Brooklyn
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Brooklyn is a creatively-focused multipurpose ThemeForest theme by UnitedThemes, strongest in agency, portfolio, and single-page designs with 50+ demos and d...
Overview
Brooklyn is a creatively-focused multipurpose ThemeForest theme by UnitedThemes, strongest in agency, portfolio, and single-page designs with 50+ demos and distinctive animation effects. Mobile performance is a weak spot — 57/100 PageSpeed with a troubling 0.795 CLS and 7.47MB page weight on demo. The theme is built on WPBakery with a proprietary element layer on top, creating dual lock-in. Elementor is technically compatible but cannot modify Brooklyn-specific elements. Support is responsive (12-48h SLA) and updates ship monthly with consistent WooCommerce compatibility patches.
Pros
Analysis
Brooklyn by UnitedThemes has carved out a distinctive niche among ThemeForest multipurpose themes by prioritizing creative design quality over raw performance. With 50+ complete demo websites and 256+ templates, the theme targets agencies, freelancers, and creative businesses who need visually striking portfolio sites, single-page designs, and parallax-heavy landing pages. Its animation library and visual effects are frequently described as ‘trend-setting’ rather than derivative, which explains its enduring appeal despite fierce competition from themes with far higher sales volumes [1][3][9].
The performance trade-off is severe. Independent benchmarks consistently measure page payloads exceeding 7MB on stock demos, with the theme loading all CSS regardless of which classes the current page actually uses. The mobile CLS of 0.795 is nearly eight times the ‘good’ threshold, meaning significant visual layout shifts during page load that directly impact user experience and Google ranking signals. Even with aggressive optimization (WP Rocket, critical CSS generation, image CDN), achieving Core Web Vitals compliance requires custom development work beyond standard caching solutions [4][6].
Historia bezpieczenstwa
Brooklyn itself has no widely reported critical vulnerabilities in its core code. However, the security posture is complicated by bundled plugin dependency — WPBakery and Slider Revolution both have documented upstream vulnerability histories, and Brooklyn users receive patches only when UnitedThemes releases a theme update. A Slider Revolution version conflict (v6.7.33-6.7.35) caused functional breakage on WPBakery sites, demonstrating the risk of delayed plugin updates [8][10].
Brooklyn creates a dual-layer lock-in: the theme’s proprietary element system sits on top of WPBakery, meaning a developer must learn both the standard WPBakery workflow and Brooklyn’s custom extensions. Theme options do not integrate with the WordPress Customizer — all configuration happens in a separate panel with no live preview. Support quality is genuinely strong — the 12-48 hour SLA is consistently met, and responses include detailed step-by-step guidance rather than generic troubleshooting [1][3][7].
Brooklyn is the right choice for creative agencies and portfolio-focused projects where visual impact matters more than mobile PageSpeed scores — think photographer portfolios, design studios, and event sites. It is not the right choice for SEO-driven content sites, e-commerce stores where Core Web Vitals directly impact revenue, or any project where theme migration might be needed later. If you need similar creative flexibility with better performance, consider Kadence or OceanWP. If WPBakery lock-in is acceptable but you want more demos, BeTheme offers 650+ options. For performance-first projects, GeneratePress or Astra are the clear alternatives.
Performance
Core Web Vitals (mobile)
| Metric | Mobile | Desktop | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | 3.75 |
1.51 |
< 2.5s |
| CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | 0.795 |
0.194 |
< 0.1 |
Fresh PSI test on 2026-08-18: mobile 57/100 (LCP 3.75s, CLS 0.795, TBT 30ms), desktop 83/100 (LCP 1.51s, CLS 0.194, TBT 15ms). Independent benchmark: GTmetrix 66/100, 7.47MB page size, 9.5s full load. The theme loads all CSS regardless of which classes are used. UnitedThemes added lazy-load and internal CSS caching in recent versions but these are insufficient for CWV compliance [4][6].
Use caution on projects where mobile Core Web Vitals are important. The demo scores 57/100 on mobile with a critically high CLS of 0.795, and independent testing measured 7.47MB page size with 9.5 second full load time. The theme loads all CSS regardless of page content [4][6].
Avoid this theme if your project requires passing Google Core Web Vitals assessment, as the 0.795 mobile CLS far exceeds the 0.1 threshold and the 7.47MB payload makes optimization extremely difficult without a complete rebuild of the page structure.
Tested URL: https://brooklyn.unitedthemes.com/demo54/.
Client Handoff
How easy it is to hand this theme off to a client without ongoing developer support.
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Rating |
|---|---|
| Panel complexity | complex |
| Documentation quality | good |
| Learning curve | days |
Brooklyn is safe for handoff if the receiving developer has experience with WPBakery-based themes and will continue using Brooklyn's native builder stack for content updates and structural changes.
Use caution when handing off to developers expecting modern Elementor or Gutenberg workflows, as Brooklyn's custom PageBuilder on top of WPBakery creates a non-standard editing experience that requires dedicated learning time [2][7].
Avoid handing off Brooklyn projects to teams planning to migrate to a different theme, as all layout elements stored as WPBakery shortcodes require significant content reconstruction if the theme is replaced [2].
Scout recommendation
Brooklyn requires familiarity with both WPBakery and the theme's proprietary element layer. A developer taking over a Brooklyn site must learn the Qode Options panel structure (20+ categories), the custom PageBuilder UI, and the non-Customizer workflow. Official knowledgebase at knowledgebase.unitedthemes.com helps but the learning curve is significant for developers coming from modern block-editor or Elementor workflows [1][7][15].
Alternatives: Kadence 5.0/10 , Astra 6.0/10 , GeneratePress 8.0/10
Pricing
Available plans
| Plan | Price | Type | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular License | $69 | other | 1 site, 6 months support, lifetime updates. Includes bundled WPBakery Page Builder and Slider Revolution. |
| Extended License | $3,450 | extended_license | 1 site, end product sold to users, 6 months support, lifetime updates. |
Plugin Compatibility
| Plugin | Category | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce | E-commerce | Full support | Actively maintained. Template compatibility patches ship with each major WooCommerce release (9.0, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6 all addressed in 2024) [12]. |
| Elementor | Page Builder | Partial support | Compatible for Elementor-specific elements only. Cannot modify or create Brooklyn-specific elements or theme options. Full theme customization requires Brooklyn's built-in PageBuilder [7]. |
| WPML | Multilingual | Full support | WPML-certified. One historical theme-options bug was resolved. No current unresolved issues [10]. |
| Gravity Forms | Forms & Contact | Full support | Listed as compatible in Envato marketplace data. |
| Contact Form 7 | Forms & Contact | Full support | Listed as compatible in Envato marketplace data. |
| Polylang | Multilingual | Limited support | A support thread reported search returning 'no posts matched' with Brooklyn + Polylang active. Unresolved [12]. |
| WPBakery | Other | Not tested | Auto-added: mentioned in community pain points |
Stick to Brooklyn’s native builder stack and officially supported plugins. For WooCommerce, the theme provides consistent template compatibility patches with each major WC release. Avoid using Elementor for theme-specific layout customization.
Community Feedback
Analysis based on ThemeForest comments, WordPress.org support threads, independent review sites, and WPML compatibility reports.
FAQ
Sources & Methodology
High confidence. Brooklyn has extensive community coverage due to 50K+ sales and active development since 2014. 15 independent sources analyzed.
Automated pipeline: Envato API for marketplace data, PSI API for performance metrics, Sonnet agent for community research (13+ web searches, 15 sources analyzed). Post-processed with L1 validation.
- [[1]] ThemeForest Brooklyn Product Page — marketplace
- [[2]] SeedProd WPBakery Review — review_site
- [[3]] wpressrev Brooklyn Review — review_site
- [[4]] PluginTheme.net Performance Comparison 2026 — review_site
- [[5]] WordPress.org Critical Error Thread — forum
- [[6]] CodeWatchers Brooklyn Review — review_site
- [[7]] FreshySites Brooklyn Developer Info — review_site
- [[8]] Shufflehound — Bundled Plugin Issues — forum
- [[9]] ultida Brooklyn WP Theme Review 2026 — review_site
- [[10]] WPML Brooklyn Compatibility — Official docs
- [[11]] UnitedThemes Official Site — Official docs
- [[12]] UnitedThemes Official Changelog — Official docs
- [[13]] UnitedThemes Helpdesk Forum — forum
- [[14]] UnitedThemes Support Policy — Official docs
- [[15]] UnitedThemes Knowledgebase — documentation
- [[16]] ThemeScout PSI Measurement — documentation
Analysis date: September 6, 2026