Salient turns up constantly in theme searches because ThemeNectar has kept it going since long before 'multipurpose theme' became a crowded category. Our analysis of live WordPress sites shows it still holds a steady spot among the fifty most used themes we track — not gaining ground the way it once did, but not disappearing either.
The multipurpose theme that predates the trend
ThemeNectar calls it 'an ultra responsive multi-purpose theme,' which is marketing language for what it really is: a WPBakery-based framework built so one non-developer can assemble an agency-style marketing site without writing code. It's a premium theme sold through ThemeForest rather than the free WordPress.org repository, and it's been around since at least 2018 — long enough that its current userbase looks less like early adopters and more like sites that installed it once and simply stayed.
WPBakery under the hood
Salient runs on WPBakery Page Builder, bundled as js_composer_salient, alongside a stack of ThemeNectar's own plugins: salient-core for framework logic, salient-portfolio for project grids, and salient-nectar-slider for the full-screen sliders the theme is known for. That's a lot bundled into the theme itself rather than left to independent plugins, which is standard for this class of theme but ties your update schedule to ThemeNectar, not WordPress core. Around the edges, sites running it lean on Contact Form 7 for lead capture and Yoast for SEO — both add-ons, not anything Salient ships.
Where it actually lands
Studying the sites running it, one pattern dominates: agencies and marketing firms, followed by nonprofits, SaaS companies, photographers, medical and dental practices, and event or wedding businesses. By business type that's mostly service firms and nonprofit organizations — sites built to look sharp and generate leads, not to move product at volume. The language mix skews heavily English with real pockets of German and Spanish, which suggests agencies outside the US adopted it just as readily.
What it's genuinely good at
Salient earns its reputation on visual polish without a developer on payroll. Parallax headers, video backgrounds, and portfolio layouts still look current, which explains why agencies and creative studios keep choosing it over plainer options. Its library of child themes is larger than most premium competitors offer, meaning a small nonprofit or clinic can start from something close to a finished design rather than a blank canvas — a real time saver for someone managing the site solo.
The other three everyone considers
Salient isn't the only theme built on this premise. Enfold and Betheme occupy the same WPBakery-driven, multipurpose space and show up on a similar mix of agency and service sites. Flatsome uses the same builder-first approach but is built around WooCommerce specifically, making it the better call when a store is the actual goal rather than a lead-generation page. All three sit in the same usage tier as Salient, so choosing between them comes down to taste more than capability.
The lock-in nobody puts on the sales page
The catch is the one every WPBakery theme shares: pages get built with its own visual editor, not the WordPress block editor, so moving off Salient later means rebuilding, not exporting. WPBakery's shortcode-heavy markup also runs heavier than block-based alternatives, and it's no accident that caching plugins turn up often on these installs. Ecommerce use is thin here — WooCommerce appears on only a small slice of Salient sites — a clear sign this theme was built for marketing pages, not storefronts. And because it's sold outside the WordPress.org repository, support and updates depend entirely on ThemeNectar's own licensing terms, not community review.
Questions worth answering before you buy
Is Salient free?
No. It's a premium theme sold through ThemeForest, not the free WordPress.org repository, and requires a license for updates and support.
What page builder does Salient use?
WPBakery Page Builder, bundled with ThemeNectar's own plugins for portfolios, sliders, and core framework functions.
Is Salient good for an online store?
Not really its strength. WooCommerce shows up on only a small share of sites running it — Salient is built for lead-generation and agency-style pages, not product catalogs. Flatsome is the stronger pick for that.
Where that leaves you
If you run an agency, a consultancy, a nonprofit, or a small medical practice and want a site that looks designed without hiring a developer, Salient still does that job well — it's exactly the crowd it keeps showing up on. Skip it if you're building a content-heavy blog, a large product catalog, or anything you might need to migrate off WPBakery down the line; that lock-in is real and worth weighing before you buy the license.
Last updated 2026-09-11
