Multipurpose Theme300K+ users

Enfold Alternative for Next.js & Astro

A popular ThemeForest multipurpose theme with 300K+ sales, known for its Avia Layout Builder. Learn how to replace Enfold's all-in-one approach with modern, modular alternatives.

TL;DR

You don't need Enfold after migrating to Next.js or Astro. Modern frameworks give you full control over your design system with React components and Tailwind CSS—no page builder overhead, no theme lock-in, no license renewals. See the alternatives below.

Official docs: Next.js Documentation · Astro Documentation

The Problem with Enfold

Enfold bundles its own Avia Layout Builder (not compatible with Gutenberg or other builders), creating total vendor lock-in. Content is stored in Avia's proprietary shortcode format, and deactivating the theme renders pages as gibberish. The theme loads its entire CSS/JS framework regardless of which features are used. Enfold's admin panel has hundreds of options that create complex, hard-to-debug styling cascades. ThemeForest license expiration means no updates or support after 6 months.

Modern Alternatives

Next.js + Tailwind UI

Replace Enfold's all-in-one approach with a professional component library and modern framework.

framework

Pros

Professional components
No vendor lock-in
Clean, maintainable code
Better performance

Cons

Paid component library ($299)
Requires development skills
No visual builder

How to Implement

Set up Next.js with Tailwind CSS, use Tailwind UI components for professional layouts, and build page templates that match your Enfold designs.

Astro + Tailwind CSS

For content-focused Enfold sites, Astro delivers clean output without the Avia Builder overhead.

framework

Pros

Zero JS by default
Clean HTML output
Fast builds
No shortcode lock-in

Cons

Less interactivity
Smaller ecosystem
No visual builder

How to Implement

Parse Enfold's Avia shortcodes to extract content, then build clean Astro pages with Tailwind styling.

Webflow

For non-developers who relied on Enfold's visual builder, Webflow provides better visual design control.

builder

Pros

Visual design freedom
No shortcode lock-in
Clean output
Built-in hosting

Cons

Monthly cost
Platform lock-in
Limited backend logic

How to Implement

Redesign your Enfold pages in Webflow's canvas, migrate content to Webflow CMS.

shadcn/ui + Next.js

Build a custom component system that replaces Enfold's Avia elements with accessible, modern React components.

library

Pros

Free and open source
Accessible components
Full code ownership
Tailwind CSS styling

Cons

More assembly required
No pre-built page layouts
Development time

How to Implement

Use shadcn/ui components as building blocks and compose Enfold-equivalent page layouts in React.

Migration Steps

Document your Enfold theme options—the admin panel has hundreds of settings across General, Styling, Header, Footer, Blog, Shop tabs

Export pages via WordPress REST API to get rendered HTML instead of Avia shortcodes

Parse Avia Layout Builder shortcodes to extract content and structure—Avia uses [av_section], [av_one_half], [av_textblock], etc.

Map Avia elements to modern components: av_section → section, av_one_half → grid column, av_slideshow → carousel, av_team_member → team card

Recreate Enfold's header variations as responsive React components

Migrate Enfold's portfolio custom post type to your content system

Replace Enfold's built-in forms with React Hook Form

Set up proper image optimization to replace Enfold's built-in handling

Deploy with redirects for all old WordPress URLs

Frequently Asked Questions

My entire site is built with Avia Layout Builder—how do I get my content out?

The WordPress REST API returns rendered HTML, not Avia shortcodes. Fetch each page via the API to get clean-ish HTML, then strip the remaining Avia classes and wrappers. Alternatively, view each page in the browser and save the rendered HTML.

Enfold has beautiful pre-built demos—what replaces those?

Tailwind UI, Aceternity UI, and Vercel's template gallery provide professional, pre-built designs. Unlike Enfold's demos that use the proprietary Avia system, these use standard HTML/CSS that you own.

What about Enfold's built-in SEO options?

Next.js Metadata API is more powerful and standards-compliant than Enfold's basic SEO options. You get full control over meta tags, Open Graph, structured data, and sitemaps with type-safe configuration.