Hyva vs PWA? Which is better for your Magento Store

Selecting the best theme for your online store is critical to your website’s front-end development process. Different themes can completely transform the user experience – for better or for worse. Among the two solutions that Magento Business owners vastly prefer are PWA and Hyva.

Each of these front-end technologies has unique advantages that suit different audiences, needs, and types of e-commerce stores. In this article, we’ll try to uncover the pros and cons of Hyva and PWA as Magento front-end solutions, list the key differences between these themes, as well as provide pro tips on how to choose the best technology for your Magento.

What is Magento 2 PWA?

A Magento 2 PWA theme is designed specifically for Magento 2 stores to provide a Progressive Web App experience, a type of web application that uses modern web capabilities to deliver an app-like experience to users. When opened on a mobile device, a Magento 2 PWA theme provides the same benefits as browsing in a native application and can be installed on a mobile device via the “Add to Home Screen” button. When users open the website on a desktop device, the website looks standard.

Magento PWA themes can be created on the Magento PWA studio and are automatically compatible with upcoming Magento 2 releases and the ecosystem of PWA extensions created by Magento vendors. Stores powered by PWA themes have a headless architecture, which separates the application’s front-end and back-end for more adaptability options, and use technologies like Angular, React, or Vue.js. Such websites are also typically fast-loading and can operate offline, providing a seamless experience to users with various internet connectivity conditions.

The Pros of the Magento 2 PWA Theme:

There are many benefits of a PWA template for Magento Store. Some of the primary features and advantages of choosing a PWA theme for Magento include the following:

• Quick Loading: Magento PWA loads effectively regardless of the stability of a user’s Internet connection.
• Offline Functionality: The Magento 2 PWA theme has offline capabilities and hence can operate without an online connection.
• Security and speed of HTTPS: PWA themes are highly secure and run on an HTTPS protocol, which improves performance and speed.
• Auto Updates: A PWA website updates in real-time, eliminating the need for frequent manual updates and installations for new PWA versions.
• Cross–Device Compatibility: PWA themes are device-agnostic, allowing users to access the website from any operating system or device.

The Cons of the Magento 2 PWA Theme:

While there are many advantages to choosing a PWA theme for your Magento store, there are also some downsides to consider before selecting this open over a Hyva theme. Some downsides of a PWA theme include the following:

PWA themes have limited access to outdated browsers and are not compatible with certain older versions. Users trying to access a PWA website from an outdated browser will have limited accessibility. Magento PWA themes also have limited compatibility with iOS devices and can’t utilize all the functions of Apple devices like Bluetooth, Touch ID, and Face ID. Given that over one billion people use iOS devices, PWA themes can present a significant challenge for e-commerce store owners aiming to impress this user base.

What is the Magento 2 Hyva theme?

The Magento 2 Hyva theme is an open-source front-end that helps eliminate many existing issues and complexities of traditional Magento templates. Hyva is a collection of tools and theme templates compiled in a single front-end build for Magento 2.

The Hyva theme creates a monolithic, fully responsive system that is accessible across different devices. It provides a lightweight and fast-loading alternative to standard Magento 2 themes while still relying on Megnto’s PHP templating system.

The pros of the Magento 2 Hyva Theme:

The Magento 2 Hyva theme is an excellent choice for many e-commerce businesses. While it’s powerful and feature-rich, Hyva maintains a simple code, making it ideal for e-commerce store owners without much experience in coding for themes.

Choosing a Hyvä theme can provide many other benefits for your business, including:

• High performance: The Hyvä theme provides a high-performance level and is fast-loading on mobile and desktop devices.
• Simple adoption: Hyvä is simple to adapt to and implement without rebuilding your entire website
• Developer-friendly: Hyvä improves the developer experience, providing a developer-friendly environment without a steep learning curve for developers, especially when debugging issues and navigating new features.
• Cost-effective implementation: Because of its simple code, Hyvä reduces your development time and cost for implementing a new theme.
• Minimum dependencies: The only third-party library dependencies in Hyvä themes are Alpine.js and TailwindCSS.
• Highly customizable: Hyvä provides advanced development velocity, meaning customization and implementation for Hyvä themes are efficient and virtually effortless. Numerous extensions are made available for Hyvä to increase the scope of the theme’s capabilities.

The Differences Between a Magento PWA Theme and the Hyvä Theme:

Selecting Magento themes can be challenging, especially when different Magento themes have unique features that benefit your e-commerce store differently. Before choosing a Magento website template, it’s important to understand the core differences between a Magento PWA theme and a Hyvä theme. Below are some of the primary differences between these Magento 2 templates:

Explore PWA and Hyvä Themes and Extensions:

By understanding the pros and cons of a PWA theme compared to a Hyvä theme, you can make an informed decision for your e-commerce business. Your Magento 2 store theme doesn’t have to stop once you install a theme and you can increase your store’s functionalities by exploring different PWA  add-ons and third-party extensions for Hyvä theme to enhance your online performance.

Contact us today for a personalized consultation! Let’s explore how we can enhance your Magento store’s functionality, performance, and user experience. Reach out to us to discuss your needs and get started on your journey to a more effective online presence.