Vertikal is a multipurpose HTML5 template built around a vertical navigation menu, sold on ThemeForest by the developer PremiumLayers for $99. It targets Vertikal business sites, corporate pages, portfolios, photography showcases and blogs that want a left-hand menu instead of the conventional top bar. It is a static Bootstrap 3 template rather than a WordPress theme, so it suits developers and agencies who want to hand-code or CMS-integrate a site rather than install and configure a theme through an admin panel.
The template has accumulated 527 sales on ThemeForest, which is a modest but real track record for a niche layout. The last vendor update was in May 2017, a detail that matters more than any feature list and one this review returns to repeatedly.
What the Vertikal business template actually delivers
The defining feature is the vertical menu, sometimes called vertical navigation. Instead of a horizontal header that collapses into a hamburger on mobile, Vertikal anchors navigation to the side of the viewport. That single decision shapes everything else: content columns are narrower, the header area is free for branding or hero imagery, and the layout reads more like an application than a brochure site. For businesses that want to differentiate from the overwhelming majority of top-nav corporate sites, this is the main reason to look at Vertikal at all.
Underneath that layout sits Bootstrap 3, the CSS framework that was dominant when this template was built. Bootstrap 3 gives the template a predictable grid, standard form styling and a component library that most front-end developers already know. The trade-off is currency, discussed in the limitations below.
Several capabilities are worth grouping together because they determine how much of a project the template can carry on its own:
- Four homepage layouts. Rather than one demo that must be dismantled and rebuilt, the buyer gets four starting points. That reduces the amount of structural work needed to match a client’s brief, particularly when pitching two or three visual directions.
- Four blog layouts and two portfolio layouts. Combined with single-post and single-work templates, this means a content-heavy site can be assembled without designing archive and detail pages from scratch.
- A filterable portfolio. Category filtering on portfolio grids is standard expectation for creative and agency sites, and having it pre-built saves a JavaScript task.
- Revolution Slider bundled. The vendor states the plugin is worth $12 and is included. Sliders are frequently requested by clients and rarely worth building by hand.
- Flex Slider and a testimonials slider. Two additional slider implementations cover carousels and rotating quotes, which are common on service and agency pages.
- Pricing tables and infographic elements. These are the components that push a template from “portfolio” into “business” territory, since pricing tiers and stat blocks are what corporate and SaaS-adjacent pages actually need.
- A shop page. A single shop page is included. The vendor does not state that a full e-commerce integration ships with the template, so this should be treated as a styled product listing page rather than a working store.
- Multiple working contact forms, Google Maps and a sticky header. Practical, unglamorous items that every business site needs and that are tedious to wire up repeatedly.
On the presentation side, the template ships with Retina-ready assets, CSS3 animations and transitions, Font Awesome icons and Google Web Fonts. The visual language is flat and iOS7-inspired, which is a specific aesthetic: light, thin, high-contrast and reliant on whitespace rather than gradients or drop shadows. Buyers who dislike that look will find the template harder to restyle than a neutral one, because the design decisions are baked into the styling rather than sitting on top of a plain base.
Documentation is included, and the vendor describes support as “top notch” — a claim that cannot be verified from the listing and should be weighed accordingly.
Where a vertical-menu template fits, and where it does not
The strongest fit is a business or agency site where the sidebar navigation is a deliberate brand decision. Consultancies, design studios, photography portfolios and editorial sites with a lot of top-level sections all benefit, because a vertical menu scales to more menu items without the crowding that afflicts horizontal navigation past six or seven links. The template’s four blog layouts and filterable portfolio also make it a reasonable base for a content-led marketing site that publishes regularly alongside its service pages.
It is a poor fit for a traditional e-commerce build. A shop page is present, but there is no evidence in the listing of cart, checkout or payment integration, and a template last updated in 2017 will not carry modern commerce requirements. Anyone needing a functioning store should look at a dedicated e-commerce platform instead.
It is also the wrong choice for a project with a tight accessibility or performance budget. Vertical navigation has known usability friction on small screens, where a persistent side menu competes with content for horizontal space, and the template’s age means its underlying framework predates current best practice on both fronts.
Strengths and limitations of Vertikal
Strengths
- A genuinely distinctive layout. Vertical navigation is uncommon enough in the corporate template market that a site built on Vertikal will not look like every competitor’s.
- Broad page coverage for the price: four homepages, four blog layouts, two portfolio layouts, plus single-post and single-work templates.
- Bootstrap 3 means a large pool of developers can work on it without a learning curve.
- Revolution Slider is bundled, which offsets part of the $99 cost for buyers who would otherwise license it separately.
- Component coverage is practical rather than decorative — pricing tables, contact forms, maps and infographics are the pieces business sites actually use.
- 527 sales indicate the template has been deployed in real projects, so common problems are more likely to have been encountered and documented by other buyers.
Limitations
- The last vendor update was May 2017. That is the single most important fact in this review. Bootstrap 3 is no longer actively developed, and a template that has not been refreshed in that time will not reflect current browser behaviour, current accessibility expectations or current Core Web Vitals priorities without remedial work.
- Static HTML only. There is no WordPress version, no CMS integration and no page builder. Every content change after launch requires editing markup or building an integration, which is a significant ongoing cost for clients who expect to update their own site.
- The iOS7-inspired flat aesthetic is dated. It was a contemporary look when the template shipped and now reads as a specific period style. Restyling it to a current visual language is more work than starting from a neutral base.
- Only one shop page is included, and the listing does not describe functional commerce features. Buyers should not assume a working store.
- The vendor’s support quality claim cannot be verified from the listing, and support for a product last updated in 2017 may be limited in practice.
- No information is provided about browser support targets, performance benchmarks or accessibility conformance. Those gaps have to be tested by the buyer.
How Vertikal compares with other multipurpose HTML5 templates
The multipurpose HTML5 template category on ThemeForest is crowded, and most entries compete on the same axes: number of demos, number of included plugins and frequency of updates. Vertikal competes on a different axis entirely — layout. Most multipurpose templates offer a dozen homepage variations that all share a horizontal header, so the choice between them is largely about colour and typography. Vertikal offers four, but all four are built around a vertical menu, which means it solves a problem the rest of the category does not address.
That specialisation cuts both ways. A buyer who wants a vertical menu has very few alternatives and Vertikal becomes an obvious candidate. A buyer who wants a general-purpose template with the widest possible range of layouts will find more flexible options elsewhere, particularly among templates that have been maintained continuously and that offer both a WordPress and an HTML version. On maintenance and ecosystem, Vertikal is behind the category average. On layout distinctiveness, it is ahead of it.
Price is roughly in line with the category at $99, though the bundled Revolution Slider license is a modest offset that some competitors also include.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vertikal a WordPress theme or an HTML template?
Vertikal is a static HTML5 template, not a WordPress theme. It ships as HTML, CSS and JavaScript files built on Bootstrap 3, and there is no WordPress version listed. That means a buyer must either edit the markup directly or commission a developer to convert it into a CMS theme before a non-technical client can manage content.
Does Vertikal include a working online shop?
No. The template includes a single shop page, but the vendor does not state that cart, checkout or payment functionality is provided. It should be treated as a styled product listing layout rather than an e-commerce solution. Anyone needing a functioning store will require a separate commerce platform or a custom integration built on top of the template.
Is Vertikal still updated and supported?
The last recorded vendor update was May 2017, so the template has not been refreshed for several years. Support may still be available through the ThemeForest item page, but buyers should not expect ongoing framework updates, new features or fixes for issues arising from browser changes since that date. Treat it as a legacy product.
What kind of website is a vertical menu best suited to?
Vertical navigation works best on sites with many top-level sections, such as agency, consultancy, editorial and portfolio sites, because it scales without crowding. It suits desktop-first experiences particularly well. On mobile it is less comfortable, since a persistent side menu competes with content for limited horizontal space, so responsive behaviour needs testing before committing.
Verdict on the Vertikal business template
Vertikal is worth buying for one specific reason: the vertical menu. Developers and agencies who need that layout for a corporate, portfolio or editorial project will find few direct alternatives, and the four homepage layouts, four blog layouts and bundled Revolution Slider make the $99 price defensible for a one-off build. The 527 sales confirm it has been used in real work.
It is not worth buying as a general-purpose template. The 2017 update date, the Bootstrap 3 foundation, the static-only delivery and the dated flat aesthetic all mean significant additional work for anything beyond a straightforward brochure site. Buyers who need a CMS, a functioning shop or a template that will still receive updates should look elsewhere. For a fixed-scope project where the vertical navigation is the point, and where the developer is comfortable maintaining the code themselves, Vertikal remains a reasonable choice.
