Content management systems (CMSs) like WordPress have been helping people build a website for over two decades. While they are easy to learn how to use, getting a truly customized site is difficult if you don’t have any coding knowledge.
The advent of website builders enabled users to customize every element of their website but locked them into a proprietary platform for which they could not choose their own host, third-party themes, or plugins beyond what the platform deemed worthy.
Enter Pro.
The Themeco Pro website creator functions like a website builder, yet can be used on WordPress. Touted as a game-changer, Pro enables you to use WordPress as you never could before. But is it as good as they say? We signed up to learn more.
- Pros and Cons
- Getting Started
- Ease of Use
- Template Selection
- Blogging with Pro
- Pro Premium
- Conclusion
Pros and Cons
- Pros
- Cons
- The Pro website builder can be used to edit an existing theme or build one from the ground up.
- The builder includes preset designing, requiring minimal input over elements like buttons and menus.
- Pro is fully integrated with WordPress so you get the same great features you know and love.
- Pro is complicated to learn how to use and may even be challenging once you think you have an understanding of the platform.
- Demo videos are included, but learning something as simple as how to manipulate headers and footers requires watching over an hour of instruction.
Getting Started
You can purchase Pro directly from the Themeco website. Upon creating an account, you will have access to a private dashboard where you can view your licenses and orders, access support, and even post on a forum.
In order to use the Pro website builder, you will need to already have a WordPress-based website. The tool is installed like any other theme, but will not change your current theme in any way once you install and activate it.
Pro will create a new button on your WordPress sidebar which enables quick access to the website builder as well as support and extensions.
Ease of Use
You can launch Pro directly from your WordPress dashboard. Once the builder loads, you will be presented with several options, including Theme Options, Templates, Headers, Content, and Footers.
The first thing we attempted to change on our sample site was the header. Although the control panel features all of the tools necessary to create and make changes to a design, learning how to use them proved complex.
The editor works from left-to-right, encouraging users to go through each step one at a time and in the order necessary to create elements correctly. There isn’t any setting you can’t change, but finding out how to do so takes a commitment of time.
We recommend watching the demo videos to get a good idea of how to use the product.
Pro is far from as easy to learn as simple drag-and-drop builders like Wix, but once you get the hang of it, it is far more powerful.
Template Selection
There are tens of thousands of free and premium themes available for the WordPress platform, and Pro can be used to edit and add to all of them.
Pro can also be used to create your own templates from the ground up, negating having to buy an additional theme. You can simply find a theme you like and copy it.
Some of the features you can add to your site using Pro include:
- Responsive modal windows
- Off-canvas content
- Sidebars, containers, and elements
- Fonts and colors
The best part is that each license enables unlimited site changes without any recurring fees.
Blogging with Pro
When it comes to blogging and adding pages, users will find that not much changes with Pro integration.
Adding new posts can be done just as any other theme would allow. Simply access the Posts option from your sidebar panel and begin blogging on WordPress’s platform with ease.
The same holds true for page creation. Although you can use Pro to change the layout of any given page, the initial creation process requires very little input from the user.
Pro Premium
In order to use Pro, you need to pay for a license. If you are a prolific website builder, you can save money on multiple licenses. The prices break down as follows:
- A single Pro license costs a one-time fee of $75.
- If you opt for a two-pack, the price is reduced to a one-time fee of $69 per license.
- A five-license pack costs just $65 per license.
If you require more than five licenses, we recommend that you contact Themeco directly as we are sure that they would be willing to offer further reductions if warranted.
Conclusion
Pro is a great option for those looking for a website builder for WordPress and it truly is a game-changer in the field. The software is aptly named, however, catering to a more experienced and professional clientele or to those who are willing to get over a steep learning curve.
We recommend the Pro platform to anyone itching to make quick changes to their pre-existing WordPress theme or even create a new and unique template.
