While I typically develop WordPress websites by using the Underscores starter theme, I had an opportunity to work on a project that had already selected the Avada theme.  Although using themes is not my preferred way of working, I still need to have an income so I took on the project.

What I Liked

  1. There are many options for page layouts including different blog layouts and sliders.
  2. The “builder” made putting together layouts quicker.
  3. All in all, using the theme helped keep the development budget under control.

What I Did Not Like

  1. The theme requires a great deal of memory, especially  if  the “builder” or any of the sliders are used. The host for this particular site was reluctant to raise it high enough but eventually did so.
  2. The theme generates a lot of inline Javascript and CSS. If you build a child theme with a custom style sheet, this makes CSS overrides cumbersome. It also produces messy code.
  3. The mobile layout could be improved. The default appears to go from a desktop layout to “mobile” layout at 800px. I would be nice if the theme included more of an intermediate or “tablet” layout, too.

Would I Use Avada Again?

Given the same circumstances where there was a strict budget and I needed the income, my answer would be yes although I would be somewhat reluctant to do so.