by Many users on this site have requested an alternative to Genesis. In this article, we therefore take a closer look at DIVI from Elegant Themes, and go in depth with the differences between these two extremely popular WordPress themes.
As you may have noticed, I am a big supporter of the Genesis framework and the associated themes from StudioPress. I use the Genesis themes on pretty much all of my WordPress websites, but this does not change the fact that the design of the Genesis themes may not be exactly what you want for your WordPress website. Elegant Themes is one of the most popular WordPress themes on the market and an excellent alternative.
Both solutions are designed to know something different. Genesis makes it easy for web developers to design websites, with a strong focus on security and minimalist design.
DIVI from Elegant Themes is a solution based on everyone being able to design their own website, regardless of their technical level.
Genesis WordPress Framework
A framework is usually used as a template to create a tailored child theme. Although some choose to correct directly in their themes, it is more convenient to work in a so-called child theme.
This setup allows the framework to be updated independently of the child theme. Updates are thus much easier when using a child theme.
Compatibility with plugins
The setting options in the Genesis control panel are kept as simple as possible. One of the primary reasons for this is that, fewer setting options minimize the risk of conflicts with plugins. In fact, I have never experienced problems using the plugins and the Genesis themes.
Fast, responsive, secure and professionally coded
The Genesis framework and the associated themes are all built and coded professionally. The result of this work is a fast, responsive and secure website.
About 30% of all WordPress websites that are hacked are due to insecure themes. That safety is in order should therefore in no way be underestimated.
Before each update, Genesis is tested for security holes, ensuring the current standard is maintained.
In addition to this, all Genesis themes are responsive, which is extremely important today. On this page, as many as 30% of visitors come from mobile devices. The theme you choose must therefore be optimized for the mobile devices.
WordPress theme optimized for the search engines
Genesis is also optimized for the search engines. It is from the search engines you can get some of the best visitors to your website. Therefore, search engine optimization should not be overlooked when selecting your WordPress theme.
One of the most popular SEO plugins is WordPress by AIO SEO. If you select to install this plugin with Genesis, they will play 100% together. It is so cleverly made that Genesis automatically removes its own SEO fields and code as soon as you install AIO SEO.
This means that you easily and effortlessly get the best starting point for getting targeted and free visitors from Google. Note that there are many elements in search engine optimization and that a plugin like AIO SEO is just one of these.
Support and Updates – It Just Works!
Studiopress continuously updates the Genesis Framework. This ensures that Genesis works with the latest version of WordPress and that no errors occur.
In addition to this, you get access to some really good help files, a support forum that is constantly checked and used by the developers and users.
Genesis just works and this has made me use Genesis on pretty much all of my WordPress websites. It may not have as many features as other themes, but this in turn helps to ensure clarity and the themes can do exactly what you need. By minimizing new features, the focus can be kept on speed, security and clarity in the underlying code.
DIVI WordPress theme
The DIVI theme from Elegant Themes has quickly become one of the most popular WordPress themes. Many have tried to make these “all in one” themes before, but they rarely succeed.
Normally I would never recommend this type of theme, but the team behind DIVI has done really well. Elegant themes also offers other great themes that are equally easy to edit, coded properly and to pay. DIVI is the most advanced theme from Elegant themes and therefore also their most popular theme.
Drag and drop page builder
Where the DIVI theme really stands out from the Genesis themes is with their page builder. With this, you can design your website, by dragging different elements into the areas you want.
These elements are e.g. pictures, side menus, contact forms, videos, tables and more. After creating a layout, you can save it and use it in other posts.
Once you have mastered the page builder, you can create exactly the website you want. This is clearly one of the biggest benefits of DIVI.
If you do not want to make your own design, there are many ready-made layouts. You can easily use these layouts as a template for your pages and posts.
DIVI is responsive
As with all Genesis themes, DIVI is also responsive. No matter what elements you use, your website will be visible on mobile devices.
Since you decide where you want to place the elements, it is quite well managed by the developers that it all plays together.
Support and updates
Another point where the DIVI theme stands out from Genesis is the addition of many new features. New elements are constantly being added to the DIVI theme. This can be a great advantage as you as a website owner do not have to go out to find plugins to solve these tasks.
With DIVI you can do it all, whether you can code or not
DIVI is an all-in-one solution where you can basically do exactly what you want. So you can create beautiful, user-friendly and flexible websites. All this you can do in a few minutes, once you have familiarized yourself with the system (which is quite fast).
Using one of the Genesis themes can make these changes more difficult, and you may need to invest in Design Palette Pro if you want to make major changes without the use of code.
Genesis Framework Vs. DIVI from Elegant Themes
There are both pros and cons to both themes. As a blogger, I really like the minimalist approach that the Genesis Framework and their themes have. This ensures that there are no conflicts with plugins and that all pages load extremely quickly. At the same time, the solution with a framework plus a child theme is very stable.
You can e.g. also use a page builder plugin like Beaver Builder, along with Genesis. I can in no way recommend this with DIVI, as there is a really big chance that it creates conflicts with the theme itself, drag and drop elements.
If you want to make slightly bigger changes to your theme, Genesis developers offer many tutorials for just this purpose. This makes it relatively manageable to customize your Genesis Themes.
DIVI makes it easy and fast to make WordPress websites that look good. There are many good features and as a newer website owner, DIVI may therefore be the right solution for you.
Eventually, there are actually many web developers who exclusively use DIVI, to make websites for their customers. This illustrates very well how flexible DIVI really is and how far they have come with the underlying code.
The disadvantage of DIVI is that it can be quite cumbersome if you later want to switch to another theme. This is due to the fact that most functions are located directly in DIVI and not in the form of plugins (which can be used independently on all WordPress themes).
How much does DIVI and Genesis + child theme cost?
DIVI and Genesis run with two different pricing models. If you choose to buy the Genesis Framework + a child, it will cost you between $99 and $129. This is a one-time expense, and you can use Framework + theme on as many WordPress websites as you want.
Once you have purchased the Genesis Framework once, do not purchase it again. This means that in the future, you can buy new Genesis themes for $40- $70.
In addition to this, all future updates are free, and you retain your access to tutorials and support at studiopress.com.
DIVI is based on a member service. This means that with the cheapest license (staff) you pay $89 per year to have access to, 60+ themes (incl. DIVI), updates, support and tutorials.
They also offer a lifetime license for $249, giving you access to all of their DIVI plugins at the same time. Therefore, if you plan to renew your personal license more than twice, it may pay to buy their lifetime license. You can always upgrade your account if you are in doubt about what to choose from the start.
Two great WordPress themes
If you do not have experience with making websites, the DIVI theme can be a wonderful solution. Completely without coding and previous experience, based on their many themes, you can easily and quickly make beautiful designs.
If, on the other hand, you think one of the Genesis themes fits your concept, I can warmly recommend them. Genesis is a good, stable, and not the least fast solution – and at a fair price.
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