Using Free or Pirated Wordpress Themes? - Not a good idea!

Hello All,

Just wanted to make a quick post as to the dangers of using a free/pirated wordpress theme.

Remember the saying, "If its free, someone is paying for it"

Free Themes
People buy encrypted links on those themes. Nobody creates a theme for free. At times those links point to p0rn or viagra sites, imagine a charitable institute unknowingly giving a link to a p0rn site!?
Free themes aren't updated usually, they develop security holes with time, which means your site will be hanging on a thread, doesn't sound good, does it!?


Cracked/Pirated Themes
People usually use those instead of paying a few dollars to purchase the theme, some specialized nuller removes the links to the developer's sites and inserts some nasty links/scripts/security holes on this theme. Assume 1000 people install this cracked theme, it'll be very easy for the nuller to find the websites that are currently using this theme and then target their websites (Because the security hole was known to the nuller)

Imaging being a designer and your customer telling "My site is hacked" and you remember you had installed a free or cracked theme on his site, nightmare of life heh!?

I hope this helps and opens the eyes of people who are serious about business, for everybody else, hanging on the thread is fun only until it snaps

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Most of the Wordpress designers who sell links in the footers of their free WP themes do not accept p0rn, viagra, warez, etc. links.

 

You can get some really good deals on Theme subs like elegantthemes or yoothemes that are well worth the small price anyways. Definitely a bad idea to install "cracked" themes.

 

Yeah, using an illegal/pirated wordpress theme isn't the best choise. But, some blog owners don't have enough money to buy the legal one. I think there are many freebies themes out there with clean code as well.

 

You will never stop noobs from trying to beat the system and trying to get everything for free. Unfortunately, most have to learn the hard way.

 

Hard times and some extra dollars can change minds.

 

hmm, I see the smoke, but cant find an actual fire. I have used free templates for some clients (family, schools and the like who say they cant afford to pay me).

The most dangerous thing I have ever found in a free template is a link to the original template-designer's website in the footer, and they deserve the credit, so it stays. But I have never found any malware in a free template.

You dont get the template for free: the web template company get a free link from your school or small business website to their templates website...

I dont see any harm in that. Sure: make sure its from a reputable free-themes website. Check the code.

Pirated themes? well thats something I have no experience with.

 

I never mean to say that any free theme is bad. And if you are doing free work, then it is certainly understandable to use them.
But you should be armed with all of the information. Just because it hasn't happened to you yet, doesn't mean that it's not a real possibility.
Here's a very well investigated article about free themes sites:

http://wpmu.org/why-you-should-never-search-for-free-wordpress-themes-in-google-or-anywhere-else/

 

paying a small charge is worth it...some reputable sites certainly put links in, but they can be deleted if you buy the paid version often for $19.95, which not much.

the more malicious themes use base64 to encrypt the code and is hard to crack

 

You can get great themes for so cheap...why steal one?

 

I dont really see any problem with using frre WP themes. 99% of free theme makers dont accept links to bad sites anyway, so most of the time it is fine.

Anyway, just because a theme costs doesnt mean it will be any better, more secure, or easier to use than a free one...

 

A self contradictory statement, eh!?

 

Totally false. First of all, whatever links are on your free theme when you download it and activate it aren't necessarily going to be the same links that are there later on.
These aren't just hard coded links anymore. They are scripts where the links can be changed from a central source that controls that footer links in all of the blogs where that script is.

Secondly, links aren't the only bad thing you have to worry about. The bigger picture is installs. Installing malware and scripts onto your computer or hosting account to do things like:

1. Keylog your activity
2. Access personal information
3. Use your IP address and server as a proxy
4. Hack your email accounts and so much more really bad stuff.

Just like free music, and movie download sites, the creators of these scripts and viruses know that the number of people who try to get everything for free (Legal or not) is unlimited and they are easy targets.
They actually invite the virus into their computer by trying to beat the system.

No it doesn't. But once you've been burned by a free theme, or get tired of their limitations, you will never go back to using them on any site that you actually care about, or want to make money with.

Once you start purchasing themes, you get a better idea of who the better designers are, with the best support, and you will have favorites.

I know everybody wants everything for free. But that is not realistic. No one ever said that doing business on the internet was free.
IMO, as long as you are just puttering around, or doing personal stuff, there is nothing wrong with using free themes and cheap hosting.

When you get out of that stage, so will your needs and tastes for what you want for your websites.

Everyone wants to emulate their blogging heros. Want their sites to look like them. Follow all of their posts. Subscribe to their feeds.
And yet when it comes to actually following their example and spending some money on your website...then everyone gets cheap.

I'll tell you straight out. You can't make any money online if you don't spend some.
Those days have been over for over about 10 years. However the market to sell shortcut scripts, automated back link generators, autoblog scripts, and "SEO friendly" themes is still huge.