Why We Now Sell Our Themes Directly — And Why It’s Better for You

For more than a decade, you’ve known GoodLayers through ThemeForest. We’re proud of that journey, and we’re not going anywhere. But starting today, we’re also offering our premium themes directly here on goodlayers.com — at a better price, with longer support.

Here’s the honest story behind that decision, and exactly what you gain by buying from us directly.

The hard truth: the marketplace math stopped adding up

We love the marketplace model. It introduced our work to hundreds of thousands of customers. But starting July 1, 2026, Envato is rolling out major changes — a sharp increase in its commission, alongside the end of marketplace exclusivity. The higher commission makes the old model hard to sustain for a small, dedicated team that wants to keep improving its products; the removal of exclusivity is what finally allows us to sell our themes directly here on goodlayers.com.

Here’s the reality in plain numbers:

BeforeAfter the changes
A theme sells for$59$59
What reaches GoodLayers~$41.30  (≈70%)~$20.65  (≈35%)
What funds development & supportStrong & sustainableBarely sustainable

In the old model, a $59 theme left us with around $41 to fund development, updates, and your support. After the platform’s revenue-share changes, that same $59 sale leaves us with roughly $21less than half.

On top of that, under the old fixed-fee structure a WordPress theme also carried a $12 buyer fee plus a 12.5% commission baked into every purchase — costs that were never really about the product itself.

When the money that funds building better themes and helping you gets cut in half, something has to give. We refuse to let it be the quality of our themes or the speed of our support. So we’re giving you a better option instead.

Buying directly from GoodLayers: what changes for you

This isn’t just better for us — it’s genuinely better for you. Here’s what you get when you purchase right here on goodlayers.com.

1. A lower price — because there’s no middleman markup

Without the marketplace’s heavy commission and buyer fees, we pass the savings straight to you. Same theme, same quality, lower price. Simple.

2. A full year of support — and cheaper renewals

This is one of the biggest differences, and it’s worth spelling out clearly. On the marketplace, item support is sold in 6-month blocks, and renewing it gets more expensive the longer you wait:

Marketplace supportCostDuration
Add support at purchase37.5% of item price6 months
Extend while still active62.5% of item price6 months
Renew after it expires87.5% of item price6 months

When you buy directly from GoodLayers:

GoodLayers supportCostDuration
Included from day oneFree with purchase12 months
Renew for another yearLower flat rate12 months

You start with twice the support window (a full year, not six months), and renewals come at a lower, friendlier rate — no escalating penalty for renewing late.

3. One-click automatic updates

Buying direct also means updates arrive the WordPress way — a notification in your dashboard, and update with a single click, just like any other plugin or theme. No logging into a marketplace account, hunting for the latest download, and manually re-uploading a ZIP.

At a glance: ThemeForest vs. buying direct

ThemeForestGoodLayers Direct
PriceList price + buyer feeLower — no marketplace markup
Support included6 months12 months
Support renewalUp to 87.5% of price, 6 monthsLower rate, full 12 months
UpdatesManual re-download & re-uploadOne-click
Who you’re supportingPlatform takes the larger shareThe team that builds the theme

We’re still the same GoodLayers

Same themes you trust. Same team behind them. The only thing that’s changed is where the smartest place to buy them is.

By purchasing directly, you pay less, get supported longer — and you keep an independent studio healthy enough to keep shipping the themes you love.

Browse our themes and buy direct →

Thank you for being part of the GoodLayers story.

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