Are WordPress Themes Really Free?

There has been much debate around the topic of whether or not WordPress themes are really free. Some people argue that since themes are created by third-party developers and are not built into the core WordPress platform, they should actually be considered to cost money.

Others insist that because WordPress themes are distributed through the WordPress Theme repository and are available for free, they should be considered to be free.

Ultimately, the answer to this question depends on your definition of ‘free.’ If you consider a theme to be free if it is not included in the core WordPress platform, then most WordPress themes are indeed free.

However, if you consider a theme to be free if it is available for free through the WordPress Theme repository, then most WordPress themes are not actually free. In fact, some of the most popular themes on the market can cost as much as $50 per theme.