WordPress blogging sofware has clearly established itself as the self-hosted blogging platform of choice.  It's immense feature set, super-flexibility, extensive support form and documentation, superior customization options, long list of available plugins and extensions, and never ending list of excellent themes and templates make WordPress the front-runner in the race of blogging platforms.

It is important to note that, amidst all of the amazing features and add-ons, not all WordPress themes are created equal.  Sure, there are quite a few great free themes out there, but if you would really like to take your WordPress experience to a whole new level then maybe you ought to think about shelling out a little bit of money for a premium wordpress theme.  Compared to having your own custom WordPress theme constructed for a few thousand dollars, the $20 - $90 you will spend on a premium wordpress theme seems to be well worth it.  Most, if not all, premium WordPress themes come with extensive support forums and documentation packages to insure that the premium theme you bought is everything you wanted, and more!

If you are in the market for a premium wordpress theme, or just like to see what is available the you are in the right place.  Join in as we take a look at the Top 10 Premium WordPress Themes.

The Thesis Theme has been heralded by many as the best premium theme for WordPress EVER. If you currently use the Thesis Theme, the you will no doubt agree. Thesis is perhaps the most versatile theme that has ever been created. The theme is written with the least amount of code possible. The lack of code means that search engines have less junk to sift through before finding the content. Because of this, search engine optimization for Thesis is a snap. Additionally, the lack of code also means that the Thesis theme is very customizable. Rather than have to open and tinker with endless amounts of .php files, Thesis customizations can be performed either directly from the WordPress admin panel, or from only two different .php and .css files.

Effortless customization, simple SEO, and simple plugin integration have made Thesis one of the best and top-selling premium themes for WordPress. For a look at some killer customizations from within the Thesis community, check out these five awesome blogs using the Thesis Theme for WordPress.

The deCasa real estate theme is an excellent example of how the WordPress blogging software is easily turned into a content management system (CMS) and is used for website purposes other than blogs.  deCasa is an excellent way for real estate agents and rental brokers to get their business online in a super easy way.  deCasa is a feature rich theme on both the administrative side and the user end as well.  The administrator can exercise wide control over the formatting of posts and can even make separate pages to showcase realtors and properties.  The user is able to narrow down their real estate search by price, property type, or region depending on their individual needs and preferences.

the deCasa theme and all of it's amazing features retail for only 39 euros at ThemeShift.com, making it a steal for any real estate agent, broker, or company looking to establish their business online.

The Foliotastic theme shows off yet another side of WordPress that many do not know even exists. In addition to being a blog platfor and a CMS, WordPress can also act as a portfolio for photographers, graphic artists, and web desingers. Foliotastic allows the artist to show off their work in an organized and stylish fashion. Simply upload the desired photos to the WordPress admin panel and your portfolio is ready for the world to see and review. Foliotastic contains a few other helpful nuggets for the exhibitor as well. If the artist maintains a twitter account, all they have to do is enter their information and each tweet will appear on the homepage of the portfolio.

Priced at only $35 from ThemeForest, the Foliotastic theme is an inexpensive and no-brainer option for any and all photographers, artists, and designers to showcase their incredible work.

In the competetive business of magazine themes for WordPress, the arthemia theme has proven itself to be a winner. Magazine themes are themes which are laid out much like the website of a popular magazine or newspaper, which generally puts them in the CMS category rather than the blog category. Each category receives its on special place on the homepage with the latest or featured article getting the space on the home page. A favorite or prominent article or post takes the top spot. Arthemia makes great use of photos and thumbnails as well in posts, allowing the reader to visually experience what they are reading.  This excellent WordPress theme is also widget ready insuring that you will be able to add most features and extra functionality that you want to.

For the webmaster, Arthemia is a bit more difficult to get set up than some other themes. While it is not difficult, it does require a bit more techie knowledge of programming codes and formatting. Once arthemia is set up it runs like a charm. Arthemia also contains prominently displayed advertising areas insuring that readers will see the ads and have a good chance of giving them a click as well.  Arthemia is available for $70, or there is a stripped down version available for free.

The Alpha Group Inc. theme (Alpha for short) is a theme geared towards those who want WordPress to function as a corporate/business website rather than a blog. Separate pages are created within the WordPress admin panel giving the essential information about the business/corporation. Seperate categories can also be created if the company does in fact want to keep an updated blog/news section on their website.

Alpha is available at StyleWP for only $19, which is much less than a business would spend to have their website developed by any other web design and development company.

BlogNews is another theme which emulates the style of a newspaper/magazine. For those whose blogs and content websites have many publishers and writers, BlogNews is an excellent solution. BlogNews comes with an infinite number of categories to write under and plenty of space on the home page to feature any and all excellent and notable posts and stories. The theme also comes with video modules allowing readers to have a full sensory experience.

For the writer or news agency aspiring to create the next "Huffington Post", the BlogNews theme is definitely your ticket to major publishing.  With integrated advertising in prominent positions across the home page and content pages, your readers will be sure to generate a decent amount of revenue for your website as well.  BlogNews is available from GabFire for the reasonable sum of $59 for a single user, or $99 for the person who runs WordPress MU.

The Silver Business, much like the Alpha theme, is an excellent static website alternative for business and corporations seeking to build a presence on the internet. Silver business contains all of the same features of the Alpha theme, yet builds upon them with added image areas a little bit better designed approach to conveying the business principles and offerings within the three boxes at the top of the page. Silver Business also features a cool sliding module at the top of the page which shifts through different featured pages based on the preferences of the webmaster.

Silver Business can be purchased from ThemeForest for the nominal fee of just one payment of $30.

Celebrity Press 2.0 is an excellent magazine style theme perfect for the aspiring celebrity news, fashion, and gossip blogger. It's contrasting pink and black colors add to the celebrity gossip feel. Cebrity Press 2.0 is a theme which contains immense support for pictures and thumbnail photo displays of celebrities at their best and worst. With plenty of space on the home page for feature articles, celebrity gossip readers are sure to catch all the juicy details of every single story. Celebrity Press 2.0 also contains modules and widgets for video featuring and posting, along with captions to overlay photos.

Celebrity Press could be the theme that takes your celebrity gossip blog to the next level for the sum of only $79.95 from GorillaThemes.

For those wishing to add a more New York Times feel to their news blog/CMS WordPress Newspaper is the premium theme of choice. A theme like Newspaper can transform your small and "insignificant" blog into a well respected news publishing powerhouse with a click of a button. With plent of design options, immense support for images and feature articles, modules for audio and video bytes, and a well integrated advertising system WordPress Newspaper has the power to absolutely knock the socks off of the competition. One of the coolest features of the Newspaper theme is the fully customizable header, leaving you or your designer the freedom to make your mark in the world of news media.

Wordpress Newspaper is available from GabFire for a singe-use license price at $59. For the WordPress MU ready Newspaper theme the price jumps up to just $99 - a great deal when you consider how much it would cost to have a custom news website built.

The Video Flick theme once again revolutionizes how many people think about and view wordpress. As you have seen, WordPress is much more than a blogging platform. Video Flick transforms WordPress once again into the perfect "vlogging" (video blogging/sharing) platform.  Video Flick's homepage is geometrically sound and very welcoming to the reader/watcher.  A 125x125 advertising section also provides the vlogger with a potential source of revenue and income if necessary.

For the internet user who prefers to be seen and heard rather than read, Video Flick is an excellent solution.  Video Flick 2.0 is available from Press75.com for just $75.