JNews Theme Review: Still Ideal For Publishing Site? (2025)

Ease of Use

I would rate the overall ease of use of JNews at 4/5.

Here’s why:

• JNews is a user-friendly WordPress theme that offers a straightforward installation process.
• It’s fully compatible with popular tools like Elementor, WPBakery, and WooCommerce, making customization simple.
• Editing your theme is easy from the front end side, giving you control over its appearance.
• It’s designed to be accessible to everyone, even if you’re not a tech expert.
• But you need to be familiar with lots of plugins to unlock all the theme features.

Sometimes, you might run into small issues. For example, there could be times when certain features don’t load as they should. This can be a bit frustrating, but it doesn’t happen all the time.

Installation Process

You are only able to purchase and download the JNews WordPress theme from the Envato Marketplace. 

After purchasing the theme, download the .zip file from your Envato account. Then, log into your WordPress website dashboard and follow the provided steps for regular installation.

• Go to appearance > themes > add new > upload theme
• Find the .zip file you downloaded previously and proceed to upload it
• Click the install now button then activate the theme

Now, you’ve successfully installed and activated the JNews theme on your website.

Theme Setup

To set the JNews theme, you need to activate its license first. Insert the license key properly and register the theme.

Great! Your theme has registered successfully.

But, you can’t still find the theme customization settings until you install some required plugins. Navigate to JNews > install plugin area.

Here, you’ll get all the required, recommended, and optional plugins list. First, install the required plugins especially the JNews – Essential which is the core one.

Once you’ve installed and activated the required plugins, you’ll get access to core the theme settings. Then, you’ll be ready to customize the theme.

⚠️ Note: It’s good to import the JNews demo before installing any required and other recommended plugins. Its provided automatic import feature helps you to install all necessary plugins and theme styles, along with the demo. This way, you won’t need to worry about which plugins to install and which ones to skip.

Features

I would rate the overall features at 4.5/5.

Here’s why:

• JNews seamlessly works with both the free version of Elementor and WPBakery providing additional flexibility in crafting unique layouts.
• It offers a range of customization options, allowing you to create a unique and visually appealing online presence.
• Fine-tune your website’s appearance with a rich set of typography and color customization features.
• JNews is optimized for search engines, ensuring your content has the best chance of ranking well in search results.
• You can choose from a variety of pre-built demos designed for different niches, saving you time and effort in creating a website that suits your specific industry.

JNews is a WordPress theme that offers exclusive features and advanced functionalities to meet the needs of online publishing websites.

Core Features

Here are the core features of JNews:

1. Customize Style (Theme Options)

There are endless possibilities available to customize the JNews theme. You’ll find them under the JNews > customize style area.

A header is one of the most important elements of a website and everyone wants to design it a different way so it looks unique and highlights their brand.

JNews header builder gives you full control over your website header. With this builder, you can build your custom header.

You can choose prebuilt header layouts or use drag and drop block elements for header design.

You can add a top bar, make your header sticky, set different settings for mobile view, enable dark mood, and many other functionalities to make it stand out.

The search option comes with two different settings to emphasize your website search functionality. You can select only search post option under the search content section.

Navigate to the live search settings area where you can enable the search block, set the number of posts to search, and manage the date marmot of the search.

To make your category page more interactive, JNews comes with beautiful templates.

Navigate to category template > global template area. Here, you can pick a perfect template for your category page. You can select a sidebar from the list and choose a suitable header style.

It also gives you layouts for your category content and other content settings.

JNews view counter setting lets you manage the number of post views. You can limit data to reduce the database space and set the count interval and units.

It also provides options to prevent the same visitor view within the view counter and exclude particular visitors such as robots.

Placing advertisements is one of the essential parts if you are running Google ads on your website. JNews comes with flexible settings so you can smartly place your advertisements throughout your website.

You can place ads on your website header, article, category, preview slider, and other areas. It also gives you options to place mobile and global ads.

2. JegAI Assistant

JNews understands the power of AI. To ensure writing quality content in a short time, it comes with the full compatibility of JegAI Assistant.

First, you need to install the plugin from the JNews > install plugins area. Then configure it with your website.

After that, you’ll be ready to write your website posts and other content using JegAI. It works with both Classic and WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg).

3. Paywall System

JNews Paywall system is your quick and efficient solution to supercharge revenue by monetizing premium content through paid subscriptions.

With easy content restriction, you can control access to your premium articles while still offering enticing summaries. This feature is effortlessly set up and can be selectively applied to specific posts.

Its subscription system, integrated with PayPal and Stripe, ensures steady income through recurring payments. You can set flexible pricing options, including Pay-Per-Post, providing visitors choices in accessing your exclusive content.

To avail of this feature, you need to install and activate the JNews – Paywall plugin. Later you can configure your paywall feature to your website using the provided settings.

4. Pay Writer

JNews Pay Writer system helps you manage author payments with clarity and ease. This powerful system provides detailed reports in user-friendly tables, ensuring transparency in tracking and managing writer payments.

It integrates with PayPal allowing you to pay authors directly from the report page. The user-friendly interface includes a convenient date-picker for time-specific statistics and an advanced view counter for authors to track post performance.

JNews Pay Writer system also includes a Donation Button, providing a convenient way for readers to support their favorite authors directly.

To enable the Pay Write feature, first, you need to install and activate the JNews – Pay Writer plugin. After that, you can utilize the settings to configure the pay writer functionalities.

5. Podcast System

JNews Podcast system is your quick and easy solution to create your own website for audio podcasting. It lets you maximize your listening experience with a custom-built audio player, available site-wide or on individual podcast episodes.

The system includes ready-to-use podcasting features with custom Single Podcast and Single Episode pages, complete with a built-in audio player.

Install and activate the JNews – Podcast plugin on your website. Then navigate to customize styles > podcast settings area. Here you’ll get different settings to configure the podcast.

The podcast system allows you to import your existing podcasts from platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, Libsyn, PodBean, Squarespace, Anchor, or any valid podcast RSS feed. It also ensures a seamless transition without losing your episodes.

You can monetize your podcast with premium subscriptions using the integrated paywall system. Explore the possibilities and create your podcasting platform with JNews.

You can choose the readymade podcast templates. Also, set the layout, and customize the other settings as per your needs.

Pre-Built Websites

JNews makes website creation a breeze. It offers a collection of stunning 67+ ready websites and over 150+ homepages for different niches and purposes. Whether you need a news site, a magazine site, a blog, or an editorial, JNews has it all.

You can easily import any JNews demo with just a click and start building your website right away. You can see your changes in real-time and design beautiful landing pages with WPBakery page builder, which is fully integrated with it.

You can also use Elementor or Elementor Pro, as JNews is compatible with both. With its pre-built websites, you can enjoy both convenience and customization.

Let’s see how to import a JNews demo website with a few clicks. Go to JNews > import demo & style section.

Now choose a suitable deo that suits your website. As for this test, I’m going to select the default one. Simply, hit the import demo button.

After that, you can visit your website and check its current look.

If you import the same demo site, your website will look like the following image.

Quick and simple!

Reliability

I would rate overall JNews reliability at 3.5/5.

Here’s why:

• JNews benefits from frequent updates, contributing to its overall reliability.
• However, its performance, indicated by a ‘D’ grade (55%) on GTmetrix, falls below average.
• Notably, performance issues become more apparent, especially with larger demo sites.

Performance

Taking a closer look at speed and efficiency, I imported one of its pre-designed websites and assessed its performance through GTmetrix.

Here are the results:

JNews has attained a D grade with a performance score of 55%, showcasing a slight improvement from the initial test. However, with a page loading time of 9.2 seconds and a full page size of 2.12MB, it still falls below the average performance benchmark.

I have conducted GTmetrix tests on a couple of WordPress themes.

Here is how JNews compares to the others.

Theme	Fully Loaded Time	Total Page Size	Total Page Requests
JNews— Newspaper and Magazine Theme	9.2 seconds	2.12 MB	44
Astra Theme — Outdoor Adventure Template	905 milliseconds	1.54 MB	21
Flatsome WooCommerce Theme	1.0 seconds	348 KB	36

Honestly, I find the performance and page speed of JNews to be unsatisfactory.

⛔ Warning: The results from GTmetrix aren’t conclusive and won’t always hold true as the themes continue to update. However, they are a good indication of the themes’ performance and speed insights.

Your website’s speed relies not only on a good theme like JNews but also on the quality of your hosting service.

Updates and Maintenance

JNews has recently undergone several updates, showcasing a commitment to continual improvement and enhanced functionality.

The latest update includes various improvements, bug fixes, and plugin updates, reflecting responsiveness to user feedback.

These are some of the highlights of the latest JNews theme update:

• Adding new options for mobile menu navigation, improved filtering capabilities on the Pay Writer Stats page, and integrated Weather API for a new Weather Forecast Source.
• Bug fixes address issues such as multiple Podcast Series options in the Classic Editor, Custom Font variant functionality, and layout discrepancies in the RTL theme.
• The updates also ensure compatibility and performance improvements, such as resolving deprecated warnings on the paywall and fixing YouTube playlist cache functionality.
• The consistent updating of plugins like WPBakery Page Builder, JNews – Essential, JNews – Podcast, and others reflects the commitment to staying current with the latest tools and technologies.

Support

I would rate overall JNews support at 3.8/5.

Here’s why:

• They have an organized support forum for issue tracking and resolution.
• You can react to their community platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
• They provide knowledge base and documentation for self-help and reference.

If you need JNews support from Envato, it is better to know the author’s response time can be up to 2 business days.

Customer Service

JNews has multiple support platforms to ensure efficient customer service.

You can get support from:

• Ticketing system
• Support forum
• Community forums
• Video tutorials and guides
• Knowledge base and FAQs

The good thing is you can watch their video documentation right from your WordPress dashboard area. To see the available video guides, navigate to JNews > video documentation section.

Documentation

The JNews official documentation page is organized.

You can use the left sidebar menu to access the available documentation. The sidebar is well-categorized with a simple navigation system.

Upon exploring some of their knowledge-based articles, I discovered that they are well-written and include relevant images.

Support Forum

For quick community support, consider joining the JNews support forum. There, you can post your issues and receive solutions from their dedicated support team members.

Community Support

JNews is also available on social platforms like Facebook and YouTube. While their Facebook page is primarily used for promotional purposes, you may still seek support there if needed.

JNews has an official YouTube channel where they upload short video guides. Currently, they have 1.01K subscribers.

If you have any questions, you can post them in the comments section of their videos, and their team may provide answers.

Pricing

I would rate the overall pricing of JNews at 4.2/5.

Here’s why:

• JNews is priced at an affordable rate of $59, offering significant savings compared to other leading themes.
• Enjoy free updates and support for 6 months, ensuring access to the latest features and fixes, adding considerable value.
• Currently, the license is limited to a single website, which may not be ideal for developers or businesses managing multiple sites.
• There is an option for extended support available, but it comes at an additional cost.

While there are additional costs, like the handling fee for credit card purchases, these are relatively minor and do not significantly detract from the overall value provided.

However, offering a multi-site license or a more direct refund policy could enhance user satisfaction and improve the pricing score.

Cost Breakdown

The pricing for JNews is transparent, offering superb value for its range of features. You can take it directly from the Envato Market:

For $59, you will gain access to the following:

• All the features JNews provides
• Future updates
• 6 months of support from the theme’s creator

⚠️ Note: The drawback of purchasing a theme from Envato Market is that the regular license only covers a single website.

Consider these additional costs:

• The handling fee for using credit card transactions during purchase
• Extending support to 12 months will cost $17.63

Money Back Guarantee/Refund

You can purchase JNews exclusively from Envato Market, which means that the refund policies of Envato Market will apply.

Here’s a summary of their refund policy:

Circumstance	Eligibility	Notes
Item is “not as described” or doesn’t work as it should	Yes	If the item is materially different from the description or doesn’t work as expected.
Item has a security vulnerability	Yes	If it can’t be fixed easily, you may be entitled to a refund.
Item support is promised but not provided	Yes	If you don’t receive the promised support, you may be entitled to a refund.
Items that have not been downloaded	Yes	If not downloaded within 30 days from the date of purchase.
Resolving disputes – asking Envato to help	Discretionary	If you and the author can’t agree on a refund, Envato may intervene.
You don’t want it after downloading	No	—
Item didn’t meet expectations or is of low quality	No	—
Change of mind	No	—
Bought by mistake	No	—
Lack of expertise to use the item	No	—
Item removed or author no longer active	No	Advised to download items immediately after purchase.
Purchase made over 180 days ago (supported items)	No	For Themeforest and CodeCanyon supported items.
Purchase made over 30 days ago (unsupported items)	No	For Themeforest and CodeCanyon unsupported items and other specified Envato Market items.

Final Thoughts

JNews is a multipurpose WordPress newspaper theme that makes website creation easy for both personal and professional needs. It offers a wide range of customizable designs, allowing you to choose the simplicity or the boldness to achieve your goals.

Not only visually appealing, JNews ensures a smooth experience for visitors on both computers and smartphones. It comes with useful plugins that provide additional tools to manage your content better and make it easier for your audience to share your content on social media.

With JNews, you don’t have to worry about updates as it continuously improves and seamlessly integrates with the latest WordPress versions. It also supports many popular features, such as AMP, dark mode, speed optimization, and more.

Explore endless possibilities of JNews for a hassle-free, visually stunning website that will be your toolkit for online success.