If you run a blog or are thinking about setting one up, you either have the choice of using a free theme for it or paying for a premium theme. There are so many different free themes out there that it makes it hard to justify paying money for one. However, there are also many benefits from using a premium theme that bloggers just don't get with free themes.

If you are trying to decide which type of theme is right for you, here are a few things to take into consideration:

• Free themes are good for those who are just starting out with blogging and needs the basic functionality. Free themes may or may not come with all of the widgets, plugins and options that the blogger will need.
• You never know what you are going to get with a free theme. It may look pretty in the theme demo but a blogger is not really going to know if it really works as it should until they take the time to set it up and start adding posts. At this point, glitches may be noticed or the blogger may find that things are missing.
• There are a ton of free themes that are done by professionals but there are also free ones that were programmed and designed by beginners. If you elect to use a theme made by someone who is not very experienced, then the code may be messy or broken in spots all together.
• Premium blogging themes or paid for themes are normally always done by professionals who have had to pass strict regulations in order to get their theme listed on a premium or paid for blogging theme website in order to sell it.
• Premium themes also tend to have more support, meaning that if you are having a problem, there is someone there to either call or email to help you through the process. This is nice if you are new to blogging and need some help along the way.
• Premium themes normally also have updates which keep them up to date with the current Internet website trends.

One of the biggest things that is going to be taken into consideration is your budget. If you do not have any money to spend on your blog at all, then you may want to stick to free themes; just make sure that you are downloading them from a reputable website or source. If you have a few dollars to spend though, premium themes can generally be taken much further.