If you’ve been involved with the WordPress community for some time, you’ve likely come across OceanWP. Initially launched as a free theme with premium features, it quickly became popular among freelancers, agencies, and DIY site owners.
The creator, Nicolas Lecocq, left WordPress after selling the theme but returned years later with a fresh perspective on product development. Now, he’s focusing on speed, user experience, and the integration of AI in development.
Under his new company, DigiHold, Nicolas has launched six WordPress products within a year—work that would have previously taken him much longer.
In this interview, Nicolas discusses the possibilities that arise when experience meets new AI tools and the importance of creating products that genuinely assist customers.
“A product works when it solves a real problem… that’s what I focus on now.” — Nicolas Lecocq, Creator of OceanWP & Founder of DigiHold
Continue reading for insider advice and tips from the creator of one of the most successful themes in WordPress history.
📣 This is our series, #MyWordPressStory, offering insights from successful leaders in the WordPress industry.
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📹 Video Interview with Nicolas Lecocq
Watch our complete video interview with Nicolas Lecocq below:
🚀 Meet Nicolas Lecocq: From Sports Blogger to Self-Taught Developer
Nicolas’s WordPress journey began in 2012, sparked by a personal hobby. His first blog centered on MMA sports, which introduced him to WordPress’s flexibility.
“I wanted to create a blog and I searched on Google ‘the best way to create a blog,’ and it was obviously WordPress.” — Nicolas Lecocq
He soon began experimenting with themes and code. At the time, resources were limited, so he relied on YouTube tutorials, online forums, and studying other themes’ code.
“I was watching YouTube videos, but there was not a lot of information like now… I learned really myself and little by little by editing themes.” — Nicolas Lecocq
His early freelance work involved making websites responsive before mobile-friendly designs were standard. This led him to envision a versatile theme that could handle various website types while maintaining a consistent workflow.
That idea became OceanWP.
💥 Related Post: Tobias Bäthge turned a hobby project into TablePress, a WordPress plugin now powering 700K+ sites. Read the full interview to see how he did it.
📈 The OceanWP Phenomenon: When Free Beats Premium
OceanWP was created to streamline Nicolas’s client work. Instead of adapting to a new theme for every project, he built one that could handle anything and knew it inside and out.
“When you have one theme to create anything, it’s easier for you when you know how to use it.” — Nicolas Lecocq
Initially, Nicolas planned to sell OceanWP as a premium theme. However, after his first attempt at a paid theme on ThemeForest didn’t gain traction, he took a different approach.
He released OceanWP for free, along with a companion plugin, Ocean Extra. This allowed users to access a wide range of features for free, at a time when most powerful themes were behind paywalls.
“I put so many free features… it was like a premium theme made for free. So everyone loved it.” — Nicolas Lecocq
He also launched premium OceanWP add-ons for paid features. Growth was slow initially, driven by word of mouth, but it soon accelerated.
Within a year, OceanWP became one of the most popular themes, with income jumping from $2–3K to $15K per month.
The combination of flexibility, rich features, and a free entry point made OceanWP a favorite for freelancers, WordPress agencies, and DIY site builders alike.
We can vouch for OceanWP. We’ve recommended it many times for its versatility and feature set, often including it among our top choices for free themes.
🎯 Learning From Success and Setbacks
Building OceanWP taught Nicolas valuable lessons about growing and sustaining a popular WordPress product.
One major lesson? Performance matters.
“I added so much features I didn’t really think about performance… now performance is the first thing to think about.” — Nicolas Lecocq
Early versions of OceanWP had many capabilities, but some slowed down websites. User feedback helped shape improvements, guiding product development.
“It is your creation, but it’s their product. So you always need to listen to them.” — Nicolas Lecocq
After a few years, he decided to sell OceanWP. The experience was formative, but he wanted to explore new ideas and personal priorities.
His next project, Olympus, aimed to be faster and more focused. However, personal circumstances and partnership issues forced him to step away.
This setback reshaped his approach to collaboration.
“I will not make my
