Magento 1 vs Magento 2: What Are The Key Differences?

What is Magento? Why do we have Magento 1 vs Magento 2? Which version of Magento should I use?

Magento is a popular open-source eCommerce platform that enables businesses of all sizes to create and manage their online stores. It is known for its flexibility, scalability, and security, making it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes and industries.

Magento 2 is the latest version of the Magento eCommerce platform, and it offers a number of improvements over its predecessor.

In this article, we’ll take a close look at the key differences between Magento 1 vs Magento 2, including security, performance, SEO, speed, and user-friendliness.

Before reading the difference between Magento 1 vs Magento 2, don’t forget to read some related articles about Magento!

• WordPress vs Magento – Which eCommerce platform should be chosen?
• Magento vs Shopify – Choose the Suitable Platform for You
• 8+ Top Free Magento Templates For Your eCommerce Sites
• How to Choose the Best Magento Hosting Provider for Your Needs: Top 7 Recommendations

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Brief Overview

Magento 1 vs Magento 2 are two versions of the popular eCommerce platform, each with its own unique features and benefits.

In fact, Magento 2, released as an upgrade to Magento 1, offers significant improvements in performance, speed, mobile-friendliness, security, and usability.

So Magento 2 comes with newer technologies to provide faster page load times, simplify the checkout process, support mobile-responsive themes, and offer improved security measures.

Magento 1 continued to receive security patches until 2020, but Magento 2 continues to receive updates and patches, making it the more secure option.

Migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2 involves careful planning and consideration due to the significant changes involved.

However, the benefits of upgrading to Magento 2 are well worth the effort, as it can help businesses improve their online presence, increase sales, and reduce costs.

Key Differences between Magento 1 vs Magento 2

To make it easier to understand the differences between Magento 1 vs Magento 2, let’s take a quick look at the table comparing the two platforms across various aspects. 

Magento store owners can use this table to get a quick overview of the key differences between Magento 1 and Magento 2.

Now, we’ll dive into the details of each key difference.

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Architectural Differences

Magento 2 is faster and more scalable than Magento 1 because it uses newer technologies and has a more efficient architecture.

Here are some of the key architectural changes in Magento 2:

• Support for the latest PHP versions, which are faster and more secure
• Reduction in unnecessary browser operations, which makes pages load faster
• Advanced browser caching, which reduces the load on the server

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Speed & Performance

Magento 2 outperforms Magento 1 in terms of page load speed, delivering an enhanced user experience. 

Full-page caching, available in both the Community and Enterprise Editions of Magento, is the key to this improvement.

Here’s a quick stats comparison of Magento 2 vs Magento 1:

• Magento 2 processes 39% more orders per hour, demonstrating its scalability and efficiency.
• Catalogue browsing experiences instant server response times, ensuring seamless navigation for users.
• Magento 2 enables up to 66% faster add-to-cart server response times, ensuring swift and smooth purchasing experiences.
• End-to-end checkout times are accelerated by up to 51%, reducing friction and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Extensions

Magento 2 extensions offer a number of advantages over Magento 1 extensions, including:

• Reduced risk of conflicts: Magento 2 plugins allow code to overlap with core code rather than override it, eliminating the problem of extension conflicts.
• Easier to install and update: The new technology (HTML5, CSS3, Require.js) introduced in Magento 2 makes the process of installing extensions and modifying functionality more natural and streamlined.
• More affordable: Magento 2 extensions are more affordable than Magento 1 extensions, due to the reduced cost of development and support.

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Dashboard

The Magento 2 admin panel is easy to use and navigate, making it simple to find information and manage your store efficiently. It features a comprehensive dashboard with up-to-date metrics on sales, orders, products, and more.

In contrast, the Magento 1 admin panel is cluttered and difficult to use.

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Search Engine Optimization

While Magento 2 has not made a major leap forward in terms of SEO compared to Magento 1, it does offer a number of key improvements, including:

• Reduced risk of duplicate content: Magento 2 includes a canonical tag, which helps prevent search engines from indexing duplicate versions of the same page.
• Improved meta tags: Magento 2 allows you to set meta tags for individual pages, which can help improve your search engine rankings.
• Enhanced mobile-friendliness: Magento 2 is optimized for mobile devices, which is important for SEO since mobile traffic is now the majority.

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Security

Magento 2 offers better security than Magento 1.

• Magento 2 receives ongoing security updates and patches, while Magento 1 no longer does.
• Magento 2 has improved security measures, such as stronger password management and advanced hashing algorithms.
• Magento 2 adheres to industry standards like PCI DSS compliance.
• Magento 2’s architecture supports enhanced security features, reducing the risk of conflicts during customization.

Store owners using Magento 1 should consider migrating to Magento 2 to take advantage of its improved security features.

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Pricing – License Cost

You might want to know Magento pricing first before checking each license cost.

The Community Edition of Magento 1 was free, but the Enterprise Edition required a paid license. The cost varied depending on business size and requirements, but some sources say it was around $18,000 per year. Magento 1 reached its end of life in June 2020 and is no longer officially supported.

The Open Source edition of Magento 2 is free, but the Commerce edition requires a paid license. The cost is based on a revenue model, with prices ranging from $22,000 to $125,000 per year (pre-discount).

Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Migration – Should You Migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2?

Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration is essential due to the end of life of Magento 1. While migration involves challenges, the benefits of Magento 2 outweigh the risks. 

Engaging experienced developers or agencies specializing in Magento migrations is recommended.

Final Thoughts

Magento 2 is better than Magento 1 in almost every way, but Magento 1 still has a larger community of users and resources.

However, Magento 2 is rapidly gaining ground, and it is likely to surpass Magento 1 in terms of community support and resources in the near future.

The most important factor is support for regular security patches and updates. Magento 2 is actively supported by Adobe, while Magento 1 is no longer supported. This means that Magento 2 is a more secure and reliable platform.

If you are using Magento 1, it is highly recommended that you migrate to Magento 2 as soon as possible.

Read More: Transform Your Storefront with the Best Magento Themes in the Market

Contact US | ThimPress:

Website: https://thimpress.com/

Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/ThimPress

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThimPressDesign

Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/thimpress