Choosing the right Magento 2 theme can significantly impact the performance and user experience of your store. In this article, we are going to provide an in-depth comparison of Hyvä vs Luma, two leading Magento 2 themes.
Hyvä is known for its exceptional speed and modern aesthetics while Luma provides robust, default functionality. Being an ecommerce store owner, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each theme is important for you to make an informed decision, enhancing your store’s efficiency and appeal.
So, let’s dive into it!
What Are Hyvä & Luma Themes?
Hyvä Theme
The Hyvä theme is a modern, lightweight frontend theme for Magento 2 that focuses on performance, simplicity and developer friendliness.
Know: 8 Best Hyvä Theme Examples From Real Sites
The theme reduces the complexity and size of frontend code by loading only two JS/CSS resources compared to the typical 200 in the standard Magento 2 themes. This results in significantly faster loading times and improved user experience. The theme is designed to be easy for developers to pick up, leveraging familiar PHP frameworks and reducing build times. Below are reseaons to move to Hyvä.
Pros:
- Outstanding Performance: Achieves high Google PageSpeed scores and passes Core Web Vitals on all metrics.
- Reduced Complexity: Less code means lower complexity, making development simple and straightforward.
- Developer Friendly: Use a familiar PHP templating system, easing the learning curve.
- SEO Optimization: Increase website speed and performance which in turn enhances user experience and SEO rankings.
- Streamlined Customization: Offers a streamlined and easy way to customize the design, features, and website layout
- Supportive Community: A growing and active community that provides up-to-date resources and support to the developers.
Cons:
- Initial Cost: Requires a one-time purchase, which might be a challenge for some small businesses.
- Maintenance: While it starts with high performance, it takes ongoing efforts to maintain optimal performance levels.
- Limited Compatibility: Some third-party Magento extensions may not be compatible with Hyvä because of it reduces dependencies.
Luma Theme
Luma is the default theme for Magento 2 that gives a robust starting point for ecommerce stores.
It features a clean, modern design with a tile-based structure, making it visually appealing and easy to use. Luma supports grid and list-based views for category pages and offers customizable options for product displays that makes it a versatile option for various ecommerce needs.
Pros:
- Ease of Use: Luma is easy to set up and use, making it a great choice for startups as well as small to medium-sized businesses.
- Great Compatibility: It is widely compatible with many Magento extensions, reducing the risk of conflicts.
- Free and Pre-Installed: As the default Magento theme, it comes at no additional cost and is ready to use out-of-the-box.
- Responsive Design: It ensures a seamless shopping experience across desktops and mobile devices.
Cons:
- Performance issues: Luma can be slow due to its heavy dependence on various CSS and JavaScript files, impacting page load times.
- Outdated Technology: It uses older technologies like RequireJS and KnockoutJS, which are not optimized for modern web performance standards.
- Limited Advanced features: It lacks some of the advanced features and modern aesthetics found in premium themes.
Hyvä vs Luma Magento Theme: Comparison
| Factor | Hyvä | Luma |
| Ease of use | Simple setup but requires some customization | Very user-friendly and easy to set up. |
| Developer Friendliness | Built with modern tools and pre-built components | Uses older technologies which can be challenging |
| Technology Stack | Alpine.js and Tailwing CSS | Relies on outdated technology like RequireJS |
| Performance | Optimized for speed with minimal dependencies | Heavy and slow due to various CSS and JavaScript files |
| SEO-Friendliness | Fast load times and optimized codebase enhance SEO | SEO-friendly but hampered by slow performance |
| Customization and Flexibility | Offer substantial customization options | Limited customization |
| Integration and Compatibility | Compatibility issues with some third-party extensions | Compatible with a wide range of extensions. |
| Pricing and Licence | Requires a license fee of €1,000 | Free, as it is the default Magento theme |
| Customer Support | Growing community support with active forums and Slack channels | Extensive support due to its wide user base. |
Let’s discuss these factors in detail now:
Ease of Use
When it comes to ease of use, both Hyvä and Luma cater to different user needs effectively.
Hyvä is great for developers who are comfortable with modern web technologies like Apline.js and TailwindCSS. It offers a quick setup and easy customization process.
Luma, on the other hand, excels in its simplicity and accessibility. As the default Magento theme, it is pre-installed and ready to use, with minimal setup required. Luma’s intuitive navigation makes it easy to manage products, customize designs and adjust store settings.
Developer Friendliness
Hyvä is highly popular with developers due to its modern and efficient technologies. These tools make working with the theme easier and faster. Also, it’s not only the contemporary technology utilized by Hyvä that stands out, but also the pre-built components that enable rapid assembly of the frontend, saving time.
This minimal dependency approach of Hyvä reduces complexities, allowing developers to customize and extend the theme without dealing with any challenges associated with older frameworks.
In contrast, Luma is built on older technologies which can be difficult and less efficient for developers. These outdated frameworks can complicate the development process, making it challenging to achieve optimal performance and customization.
Technology Stack
Hyvä leverages a modern technology stack. It uses Apline.js for its Javascript needs and Tailwind CSS for styling, both of which are lightweight highly efficient frameworks. These contemporary technologies ensure that it is well-equipped to meet current web development standards and deliver optimal performance.
Luma, in comparison, is built on technologies that are considered outdated and less efficient for modern web development. RequireJS, used for managing Javascript dependencies and KnockoutJS, a library for building responsive UI, both contribute to the complexity and slower performance of Luma.
Performance
Hyvä is renowned for its exceptional performance again due to its lightweight and modern technologies. It reduces the overall complexity of the frontend, resulting in faster load times and improved responsiveness.
In addition to this, Hyvä’s streamlined codebase helps it achieve near-perfect Google PageSpeed score, making it an ideal choice for Magento 2 stores where speed and performance are of critical importance.
Luma struggles with performance issues because of its older technology stack. Users often experience slow response times and less efficient page rendering especially if a page contains a number of modules, which can negatively impact both user experience and SEO rankings.
Despite being functional and widely used, Luma’s performance lags behind Hyvä.
SEO-Friendliness
Search engine’s prioritize fast loading times and Hyvä’s high-speed performance contributes to higher search rankings. Also, the clean and minimal codebase of Hyvä reduces the likelihood of technical SEO issues such as excessive HTML tags and slow server response times.
Luma offers a decent level of SEO-friendliness but is hindered by its slow performance. While it includes basic SEO features like meta tags, sitemaps, and URL rewrites, its heavy reliance on various CSS and JavaScript files can slow down page load times. This can negatively impact search rankings as speed is a critical factor in SEO.
Customization and Flexibility
Hyvä offers great customization and flexibility, making it a preferred choice for developers who need to create highly personalized and unique ecommerce experiences. It enables developers to easily modify styles, layouts, and functionalities to meet specific business needs.
Luma provides a basic level of customization and flexibility. It allows users to modify themes via the Magento admin panel and supports customization through CSS and JavaScript. While it offers sufficient options for standard customization needs, it is less flexible compared to Hyvä.
Integration and Compatibility
Hyvä, though offering modern and efficient solutions, faces some challenges regarding integration and compatibility. Some third- party Magento extensions might not be compatible with the theme. So, you might require additional development work to ensure smooth integration with existing systems and integrations.
Luma is great in integration and compatibility due to its status as the default Magento theme. It can work seamlessly with a wide range of Magento extensions and third-party modules. This extensive compatibility gives Luma an upper hand here.
Pricing and License
Hyvä requires a licensing fee. As of 2024, the licensing cost for Hyvä is €1,000, which includes access to the Hyvä themes code as well as a year of support and updates. After the first year, a yearly subscription of €250 is required to continue receiving updates and support.
Luma includes no additional cost with the Magento 2 installation. This makes Luma a cost-effective option for small businesses.
Customer Support
Hyvä offers solid customer support through its growing community and dedicated resources. Users have access to a variety of support channels, including a dedicated Slack channel where they can interact with other developers, share ideas, and get help with their issues.
Also, Hyvä provides comprehensive documentation and tutorials, which are important for troubleshooting and optimizing the theme.
Luma also benefits from extensive support resources. As a widely used theme, it has a vast user base, which translates into a large pool of shared knowledge and community support. Users can access a lot of tutorials, forums, and official Magento documentation to resolve any issues they face.
Hyvä vs Luma Theme for Magento 2: Which To Pick?
Choosing between Hyvä and Luma for your Magento 2 store depends on your specific needs, technical expertise, and business goals.
Here are some key reasons to pick each theme and when they might be the best fit for you:
Pick Hyvä if:
- Performance is a priority: Hyvä significantly reduces page load times and enhances user experience.
- SEO is crucial: Hyvä’s fast performance and clean code improve SEO rankings.
- You want long-term scalability: Hyvä’s modern framework and active community ensure it stays current.
- You need advanced customization: Offers extensive customization options for unique ecommerce experiences.
Pick Luma if:
- Ease of use is essential: User-friendly and pre-installed with Magento 2 for quick setup.
- You require extensive compatibility: Highly compatible with a wide range of Magento extensions.
- Cost-effectiveness is a concern: Free and included with Magento 2, ideal for limited budgets.
- Basic customization suffices: Adequate for standard needs without requiring advanced modifications.
Hyvä vs Luma Magento Theme – The Ultimate Winner
After a detailed comparison of the Hyvä theme vs the Luma theme, it is clear that Hyvä comes out as a superior choice for Magento 2 stores.
But what’s more important is choosing the right Hyvä theme services provider. Meetanshi is a leading e-commerce development agency and a trusted Hyvä partner. We offer everything you need to transform your Magento 2 site into a super-fast storefront with Hyvä.
