Hi,

Thank you for reaching out.

The Helix Ultimate framework consists of two main components: the template and the plugin, and both work together to power your Joomla site. Here's the difference between the two:

🔹 Helix Ultimate Template This is the visual layout or design of your website. It controls the frontend appearance, including the header, footer, layout structure, typography, colors, and other style elements. You install and assign it just like any other Joomla template.

🔹 Helix Ultimate Plugin This is the engine behind the template. It provides the framework functionality such as the layout builder, preset system, menu options, and custom fields. Without the plugin, the Helix template can't function properly—it powers all the dynamic features of the template from the backend.

✅ The template controls how your site looks, and the plugin controls how it works in terms of layout and customization options.

Just to clarify: Helix Ultimate-based templates require the Helix Ultimate plugin to function properly. If the plugin is disabled or missing, the template will not load correctly, and many core features—such as layout options, typography settings, menu configurations, and advanced customizations—will be unavailable.

Best regards