So you're staring at ThemeForest's two biggest multipurpose themes and can't decide which one deserves your money... Welcome to the club!! Avada and The7 have been battling for the top spot for over a decade, and honestly?? Both are REALLY good.
But "really good" doesn't help you make a decision, does it lol
Here's what this comparison will actually tell you: Which theme fits YOUR specific situation - because they're NOT the same despite looking similar on the surface. One is a customization powerhouse, the other is a speed-focused efficiency machine...
Let me break down everything that matters!!
1. The Quick Overview
Before we dive deep, here's what you need to know at a glance:
Avada - The undisputed king of ThemeForest with 900,000+ sales. Known for extreme customization depth, proprietary Avada Builder, and massive template library. Costs $69 per site.
The7 - The #2 bestseller with 330,000+ sales. Known for user-friendliness, multiple page builder support (Elementor, WPBakery, Gutenberg), and incredible value at $39 per site.
Both are multipurpose themes that can build literally ANY type of website. But HOW they do it differs significantly...
2. Page Builder Philosophy: This Changes EVERYTHING
Here's where these themes take completely different approaches!!
Avada's Proprietary Builder
Avada uses its own custom-built page builder called Avada Builder (previously Fusion Builder). You get:
- Avada Builder - Backend drag-and-drop editor
- Avada Live - Frontend visual editing
- Deep theme integration - Every feature designed to work together
The advantage?? Everything is seamlessly connected. The disadvantage?? You're locked into Avada's ecosystem. If you ever switch themes, you'll need to rebuild everything.
I've covered Avada's performance challenges before - the proprietary builder means optimization works differently than standard WordPress setups.
The7's Multi-Builder Approach
The7 takes the opposite philosophy - support ALL the popular builders:
- Elementor (including compatibility with PRO Elements, the free Elementor Pro alternative!)
- WPBakery Page Builder (included free, worth $64)
- WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg/FSE)
You choose your weapon!! Already know Elementor? Use that. Prefer WPBakery? No problem. Want to stick with Gutenberg? The7 supports Full Site Editing.
This flexibility means The7 skills transfer to other projects and your content isn't locked into a proprietary system...
3. Customization Depth: The Numbers Game
Both themes advertise insane customization options. Let's compare:
Avada's Customization Arsenal
- 400+ design options in theme settings
- Avada Builder with 120+ design elements
- Global Options for site-wide consistency
- Per-page overrides for individual customization
- Layout Sections for reusable templates
- Dynamic Content support
Avada's approach: Give you control over EVERY. SINGLE. PIXEL. Want to adjust the spacing between menu items by exactly 3 pixels on hover only on mobile? Avada can do that!!!
The7's Customization Power
- 1000+ theme options (yes, really)
- 250+ page-level options
- Design Wizard for quick setup
- 18 detailed settings menus
- 20 different skins for instant style changes
- The7 Elements - 72 custom widgets (26 general, 24 WooCommerce, 22 Theme Builder)
The7's approach: Massive options, but organized through a Design Wizard that makes initial setup FAST. You CAN go deep, but you don't HAVE to.
The verdict: Avada goes deeper on individual element control. The7 goes wider with more pre-configured options. Both are extremely customizable - it's about HOW you prefer to customize.
4. Pre-Made Website Designs
Starting from scratch is overrated... Both themes include ready-to-import demo websites:
Avada: 110+ Prebuilt Websites
Avada offers:
- 110+ complete website demos
- 600+ Avada Studio templates (individual sections and pages)
- Categories: Business, Portfolio, Creative, Blog, Shop, One-Page, and more
- One-click import with selective content options
- Regular new demos added
The quality is consistently high, and you can mix-and-match pages from different demos!
The7: 70+ Prebuilt Websites
The7 provides:
- 70+ complete website demos
- Templates for Elementor, WPBakery, AND Gutenberg (separate designs for each!)
- Categories covering most business types
- Single-click import with automatic plugin installation
- Design Library with additional page templates
Important difference: The7's demos are builder-specific. Choose Elementor demos if you're using Elementor, WPBakery demos for WPBakery, etc. This means fewer demos per builder but better optimization for your chosen workflow.
5. Bundled Premium Plugins: The Value Comparison
Both themes include premium plugins that would cost serious money separately!!
Avada's Plugin Bundle (~$200+ value)
- Slider Revolution ($59 value)
- Advanced Custom Fields Pro ($49 value)
- Convert Plus ($24 value)
- FileBird Pro ($39 value)
- HubSpot Integration
- Avada's own premium extensions
That's significant value bundled with your $69 purchase!
The7's Plugin Bundle (~$174+ value)
- WPBakery Page Builder ($64 value)
- Slider Revolution ($59 value)
- Ultimate Addons for WPBakery ($26 value)
- Convert Plus ($24 value)
- Go Pricing Tables
- The7 Elements plugin
At $39, The7 is basically giving you the plugins for free and throwing in a theme lol
6. WooCommerce: Building Online Stores
Both themes have strong WooCommerce integration, but with different strengths...
Avada WooCommerce Features
Avada offers deep WooCommerce integration:
- Full WooCommerce Builder - Custom product pages, shop, cart, checkout
- Product variation swatches (Color, Image, Button)
- Custom product layouts via Layout Sections
- Mega Menu with product showcases
- AJAX add-to-cart functionality
- Extensive styling options for every WooCommerce element
I've written detailed guides on setting up WooCommerce with Avada and optimizing Avada WooCommerce speed if you go that route.
The7 WooCommerce Features
The7 provides:
- 24 dedicated WooCommerce widgets for Elementor
- Product Builder for custom layouts
- Quick View functionality
- Product filters and sorting options
- WooCommerce-specific demos (fashion, electronics, etc.)
- Variation swatches support
Key difference: Avada's WooCommerce features are built into the theme. The7's WooCommerce features work through your chosen page builder (mainly Elementor or WPBakery).
For serious ecommerce stores, you might also want to check dedicated WooCommerce themes like WoodMart which I compared in my Elementor vs WoodMart article.
7. Performance & Speed
Ah, the elephant in the room with multipurpose themes... Neither is going to win speed awards against minimalist themes like Astra or GeneratePress. But here's how they compare:
Avada Performance
Avada has invested heavily in performance features:
- Performance Wizard for guided optimization
- Critical CSS generation
- Lazy loading options
- Unused CSS/JS removal per page
- Dynamic CSS compilation
Out of the box? Avada can be slow. With proper optimization? Achievable PageSpeed scores of 70-90 on mobile. Check my Avada Core Web Vitals guide for the full breakdown.
The7 Performance
The7's performance approach:
- Integration with Fast Velocity Minify (free plugin)
- Page-by-page CSS/JS optimization
- Clean code structure
- GTMetrix scores of 90+ claimed (with optimization)
- Lighter weight than Avada overall
The7 is generally faster out-of-the-box because it's less feature-heavy. But both require optimization work for best results!!
Real talk: If raw speed is your priority, neither of these multipurpose themes is ideal. For speed-critical projects, consider lightweight themes paired with Elementor or even Divi with its improved performance in recent versions.
8. Learning Curve & Ease of Use
Avada: Powerful but Complex
Be honest with yourself here... Avada has a STEEP learning curve:
- The dashboard can feel overwhelming
- Hundreds of options means hunting for settings
- Proprietary builder means learning something new
- Setup Wizard helps, but mastery takes time
Avada is best for: Intermediate to advanced users who want maximum control and don't mind investing time to learn the system.
If things go wrong, check my Avada update troubleshooting guide and plugin conflict debugging article.
The7: Friendlier Entry Point
The7 offers a gentler onboarding:
- Design Wizard creates a professional design in minutes
- Uses familiar page builders (Elementor knowledge transfers!)
- Settings are extensive but well-organized
- Quick-start wizard guides initial setup
The7 is best for: Beginners who want powerful features without drowning in options, or pros who want efficiency over infinite tweaking.
9. The Pricing Reality Check
Let's talk money!!!
Avada Pricing
- $69 per website (one-time)
- Includes 6 months support (extend to 12 months for ~$21)
- Lifetime updates included
- $200+ in bundled plugins
5 websites cost: $345
The7 Pricing
- $39 per website (one-time)
- Includes 6 months support (extendable)
- Lifetime updates included
- $174+ in bundled plugins
5 websites cost: $195
The Multi-Site Problem
Here's the uncomfortable truth about BOTH themes... They're sold on ThemeForest, which means:
- One license = one website
- Multiple sites = multiple purchases
- No unlimited licensing option
For agencies or freelancers building many sites, this gets expensive FAST. 10 Avada sites = $690. 10 The7 sites = $390.
This is why many professionals eventually switch to themes with unlimited site licensing like Divi (~$89/year or $249 lifetime for unlimited sites). I've written about Divi's layout features if you're curious.
10. Support & Community
Avada Support
- Ticket-based support system
- Extensive documentation
- Video tutorials
- Large user community (900k+ customers means lots of forum discussions)
- Regular updates (currently compatible with WordPress 6.7+ and WooCommerce 9+)
The7 Support
- Forum and ticket support
- Comprehensive documentation
- Active development (270k+ customers)
- Regular updates with new demos
- Strong Elementor community overlap
Both themes have excellent support reputations. The7's team is known for responding within 24 hours, often faster. Avada's larger user base means more community resources but potentially longer support queues.
11. When to Choose Avada
Avada is your best choice if:
- You need MAXIMUM customization depth
- You're comfortable with a learning curve
- You want a completely integrated ecosystem
- You're building 1-3 sites (cost stays reasonable)
- You need specific Avada features like ACF Pro included
- You prefer a proprietary builder with deep theme integration
- You're already familiar with Avada from past projects
Avada shines for: Complex corporate sites, highly customized designs, users who want one system that does everything.
12. When to Choose The7
The7 is your best choice if:
- You want the best value for money ($30 less than Avada!)
- You prefer using Elementor or WPBakery
- You want faster initial setup via Design Wizard
- You're newer to WordPress and want gentler learning curve
- You value page builder flexibility (switch builders without switching themes)
- You want slightly better out-of-box performance
- You're building multiple sites (savings add up)
The7 shines for: Freelancers, small agencies, users who already know Elementor, anyone who values efficiency over maximum customization depth.
13. The Third Option Nobody Mentions
Real talk... Both Avada and The7 share the same fundamental limitation: per-site licensing on ThemeForest.
If you're building websites regularly, the math eventually points toward unlimited licensing options:
- Divi: ~$89/year or $249 lifetime, unlimited sites
- Astra Pro: ~$59/year, unlimited sites
- Elementor Pro: Expert plan $199/year, 25 sites
For the price of 3 Avada licenses, you could have Divi lifetime on unlimited sites forever. Just saying...
See my Avada vs Elementor comparison for more on this decision.
My Final Verdict
After using both themes extensively, here's my honest take:
Choose Avada if: You're a perfectionist who wants control over every detail and you're committed to learning one ecosystem deeply. The proprietary builder is powerful once mastered, and the customization depth is unmatched.
Choose The7 if: You want excellent value, prefer standard page builders like Elementor, and value getting projects done efficiently. The $39 price point with lifetime updates is genuinely incredible.
Choose neither if: You're building 5+ sites per year - look at unlimited licensing options instead.
Both themes have earned their bestseller status for good reasons!! You won't go wrong with either for a single project. The real question is which workflow matches how YOU like to build websites.
Still stuck?? The7 at $39 is the lower-risk choice to try first. If you find yourself wanting more customization depth after a project, Avada will still be there :)
Got specific questions about either theme? Drop them in the comments - I've probably encountered your exact scenario!!!
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