PWA Templates And Themes

Since Progressive Web App (PWA( is increasing in its popularity in the world of web development, PWA solutions are becoming more diversified in types and numerous in number. Being outstanding from the rest, PWA templates and themes are currently the most commonly picked option. 

Maybe you don’t know; literally, there are two types of them, including free or open-source PWA templates and premium ones. They are different in many aspects besides the cost that will be discussed in the following part.

Open-Source PWA Templates

Pros

Is a low-budget solution

The most noticeable perk of free PWA templates is that they cost nothing, as expressed through their names. Everyone can type a few keywords on search engines and easily find out a hundred expected results to download and use.

These are best suited for start-up businesses that have a low budget but still want to catch up with the latest trend to give their customers better experiences. 

Help developers gain more experiences

Free ready-made PWA templates also do good for a developer, especially a fresher in this new trend. A newbie PWA developer may take advantage of them by using them to practice coding and reinforce their skills.

Those PWAs, despite their incomplete functions, are still very useful with a certain amount of valuable knowledge that they can gain from. 

Aid in improve productivity

Experienced developers, meanwhile, may use a free template as a foundation for their PWA projects. This is a perfect way to reduce not only the amount of workload but also the development time, leading to increased productivity.

Cons

Everything has its own price. And for an option that you do not have to pay even a penny, there is not much to expect from.  

Have poor designs and features

Firstly, zero-cost PWA themes’ designs and features are not attractive and not able to function effectively. They often have only one default storefront design with a boring layout that will absolutely not fit all various stores’ concepts.

To customers who are aesthetes, a store with such a design will not give a good impression.

Also, as a reference, they own a few outstanding features of Progressive Web Apps. All free PWA templates need to be upgraded with more eCommerce features before using by either hiring a developer or doing it yourself.

This means that you cannot derive benefits from them right after downloading. 

Have risky codes

As stated in the beginning part of this article, free PWA templates are available everywhere on the internet with just a click away. You can find ones supplied by PWA providers or eCommerce platforms that have some related experience, making them more reliable.

Therefore, those templates, which are considered bait to draw potential customers’ attraction, have a guaranteed code (that sometimes might be tested before releasing).

In the worst cases, you put your faith in a wrong template created by amateurs, causing a hundred issues with code conflicts between the template and your site.

Now, you have to pay the price – hiring a skillful developer to fix your mistake.

Premium PWA Templates And Themes

Needless to say, a free PWA theme will never stand in comparison with a premium one. 

Pros

Equipped with full PWA key features

As a standard PWA product, these PWA themes always own enough core functionalities of a true PWA, including A2HS, notification push, offline working mode, and so on. 

Most of them are provided by reputable companies in the field, meaning that they adhere strictly to the principles of developing PWA. Besides, the companies will always test their quality before putting them on sale to ensure their performance. 

Have various built-in features

Premium PWA templates also provide you with a wide range of advanced features. They change depending on the provider since they can be considered a selling point of the template. 

For example, some companies offer their customers several e-commerce features such as live chat support or social networks connection.

They will contribute to the store’s better performance when delivering a better user experience. 

Optimized design

Most paid PWA templates come with a design library where you can pick an exquisite one that matches your store’s style. Any design from this library is responsive with any screen sizes from mobiles to desktops. 

The best part is that now you are the customer and the template provider also offers you many options for your storefront’s design customization.

Although not included in the package, this service gives you more freedom to make your storefront as unique as possible as long as you are willing to pay.

Cons

Cost more

Compared with their counterparts, premium PWA templates and themes have only one drawback that is a higher price.

The total expenditure varies according to your requirements for customization. The more you ask for, the more you have to pay. 

Which One To Choose From?

Reading all way through, you must have found your own answer to this question. Premium PWA templates and themes, for sure, are always the recommended solution by experts and insiders due to their superior features. Investing in them will be worth every penny.

Even so, based on your priority at the current time, you can choose either a free theme or paid one. If you are on a tight budget, going for the first option and investing more in your PWA later when your store revenue increases is a proper strategy.