Kadence theme free vs pro is an evaluation for different users whether they need to purchase it or not. This lightweight & resourceful WordPress theme provides enough design elements in the free version. On the other hand, the pro version brings more exclusive features and design opportunities.
However, it’s a bit complicated to understand the differences and design opportunities both versions offer. No worries, we will review both versions in detail in the easiest way. Sit tight, the content will be an ultimate guide.
Before comparing the Kadence free and pro, it’s important to learn about their ecosystem first. Overviews of both the versions will illustrate Kadence before versus.
Kadence free overview
The Kadence theme free version is available in the WordPress repository to install. Plus, Kadence has 2 more free plugins that are well integrated with the free theme, named Kadence Blocks & Starter Templates.
Kadence pro overview
On the other hand, Kadence pro brings premium plugins for the Theme, Blocks, and Starter Templates. In addition, you will have Kadence Custom Fonts and Conversion extensions with bundles package.
Kadence Theme Free VS Pro: Scoring
Free Version
Overall – 4.2
Feature – 4
Ease Of Use – 5
Performance – 4.8
Support – 3.5
Pro Version
Overall – 4.6
Features- 5
Ease Of Use – 4
Performance – 5
Support – 4.5
Kadence Theme Free VS Pro: Quick Differences
Some mentionable features, custom features, custom blocks, etc., are common in free and pro. But, there are more that come with the pro version only. So, we will also talk about them afterward.
Now, let’s look at the “Kadence theme free vs pro” quick differences.
| Blocks | Free | Pro |
| Blocks Number | 22 | 39+ |
| Header Customization | Free | Pro |
| Header Items | 5 | 19 |
| Conditional Headers | No | Yes |
| Custom Header Scripts Area | No | Yes |
| Ultimate Menu/Mega Menu | No | Yes |
| Header Builder | Yes | Yes |
| Global Page Header | Yes | Yes |
| Transparent Header | Yes | Yes |
| Sticky Header | Yes | Yes |
| Header Shrink Effect | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Headers | Yes | Yes |
| Menu Dropdown | Yes | Yes |
| Typography & Color | Yes | Yes |
| Footer Customization | Free | Pro |
| Custom Footer Scripts Area | No | Yes |
| Footer Items | 9 | 9 |
| Footer Builder | Yes | Yes |
| Typography & Color | Yes | Yes |
| Blog Post | Free | Pro |
| Carousel Layout | No | Yes |
| Masonry Layout | No | Yes |
| Excerpt Customization | No | Yes |
| Grid Layout | Yes | Yes |
| Global Design Options | Free | Pro |
| Dark Mode Color Palette | No | Yes |
| Custom 404 Page | No | Yes |
| Popup | No | Yes |
| Infinite Scroll for Archive Page | No | Yes |
| Hooked Element (Shortcode) | No | Yes |
| Colors Palette | Yes | Yes |
| Typography | Yes | Yes |
| Buttons | Yes | Yes |
| Scroll to Top Button | Yes | Yes |
| WooCommerce Features | Free | Pro |
| Sticky Add to Cart | No | Yes |
| Ajax Add to Cart | No | Yes |
| Side Cart Open on Add to Cart | No | Yes |
| Add to Cart on Header | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple Product Gallery Layouts | Yes | Yes |
| Add Multiple Product Images | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Third-party Plugin Support | Free | Pro |
| LearnDash | Limited | Yes |
| LifterLMS | Limited | Yes |
| Tutor LMS | Limited | Yes |
| WPML | Yes | Yes |
| Starter Templates | Free | Pro |
| Gutenberg | 46 | 70+ |
| Elementor | 12 | 13+ |
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Kadence Theme Free VS Pro: Common Features
Kadence free Theme, Blocks, and Starter Templates brings a good number of design opportunities. These features are also available with the Pro version, so they are common in both. So, let’s have a look at the features you get in both versions.
Header & Footer Builder
The Header & Footer Builder of Kadence has necessary widgets and elements to build enhanced menu navigation. You may not require more options for standard header and footer building.
Color, Button, Typography
Website global customization for color, button, and typography is quite good with Kadence. Also, you can define the global font style & type, color specification, button styling, etc. and more.
Site Layout
The Site Layout lets you present archive pages, posts, and pages under different types of layouts in both versions. You will have 5 layouts styles by default. They are;
- Normal
- Narrow
- Full Width
- Left Sidebar
- Right Sidebar
Breadcrumbs
The Breadcrumbs feature shows page’s or post’s location and works like a secondary navigation. Users can easily find which location they are at now.
Scroll To Top
The Scroll To Top button is used to get back to the top of the page with one click from anywhere on that page. Kadence gives options to define the button icon size, alignment, visibility to devices, and more design opportunities.
Flush Local Font Files
Kadence gives the option to add Google fonts locally. To use them, it could be necessary to clear the kadence local font cache. So, you can use the Flush Local Font Files button to clear the cache instantly.
Import/Export
You may need to use the same theme customization for several websites with Kadence. The Import/Export feature brings ease to that. So, configure the theme once, export, and use that for other websites.
Kadence Theme Free VS Pro: Why to jump for the premium version?
Up until now, we have been through the comparison of Kadence theme free vs pro and the common features. But, there are enough exclusive features that make the premium version stand out. And, that demands a brief we are covering below.
Kadence Blocks
You have a total of 39+ blocks with Kadence pro including 22 free blocks. The design possibilities are limitless with them.
Here’s the blocks list,
| Free | Pro |
| Global Colors Branding Typography Header Layout Page Layout Footer Layout Row Layout Form Advanced Gallery Advanced Button Lottie Animations Icon Spacer/Divider Advanced Text Tabs Info Box Accordion Icon List Table of Contents Posts Countdown Testimonials | Header Addons Conditional Headers Ultimate Menu Header/Footer Scripts Hooked Elements WooCommerce Addons Infinite Scroll Color Palette Switch (Dark Mode) Local Gravatars Archive Custom Settings Image Overlay Split Content Post Grid/Carousel Modal Product Carousel Video Popup Portfolio Grid/Carousel |
We are not discussing every block from the list but some important ones need elaboration we are going to discuss below.
Header Addons
Using the pro Header Addons you will have additional 11 design elements over 8 free elements for header building and customization. Now, you can add contact details, user account login button, add to cart button, ajax etc.
Conditional Header
With the Conditional Header block you can create a menu, customize that, and show that on a specific page. Also, you can specify expiry period if you do not need that after a certain time.
Hooked Element
Hooked Element is quite an amazing feature that is available with Kadence pro only. Design a section or template then place it anywhere in the website using element settings or short codes. Also, you can set expiry date to define how long the section will show there.
Carousel
Kadence Carousel block allows you to illustrate posts, products, portfolios, etc. using sliders. View post new to old or in reverse, no. of items to show, how to slide, and a lot more customization to go with.
Mega Menu
The purpose of the Mega Menu is to make website navigation easier. It allows you to show a large number of drop-down submenus under the main menu with an organized look. Also, you can design all the submenus using icons and images. Kadence calls it the Ultimate Menu.
Local Gravatars
Gravatars are Globally Recognized Avatars. Kadence provides Local Gravaters for users to choose any of them for their profile picture.
Popup Builder
Kadence Popup Builder allows you to create a stylish Pop-up for promotion, lead-generation, and inform about upcoming events etc. Kadence Full Bundle has Kadence Conversion addon that allows you create lightweight popups for websites.
Advanced Slider
Do more with Kadence Advanced Slider with lightweight design and animations. You can create functional sliders using image, text, button, etc., and add an overlay.
Advanced Gallery
Present your images under various layouts such as grid, masonry, carousel, etc. using the Advanced Gallery block. Also, you can use conditional display, add link, add image filter, etc. for images.
Countdown Timer
The Countdown Timer block lets you highlight any upcoming event, product or anything mentioning the remaining period. This is an excitement you can create to an audience that something new or special is coming up or is ending soon.
Custom 404 Page
Create your 404 page with Kadence Pro. Design as you like using images, buttons, text, etc. and add conditions and links as required.
Starter Templates Pro
Kadence Starter Template Pro has a total of 83+ starter templates in the pack, 70+ for Gutenberg and 13+ for Elementor. Some of the starter templates require a few plugins to be installed separately such as LearnDash, LifterLMS, TutorLMS, etc.
WooCommerce Shop Kit
Kadence pro has a WooCommerce extension named the WooCommerce Shop Kit comes with Full-Bundle plan. You can create engaging product presentations using its features and customization facilities. The features are;
- Product layout customization
- Advanced Gallery highlights
- Product size, color, etc. mentioning
- Product review section
- Global tab customization
- Product sizing chart view
- Product brand highlights
- Affiliate product customization
- Product price arrangement
- Product specification in detail
More customization comes with the checkout page such as custom checkout fields, category description, email customizer, etc.
Custom Fonts
You can add more fonts if you need using the Kadence pro Custom Fonts plugin. Just install the plugin and you will find options to do that.
Pricing
A very few pricing plans that Kadence offers. The variations between them are concerning plugins, support, update, and cost.
| Subject | Lifetime Full Bundle | Ful Bundle | Essential Pack | Free |
| Theme Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free |
| Blocks Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free |
| Starter Templates Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free |
| Custom Fonts Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| All Pro Plugin | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| All Future Products | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Support | Lifetime | 1 Year | 1 Year | Limited |
| Update | Lifetime | 1 Year | 1 Year | No |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 Days | 30 Days | 30 Days | N/A |
| Website Limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Price | $649 | $199 | $129 | $0 |
Wrap Up
In the end, it is clear that Kadence Pro has remarkably advanced features to differentiate it from the free version. Of course the free version has quite a handful of design elements for beginners, bloggers, or small business owners. And, when it comes to creating websites with enhanced design and structure, you should go with the pro.
So, Kadence pro is worth every cent you spend without any doubt. Leave your precious comment below on which version you prefer for building a website.
FAQ
Is the Kadence theme free?
Kadence theme is free and you can find it in the WordPress repository. But, it also has the pro version with several plugins that offer extensive design opportunities.
Does the Kadence free version have a sticky menu?
Yes, the Kadence free version has a sticky menu. Go to Theme Customizer>Header and you will have the option at the lower area.
Does the Kadence free version have a scroll-to-top button?
Yes, the Kadence free version has a scroll-to-top button. Go to Theme Customizer>General and click on the Scroll-To-Top to use the feature.
Is the Kadence theme fast?
Yes, Kadence’s theme is undoubtedly fast. But remember, the more design elements you use and more pages you add, the loading speed will hamper as a common effect.
Where is the font set in the Kadence theme?
The font set is in the Typography customization. Go to Theme Customizer>Colors & Fonts>Typography and you will have font selection, sizing, styling, etc. from there.