When it comes to building WordPress websites for small businesses, two themes consistently rise to the top: Avada and Divi. Both are excellent choices that can create stunning, professional websites. However, after years of working with both platforms, when clients ask for our recommendation, we typically recommend Avada. Here’s why.

Both Themes Are Genuinely Excellent

Let’s be clear from the start: you can’t go wrong with either Avada or Divi. Both themes have powered millions of websites worldwide, and both offer the flexibility and features that small businesses need. They’re both user-friendly, well-supported, and capable of creating everything from simple brochure sites to complex online stores.

The Licence Structure Makes All the Difference

The key difference lies in how these themes handle licensing, and this has significant implications for you as a business owner.

How Avada Licensing Works

Avada operates on a straightforward, one-time purchase model. When we build your website using Avada, we purchase a licence for your site. That licence belongs to your website permanently. It’s yours to keep, regardless of what happens to our business relationship.

If you decide to work with a different web designer in the future, or if circumstances mean we can no longer provide support, your Avada licence remains valid. Your website continues to function, and any new developer can work with it without needing to purchase additional licenses.

How Divi Licensing Works

Divi, while an excellent theme, operates primarily on a subscription model. While Divi does offer a one-time licence option, it’s considerably more expensive than their annual subscription. Most agencies, including us, use their unlimited subscription licence that covers all client websites.

The problem? Our Divi licence is tied to our business. If we were to stop paying for that licence, or if something happened to our company, you would find yourself without a valid Divi licence. To continue receiving updates and support for your Divi-powered website, you’d need to either sign up for your own Divi subscription or purchase an expensive one-off Divi licence.

What This Means for Your Business

The reason we have our own unlimited Divi licence is because we have clients who hit this very problem. Their previous web designer either went under, or the relationship broke down for some reason, and our clients found themselves with a perfectly good Divi website that didn’t have an active licence anymore. It’s far from a common issue, but it does happen.

To be clear, if you prefer the look of Divi, or you are more comfortable using Divi, then I would absolutely stick with it. All we are saying is that if you don’t have a preference, we think the difference in licensing makes Avada the slightly better option. However, both are great choices and you are unlikely to be disappointed with either of them.