Should I upgrade to Magento 2?

Many of our clients recently asked us if they should upgrade to Magento 2. The short answer is YES, definitely. The long answer is a little more complicated.

I’ll start by explaining why you should upgrade.

Technical support for Magento 1 will end in 2018

After November 2018, Magento will cease development and support for Magento 1 – that means no more bug fixes or security updates, leaving your site vulnerable to hackers. If you don’t upgrade after November 2018, your site WILL get hacked; it’s just a matter of time. Make the switch before then to avoid putting your ecommerce business at risk.

Magento 2 is faster, better and stronger in every way

The talented team at Magento pulled out all the stops for Magento 2. It was redesigned from the ground up to run faster than Magento 1, and it’s highly scalable. It also comes with out-of-the-box support for FullPage Cache (FPC) and Varnish, making it a much better solution for medium and large ecommerce websites. Overall, you can expect better speed and performance.

Magento 2 receives regular improvements and enhancements

All developers are focused on Magento 2, as it’s cooler and newer technology. In a few months time, Magento 2 will have more features than Magento 1. You’ll also get more support and help from the general community if you upgrade.

OK, so when should I make the switch?

The benefits of Magento 2 speak for themselves, so when is a good time to upgrade?

If you’re building a brand new ecommerce website, or you’re migrating to a different platform, then you should move to Magento 2 now.

If you’re currently using Magento 1, I’d recommend you make the move in late 2016 or early 2017. Magento 2 is still relatively new, so you want to give agencies and developers the chance to master the platform. The extension marketplace for Magento 2 is also catching up.

It’s also worth noting that the cost to build a Magento 2 shop is about 20-30% higher than building with Magento 1 (at the time of writing).

By 2017, most agencies and developers will have much more experience with Magento 2, and the extension marketplace should be fully mature. You’ll be able to get your Magento 2 shop built for a lower cost then – so pop the date in your calendar.