Hot on the heels of yesterday’s article revealing Envato as the Walmart of WordPress, we’ve come across an article at WordPress mouthpiece WPTavern detailing one theme vendor’s attempt to leave Envato—and his return a year later. As with Walmart, Escaping Envato is more difficult than it might seem.
We have no opinion of Array as a WordPress Themes Developer; it’s about twice the price of most similar theme bundles and doesn’t seem “special“, but let’s assume Array delivers something amazing for your extra $100 per year over the price of many theme builders. This story, despite Array’s position at its center, is about WordPress Business Decisions.
The real point here is about the whole “Walmart of WordPress” thing; is Envato a Monster? Like Walmart, by its shear size Envato is about as monstrous as you can get. But does that make them bad?
We read the subtext of Array’s decision to return to Envato as similar to what happens when retail companies become dependent on Walmart; leaving the largest market in the world carries a heavy price. This despite the fact that for the privilege of doing business with Walmart Envato, you need to follow some rules you might not care for.
Is that OK? It’s called business; “OK” isn’t part of the discussion unless someone is breaking laws as they break your back or your spirit. Escaping Envato is a subjective idea.
It all comes down to perspective, doesn’t it? Your reality is molded by your perception, and a whole lot of WordPress developers are doing business with Envato. Now, happy about it or not, so is Array.
Source: WPTavern
Escaping EnvatoWe'll send a weekly email with the latest information, recommendations, quick WordPress tips and more. We're serious about privacy and won't spam you or sell your information.
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