Why GeneratePress is No Longer Our #1 Choice for Client WordPress Projects
In the WordPress development community, criticizing GeneratePress is almost considered digital blasphemy. For years, it has been the undisputed king of performance, clean code, and Core Web Vitals. If you ask any Facebook group what theme to use, “GeneratePress + GenerateBlocks” is echoed a hundred times.
So why, as a dedicated WordPress development agency, is GeneratePress not our first choice when a new client project lands on our desk?
The answer isn’t about code quality or speed—GeneratePress is flawless in both categories. The answer comes down to agency economics, client handovers, and out-of-the-box niche functionality. Here is the transparent breakdown of why we shifted our workflow away from this legendary theme for client builds.
The “Blank Canvas” Problem (Time is Money)
GeneratePress is essentially a blank canvas. Out of the box, it looks like a stripped-down blog from 2012. To build a modern, high-converting website, you have to construct every single element from scratch using GenerateBlocks.
If a client wants a complex Mega Menu, a dedicated WooCommerce quick-view popup, or a highly specific travel booking layout, you cannot just import a demo and tweak it. You have to physically build the container architecture, configure the CSS flexbox rules, and style the mobile breakpoints. What takes 4 hours using a premium niche theme (like Porto or Havezic) can take 40 hours to build manually in GeneratePress. For agencies and freelancers, that development time directly eats into profit margins.
| Evaluation Metric | GeneratePress Result | Score | Niche Theme Avg | Agency Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Load Speed | < 0.8 seconds | Unbeatable | 1.5 – 3.0 seconds | Incredible for SEO |
| Setup Time (Complex Site) | 20 – 40+ Hours | Very Slow | 4 – 8 Hours | Eats into profit margins |
| Out-of-the-box Designs | Site Library (Basic) | Highly Specific Demos | Requires manual design | |
| Client Ease-of-Use | Steep (Nested Blocks) | Difficult | Easy (Elementor) | Higher support requests |
| Niche Features (e.g. Booking) | None (Requires 3rd party) | Built-in natively | Plugin bloat risk | |
| Code Cleanliness | Flawless HTML/CSS | Perfect | Often bloated | Future-proof foundation |
| Cost of Development | High (Dev Time + GP Pro) | Moderate | Low (One-time $59) | Better for high-budget clients |
The Client Handover Nightmare
When we deliver a website, the client eventually needs to edit it. Clients love Elementor or WP Bakery because they are visual and intuitive.
GeneratePress relies heavily on the native WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg) paired with GenerateBlocks. While developers love the clean HTML output of GenerateBlocks, clients are often terrified of it. Opening a page and seeing complex nested containers, Grid blocks, and typography inheritance rules overwhelms the average small business owner. We found ourselves spending hours creating training videos just to teach clients how to change a background image without breaking the layout grid.
- ✓Unmatched Speed — Produces the cleanest, lightest HTML and CSS of almost any theme on the market, guaranteeing 100/100 Core Web Vitals.
- ✓Elements Module — GeneratePress Premium’s Elements feature allows developers to inject hooks, dynamic data, and custom blocks anywhere on the site.
- ✓Rock Solid Stability — Code updates never break your site. It is arguably the most stable theme in the WordPress ecosystem.
- ✓Accessibility Ready — Follows strict WCAG 2.0 standards out of the box, making it perfect for government and enterprise sites.
- ✗Too Barebones — Building a standard corporate site requires designing headers, footers, and archives completely from scratch.
- ✗Client Handover Friction — Non-technical clients find navigating Gutenberg nested containers and GenerateBlocks highly confusing compared to Elementor.
- ✗No Niche Features — If a client wants a complex feature (LMS, Booking, Directory), you have to integrate and style third-party plugins manually.
- ✗Slower Deployment — For low-to-mid budget client projects, the development time required to make GeneratePress look premium destroys agency profit margins.
Lack of Native Niche Features
Modern clients expect advanced functionality integrated directly into their design. If we are building a real estate website, we need property filtering. If we are building an LMS (Learning Management System), we need course grids.
Premium niche themes bundle these features natively. With GeneratePress, you are forced to buy, install, and custom-style third-party plugins for every single advanced feature. This often leads to a Frankenstein-stack of plugins just to achieve what a $59 ThemeForest theme does natively.
Is GeneratePress a bad WordPress theme?
Absolutely not. GeneratePress is one of the best-coded, fastest themes in the world. It is simply not ideal for rapid client website deployment because it requires building designs entirely from scratch.
Why do clients prefer Elementor over GeneratePress?
Clients prefer Elementor because it offers an intuitive, front-end visual drag-and-drop experience. GeneratePress relies on the WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg) with nested containers, which is confusing for non-technical users to edit.
Is GeneratePress good for WooCommerce stores?
GeneratePress is extremely fast for WooCommerce, but it lacks advanced built-in eCommerce features (like quick view, complex swatches, or Ajax filtering). You will need to install and style third-party plugins to get features that premium niche themes include natively.
What is the difference between GeneratePress and GenerateBlocks?
GeneratePress is the core WordPress theme that handles the site’s structure, header, footer, and global typography. GenerateBlocks is a separate plugin created by the same developer used to design the actual page layouts using the Block Editor.
Does building with GeneratePress take longer than using ThemeForest themes?
Yes. Because GeneratePress is a “blank canvas,” agencies have to build the layout, responsive grids, and design elements manually. A premium niche theme from ThemeForest provides one-click demos that save dozens of hours of development time.
Who should actually use the GeneratePress theme?
GeneratePress is perfect for content creators, bloggers, affiliate marketers, and developers building their own projects where passing Google Core Web Vitals (maximum speed) is the absolute highest priority.
Do I need to buy GeneratePress Premium to use it?
While there is a free version, building a professional site essentially requires GeneratePress Premium. The premium version unlocks the Elements module, Site Library, and advanced typography/color controls needed for custom design.
The Verdict: Who is GeneratePress Actually For?
Does this mean GeneratePress is a bad theme? Absolutely not. It remains one of the best themes on the market for content creators, bloggers, and developers building their own projects. If your only goal is achieving a 100/100 Google PageSpeed score and you have the technical skills to build from scratch, it is unbeatable.
But for Solutions Architects and agencies building complex, feature-rich sites for clients who want rapid deployment and easy visual editing? The “blank canvas” approach of GeneratePress is simply too inefficient for modern client workflows.
▶️ Watch our full video breakdown to see exactly what themes we use instead: https://youtu.be/ZqszSjaiDcY
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