Hyva Vs. Breeze for Magento — Which Frontend is Better?

Magento is great of the greatest eCommerce platforms.

However, it comes with a large amount of JavaScript files that can bloat your online store, causing your customers to compromise with load speed and performance.

On top of that, most of the Magento themes follow the standard base of LUMA (the default Magento theme), which performs poorly. The only solution for store owners to ‘tackle the speed side’ is turning their heads toward available front-end solutions.

Two of the most popular ones are the “Hyva theme” and the “Breeze frontend”.

Both of them work well for improving speed and performance scores for your Magento. But the real question is, which one suits your business needs better?

In this blog, we’ll compare the most necessary details for both of them and figure out the front-end winner for your business. Shall we start?

Let’s gooooo!

Hyva Vs. Breeze — Overview 📜

The main comparison starts by gaining a basic understanding of the contestants. So, let’s do that.

Understanding Hyva

Hyvä is a lightweight frontend for Magento that promises to fix all performance issues of existing Magento frontend themes (such as Luma).

Hyva theme comes as a blank canvas where you can build your Magento frontend from scratch. Unlike other Magento themes, it follows an entirely different tech stack to offer green scores to website performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO.

Understanding Breeze

Breeze is a frontend for Magento 2 that helps tackle poor performance on the Magento website. There are 2 parts of Breeze (can also say, two ways to use Breeze for performance optimization). Let’s check them.

• First, Breeze comes as a module that replaces the default LUMA theme’s tech stack to improve performance.
• Secondly, it comes as a blank and pre-designed theme with an improved tech stack.

That shares the basics for both of the frontend solutions. Let’s gain a deeper understanding of how both of them differ.

Hyva Vs. Breeze — The Key Differences

In this section, we’ll discuss all the necessary differences for these frontend solutions. Reading through will help you make the optimal choice for your Magento 2 storefront. Started!

1. Approach & Tech Stack

It was great to know that both of these frontend solutions focus on improving speed and performance for your eCommerce store. But… How do they achieve this level of speed and performance?

Did they change the tech stack? If yes, what is removed?

Okay. Let’s check their approach to it and the tech stack they found peace with. 😀

Hyva’s Approach to Improved Speed:

Earlier I mentioned that Magento’s existing front is filled with heavy-weighted JS libraries, including RequireJS, KnockoutJS, and jQuery. Maintenance of multiple heavy-weighted libraries was a burden and had a huge impact on website load times.

What Hyva did differently is that they removed the existing codebase of Magento and built another one from scratch. To replace those heavy-weighted libraries and bring in lightweight code, they chose to depend entirely on AlpineJS and TailwindCSS.

The reduction in dependencies and lightweight code helped Hyva achieve better performance for the Magento frontend.

Breeze’s Approach to Improved Speed:

Breeze tackles Magento 2’s performance woes with a two-fold strategy. It comes as a module and the theme (blank canvas or with pre-designed elements).

The main difference they brought is that they replaced Magento’s default codebase with a custom-built BreezeJS, a streamlined version. How do their streamlined version differ? Okay so, with Breeze, Magento’s outdated and bloated Require.js, jQuery, and Magento UI components will be removed.

This helps them reduce the script size and execution time significantly, leading to faster page loads.

On top of that, installation of this module won’t require rebuilding or redesigning your website. It will integrate perfectly with your existing theme, which is a big help for those wanting a quick implementation.

If we talk specifically about the Breeze theme, it prioritizes speed with features like critical CSS splitting and deferred loading, ensures a seamless experience across devices with optimized images, and incorporates accessibility features like RTL support and keyboard navigation.

In short, Breeze allows you to choose your path, the module for easy performance boost with your existing theme, while the optional theme provides a complete, performance-optimized storefront built for the modern web.

2. Speed & Performance Capabilities

The amount of speed and performance improved by Breeze and Hyva is the main consideration when choosing the fastest frontend solution. Isn’t it? Ok, let me shed some light on it.

Hyva theme claims to improve your website’s speed score to a perfect 100/100 for all the factors considered by Google; including performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices. On the other hand, Breeze can help you achieve a green score on your Page Speed report.

While Breeze will provide you with a good starting point to improve speed with an existing theme, the Hyva theme helps with significant performance. This is because the Hyva theme’s codebase is much leaner and faster, being entirely detached from Magento’s default (bulky) codebase.

3. Extension Compatibility

As we discussed, the tech stack is changed with the Hyva theme and Breeze module.

Now, the question arises about compatibility. Will your existing extensions work with these front-end solutions? Let’s find answers for both of the solutions.

Extension Compatibility x Hyva Theme

Hyva theme rebuilt the Magento frontend with an entirely new tech stack. So yes, your existing extensions won’t work with the Hyva theme unless you make them compatible to work well with its tech stack.

However, the good news is that the Hyva theme is popular and a growing selection of extension providers are already working on extension compatibility with Hyva themes, to maintain your desired functionalities. Now, if you choose the Hyva theme as your frontend solution, you’ll have compatible solutions available to release this burden.

Extension Compatibility x Breeze Module

Breeze offers a core module that replaces bulky Magento JS libraries with a newer version.

There’s a chance that some of your existing extensions might continue to work without modification, as Breeze focuses on core libraries. However, there’s no guarantee of broader compatibility with extensions designed for the default Magento frontend stack.

This is because compatibility depends on the coding languages used in extensions. So, if your current extensions contain RequireJS, jQuery, and more libraries from the default Magento frontend, then your extensions will be incompatible with Breeze.

Moreover, if we compare Breeze to Hyva, Breeze tends to have fewer pre-compatible extensions. Hyva theme, being more popular, has gained greater support from extension providers, making it easier to find compatible extensions.

4. Ease of Use

Both, the Hyva theme and Breeze frontend are easy to use and customize to match your business needs.

Hyva theme is popular for simplifying the development flow with Magento by reducing dependencies and a user-friendly interface. This potentially reduces the learning curve for developers, helping developers get a quick grip on the development cycle, and leading to faster and more efficient project completion.

On the other hand, the Breeze frontend module also follows a simple installation process that integrates seamlessly with your existing theme. Working with Breeze is also easier for developers as it requires nothing more than minimal upfront learning. They can hit the ground running since the module only needs basic integration to get started.

5. Pricing

Hyva uses a one-time licensing fee per Magento installation. 

This fee typically starts at around €1,000 (around $1,080). Beyond the license cost, there are additional cost considerations for Hyva: (1) UI/UX Design, (2) Theme Development & Customization, (3) Extension Compatibility.

Learn more: Hyva theme implementation cost

On the other hand, Breeze is free to use, allowing you to download and use the core module without any licensing fees. What about additional costs? So, depending on how deeply integrated your extensions are with the frontend code, you might need to invest in adjustments to ensure their compatibility with Breeze.

While Breeze offers a core module for existing themes, it also provides a blank theme for those who want to build their frontend from scratch. And yes, choosing this approach may necessitate additional investment in custom development to achieve your desired functionality and user experience.

6. Community Support

As you’re choosing a frontend for your Magento store, having a reliable community to grow with is crucial. So, let’s see if both of these front-end solutions have strong community support.

Despite being launched recently, Hyva has a large and active community with various resources to support users.

• Hyva has a dedicated Slack workspace to allow collaboration among developers, designers, and Magento merchants.
• They also maintain strong engagement with its users on LinkedIn.
• To further grow their community, they recently introduced a newsletter on LinkedIn called Hyva Hot Cakes, where they share helpful articles and resources to engage with users.

Moreover, they have great documentation to let developers work effortlessly. With such robust support from the Hyva community, it’s easier for merchants to tackle potential issues and find reliable extensions and solutions to grow successfully with this theme.

If we talk about support from the Breeze frontend, its community is still growing. While not as extensive as Hyva’s, there are still resources available, such as offering access to documentation, community discussions, and potential support from developers using the platform.

;

Okay, so until now we’ve discussed all the necessary areas to figure out the differences between the Breeze frontend and Hyva theme. And you must be getting a little clarity on what’s suitable for your business.

However, many areas are yet to be uncovered. Let’s check them in the next section.

Hyva Vs. Breeze — Pros & Cons

It’s necessary to check each aspect before your final investment in these frontend solutions. And a handy table outlining the pros and cons will help the most. So, here we go.

This table shares a lot more information on the Hyva theme and the Breeze frontend shares a lot more details that help you decide between them. You can see that the Hyva theme is great for many aspects of running a successful Magento store, while Breeze seems good in its own way.

But wait… Are you still confused about which is better suited for your business? Let me help you figure out the winner (frontend solution) for your Magento store.

Hyva Vs. Breeze — Who Wins?

There is no winner!!!

The ideal front-end solution for your Magento store will depend on your use cases. So, let’s check that.

Ideal Scenario to Opt for Hyva Theme

• Do you seek the fastest possible loading times for your Magento store?
• Does your Magento store consist of a large product catalog and has a high traffic volume?
• Do you need extensive customization options for your storefront?
• Are you willing to invest money into a future-proof solution?
• Do you seek a front-end solution with an active community that offers valuable support?

If you answered “Yes” to all or 3-4 of these questions, Hyva Themes could be the ideal solution for your Magento store.

Ideal Scenario to Opt for Breeze Frontend

• Is budget a primary concern for your Magento store?
• Are you comfortable with your existing Luma theme and want minor performance improvements?
• Is a quick and easy integration solution a priority for your project?

If you answered “Yes” to these questions, the Breeze module could be a suitable frontend solution for your Magento store. While it might not offer the same level of customization or performance gains as Hyva, it provides a cost-effective and familiar option for existing Magento users.

Final Words!

Both of these frontend solutions, Hyva Theme and Breeze were launched in 2021. Hyva is more popular as it brings in a lot of improvements for traditional Magento’s sluggish performance. Breeze isn’t that popular among Magento merchants and developers, however, is good for a quick performance boost.

I hope this blog helped you make the right decision between these solutions and that you’re now looking to improve your Magento store with them. If you have any remaining questions or queries, you can comment down your thoughts, or contact our experts to guide you well.

Moreover, if you’re planning on getting started with Hyva themes or want to integrate the Breeze module to your Magento store, our Magento experts are eager to help you. 😀

Additional Resources:

(If you’re looking to research more on Hyva Themes)

• Why Top Magento Stores Are Choosing Hyvä Theme?
• How Does Hyvä Theme Help Improve UI/UX?
• How to Cut Your Hyvä Implementation Costs in Half?
• InstaBuild for Hyvä Themes: Best Alternative To Custom Hyvä Development
• Time and Cost to Implement Hyva Theme in Magento

Hope it helps. 🙂