New Magento 2 was finally launched and the inevitable question rises in the community, whether Magento is dead. Why this question even appeared? Well, many merchants were expecting Magento 2 to be launched earlier and got really impatient by now. The other reason that has to be mentioned is the fact that other platforms are growing and getting more and more popular. So people who had no doubts about Magento in the past are less sure now. To resolve this issue – let’s look at pros and cons of Magento 2.
Magento 2 Features Pros
Magento 2 is still Magento and it retains many of its advantages, but we are going to look at most noticeable new benefits the platform provides.
The Backend Admin is Designed for Non-Technical Users
Every non-technical user knows that sometimes to do adjustments the whole team has to be hired. We certainly exaggerate but not too much. With Magento 1 users definitely had some challenges trying to operate the platform and sometimes Magento 1 required technical skills that not everyone has. Magento 2 has this problem solved and everything from the admin menus to the process of product creation go easier and much more user-friendly.
It’s Faster
No one likes to wait and especially your customers. If the page is loading too long the chances the customer would close the page are increasing. Magento 1 has some challenges and it sometimes took too long to load the page or to save changes that you have made. Magento 2 solved the cashe problem and now everything flies – for you and for your customers.
It Integrates with Popular Payment Gateways
Magento 2 took integrating payment gateways very seriously so that you would be able to use several more payment systems such as PayPal, Braintree, WorldPay, Authorize.net and CyberSource. All that means more options for your customer, increased overall transaction value and less development time as all these platforms are already supported.
Magento 2 Features Cons
Nothing is perfect and along with many benefits Magento 2 has its weaknesses. Let’s look at those that might bother some of Magento users the most.
Magento 1 Themes Can’t Be Ported
Providing everything you had in Magento 1 for Magento 2 is not an easy process and that’s why some customisations are on the way. Transferring may take some time and provide its challenges but at the end of the day Magento 2 is designed to make it easier for you – in the process of transitioning and working.
Not All Extensions Are Available Yet for Magento 2
The extensions you now use and love in Magento 1 are not available for Magento 2. It might be a serious challenge for those who got used to them and can’t even imagine working without extensions. In any case, it will take time from Magento developers to integrate all the extensions and you can do nothing more than wait for it.
Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Cost Rises
That’s a very predictable shortcoming as any new software release usually come along with higher costs. And while Magento Community Edition is free as it always has been, Magento Enterprise Edition that provides some serious benefits is more expensive now.
Should You Make the Switch?
Transferring from Magento 1 to Magento 2 is quite a serious step that requires additional resources. That the reason why it also needs very careful and thoughtful consideration. You might need to contact some experts from the outside to make this decision – keep using Magento 1, switch to Magento 2 or perhaps even consider other platforms. In any case, you are the one who makes the decision here.