Does the Total theme work well with Elementor and WPBakery?

Yes, Total is fully compatible with both page builders. It bundles WPBakery and provides extensive documentation for it, though some known issues exist [17]. It also offers strong, actively improved support for Elementor, including over 30 custom widgets [18].

What are the most common issues when using WPBakery with the Total theme?

Common documented issues include the front-end editor failing to load, the 'Design Options' tab being disabled by default to prevent other bugs, and elements disappearing due to incorrect role permissions [17, 11]. The developer provides clear troubleshooting guides for these problems.

Is the Total theme considered fast or bloated?

The theme is not inherently bloated and can perform very well with proper optimization. A review by Kinsta demonstrated good performance when configured correctly with quality hosting [5]. However, its default demo performance on mobile is only average, so optimization is necessary for top scores.

How difficult is the Total theme for a non-technical client to use?

It has a moderate learning curve due to its extensive options within the WordPress Customizer [1]. While this offers great flexibility, it can be overwhelming for beginners. The theme allows administrators to hide unused Customizer sections to simplify the client experience [12].

What kind of support can I expect if my license expires?

An active license is required to access private ticket support directly from the developer [14]. Without an active license, you will still have access to the theme's extensive online documentation and public changelogs.

Are there any known plugin conflicts with Total?

The most frequently documented conflicts are related to the bundled WPBakery Page Builder, often caused by third-party plugins introducing JavaScript errors [17]. The theme itself maintains good compatibility with major plugins like WooCommerce, WPML, and Yoast SEO [18, 5].

How stable are theme updates? Are breaking changes common?

Theme updates are generally stable, with no widespread reports of breaking changes found in community forums or reviews [9]. The developer maintains a detailed public changelog for all versions.

Does the theme require high-performance hosting to run well?

While it can run on standard hosting, the developer's documentation and independent reviews emphasize that high-quality hosting is a primary factor for achieving optimal site speed, especially for resource-intensive sites using WooCommerce [13, 5].

Total - Theme Scout

Name: Total
Price: 59 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (2000 reviews)
Author: WPExplorer

Overview

Safe to use

Total is a highly flexible and long-standing multipurpose theme that offers extensive customization options through the native WordPress Customizer. It bundles premium plugins like WPBakery and has excellent documentation, but its vast feature set creates a moderate learning curve and requires performance optimization for top speed scores.

Pros

Extreme customization flexibility
Comprehensive documentation and support
Strong Elementor and WPBakery support

Cons

Admin panel can be overwhelming
WPBakery has known quirks and issues
Requires optimization for best performance

Analysis

Total is a long-standing and popular multipurpose WordPress theme from WPExplorer, known for its immense flexibility and vast array of customization options. It’s designed to be a versatile foundation for various projects, from business websites to online stores. The theme is built around the native WordPress Customizer, which provides a familiar interface for users to modify nearly every aspect of their site’s design and layout.

The theme’s primary strength is its customizability, which allows developers to build highly unique sites without writing code. It bundles premium plugins like WPBakery Page Builder and Slider Revolution, adding significant value. It also offers excellent compatibility with other major plugins, including Elementor, WooCommerce, and WPML. The developer provides extensive and detailed documentation, which is a significant asset for troubleshooting and learning the theme’s advanced features.

While powerful, Total’s extensive feature set can present a moderate learning curve for new users, and the admin panel can feel overwhelming at first. The bundled WPBakery page builder has some known quirks that may require consulting the documentation. Out-of-the-box performance is adequate but requires optimization and quality hosting to achieve top-tier speed scores, particularly on mobile devices. It is best suited for users who value deep customization over minimalist simplicity.

Performance

Core Web Vitals (mobile)

Metric	Mobile	Desktop	Target
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)	`6.91`	`1.84`	< 2.5s
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)	`0.021`	`0.012`	< 0.1

The Mobile PageSpeed score was 67/100 with a poor LCP of 6.91 seconds, tested on the official demo at https://totalwpthemedemo.com/base/ on 2026-02-03. While the desktop score is good, the mobile performance on the vendor's demo site requires significant optimization to meet Core Web Vitals standards.

When performance is acceptable

The theme is a safe choice if you are prepared to implement performance optimization techniques, as community reviews and the developer's own documentation suggest it can be very fast with proper configuration and quality hosting [5, 13].

Performance concerns

Exercise caution if you require top-tier mobile performance out-of-the-box, as the official demo scored only 67/100 on mobile with a very high Largest Contentful Paint time, indicating that optimization work is necessary.

Avoid if performance matters

Avoid this theme if your project has a strict requirement for a mobile PageSpeed score of 90+ with minimal configuration, as the demo's performance indicates that achieving this will require considerable optimization effort.

Tested URL: https://totalwpthemedemo.com/base/. View PageSpeed Insights report.

Client Handoff

6.0

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	excellent
Learning curve	days

When it works well

This theme is a safe choice if the end-user is familiar with the WordPress Customizer and needs a highly flexible website, as the extensive options can be selectively hidden to simplify the backend for clients [12].

Use caution when

Use caution when handing off to a complete beginner who needs a very simple, streamlined backend, as the sheer number of options available in the Customizer could be initially overwhelming without proper guidance [1].

Avoid if

Avoid this theme for projects requiring an extremely simple, minimalist backend with virtually no learning curve, as Total's primary strength lies in its extensive, and therefore more complex, feature set.

Scout recommendation

Total is a solid choice for agencies handing off sites to clients who are comfortable with the standard WordPress Customizer. The ability to hide unused sections is a key feature for simplifying the client experience, but some initial training will likely be necessary.

Alternatives: Astra, Kadence, Avada

Pricing

$59

Base price

Standard Commercial

License type

6 mo

Support included

Available plans

Plan	Price	Type	Includes
Regular License	$59		Single site, end users not charged
Extended License	$2,950		Single site, end users can be charged

Plugin Compatibility

5

Plugins tested

5

Fully compatible

Plugin	Category	Status	Notes
Elementor	Page Builder	Full support	The theme is officially compatible and actively improved for Elementor, offering over 30 custom widgets to extend the page builder's functionality [18].
WooCommerce	E-commerce	Full support	Total offers official WooCommerce support, including custom product builder elements and extensive styling options within the Customizer [18].
WPML	Multilingual	Full support	The theme is officially listed as compatible with WPML, ensuring it is ready for building multilingual websites [5].
Yoast SEO	SEO & Marketing	Full support	The theme is built with SEO best practices and has no documented conflicts with Yoast SEO [1].
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)	Developer Tool	Full support	Total includes built-in integration for ACF, with support for displaying dynamic content from ACF fields [18].

Community Feedback

10 discussions analyzed

Timeframe Last 12 months

Analyzed Feb 2026

Pain points

WPBakery front-end editor fails to load plugin compat

Show description

The front-end editor for WPBakery may not load correctly, preventing live page editing.
The developer suggests re-saving the page, ensuring the theme is fully updated, and disabling third-party plugins to resolve the issue.

Uncommon 25%

Moderate Total Theme Docs [17]
WPBakery Design Options tab is disabled by default plugin compat

Show description

The 'Design Options' tab within WPBakery elements is intentionally disabled by the theme to avoid bugs with certain plugins.
A code snippet or a specific workaround provided in the theme's documentation is required to re-enable this feature.

Common 60%

Moderate Total Theme Docs [11]
WPBakery front-end editor blocked by URL mismatch plugin compat

Show description

The front-end editor can be blocked by browser security if the Site URL and WordPress URL in the settings do not match exactly, causing iframe blocking errors.
Users must ensure that the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) are identical in the General Settings.

Uncommon 25%

Moderate Total Theme Docs [17]
Admin dashboard can be overwhelming handoff

Show description

The sheer number of options available in the WordPress Customizer can be overwhelming for new users or clients.
The theme includes a Customizer Manager in the Theme Panel, which allows administrators to hide unused sections to simplify the interface for clients.

Common 60%

Minor Total Theme Docs [12]
Moderate learning curve for new users handoff

Show description

While installation is straightforward, mastering the extensive Customizer options requires a learning period, as reflected in a professional review rating ease of use at 3.9 out of 5.
Users should allocate time to go through the comprehensive documentation to understand the theme's full capabilities.

Common 60%

Minor Darrel Wilson [1]
Performance is highly dependent on hosting quality performance

Show description

The theme's speed, especially with WooCommerce, is significantly influenced by the quality of the web hosting environment.
The developer explicitly states that using high-quality hosting is a primary factor for achieving optimal site speed.

Common 60%

Minor Total Theme Docs [13]
Update process requires multiple manual steps updates

Show description

The recommended update process is more involved than a simple one-click update.
The official documentation advises a multi-step process: backing up the site, switching to a default theme, disabling plugins, and then performing the update.

Occasional 35%

Minor Total Theme Docs [16]
Private ticket support requires an active license support

Show description

Direct, private support from the developer via a ticket system is only available to users with an active, non-expired license.
Users with expired licenses must rely on the extensive public documentation or renew their support license.

Common 60%

Minor Total Theme Docs [14]
WPBakery elements can disappear due to role permissions plugin compat

Show description

Core WPBakery elements may be missing for certain user roles, including administrators, if permissions are not configured correctly.
The issue can be resolved by checking the WPBakery Role Manager settings and ensuring that the relevant user roles have access to all elements.

Uncommon 25%

Moderate Total Theme Docs [17]
Third-party plugin conflicts can cause JavaScript errors plugin compat

Show description

JavaScript errors in the browser console, which can break theme or builder functionality, are often caused by conflicts with other third-party plugins.
The recommended troubleshooting step is to systematically disable other plugins to identify and isolate the source of the conflict.

Uncommon 25%

Minor Total Theme Docs [17]

Analysis based on official documentation, community forums, and professional reviews to identify recurring user issues and developer-acknowledged problems.

FAQ

: Yes, Total is fully compatible with both page builders. It bundles WPBakery and provides extensive documentation for it, though some known issues exist [17]. It also offers strong, actively improved support for Elementor, including over 30 custom widgets [18].
: Common documented issues include the front-end editor failing to load, the 'Design Options' tab being disabled by default to prevent other bugs, and elements disappearing due to incorrect role permissions [17, 11]. The developer provides clear troubleshooting guides for these problems.
: The theme is not inherently bloated and can perform very well with proper optimization. A review by Kinsta demonstrated good performance when configured correctly with quality hosting [5]. However, its default demo performance on mobile is only average, so optimization is necessary for top scores.
: It has a moderate learning curve due to its extensive options within the WordPress Customizer [1]. While this offers great flexibility, it can be overwhelming for beginners. The theme allows administrators to hide unused Customizer sections to simplify the client experience [12].
: An active license is required to access private ticket support directly from the developer [14]. Without an active license, you will still have access to the theme's extensive online documentation and public changelogs.
: The most frequently documented conflicts are related to the bundled WPBakery Page Builder, often caused by third-party plugins introducing JavaScript errors [17]. The theme itself maintains good compatibility with major plugins like WooCommerce, WPML, and Yoast SEO [18, 5].
: Theme updates are generally stable, with no widespread reports of breaking changes found in community forums or reviews [9]. The developer maintains a detailed public changelog for all versions.
: While it can run on standard hosting, the developer's documentation and independent reviews emphasize that high-quality hosting is a primary factor for achieving optimal site speed, especially for resource-intensive sites using WooCommerce [13, 5].

Sources & Methodology

Data confidence: HIGH (23 analytical sources, 25 total)

This analysis was compiled by reviewing the theme's official documentation, sales page on ThemeForest, independent professional reviews, and technical performance data from PageSpeed Insights. The goal was to synthesize information regarding performance, user experience, and common issues.

[[1]] Darrel Wilson — review_site
[[2]] Directories Pro — documentation
[[3]] GitHub — social
[[4]] HashThemes — documentation
[[5]] Kinsta — review_site
[[6]] Luna Digital Shop — marketplace
[[7]] Molongui — documentation
[[8]] Pointer Advertising — review_site
[[9]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[10]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[11]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[12]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[13]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[14]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[15]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[16]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[17]] Total Theme Docs — documentation
[[18]] Total Theme — Official docs
[[19]] Total WP Support — review_site
[[20]] WordPress.org — Official docs
[[21]] ThemeForest — marketplace
[[22]] ThemeForest Reviews — marketplace
[[23]] Official Demo — Official docs
[[24]] Official Documentation — documentation
[[25]] PageSpeed Test Demo — Official docs

Analysis date: February 3, 2026

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