tutorials and forums (generally). E-commerce functionality must be added on via add-ons unless you template includes such functionality.	Slower to create navigation and new pages/posts than WordPress (not by much though). Ongoing cost for premium services. Hosting costs generally higher than hosting for WordPress, Joomla, and HTML templates (unless you buy XSitePro – a one time purchase). Limited to design templates with the service you use. Be sure you like the template designs offered. Being a self-contained platform, you must rely entirely on the service you use for functionality. Compare to WordPress, with thousands of plugins you can add as a result of a community of contributors.	More time needed to create additional pages. Must separately install a blog if you want a blog. A little more difficult to install and set up than WordPress. Comparable to Joomla.	Flash websites are not good for search engine rankings. Do you ever find a flash website in the top 10? I don’t think I have. Flash websites take time to load which can lose visitors (nobody wants to wait). Flash is very difficult to code. I know HTML and CSS, but am clueless with coding Flash. I’ve tried, and abandoned it (largely due to the fact Flash sites don’t do well in the search engines so I’m not particularly interest. One exception to coding difficulty is using Wix – a Flash website builder that is incredibly easy to use.
More Info	Click here for more WordPress themes.	Click here for more Joomla templates.	Click here for more website builders.	Click here for more HTML/CSS website templates.	Click here for more Flash website templates.

* Pricing may change, vary or be approximate. There are many pricing models used by website template providers. The prices listed above are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as exact.
** Number of themes provided is approximate. New themes are regularly released.

Choosing and then buying the perfect website template is very important before you start building your website. Why? Because you’ll spend a lot of time and some money when buy website templates and then invest time building your site. It pays off in the long run to do your research.

I hope the charts give you a good start with your website template search and ultimate decision when you buy website templates.

Compare & Then Buy Website Templates: Huge Website Template Comparison Chart

Template Comparison Chart: Learn 1st, then Buy Website Templates