Problem:
I'm struggling to decide wether to use Layouts or only Content Templates created with Views.
Solution:
1. It's generally better to either use Toolset Layouts or Content Templates - not both applied to single content. You would use Content Templates in loops if you use Layouts generally for posts and pages. If not using Layouts you'd use Content Templates everywhere possible.
2. Toolset Layouts doesn't allow you to create Content Templates if you don't use Views. If you do, you can display Content Templates and even create them thru the Layout GUI. But in fact, Content Templates rely on Views. Content Templates can apply to single posts or entire post types or just on those posts on the archive of that type.
3. Toolset Layouts adds 2 Drag and Drop builders to WordPress, one for general (Template) Layouts that can be applied to single posts, or a post type, or an archive and more, and the (Content) Layouts that are applied and generated for every single post when editing the post.
Content Templates do the same but there you don't have a Drag and Drop Builder. Also, you cannot simply call related (parent) Layouts.
4. All 3 (Content Templates, Template Layouts and Content Layouts) will apply only to the_content() part of your posts (the post body). They will not allow you to design anything around that post body.
5. Toolset Layouts can, with the correct programmatic integration, be used to design the templates including sidebars and other elements, but other PageBuilders are very advanced on this meanwhile and we rarely recommend this approach anymore, unless needed or requested.
6. The main advantage of Layouts is it has an automated Bootstrap Builder, you drag around elements and it generates the HTML and outputs it - while in Content Templates you need to write the most HTML on your own.
7. For an existing site built with Content Templates, I wouldn't recommend starting using Toolset Layouts. Better would be editing the Content Templates with the new Gutenberg Builder of WordPress, also using Toolset Blocks.
