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Is your current front-end solution not performing well? Suppose you step aside from the traditional Magento 2 themes and look through a broader lens. In that case, you can notice the two modern headless solutions that facilitate Magento 2 front-end development and increase a site's performance.
Hyvä theme and PWA give your e-commerce store the possibilities that default Magento themes cannot offer. What are the differences between them, and how can you choose right? We'll discover it all soon.
Hyvä is a Magento 2 theme released in 2020. It removes the complexities of the initial Magento 2 front-end, making development easier and quicker. Hyvä replaces previously used frameworks with lighter and smoother technologies, such as Tailwind CSS and AlpineJs. It makes a Magento-based store more user-friendly and competitive due to reduced loading time, which is the main Hyvä advantage.
Pros
Cons
Progressive web applications have provided app-like user experience across different platforms since 2015. Delivered through the web, PWA-based web stores will look and feel like mobile apps on smartphones, regardless of their mobile platform.
PWAs have a single codebase and combine the best features from websites and native apps. Key features include push notifications, versatility, and access to device hardware.
Pros
Cons
The difference between PWA and Hyvä is that Hyva is a Magento 2 front-end theme aimed at improving performance, while PWA is the technology that provides the website mobile app-like experience. It can be used on any platform or website besides Magento.
Hyvä theme was developed for a particular platform, Magento 2, and only there can it show its features and benefits. PWA seems to be a more universal solution. PWA-based websites not only increase performance but also give a native app-like experience on devices.
While both Magento 2 PWA and Hyvä themes offer excellent website performance and customization, their differences are considerable. Moving forward, we'll cover Hyvä and PWA's essential features, which make them distinctive and outstanding.
Hyvä and PWA are different technologies that serve one goal: to make front-end development easier and user experience — engaging. But they reach this goal by quite different means.
What are Hyvä's main features?
What is PWA famous for?
Now, with solid knowledge of both solutions, let's further explore their comparison and discover how to make the right choice!
To make the right choice between PWA and Hyvä, you should consider the following factors:
We start from the most practical part: What is the price for both solutions? It is worth noting that both Magento 2 PWA and Hyvä require development and certain customization, so the final cost also depends on the project's complexity.
To use the Hyvä theme, you need to buy the license — a one-time purchase that can serve multiple Magento 2 storefronts. It costs €1,000, while Hyvä development figures start from $5,000 and can reach $20,000 and more.
For Adobe Commerce users, Hyvä also offers Hyva Enterprise, with enriched features such as AI, B2B capabilities, and enhanced content control. The yearly price is €2,500, and the plan includes support and an updated subscription.
PWA does not need any licenses but requires more initial investments. The development cost is $3,000 for small projects and can grow to $70,000. Nevertheless, developing a website using PWA technology eliminates the need to build separate applications for Android and iOS; therefore, it is still a reasonable expenditure.
Hyvä's theme is all about performance. Its page loading time is greater than standard Magento themes and slightly faster than PWA — 2 seconds on average. This is all possible due to Tailwind and AlpineJS frameworks and general theme simplicity, resulting in increased customer satisfaction, a seamless interface, and better performance.
On average, the PWA page loading time is 3 seconds. PWA uses browser caching to increase website page loading speed and service workers, making the site more efficient. As a result, we have improved user experience and fast loading time.
With simplicity in mind, the Hyvä theme acquired basic functionality from the very beginning to satisfy the core requirements of an e-commerce store. It benefits from good performance and fast loading times but cannot offer many functions. Hyvä is quite customizable, and its functionality can be improved through third-party extensions.
PWAs have rich functionality, which allows them to create intuitive and engaging interfaces. They represent app-like functionalities, including add-to-home screens, push notifications, automatic updates, and even the ability to work offline with limited functionality.
Both solutions provide excellent user experience but use different means to achieve the same. Hyvä is fast and reduces waiting times. PWA's main point is an app-like experience and more user engagement through push notifications and the availability of the device's hardware.
Hyvä does not provide seamless integrations with third-party extensions out of the box, and the standard ones need to be adapted, contributing to limited scalability opportunities. But time marches on, and new extensions are on their way with such an amazing developer community and growing Hyvä popularity worldwide.
Magento 2 PWA has an array of extensions and integrations, contributing to the website's flexibility and functionality. With such opportunities, businesses can quickly scale up the store and provide the best user experience and performance.
The modular structure of Hyvä themes makes it easier to implement SEO best practices. These include optimizing meta descriptions and titles and building a clean site structure for search engine crawlers. Hyvä's loading speed and mobile friendliness also positively influence SEO.
PWA-based websites are easily indexable by search engines, contributing to online visibility. PWAs are inherently mobile-friendly, crucial for ranking well, and mobile browsing dominates search traffic. Faster loading times and a smooth experience across devices lead to better engagement metrics like lower bounce rates and longer session times, which search engines favor.
There is no definite answer to which is faster to develop: the Hyvä theme or a PWA-powered website. It all depends on the project's complexity and scale and the technologies and functionalities you want to apply. Additional considerations may arise from third-party integrations, customizations, and modules.
Nevertheless, we must highlight Hyvä theme development speed with some fascinating news: a post-packaging materials retailer managed to migrate to Magento and launch the Hyvä theme in just 12 weeks!
Consider contacting experienced Magento developers to get time and cost estimates for your project.
The Hyvä theme was created to simplify the front-end development process on Magento 2. Therefore, it has simpler and more understandable code and runs on technologies and frameworks that are convenient for developers. Moreover, you do not need to rebuild the whole store to implement Hyvä: its simplicity and developer friendliness have won trust all around the world.
PWA development requires more technical expertise and time. Nevertheless, code reusability, simplified maintenance, and hassle-free updates can reduce the development cycle. Additionally, with a single code base used for all platforms and devices, Magento 2 PWA cuts development time, removing the need for mobile app building.
If your website is already Magento-based and your business prioritizes performance optimization and a smooth front-end, Hyvä will suit you best. It allows quick store launches and is good for small and medium-sized businesses.
As an alternative, PWA's app-like experience and user engagement are winning the hearts of those who want to provide the comfort of use and comprehensive device coverage and scale their e-commerce business. PWA suits small businesses, startups, and established companies.
Hyvä encompasses the best features for Magento store front-end development compared to standard themes. Its simplicity, developer friendliness, and flexibility increase site performance. Simple adaptation reduces development time, and fast page loading and customization opportunities provide a splendid user experience and customer engagement.
Though perfection is unachievable, the main drawback of the Hyvä theme is its limited compatibility. First, Hyva does not suit Magento 2's outdated platform — you should update it to a recent version before building the Hyvä front end. Second, Hyva is incompatible with Magento checkout, so you must find another method. Third, Hyvä has limited support for third-party extensions.
Time does not stand still. With a fantastic community of developers and constant improvement, Hyvä may overcome these challenges and acquire even more popularity. Scrupulous work is going on daily to make more Hyvä-compatible modules. You can see the progress on the Compatibility Module Tracker developed by Hyvä.
Overall, Hyvä might be the right solution, but despite its simplicity, many additional issues may arise, rooting in compatibility. A professional Magento development team can handle all the complexities that may occur.
PWAs eliminate the need to build two separate mobile applications for Android and iOS, as they offer an app-like experience while being a website. PWAs increase user engagement, have responsive designs, can use the app's hardware functions, and run smoothly on different screens and devices.
Nevertheless, Magento 2 PWA is incompatible with old devices and browsers without any updates. With a single codebase, it has website dependency, and when the site goes unresponsive, so do apps. Additionally, PWA is not that development-friendly and requires time and budget to get things done.
On the other hand, PWA development saves time and money on mobile app development and does not need manual updates.
Both Hyvä and PWA are relatively new front-end solutions. Each one can offer a lot, each one with its own pros and cons. Let's sum up all the points and determine when to use one or another.
Choose Hyvä if you:
PWA will be a great option when:
Choosing between the Hyvä theme and Magento 2 PWA directly depends on your business needs and goals. Whatever the case, rebuilding your Magento-based store is a reasonable investment that will bring fruitful results.
Choosing between the Hyva theme and PWA can still be daunting. If you have considerations, feel free to contact professionals. NEKLO offers Hyvä Themes development services with free consultation on your project, so do not hesitate to schedule a call!