Short answer: Hyvä makes your Magento webshop faster and cheaper to maintain, because it replaces Luma's heavy JavaScript stack with a lightweight frontend. The backend, your data, and your integrations remain standard Magento. The switch is a new theme, not a new platform.
We build webshops on Hyvä and are a Hyvä Silver Partner. Below, we compare the differences side by side, including situations where Luma is still sufficient.
What is the difference between Luma and Hyvä?
Luma is Magento 2's default theme. It relies on RequireJS, KnockoutJS, and jQuery. As a result, every page loads a lot of JavaScript, including code that the page doesn't even use. That makes Luma slow and difficult to customize.
Hyvä is an alternative frontend for Magento 2. It uses Alpine.js for interactivity and Tailwind CSS for styling. A page only loads what it actually needs. Since November 10, 2025, the Hyvä theme is free and open source.
The benefits of Hyvä at a glance
Faster pages. Less JavaScript means pages are interactive sooner, especially on mobile.
Better Core Web Vitals. That counts toward Google rankings, and you will notice it in your conversion rate.
Lower development costs. Developers work with modern, familiar tools. Customizations require fewer hours than in Luma.
Easier maintenance. Fewer layers of JavaScript mean less that can break during a Magento update.
The same backend. Products, customers, orders, and your ERP and PIM integrations remain unchanged.
What should you look out for when switching?
Hyvä isn't a switch you just flip. It's a new frontend, so you rebuild your theme. Three factors determine how much work that entails:
Extensions. Modules with their own frontend require a Hyvä version or compatibility module. This already exists for many popular extensions, but not for custom work.
Checkout. You can temporarily keep running the Luma checkout alongside a Hyvä frontend, or opt for Hyvä Checkout. For the latter, check Hyvä's current terms and conditions.
Custom work. Custom Luma templates and KnockoutJS components will need to be rewritten.
During a preliminary assessment, we map out your extensions and custom code. That way, you know in advance what the switch requires.
When is Luma still sufficient?
Is your webshop performing well and are you facing a larger replatforming in the near future? Then it might be smart to include Hyvä in that project rather than doing it separately now. A standalone Hyvä migration is mainly worthwhile if your frontend is slow, requires a lot of maintenance, or if you are planning a redesign anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hyvä free?
The Hyvä theme is free and open source since November 10, 2025. You pay for the development of your theme and any additional Hyvä products.
Do I have to rebuild my entire webshop?
No. Only the frontend. Your Magento backend, data, and integrations remain intact.
Does Hyvä work with Adobe Commerce?
Yes, with Adobe Commerce where you have direct access to the code, just like with Magento Open Source and Mage-OS. Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service is SaaS: you cannot modify the frontend this way there.
Want to know what Hyvä can deliver for your webshop? We'd be happy to take a look. Read more about Hyvä or schedule a consultation.
