Monstroid 2 vs Divi 3
In choosing a modern website template, it’s not all about design, it’s about a facet-rich set of tools that you get for working with your website on top of the CMS. Modern multi-purpose website templates have it all for you: installation managers, skins, plugins, widgets, builders and much more.
However, the competition on the market is pretty tough. I bet there is something like this happening online:
So, today, on our ring, we’ve got two rivals, who will meet in a final standoff for a champion’s title.
One of them is Monstroid 2 and the rival is Divi 3. Let me present them, and then, let the battle begin!
Monstroid 2 is the newcomer of January 2017. This masterpiece of the TemplateMonster company took almost a year to be produced, and their efforts were not in wain. You will see the features of it in our comparison, and believe, you’ll be impressed!
The second of the multipurpose templates in our comparison, Divi 3, the innovative product of Elegant Themes company. The production of it took something like three month, and the developers call it ‘reinvented Divi’. Let’s see if it’s powerful enough to win the champion’s title in this personal combat.
So, let’s start the combat, let’s start the race! In the end we’ll see, what are the strong points of each of the templates, and who’s worth to be the champion!
Round 1: GPL License
GNU General Public License (or simply GPL) is a popular software license, which guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the software. You can read more about it under this link. However, this license is more common for website engines and CMS (Content Management systems) and is rarely met among the templates.
Fortunately, both Monstroid 2 and Divi 3 run under the GPL license. Whatdoesthismeanforyou? Let’s see:
- Forget about single-site licenses! With the template, you can create as many websites as you wish.
- You can install the template on as many domains as you want. It’s yours for a lifetime!
- You can edit the source code up to your will. As a tribute to WordPress that the templates run on, the templates are open-source as well.
- You can distribute the pieces of modified code as your own development.
GPL 3 License gives you the ultimate freedom to use the template when and where you need, and to be creative in your projects. I would say, GPL 3 means freedom and makes you feel like this:
Round 2: Installation
Installing a template can be a headache, if it doesn’t come with the tool that runs it all for you while you grab a coffee. Let’s see, what Monstroid 2 and Divi 3 can offer for you in this regard.
Monstroid 2 comes with an inbuilt Installation Wizard that will get the template fresh and shining for you. The procedure is really pure and simple: you run the Wizard; it installs the template, all the skins and plugins for you, and then, it asks, whether you’d like to install sample data. If you press yes, the Wizard loads all the demo-content for you and you get the template that looks like Live Demo. Three clicks and a cup of coffee are your universal recipe of success:
With Divi 3 it’s not all that simple in this case. No wizard is hurrying up to help you out. You are the one to set everything up according to the guidelines, provided in documentation. Sounds like a bit of a headache. Yeah…Kind of. Just make sure you follow all the steps. I can’t tell you how happy you’ll be, once you set it all on your own and see the clear and intuitive Divi control panel where you can set the template up to your needs!
Round 3: Pricing policy
To pay or not to pay? That’s not the question. For sure, to get a well-built modern template you need to pay. But, how much to pay? This is the real question. The principle: the higher price – the better product, proves to be true only for those of you, how do not know the market. Let’s see how much you need to pay for Monstroid 2 and Divi 3.
In order to start building your websites on Monstroid 2, you need to pay only once. The price for the template is $75. Once you pay it, there is no monthly fee or annual price for using the template. You’ll get all the further updates of the template for free, as they are a part of what you buy. This policy goes in line with the terms of the GPL 3 license, you pay once and use the product with no limits for a lifetime.
With Divi it’s, again, not that simple. Here you pay as long as you use the template. There are twothree plans to choose from:
If you pay $69 a year, you get access to the template and to all the themes available on Elegant Themes website. However, you don’t get access to all plugins that came with the template, so the functionality of it remains limited for you. What is more, you don’t get the layered Photoshop files of your template, which is one more hindrance.- If you pay $89 a year, you get access to all the plugins and to the layered Photoshop files. This is the basic price of the template. But you need to pay it every year:
- There is an option to pay for the template only once. In this case the price will be $249. $75 for Monstroid 2 and $249 for Divi 3. Yeah, makes a difference. So, if you you’re penny-wise, it’s obvious what template wins this round.
Round 4: Available Skins
If you plan to build more than one website with the multi-purpose template that you purchase, then, the amount of skins is a justified concern. The more templates, the more websites for different branches of industry you can built.
Currently, Monstroid 2 comes with 10 skins available for it. Each of them is tailored for one of the big branches of industry, and they offer you diverse color and design solutions. This is not the end of the story. More templates will be coming later on and they will be available free for the owners of the template.
Divi 3 is also pleasing us in this case. The template comes with 20+ preloaded skins. What is more pleasing, with Divi 3 you get free access to all the themes at are out there at the Elegant Themes website. There are approximately 88 of them, so this can partially account for $249 you pay for it.
Round 5: Plugins
Plugins are an intrinsic part of a modern template. The more plugins you have, the more developed website you can built. Plugins serve a number of functions: they help us manage contact forms and newsletter subscriptions, integrate the website with social networks, create sliders, galleries, timetables and event schedules, etc.
Monstroid 2 has a large set of plugins available (20+). The prebuilt plugins include such popular solutions as BuddyPress, bbPress, WooCommerce, etc., as well as unique solutions, developed by TemplateMonster Team, that let you work with social media, testimonials, timelines, menus, appointments, events, galleries, and much more.
Divi 3 offers you 6 plugins, skillfully developed by the Elegant Themes team of developers. You can search all the other plugins on the Internet, and install them for free or having paid the price.
Here are the 6 plugins that Divi 3 offers with their short descriptions:
Round 6: Editing the template
The times of editing template code are in the past. Modern templates has multiple options in their admin panels. However, these two templates go even further, they offer editing the template on the go with tools for visual editing that let you see the changes you make live.
The tool that Monstroid 2 cherishes for you is Power Builder. This visual editor lets you edit the template layout with simple drag-and-drop and gives you unlimited opportunities for shaping unique pages that fit your ideal vision. You can choose between multiple styles of header and footer display, huge number of layout variants, unlimited styling options. Editing the template becomes fun, and I really mean it.
Divi Builder is the similar tool for Divi 3. It offers the same editing options, and you can adjust the appearance of your website on its frontend. You just open the website and edit it, which is just amazing. Similarly to Power Builder, here you don’t need to reload the page to see the changes, all the edits come live.
Round 7: Helping Hand
Free Support is an essential feature that makes working with the template not a struggle, but a journey that you have a map for. The types of support may differ, and you can judge, which ones of them are more devoted and caring.
TemplateMonster takes clients’ satisfaction very seriously, and they have a team of well-qualified ready-to-help support operators, who work for you 24/7. On top of the traditional ticket support system, you get unlimited chat and phone support. Just imagine there is a well-skilled person that you can call with every issue you have, and they’ll be happy to help you out no matter what’s the core of the issue.
Divi 3 is falling behind in terms of support. They don’t have even the ticket support! The only place to call for help is Elegant Themes forum. But just imagine, how slow it’ll be in comparison to Phone or Life Chat support ☹
Counting the results
Seven rounds of Monstroid 2 vsDivi 3 combat are behind. The battle was tough, but there is a winner to be announced. Let’sseewhatwe’vegot:
Conclusion
Both templates are great and worth spending money in 2017. However, Monstroid 2 ‘smiles’ more often to us, as it has more to it for a lower price that you pay just once. It’s a great template you won’t regret paying for, as it’s a tool for a lifetime. So, I am happy to announce Monstroid 2 the winner of your today’s standoff. To learn more about Monstroid2 template, please check this informative video-presentation:
Whatever template you choose, I wish you good luck in creating your project! Feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments section.
Notes:
Divi is installed on this blog. For more information on Divi 3, please visis the Elegant Themes' site:
For more information on Monstroid 2, please visit the theme's page: