Salient screenshot

Salient

Get Salient — from $60

Watch = email when score, CVE status or verdict changes · Affiliate link — see disclosure

Updated Jun 2026 Analysis Jun 3, 2026

Classic One-Time Purchase WPBakery Creative & Portfolio WooCommerce by ThemeNectar
84
PageSpeed
5.0
Handoff /10
$60
Starting price
Safe — with caveats
Scout verdict

Salient is a design-forward ThemeForest multipurpose theme with 171K sales and a reputation for high-end animations and visual effects. Read more

Compare
vs Bridge
Alternatives
Avada 5.0/10 Betheme 3.0/10 Enfold 5.0/10

Overview

Safe to use

Salient is a design-forward ThemeForest multipurpose theme with 171K sales and a reputation for high-end animations and visual effects. Its customized WPBakery fork delivers impressive design capabilities but creates significant content lock-in. Three security vulnerabilities in 18 months (2024-2025) and a pattern of update-induced breakage are the primary risk factors. 8 of 10 reported issues affect the theme directly.

Analysis

Salient by ThemeNectar is one of ThemeForest top-10 best-selling themes with 171,000 sales and a 4.81/5 rating across nearly 7,000 reviews. Its defining characteristic is design expressiveness: scroll-triggered CSS3 animations, parallax effects, fluid typography (v18), and page transitions using the modern View Transitions API (v17) create a distinctly high-end visual experience that consistently outshines competitors like Avada and Betheme in design reviews.

The primary technical concern is a pattern of security vulnerabilities and update instability. Three CVEs were disclosed in an 18-month period (2024-2025), including a HIGH severity Local File Inclusion in the bundled Salient Core plugin. Major version updates have a documented history of breaking existing sites, particularly when users fail to update all bundled components (theme + Salient Core + Salient Portfolio) simultaneously. The proprietary WPBakery fork with 65+ custom elements creates strong content lock-in with no viable migration path.

For agencies prioritizing visual impact and willing to accept the tradeoffs of a proprietary builder ecosystem, Salient delivers exceptional design capabilities at a competitive $60 price point. The v17 white-label dashboard and v18 fluid typography features demonstrate continued innovation. However, projects requiring mobile performance excellence, content portability, or minimal security exposure should consider lighter alternatives.

Performance

PageSpeed Mobile 84
PageSpeed Desktop 99

Core Web Vitals (mobile)

Metric Mobile Desktop Target
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) 4.08 0.87 < 2.5s

Fresh PSI test on 2026-08-11: mobile 84/100 (LCP 4.08s, CLS 0), desktop 99/100 (LCP 0.87s, CLS 0). Desktop is excellent. Mobile LCP at 4.08s is borderline, just over the 4s threshold. Optimized installs on managed hosting report GTmetrix A grade. Theme has a dedicated Performance tab in Theme Options [6][13].

Performance concerns

Use caution if mobile Core Web Vitals are critical. The demo site LCP is 4.08s on mobile, just above the recommended threshold. Animation-heavy defaults create render-blocking scripts. Use the built-in Performance tab to disable unused animations and enable lazy loading [12][13].

Avoid if performance matters

Avoid if your project requires excellent mobile PageSpeed without optimization work. The animation-heavy architecture inherently trades performance for visual impact.

Tested URL: https://themenectar.com/salient/. View PageSpeed Insights report.

Client Handoff

5.0
out of 10

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
When it works well

Salient is safe for client handoff if you restrict editing to text and image changes within existing page structures and provide a brief walkthrough of the visual editor.

Use caution when

Use caution if handoff includes structural page editing or WooCommerce layout changes, as the customized WPBakery interface has a steep learning curve for users unfamiliar with Salient-specific elements [6][7].

Avoid if

Avoid handing off to developers who need to maintain the site long-term but have no Salient experience, as the proprietary WPBakery fork and 65+ custom elements create a significant knowledge barrier [11][18].

Scout recommendation

Salient is best suited for agencies that build and maintain sites themselves. The v17 white-label dashboard feature helps with client branding, but content editing requires familiarity with Salient customized WPBakery interface. Developer-to-developer handoff requires Salient-specific expertise due to the proprietary element system [11][18].

Alternatives: Avada 5.0/10 , Betheme 3.0/10 , Enfold 5.0/10

Pricing

$60
Base price
Envato Regular
License type
$18/yr
Annual renewal
6 mo
Support included

Available plans

Plan Price Type Includes
Regular License $60 other 1 site, 6 months support, lifetime updates. Bundled WPBakery + Slider Revolution.
Extended License $2,950 extended_license 1 site, end product sold to users, 6 months support, lifetime updates.

Plugin Compatibility

5
Plugins tested
2
Fully compatible
3
With issues
Plugin Category Status Notes
WooCommerce E-commerce Full support Deep native integration with product quick view, AJAX cart, masonry grids, filter layouts, and full checkout design control. Requires explicit compatibility updates with each major WooCommerce release [14][16].
WPML Multilingual Partial support Supported but AJAX WooCommerce cart price display broken with WPML multi-currency switching. Fixed in subsequent patch. Standard translation workflows function correctly [16].
WPBakery Page Builder Page Builder Full support Core dependency. Salient uses a heavily customized fork (js_composer_salient) with 65+ proprietary elements. Standard WPBakery third-party add-ons may not be compatible with the fork [11].
LiteSpeed Cache Performance & Speed Partial support Reported conflicts with Salient frontend rendering. Users should test thoroughly and may need to exclude specific pages or scripts from caching [15].
WPBakery Other Not tested Auto-added: mentioned in community pain points

Stick to the bundled builder stack and test WPML configurations thoroughly if using multi-currency. LiteSpeed Cache users should check for rendering issues.

Community Feedback

20 discussions analyzed
Timeframe 2024-2026
Analyzed Aug 2026
Pain points
  • CVE-2024-3812 — HIGH Local File Inclusion in Salient Core (historical — patched) general
    Show description

    Local File Inclusion via nectar_icon shortcode icon_linea attribute in Salient Core up to 2.0.7 (CVSS 7.5). Allows authenticated attackers (Contributor+) to include and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server. Patched in Salient Core 2.0.8 (May 2024) [20][21].

    Update Salient Core plugin to version 2.0.8 or later immediately.
    Rare 12%
    Major CVE Details [20], WPScan [21], Patchstack [22]
  • CVE-2025-62028 — Missing Authorization in Salient theme (historical — patched) general
    Show description

    Missing authorization vulnerability in Salient theme versions prior to 17.4.0 (CVSS 4.3). Discovered October 2025 by Wordfence Intel. Patched in v17.4.0 [22][23].

    Update Salient theme to version 17.4.0 or later.
    Rare 12%
    Moderate Patchstack [22], Wiz [23]
  • CVE-2025-59001 — Unauthorized access in Salient Core (historical — patched) general
    Show description

    Missing capability check in Salient Core up to 3.0.8 allows authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access to perform unauthorized actions [24].

    Update Salient Core plugin to latest version.
    Rare 12%
    Moderate Rapid7 [24]
  • Major version updates frequently break sites (historical — unconfirmed current) updates
    Show description

    Multiple Ticksy tickets document sites breaking after major version jumps. Filters, custom post type loops, and visual elements break when updating across major versions. ThemeNectar publishes migration guides but does not perform in-place data migrations [8][9].

    Always test major version updates on staging. Update theme + Salient Core + Salient Portfolio simultaneously. Read migration guides at themenectar.com before updating.
    Common 60%
    Moderate Ticksy [8][9]
  • Multi-component update dependency causes crashes (historical — unconfirmed current) plugin compat
    Show description

    Users must update theme, Salient Core, Salient Portfolio, and bundled plugins together. Missing one component causes conflicts and site crashes. The most common source of post-update breakage [9].

    Always update all Salient components simultaneously. Check the Plugins page for available updates before updating the theme.
    Common 60%
    Moderate Ticksy [9]
  • Animation-heavy defaults hurt mobile LCP (historical — unconfirmed current) performance
    Show description

    The animation-heavy defaults create render-blocking scripts that hurt Core Web Vitals on mobile. Out-of-box mobile LCP is not competitive with lightweight themes. Requires manual optimization via the Performance tab [12].

    Use the Performance tab in Theme Options to disable unused animations. Enable lazy loading. Consider managed hosting for better server response times.
    Common 60%
    Minor Ticksy [12]
  • Feature overwhelm and steep learning curve (historical — unconfirmed current) general
    Show description

    The sheer volume of options, settings panels, and 65+ custom builder elements creates a steep onboarding curve for beginners. Users new to the Nectar-flavor WPBakery interface frequently report confusion navigating the layered settings [6][7].

    Start with a pre-built demo and modify incrementally. Use the official documentation at themenectar.com/docs/salient/.
    Common 60%
    Minor Reviews [6][7]
  • WPBakery fork creates content lock-in (historical — unconfirmed current) plugin compat
    Show description

    Salient uses a heavily customized WPBakery fork with proprietary elements. Content built in Salient is non-portable to standard WordPress blocks or other page builders. Migrating away requires complete content rebuild [11].

    Accept the lock-in as a tradeoff for design capabilities, or choose a theme with a more portable content format before building.
    Ongoing 25%
    Moderate WordPress.org [11]

Analysis based on ThemeNectar Ticksy tickets, ThemeForest comments, WordPress.org threads, CVE databases, and independent reviews.

FAQ

Sources & Methodology

High confidence based on 170,000+ sales, extensive public support ticket history, 5,700+ ThemeForest reviews, multiple independent review sources, and verified security advisories.

Profile compiled from Envato API marketplace data, ThemeScout PSI measurements (3 mobile + 3 desktop runs, median values), ThemeNectar Ticksy support tickets, security databases, WPML errata, and independent review sites.

  1. https://themenectar.com/salient/introducing-salient-version-18/ — Official docs
  2. https://themenectar.com/changelogs/salient.html — Official docs
  3. https://themeforest.net/item/salient-responsive-multipurpose-theme/4363266 — marketplace
  4. https://wpsymposium.com/theme/salient-theme-review/ — review
  5. https://webstick.blog/salient-theme-review — review
  6. https://darrelwilson.com/review/salient-theme-review/ — review
  7. https://harshilbarot.com/salient-wordpress-theme-review/ — review
  8. https://themenectar.ticksy.com/ticket/3217067/ — community
  9. https://themenectar.ticksy.com/ticket/3496109/ — community
  10. https://themenectar.ticksy.com/ticket/3172237/ — community
  11. https://wordpress.org/support/topic/salient-theme-wpbakery-page-builder/ — community
  12. https://themenectar.ticksy.com/ticket/2969185/ — community
  13. https://beepolor.com/is-salient-theme-fast/ — review
  14. https://themenectar.com/salient/features/woocommerce/ — Official docs
  15. https://themenectar.ticksy.com/ticket/3200339/ — community
  16. https://themenectar.ticksy.com/ticket/1334416/ — community
  17. https://themenectar.ticksy.com/ticket/3809087/ — community
  18. https://themesupport.com/salient-theme-custom-development-with-css-html-php-and-javascript/ — review
  19. https://wpmisuzu.com/en/recommend-salient-uncode-impreza/ — review
  20. https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2024-3812/ — security
  21. https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/d959a7a3-dea2-4c0d-8ab7-feff9c847af1/ — security
  22. https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/theme/salient/vulnerability/wordpress-salient-theme-17-4-0-broken-access-control-vulnerability — security
  23. https://www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/salient-core-plugin-cve-2025-59001/ — security
  24. https://divine-element.com/salient-vs-avada/ — comparison
  25. [[25]] ThemeScout PSI Measurement — documentation

Analysis date: June 3, 2026

Compare Salient with…

Side-by-side data comparisons against similar themes.