Users of Tumblr don’t have to open their wallets to get a great selection of themes. Tumblr’s theme directory offers hundreds of interesting, attractive and and practical themes that you can choose from.
Combine that with a powerful set of customization tools to create your own theme or customize the one you’re using, users get a virtually unlimited set of themes without paying a dime.
However, Tumblr does offer a set of very compelling premium themes that add yet another dimension to the site’s already extensive library. But while it may seem odd to pay for a theme with so many great, free options available, there are many that are well worth the money.
Consider these seven examples of premium Tumblr themes that, for many sites, may be well worth the cash.
Snippet
Magazine themes are becoming extremely popular on other blogging platforms and Snippet likely the best magazine-style theme for Tumblr. With great use of white space to make a clean layout, this $19 theme is not only flexible enough for the most avid Tumblr user, but it also is one of the cheapest of the premium themes.
Carbon
Carbon is a $49 social-networking oriented them that has a static left-hand navigation that remains present even as you scroll through the content. Carbon has a slick, glossy and modern feel to it and is ideal for anyone who wants to use Tumblr as a hub for their social networking accounts, putting those front and center.
Shutterbug
One of Tumblr’s strong suits is photography and photoblogging. However, most Tumblr themes are not well-geared toward that kind of blog. Shutterbug, however, is. This $49 theme displays photography in a clean, professional manner that would turn Tumblr into a great portfolio site for any photographer or other visual artist. Is available as either a light or a dark theme.
Sunrise
If long text is more your thing, then Sunrise may be a natural theme. This $49 theme is a very traditional blog layout, similar to what one would expect on Blogspot or a WordPress blog, but is cheery, clean and easy to read. Great for blogs that have longer blocks of text, Sunrise is a solid choice for anyone who wants to use their Tumblr for writing and need an upbeat theme to go with it.
Contrast
Contrast is really two themes in one, a light and a dark theme. Both, however, are clean, three-column layouts that are easy to read with colors that jump off of the screen. They managed to be attention-getting without being distracting, are flexible enough to work equally well with all post types and place a heavy emphasis on the community aspect of Tumblr, including sharing posts and “likes”. Contrast costs $49 and comes with both versions.
Inspire Well
Inspire Well is not meant to be an “install and forget” theme. This $49 theme focuses heavily on customization and has over 40 options that you can configure. The theme can also be one, two or three columns thanks to its use of a grid layout, ensuring that no two sites that use the theme look exactly alike.
Prologue
At $9, Prologue is the cheapest theme on this list but it’s still one of the best. Though it uses a traditional two column blog layout, Prologue’s focus in on simple, elegant and easily-understood icons separate post types and other elements, making Tumblr a bit easier for outsiders to grasp. For those who want to focus on simplicity, Prologue is one of the best (and cheapest) choices.
All in all, Tumblr has one of the best theme libraries for any blogging service and there are, literally, hundreds of great themes to choose from, free and premium. If none of these themes serve your purpose, just hop into the gallery and start searching around, you never know what you might find.
This post was sent to us by Lior who is a consultant to iAdvize, live customer support chat company and also serves as an advisor for 123 neon signs.
