Thrive Theme Builder burst onto the WordPress scene in 2019 as a revolutionary new way to design websites, combining flexible templates with an easy-to-use visual editor. Now in 2024, Theme Builder remains a compelling option in the page builder space.
In this updated review, we’ll take a fresh look at Thrive Theme Builder to see if it still measures up against newer solutions coming to market. Read on for pros, cons, pricing, and my final recommendation on who should consider using Theme Builder this year.
What is Thrive Theme Builder?
For those new to Thrive products, Theme Builder is their cornerstone web design toolkit built directly into a WordPress theme (rather than a plugin).
The key advantage Theme Builder provides is enabling anyone to customize professional website designs without needing to know code. You can use the intuitive drag-and-drop editor to:
- Quickly build and tweak templates for headers, footers, pages, posts, sidebars, etc.
- Rearrange layouts by dragging sections around
- Add opt-in forms, calls-to-action, testimonials for conversions
- Customize fonts, colors, animations, padding/margins, and more
So in a nutshell, Theme Builder finally makes it possible to design sleek, high-converting websites in WordPress WITHOUT relying on developers or restrictive page builder plugins.
Key Features of Thrive Theme Builder
Let’s explore some of the notable features that enable easy site-building with Theme Builder:
Step-by-Step Setup Wizard
Getting a new WordPress site online usually requires tweaking settings, installing plugins, importing content, and customizing your theme. This whole process can be complex for beginners.
Theme Builder makes it dead simple with their setup wizard. Just walk through 5-10 minutes of guided steps to get your first pages and content created.
You can restart the wizard or access it anytime after setup too.
Multiple Conversion-Focused Templates
Whether you need templates for landing pages, blog posts, services pages, or more – Theme Builder delivers flexibility.
It comes bundled with the Shapeshift theme including 5 homepage layouts and other templates covering:
- Headers/navigation menus
- Footers
- About pages
- Contact pages
- Pricing pages
Each template looks professional and focuses on conversions with built-in calls-to-action.
Drag-and-Drop Page Building
The standout feature of Theme Builder is the intuitive page editor. It works much like Thrive Architect, allowing you to customize layouts and add elements completely visually.
You can drag-and-drop sections to rearrange page structure, edit padding/margins, customize images/text, tweak animations, and more.
And any changes happen immediately so you can preview before saving.
Global Theme Customization
Most WordPress themes only let you change design aspects on a per-page basis. With Theme Builder‘s global options, you can update sitewide settings in one place.
For example, the branding settings allow changing:
- Primary/secondary color schemes
- Light/dark logos
- Favicons
- Default button styles
So if you ever need to tweak your color palette, one edit will flow through your whole site instantly.
This works for typography, margins, form styles, etc. too!
Complete WooCommerce Integration
Ecommerce sites can benefit fully from Theme Builder‘s flexibility following recent upgrades integrating WooCommerce.
You now get tailored templates and design options specifically for building online stores including:
- Product pages
- Shop pages
- Cart/checkout pages
- Account pages
So Theme Builder removes headaches when customizing both informational websites AND ecommerce sites.
800+ Templates in Thrive Theme Builder Library
The template options available "out of the box" provide ample starting points for most sites.
But if you want EVEN more templates, check out the Thrive Theme Builder Library containing 800+ designs covering:
- Niche site templates (local businesses, bloggers, agencies, etc.)
- Full website packs with matching pages
- Individual page templates
- Reusable page sections/widgets
- WooCommerce shop templates
- Complete funnels for conversions
These templates instantly match your current brand and theme when imported.
Works With Other Thrive Plugins
Since Theme Builder comes from Thrive Themes, it integrates tightly with their other popular WordPress plugins including:
- Thrive Leads – Collect emails with opt-in forms
- Thrive Ovation – Display testimonials
- Thrive Quiz Builder – Boost engagement with quizzes
- Thrive Apprentice – Sell online courses
If you use these plugins on your site, Theme Builder supports adding their elements during page building. Everything stays seamlessly synchronized.
Third-Party Integrations
Aside from native support for other Thrive plugins, Theme Builder also integrates directly with popular external services:
Email Marketing
- ActiveCampaign
- ConvertKit
- MailChimp
Webinars
- Evergreen
- GoToWebinar
- WebinarJam
Surveys
- SurveyMonkey
- Typeform
And More
- Zapier
- Amazon SES
- Translations
- reCAPTCHA
- YouTube
These integrations allow easily adding sign-up forms, surveys, social sharing buttons, webinars registration, and other elements connected to your favorite marketing tools.
Thrive Theme Builder Pros and Cons
Let‘s compare the advantages and potential downsides of using Thrive Theme Builder:
Pros
- Extremely easy to get started compared to most themes
- No coding expertise required for advanced customizations
- Modern mobile-friendly designs and templates
- Setup wizard for quicker launch times
- Drag-and-drop visual editor to customize layouts, add elements
- Tons of templates for pages, sections, headers, footers, etc.
- allows quickly changing colors, typography, margins site-wide
- Seamless integrations with other Thrive plugins + external tools like email services and webinar platforms allow adding forms/surveys connected to those tools
- Very budget-friendly compared to hiring web developers/designers
Cons
- More limited control compared to "blank slate" themes
- Can‘t deeply edit raw code like in traditional themes
- Might feel restrictive coming from custom theme developers
- Won‘t suit advanced developers preferring framework themes
The main thing to note is Thrive engineered Theme Builder SPECIFICALLY for beginners, solopreneurs, bloggers, and marketers. So naturally advanced developers may feel limited by comparison.
But Theme Builder shines for users wanting to build great-looking sites without coding expertise. And the 800+ importable templates give ample room for customization.
Thrive Theme Builder Pricing
Thrive Theme Builder is available standalone or bundled in Thrive membership plans:
Standalone Purchase
- Single Site License – $97 per year
Thrive Suite Membership
The Suite bundles Theme Builder with Thrive plugins like Leads, Ovation, Quizzes, and more:
- Annual – First year $299, Renews at $599/year
- Quarterly – $149 per quarter
So if you‘ll use the other conversion/lead generation tools, a Suite membership often works out cheaper long run.
Add-ons like the Template Library cost extra on top of those base plans.
Who Should Use Thrive Theme Builder?
With its intuitive editor prioritizing usability over 100% design control, Theme Builder best suits:
- Bloggers wanting beautiful sites without relying on developers/designers
- Solopreneurs needing landing/sales pages to convert visitors into leads/customers
- Small business owners seeking professional templates for credibility without large agency costs
- Marketers wishing to test conversion optimization ideas quickly through easy site edits rather than code tweaks
Basically, if you don’t have coding expertise or giant budgets, Theme Builder levels the playing field to build high-quality websites that convert.
Final Verdict – Still a Great Choice in 2024
4 years after launching to shake up WordPress theme design, Thrive Theme Builder remains a compelling choice stacking up strongly against rivals.
While products like Elementor, Divi, and Oxygen have caught up in some areas, they lack Theme Builder‘s guided setup wizard, conversion focus, and tight integrations optimizing user experience.
The use case still shines for non-developers, solopreneurs, and small teams wanting stunning websites without fighting code or restrictions. And the templates help launch new sites faster than ever.
While advanced developers may feel limited, Theme Builder targets beginners intentionally by removing complexity. And the core visual design experience keeps improving.
So if you feel overwhelmed tackling WordPress design historically, Theme Builder brings a friendlier builder catering to your needs.
Overall after re-testing in 2024, I firmly stand by my original recommendation of Thrive Theme Builder as a superb choice for bloggers, solopreneurs, marketers, and other small website owners serious about growth and conversions.
It‘s beginner-friendly yet sufficiently powerful for most users‘ needs between the supplied templates and flexible editing capabilities. Well worth trying free for 30 days.
Have you used Thrive Theme Builder? What‘s been your experience with it? Let us know in the comments!
