When searching for a WordPress theme, you will have a wide variety of alternatives available to choose from. You have the option of upgrading to a premium theme in order to obtain certain features, or you may select one of the many of free themes available. However, with so many options available, selecting the appropriate topic may be a difficult task.
In light of this, we are going to take a closer look at Kadence, a widely used theme that provides a lot of different options to choose from.
Kadence Theme Review : Overview
Kadence is a WordPress theme that can be downloaded for free and serves a variety of purposes. There is also a pro edition of the theme that provides further customization options. Kadence is also the name of the business that sells themes, and the Kadence theme is the most important product that they sell.
In addition to the Kadence theme, they presently provide customers with four more themes as well as a significant assortment of plugins (about 15). The most important plugin is called Kadence Blocks, and it is a page builder that expands the capabilities of the Gutenberg editor that is included with WordPress. Kadence Blocks, much like the Kadence theme, is offered in both a free and a paid premium edition.
Kadence Theme Free Version Review
Although there are a large number of free themes available, Kadence is without a doubt one of the most impressive. In addition to being a lightweight theme that makes it easier for your website to load fast, it also includes a far larger number of design and customization elements than the majority of free themes do. In point of fact, what truly sets Kadence apart from its competitors are the personalization options.
It is reasonable to anticipate that the free version of Kadence, given that a paid professional edition is also available, will have significant functional constraints. However, this is not at all the case. The capabilities of the free theme are impressive, and it will easily satisfy the requirements of a large number of users.
Theme Settings
There are configurations for a total of six distinct parts accessible with the free theme, and they are as follows:
- Global Colors
- Branding
- Typography
- Header Layout
- Page Layout
- Footer Layout
If you select any of these options and click on the corresponding button, you will be sent to the theme customizer, which provides you with complete authority over the configuration settings.
The colour selections that are available with the Kadence theme are superior to those that come with virtually any other free theme. You will be able to change the colour of the backdrop of the site, the colour of the background of the text, the colour of the link, and you will even be able to establish a complete colour scheme for your entire website.
You have the ability to specify two accent colours, as well as different text colours, background colours, and more using the colour scheme options. You have complete control over the situation since you may select any of the individual colours, as well as alter any of the pre-defined colour sets.
The benefits of having access to a wide range of colour palettes can hardly be understated. Without having to resort to writing any custom CSS, you can finish configuring all of the colours for your website in a matter of a few minutes’ work on your end.
Branding
Typography
You have the ability to select the font (from Google Fonts) that will be used for the body text, as well as for each of the headers from h1 to h6, and for the breadcrumbs, inside the typography settings. You also have the option of customising the font size and weight for each.
Header Layout
One of the most notable characteristics of Kadence is the header layout settings panel. Even while the commercial edition of the theme will offer you access to a greater number of options, the free version will still allow you to modify the structure and appearance of your header.
There are two tabs to choose from when configuring the settings: general and design. On the general tab, you may control which components of the header appear at the top of the page. To add a component, you just to grab hold of it and move it to the location you choose.
In the design tab, you will have the ability to select the breakpoint for switching to the mobile header as well as the background colour of the header for desktop, tablet, and mobile phone devices.
If you click on an element under the general tab, further options will become available to you. For instance, if you click on “main navigation,” you’ll be able to specify parameters that pertain to the style and layout of the menu. You will probably be amazed by how many various alternatives there are to choose from for the majority of these components.
Page Layout
You have the ability to design a unique template that can then be used as the default page layout through the options for the page layout. You will have the ability to select how the page header is shown, the width of the page, whether or not a sidebar is displayed, the position of the sidebar, featured photos, comments, and much more.
In the same manner as the header layout, the options for the page layout are shown in two tabs: general and design.
Footer Layout
Additional Opportunities for Personalization
In addition to the aforementioned six categories, which can be accessed through the Kadence settings, you may find more choices in the customizer by navigating to the Appearance > Customize menu item.
You may modify the format of the typical blog post right from this section, much like the options for the page style that were discussed earlier. You also have the ability to change the appearance and layout of the archives and the results of your searches.
In general, the customization options and design configurations that come with the free Kadence theme go much beyond what one would anticipate receiving with a free theme. In spite of the fact that it cannot compete with the capabilities of Kadence Pro, it will be more than sufficient for a number of customers. At the very least, it provides you with the opportunity to test out Kadence before you commit to paying for the full edition of the programme and determine whether or not you like it.
Kadence Theme Review : Starter Templates
After you have successfully installed and activated Kadence, you will be prompted to decide whether or not you would also like to install a plugin that includes free beginning templates. These templates make it faster and simpler to get your site set up quickly, and just like the vast customization possibilities, they exceed what you would expect from a free theme or plugin. In addition, they come with a variety of different layouts to choose from.
After the Starter Templates plugin has been successfully installed, you can access the configuration options by navigating to Appearance > Kadence > Starter Templates. Your first order of business is going to be selecting a builder. You have the option of using the common Elementor plugin or the default editor that comes with Gutenberg. For this demonstration, I’ll be utilising Gutenberg.
After you have started the import process, it will just take a minute more before the website is completely available for you to use. This contains all of the required pages, menus, customisation settings, and even the photos (if you choose the entire site option). At this point, all you need to do is look over it and make any necessary adjustments to the text and graphics. It has the potential to save a great deal of time!
Kadence theme Review : Kadence Blocks Plugin
You will have an astonishing amount of flexibility over the structure and style of your pages and articles even with the free version. And the greatest part is, if you’ve ever used the Gutenberg editor before, you’ll find yourself right at home with it. When compared to learning a whole new website builder from scratch, the learning curve is rather minimal.
The following are some of the blocks that are available to you in the free version:
- Row layout
- Tabs
- Table of contents
- Advanced button
- Advanced heading
- Advanced gallery
- Icon
- Icon list
- Info box
- Accordion
- Testimonials
- Form
Everything that is in the free version is also included in the pro version, in addition to the following blocks:
- Image overlay
- Post grid/carousel
- Product carousel
- Split content
- Modal
- Video popup
Kadence Theme Review : Kadence Pro Features
Because the free edition of both the Kadence theme and the Kadence Blocks plugin provide a substantial amount of content, you may be curious about the premium version’s extra capabilities and wonder what they are.
In a nutshell, the premium version of the Kadence theme expands upon the capabilities offered by the free version. When you upgrade to Kadence Pro, the pro add-ons that were hidden behind a grayed-out button in the free version of the theme are now accessible through the Kadence settings.
Let’s take a look at the available header components as an illustration of how the paid version of Kadence expands upon the features offered by the free version of the theme. To make use of any of the premium add-ons, simply flick the switch in the manner outlined in the following paragraph.
The header layout parameters are included in the free theme, however upgrading to the pro version grants you access to 19 extra components that you may use in your header, such as the following:
- Dividers
- Additional buttons
- Contact elements
- Toggle with slide-out panel
You will also receive new menu choices, allowing you to create a stunning mega menu, dropdowns with multiple columns and unique backgrounds, dropdowns with icons, or to incorporate icons in your menu.
You’ll fall in love with the WooCommerce add-on if you’re in the process of developing an e-commerce website since it extends the customizer with more choices for WooCommerce businesses.
In addition, the Pro upgrade provides you with hooked components, which may be inserted conditionally into any part of your website. You have the ability to display these components to certain users, to display them based on the kind of page or post, and to regulate a great deal of other factors.
You will also receive one year of support and upgrades in addition to these capabilities, as well as some other ones that haven’t been stated yet.
Tansley Photography
Tansley Photography’s Tech Stack:
- Kadence Theme
- WP Rocket (caching)
- ShortPixel (image optimizer)
- Font Awesome
Kadence Theme
Free Version
Kadence Pro Theme – $56/year
- Regardless of whether you buy simply the theme or the membership, you will be able to install it on an infinite number of websites, and you will receive support and updates for a full year after your purchase.
Kadence Blocks Plugin
Free Version
Kadence Blocks Pro – $59/year
Kadence Membership
Access to the Kadence Pro theme, in addition to four more themes, the Kadence Blocks Pro plugin, and all of Kadence’s other plugins is included with the Kadence Membership (currently, there are about 15 plugins). The Kadence Pro theme and the Kadence Blocks Pro plugin are the features that stand out the most with this membership, although the other themes and plugins could also be of use to you.
There are two distinct choices available when it comes to purchasing a membership:
- $136 per year
- $480 for lifetime access
No matter the product or plan you decide to purchase, you will be able to use it on your own websites as well as the websites of your clients, and you will also be protected by a money-back guarantee for a period of thirty days.
Kadence Theme Review : Pros and Cons
PROS
cons
Conclusion
With dozens of WordPress themes available, it’s difficult for theme developers to produce anything genuinely unique. However, Kadence is one of those uncommon themes that outperforms expectations and stands out.
I’ve been using WordPress since 2007 and nearly never use free themes because the quality is often poor. But Kadence is without a doubt the greatest free theme I’ve tested. The offered customisation possibilities will compete with those of certain expensive themes.
While many freemium themes provide extremely limited functionality in the free edition (forcing you to buy if you want the nice stuff), Kadence’s free version will be more than suitable for many users. The same may be said with the Kadence Blocks plugin. The beginning templates that can be installed for free are also fantastic.
With the free versions of Kadence and Kadence Blocks being so wonderful, it may be difficult to persuade you to upgrade. You’ll want to think about getting access to expert help because you’re certain to desire or need it at some time. Furthermore, the add-on features offered with the pro theme and Kadence Blocks Pro will be sufficient to justify the expense for consumers who want advanced functionality.
Overall, Kadence is a fantastic theme. Because the free version is so competent, you may simply begin with it to see whether you enjoy it, and then upgrade to the pro version if you discover that you require any of the premium features.
