Table of content

• Introduction
• Why Consider Exploring Beyond Envato Market?
  • Huge Price and Commission
  • Breach of Exclusivity
  • Envato’s Unconventional Marketing Tactics
  • Lack of Innovative Technology Categories
  • Challenges for New Sellers
  • Inconsistent Coding and Lack of Quality
• The Shutterstock Acquisition: How Envato Sold Out
  • Designer Concerns: The Fear of Selling Out
  • Potential Benefits: A Silver Lining
• Where’s the Ideal Spot to Sell Your Products or Services?
• Shake Things Up: Awesome Alternatives to Envato Market for Authors!
  • Creative Market
  • Elegant Themes
  • TemplateMonster
  • Colorlib
  • TemplateLelo
• Avoiding Marketplace Pitfalls: Keys to a Successful Selling Experience
• Conclusion

Introduction:

In the ever-changing realm of website design, Envato Market has maintained its dominance for years. 🌐 However, the emergence of Envato Elements has raised concerns among designers. 😞 As Envato Elements advertisements appear on Envato Market, there’s a growing worry that they might divert customers to the subscription service, potentially impacting sales. 🚀 Moreover, with Envato’s acquisition by Shutterstock, the situation has become more complex. This has prompted designers to explore Top Envato Market Alternatives, where they can showcase their work without competing against subscription services. 🛠️💡

This search for alternatives underscores the evolving landscape of online design and emphasizes the need for platforms that truly support designers’ success. 🌟🔄

Why Consider Exploring Beyond Envato Market?

Envato Market, with its extensive collection of over 50,000 WordPress themes, is akin to the Amazon of website designs. 📦 Despite its vastness, relying solely on Envato Market comes with challenges.

Huge Price and Commission

Themes on Envato Market often carry hefty price tags, potentially deterring buyers 😕. For sellers, the platform’s significant commission rates can be discouraging. Envato Market takes a 37.5% cut for exclusive sales and a staggering 55% for non-exclusive sales, leaving sellers with a smaller share of their earnings 😱. This considerable deduction can prompt sellers to seek platforms offering better profit retention 😊.

Breach of Exclusivity

Exclusive selling on Envato Market doesn’t guarantee protection. Fraudulent activities, where templates are resold at cheaper rates outside the platform, are prevalent. Envato Market’s management appears to be ineffective in tackling these issues, raising concerns about the platform’s reliability 😕. Sellers deserve better safeguards against unauthorized resale, and many feel disillusioned with Envato Market’s management practices 🤔.

Envato’s Unconventional Marketing Tactics

Envato’s marketing strategy, which promotes Elements as superior, could steer customers away from Envato Market, impacting sellers’ revenue. Elements, with its affordability and diverse offerings, appeals to budget-conscious customers, making it harder for Envato Market sellers to compete. This shift in customer preference can jeopardize sellers’ businesses on Envato Market.

Lack of Innovative Technology Categories

Envato Market lacks dedicated sections for emerging technologies like Tailwind, making it difficult for customers to find themes tailored to advanced technologies. This limitation restricts the platform’s ability to meet diverse user needs.

Challenges for New Sellers

The high volume of theme submissions on Envato Market makes it challenging for new sellers to gain approval. The stringent review process and quality standards can be daunting, making it difficult for newcomers to break into the market.

Inconsistent Coding and Lack of Quality

Despite its extensive array of themes, Envato Market has many products with poor coding practices and insufficient documentation. These issues lead to customization challenges and compatibility problems with plugins and WordPress updates. Users must navigate through numerous themes of varying quality, adding to the complexity of finding reliable themes.

The Shutterstock Acquisition: How Envato Sold Out

In a significant development in the digital marketplace landscape, Envato, the parent company of Envato Market and Envato Elements, was recently acquired by Shutterstock. This acquisition has sparked mixed reactions within the design community, raising concerns and optimism about the future of Envato’s platforms.

Designer Concerns: The Fear of Selling Out

Many designers are apprehensive about the acquisition, fearing that Envato might lose its identity and focus on the community-driven approach that has made it popular. The primary concerns include:

1. Shift in Priorities: There is a fear that Shutterstock’s commercial focus could overshadow Envato’s commitment to supporting independent designers and developers. This shift could lead to changes in policies and priorities that may not align with the needs of the design community.
2. Increased Competition: With Shutterstock’s extensive resources, there is a possibility that Envato Elements might become more competitive, overshadowing individual sellers on Envato Market. This increased competition could make it harder for independent designers to stand out and succeed.
3. Changes in Commission Structures: Designers worry that the acquisition might lead to changes in commission structures, potentially reducing their earnings. Shutterstock’s business model and profit strategies could impact how much designers earn from their sales on Envato’s platforms.

Potential Benefits: A Silver Lining

While there are concerns, the acquisition also presents potential benefits for designers and users:

1. Enhanced Resources and Tools: Shutterstock’s vast resources could lead to the development of better tools, improved platform features, and enhanced user experiences. Designers might gain access to new tools that can streamline their work and increase productivity.
2. Broader Audience Reach: The integration of Envato with Shutterstock’s global platform could help designers reach a broader audience. This expanded reach could open up new opportunities for sales and collaborations.
3. Improved Platform Stability: With the backing of a major player like Shutterstock, Envato’s platforms could see improvements in stability, security, and support. This stability could create a more reliable environment for both sellers and buyers.

Where’s the Ideal Spot to Sell Your Products or Services?

Establishing your own website offers unparalleled control over your brand, products, and profits. However, setting up an online store requires significant investment in time, resources, and expertise. Starting on established marketplaces, such as Envato Market, allows you to test the market and build a customer base before transitioning to your own website.

Also Read: Envato Market Sales Decline: Template Market Going Down ?

Shake Things Up: Awesome Alternatives to Envato for Authors!

There are some alternatives that offer authors diverse opportunities to showcase and sell their themes, each with its unique features and audience. It’s worth exploring these options to find the best fit for your creative work:

Creative Market:

Creative Market, is another dynamic marketplace worth considering, specializing in design assets such as templates, themes, graphics, fonts, and more. Established in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Creative Market boasts a diverse array of products crafted by independent designers worldwide.

This platform not only enables you to sell templates and themes but also graphics, fonts, and various design elements. It provides customers with a user-friendly interface for browsing and purchasing products according to their needs. However, a notable drawback is the challenge of navigating WordPress themes. Themes are categorized into two main sections—most popular and most recent—making it time-consuming to find a suitable theme.

Despite this, Creative Market offers competitive pricing, with many templates priced below $10 and some starting as low as $2. This affordability, coupled with its wide range of design assets, makes Creative Market a compelling alternative to other marketplaces.

Elegant Themes:

Elegant Themes has established itself as a prominent hub for web developers and designers for over a decade. With an extensive collection of more than 200 themes and plugins tailored specifically for WordPress websites, it offers a diverse array of options.

The themes available on Elegant Themes boast fully responsive and user-friendly designs, catering to various website needs. Alongside themes, users can access premium plugins like page builders and sliders to elevate their website functionality.

What sets Elegant Themes apart is its lifetime licence model. Once purchased, themes and plugins can be utilized indefinitely, eliminating the need for recurrent payments. Additionally, the company ensures regular updates and reliable support, ensuring seamless compatibility with the latest WordPress versions.

Moreover, Elegant Themes prides itself on its dedicated customer support team, comprised of knowledgeable experts ready to address any inquiries or concerns users may encounter.

Template Monster: 

TemplateMonster stands out as a reliable digital marketplace for selling templates and themes, catering to a wide range of platforms like WordPress, Magento, and Shopify, along with website design services. Unlike some platforms, TemplateMonster offers templates not only for WordPress but also for Shopify, motoCMS, Joomla, OpenCart, Drupal, Keynote, Must, and more. What’s impressive is that their template prices are quite similar to those on ThemeForest.

What sets TemplateMonster apart is its exceptional customer support, available 24/7 and free of charge, which is a huge advantage. Unlike many other companies, this support is not time-limited but continues indefinitely after your purchase. With its extensive product library and reliable customer assistance, TemplateMonster emerges as an excellent alternative to ThemeForest.

Colorlib:

Colorlib shines as a leading online hub catering to individuals and businesses seeking premium WordPress themes and templates.Established in 2013, it quickly became a powerhouse in the WordPress community, revolutionizing the landscape with its innovative approach. 

With an extensive array of options, including both complementary and paid versions, Colorlib offers themes tailored to various industries and purposes, spanning from professional business sites to captivating blogs and robust online stores. 

Each theme is meticulously designed with a focus on responsiveness, ensuring smooth performance across different devices, while also prioritizing search engine optimization for enhanced online visibility. In addition to its diverse theme collection, Colorlib serves as a valuable educational resource, providing tutorials and guides to empower users in refining their web design and development skills.

The platform fosters an active community of designers, developers, and website owners, fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and staying updated on industry trends. With its unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and community engagement, Colorlib remains a go-to destination for individuals and businesses alike seeking to craft visually striking and highly functional websites.

TemplateLelo:

TemplateLelo is an exciting newcomer in the online marketplace, poised to make a significant impact in the world of website templates and themes. With its fresh approach and promising offerings, TemplateLelo stands out as a beacon of innovation and quality.

From sleek business websites to dynamic e-commerce platforms, TemplateLelo’s curated collection of premium templates caters to a diverse range of needs and aspirations. Each template is meticulously crafted with the latest design trends and features, ensuring that users can create stunning and highly functional websites effortlessly.

TemplateLelo stands out with several key advantages:

1. Curated Global Selection:
   • TemplateLelo offers a diverse collection of top themes and templates sourced globally, ensuring users can choose from a variety of styles and functionalities to suit their projects.
2. Fair Pricing Structure:
   • Prices on TemplateLelo are determined by the platform according to category, ensuring fairness and transparency. This approach guarantees that each product’s value is accurately reflected based on its features and market demand.
3. Low Commission, High Benefits:
   • TemplateLelo features a low commission slab for creators, maximizing their earnings from sales. This policy supports a thriving community of creators while providing users with competitively priced, high-quality templates.
4. User-Centric Support:
   • TemplateLelo prioritizes user experience with responsive customer service and comprehensive documentation, guiding users at every stage of their website development journey.

Avoiding Marketplace Pitfalls: Keys to a Successful Selling Experience:

• Clarity Over Confusion:
  • Seek marketplaces that prioritise transparency in their review processes, providing clear explanations for product rejections or removals.
  • Opt for platforms where sellers can easily obtain detailed feedback from support teams, enabling them to address issues effectively and improve their offerings.

• Consistency is Key:
  • Look for marketplaces with consistent review systems, where standards remain stable from one submission to the next.
  • Avoid platforms that exhibit inconsistencies in their review processes, as this can lead to frustration and uncertainty for sellers.

• Guidelines Made Simple:
  • Choose marketplaces that offer specific and detailed guidelines for product development and submission, ensuring clarity for sellers.
  • Avoid platforms with vague guidelines that make it difficult for sellers to understand and meet marketplace requirements.

• Clear Regulations, Clear Path:
  • Prioritize marketplaces with clear and unambiguous regulations and policies, providing straightforward guidance for sellers.
  • Steer clear of platforms with ambiguous regulations, as this can lead to confusion and frustration when navigating marketplace rules.

• Supportive Ecosystem:
  • Select marketplaces that offer robust support resources for sellers, including accessible and responsive support teams.
  • Avoid platforms with limited support options, as this can hinder sellers’ ability to address issues and succeed on the marketplace.

Conclusion: 

Exploring reliable Top Envato Market Alternatives is crucial for designers and marketers. Each alternative marketplace offers unique features and benefits, making it essential to conduct thorough research before making a decision. Consider factors such as budget and specific requirements to find the ideal fit for your website. If you know of another exceptional marketplace, feel free to share your insights.