GeneratePress vs Genesis: In-Depth Comparison Based on My Real Experience

If you want to create a successful website, choosing the right theme is one of the most important things you should focus on.

A theme not only determines how your website will look and function, but it also plays a crucial role in improving your SEO ranking. There are many different themes available out there, but when it comes to the best ones, GeneratePress and Genesis are always recommended.

Professional bloggers and companies often use these two themes because they offer great functionality and are highly regarded by users.

If you have to choose between GeneratePress and Genesis, this comparison guide will help you make an informed decision. As an expert, I will provide you with the answer you’re looking for. So let’s get started without wasting any time.

GeneratePress and Genesis Overview

GeneratePress is a popular theme that you can use for free or choose to upgrade for added features. The framework behind it was created by a well-known WordPress developer named Tom Usborne. Generally speaking, it’s a great option for building websites.

The main goal of GeneratePress is to make your website fast and easy to set up, even if you don’t have professional help. It is a lightweight theme that doesn’t need a lot of other things to work.

You can choose between two versions: one is free, and the other one is paid. The paid version gives you more control over customizing your website.

And when it comes to Genesis is one of the most well-designed and optimized themes with millions of users. It is developed by a renowned agency called StudioPress, which specializes in creating WordPress plugins and themes.

Speaking from my expertise, I can confidently say that Genesis is an excellent choice for your website.

It is ready for Gutenberg, and you will also have access to a child theme, so you can easily develop a WordPress website within hours.

Genesis themes are designed to be faster, secure, and SEO-friendly. To use them, you need a child theme and the parent Genesis Framework.

Comparison Of Features

Before you decide to invest in any online tool, it’s important to understand the features it offers. So let me provide you with a detailed comparison of the features between GeneratePress and Genesis:

GeneratePress Features

As I mentioned earlier, GeneratePress has a free plan that offers a lot of great features. However, if you’re comparing it to Genesis themes and framework, the paid version of GeneratePress is slightly better.

With GeneratePress, you have access to a wide range of features that allow you to customize your website exactly how you want. You can modify your logo, set up your primary navigation, customize containers, footers, and sidebars, and even add your own custom CSS.

If you decide to upgrade to the premium version of GeneratePress, you’ll get even more premium add-ons that give you unlimited customization options for every area of your website.

Here’s a list of the main features that GeneratePress offers:

• Logo modification
• Primary navigation customization
• Containers customization
• Footers customization
• Custom CSS
• Sidebars customization

Now, let’s understand these in details.

1. Mobile-Friendly and SEO Optimized:

For a long time, it has been believed that using themes with built-in schema.org structured data is more likely to improve your SEO and local rankings.

GeneratePress comes with schema.org and validated HTML coding, which helps make your website more SEO-friendly.

The great thing is that it is already optimized for mobile devices, and if you organize your content and navigation effectively, it can improve the SEO of your website.

And another fantastic reason to choose GeneratePress is that I personally use this theme on my own website. 🙂

2. Performance-Focused:

One exciting thing about GeneratePress is that it is 30 KB in size, and the developers keep trying to reduce its size even more. This makes it significantly faster and is also the reason why it provides impressive performance.

GeneratePress is clean-coded, and top WordPress community users have also reviewed its coding. It also utilizes the upgraded coding standards, which makes sure it provides faster loading.

3. Inbuilt Site Library:

If you are a complete beginner, then this feature of GeneratePress will surely impress you. With this theme, you get access to a Site Library, which contains several pre-made demo sites.

This means that even if you have no experience in coding or web designing, you can create a professional website within a few clicks.

All you have to do is choose one of the demo sites that suits your business type, and you are good to go.

4. Theme Customization Options:

No matter what WordPress you choose, you will get a lot of customization options. But with the paid version of GeneratePress, you can exceed the design boundaries.

It gives you the ability to change every aspect of the website, from the header, footer to blog post area, sidebar layout, and many more.

You could also fix a particular color or font for a specific element. It also enables you to watch the preview of your website, so you can change anything that doesn’t look good.

5. Page-Level Settings:

In the majority of the other WordPress themes, settings for all of the pages are the same. However, you could have the freedom to adjust the blog post, but it comes with some restrictions.

GeneratePress offers a Layout Meta box on every page of your website. This meta box allows you to choose the sidebar orientation, disable variously, and manage many other features, which helps you design every page or post differently.

Genesis Features:

If you want to use Genesis, you need to install the Genesis Framework. This framework creates a foundation for your child theme.

When you make improvements to the theme, they will only be visible in the child theme.

This theme is great for people who want to customize their themes in their own way. It’s also suitable for developers who are skilled in languages like CSS, PHP, and JavaScript.

If you don’t have any experience, you can also use a good website builder. Here are some of the main features that Genesis offers:

• Easy customization options
• Responsive design for mobile devices
• SEO-friendly features for better search engine visibility
• Secure and stable framework
• Integration with popular plugins for added functionality

Now, let’s understand these in detail.

1. Easy To Customize Child Themes:

If you blend the Genesis framework and its child theme, then you will be able to customize your website as per your needs. You won’t need the help of any designer, as you can easily make improvements to your website by customizing the child themes.

Unlike other themes, the child theme of Genesis won’t be affected by any updates.

All the codes in this theme are very clean and lightweight, so you can be sure that you will get faster loading and fantastic performance.

With Genesis, you also get custom widgets such as featured posts, profile displays, etc. And the good thing is that these widgets can be added anywhere on the site.

2. SEO Optimized:

SEO is significant for ranking your website, and Genesis knows that very well. That’s why it supports Schema.org and also manages the SEO basics for better performance.

As the competition in the virtual world is increasing, it has become imperative to opt for themes that come with these features.

Top SEO experts have search-optimized the Genesis themes, and even if new framework updates are released, they won’t affect the coding.

All the child themes and Frameworks are built on HTML 5, which is the reason why they are, by default, responsive.

3. Everything Unlimited:

One great thing about the Genesis Framework is that even if you buy a low-priced one, you will still get everything unlimited.

It is an excellent resource for people who are managing multiple clients, as they can easily handle the designing of different websites without spending any extra money.

Along with this, you also get access to its highly responsive support team as well as top product experts.

Whenever you face any issue, you can get in touch with the customer executive, and they will solve your problems as soon as possible.

4. Top-Notch Security:

As you know that website hacking scenarios are increasing day by day, and now it has become imperative to secure your website correctly.

According to surveys, WordPress websites are more likely to get hacked, but the good thing is that WordPress has many useful plugins that can help you increase your website protection.

Talking about protection, all the Genesis themes come with world-class security features.

They work with the best top security experts to make sure that the themes are developed with the leading WP security practices.

Which Is Best For You? (GeneratePress Vs. Genesis)

So here is a detailed review on both generatepress vs genesis, and which one is best for you!

1. Speed And Performance

When it comes to speed and performance, both themes do a good job. If you host them on a good server, they will provide excellent load speed, and you won’t notice any page load delay.

However, both themes are lightweight and clean coded, but one good thing about GeneratePress is that it suits almost all types of niches.

Its size is very small, which ensures better speed and operations.

On the other hand, the Genesis framework also doesn’t compromise on speed and performance, and you can easily use any child theme and make improvements as per your needs.

However, if you are someone who likes to use more plugins and tools, then the theme might become a bit heavier, which might decrease the website speed.

But with Genesis, it’s infrequent, so you won’t have to worry about anything. The only suggestion is that you only use plugins that are necessary for your website.

2. Ease To Use

The best thing about these themes is that they both have a short learning curve, which means you won’t have to put more time and effort into customizing your website.

To help you understand better, let’s analyze both one by one. With GeneratePress, you get a site library that contains various demo sites.

Beginners could easily choose one, do some modifications, and the website will be ready. It has templates for different niches, so no matter what the nature of your business, it won’t disappoint you.

Coming to Genesis, also comes with a repository of highly professional child themes with excellent functionalities and design.

You need the framework and a child theme to start your project. It also enables us to get the content with one click, and the powerful Gutenberg blocks make the process less time-consuming.

In simple words, both themes are easy to use, but if you have coding skills, then it would be easier for you to work in Genesis.

3. Pricing

Pricing is one of the most important factors that everyone should consider before buying any theme.

Now it’s very clear that GeneratePress is a winner here because it also offers a free plan, while Genesis is a paid theme.

Not only this, even if you want to access the premium features of GeneratePress, you need to spend $49.95 every year for the updates and one-year support, and the renewal charges are also economical.

On the flip side, Genesis comes at a cost of $360/year with 1 year free WordPress Hosting by WPEngine, and get full support and updates.

But one problem is that if you want to use it, then you will have to invest in a child theme too, which costs around $129.95

Not only this, if you have skills for customization, then there are no issues, but for beginners, it is essential to buy some extra plugins to execute the design properly.

With GeneratePress, even if you don’t have expertise in designing, you can still use the in-built sites, custom widgets, and other resources to design professional looking websites.

4. Developer-Friendly

In this aspect, both themes are almost equal.

However, the GeneratePress core is free of cost, but you will have to put in money to get access to more features. The good thing is that it is a one-time investment that can be used for unlimited websites.

And if you combine with some plugins and website builders, then it will become easier to make amendments to your sites.

In the case of Genesis themes, you need a developer license, but just like GeneratePress, you can use it with any number of sites.

5. Customization

A developer with some experience would face no issues while customizing both themes, but if you are a complete beginner, then GeneratePress would be easy to understand and customize.

With GeneratePress, you get a lot of phenomenal options to change every element of your website. But you will need good coding skills to customize Genesis, or you would need a paid plugin.

In short, for people with no coding skills, customizing Genesis would be costly as they have to hire professionals to spend money on different plugins.

Apart from this, one plus point of using GeneratePress is that it is compatible with most of the WordPress plugins, while Genesis only supports some special ones.

Here are some of the plugins you will need if you want to customize Genesis without coding skills:

• Genesis Custom Headers
• Genesis Responsive Slider
• Genesis Simple Hooks
• Genesis Simple Edits

and you can find a lot more here.

Along with all these plugins, you will have to invest in the StudioPress child theme to install the plugins.

In short, Genesis can be a bit overwhelming for people who don’t have coding knowledge.

Now one thing you have to keep in mind is that even if you purchase all the plugins, there is a chance that they will make your website a bit slower.

Too many plugins can hamper your website’s loading speed and performance. That’s why it is recommended to install only those plugins that are essential for your website.

6. Money-Back Guarantee

A Money-Back guarantee or refund policy is another important factor that you should keep in mind while buying online. It ensures that your money is safe, and in case of any issues in the product, you will have the power to get your money back.

Fortunately, both Genesis and GeneratePress offer a full 30-day money-back guarantee.

This means that after purchasing the theme, if you don’t like anything, then you could contact the support team and ask for a full refund.

And they will refund your money to the bank that you used for making the payment.

Now, remember that it is a 30-day refund policy, so if you exceed this time frame, then you won’t get any refund.

7. Worldwide Searches

Genesis is loved by thousands of pro developers from all over the world, but as per the latest Google trends, people are also likely to start preferring the GeneratePress theme.

There could be many reasons behind this massive rise of GeneratePress, but easy usability and economics are two of the most obvious.

Pros And Cons Of Genesis and GeneratePress

Now, after talking about the main comparison, it’s time to have a look at the pros and cons of both themes.

As you know that no product is perfect, that’s why you should know all the up and downsides of a product before using it.

GeneratePress Pros & Cons

So here are the pros and cons of using the generatepress theme.

Pros of GeneratePress:

• All themes are performance-focused for various niches. This means no matter what type of needs you have, GeneratePress won’t disappoint you
• It is by default SEO and mobile-friendly, so no need to spend money on hiring SEO experts
• Loaded with several pre-made sites for easy designing and customization
• Comes with a powerful WordPress customizer that helps you customize your site more effectively
• It is a budget-friendly theme that anyone could buy, and even if you have a low budget, you could use the free version
• Equipped with in-built Schema.org structured data
• It is compatible with the majority of the WordPress plugins
• Highly responsive forum-based support, so you can solve your doubts very easily

Cons of GeneratePress:

• It gives the website a more straightforward look, which some A-grade developers don’t like
• Doesn’t offer a lifetime payment option, which means you will need to renew it

Genesis Pros & Cons

So here are the pros and cons of using the Genesis theme by Studiopress.

Pros of Genesis:

• It comes with a wide range of responsive child themes, so you can easily choose one that suits your needs
• It comes with in-built Schema.org structured data
• It gives you access to various layout options and custom widgets, which makes designing easier
• A single developer license can be used on unlimited domains
• It provides extreme security against malware attacks and keeps your website protected from hackers
• It is reviewed and checked top industry experts, so you can be sure that you are getting a good deal
• It is clean-coded and very lightweight, which makes it faster and more SEO-friendly
• Once you purchase this theme, you get unlimited support, domains, and updates

Cons of Genesis:

• Compared to GeneratePress, it is slightly more expensive
• With Genesis, you also need to invest in a child theme
• It doesn’t offer advanced customization

When Should You GeneratePress And Genesis?

As you can see in the above comparison, both themes come with unique features and functionalities. Due to this, it is a little challenging to choose one.

So if you are still confused about whether you should go for GeneratePress of Genesis, then here are some points when you should GeneratePress and when you should use Genesis:

You should use GeneratePress If:

• You don’t have enough budget to invest in a paid theme.
• You are a complete beginner and have no experience in coding.
• You want to design your website on your own
• You have just started your coding journey and want to complete websites faster.
• You are looking for a community of beginners and newbies.

You should use Genesis if:

• You have no budget issues and are willing to invest $60 to purchase the framework
• You have good knowledge and expertise in coding, and no have issues paying $90 for a child theme
• You want to build a highly professional and powerful website
• You are searching for a community of highly experienced programmers and developers

Wrapping Up

Now the main question is, which one should you buy? Well, both themes are great, and it wouldn’t be fair to say that one is better than the other.

However, they have their own advantages and characteristics, so you should first assess your needs before making a decision. It’s like a competition between the super professional Genesis and the user-friendly GeneratePress.

You should choose the theme that suits your needs. For instance, the Genesis community is made up of highly skilled developers, while GeneratePress is more popular among regular users who prefer a DIY approach.

In other words, if you are a professional developer like me, then Genesis would be perfect for you. On the other hand, if you are a regular user who doesn’t have much coding knowledge, then GeneratePress would be a better choice. (You can also read our comparison of GeneratePress vs Astra here).

Your preferences and comfort are important factors in making this decision, as both themes can produce good results. However, your skills and knowledge also play a significant role.

If you have expertise in coding, then you may need fewer additional resources. But if you are not familiar with coding languages, then choosing a theme with a supportive community would be more helpful for you.