Magento rebuild vs retrofit: why we almost never choose a rebuild

Magento rebuild vs retrofit: why we almost never choose a rebuild

We often get asked what the difference is between a Magento rebuild and a retrofit, and why we almost always prefer a retrofit. Both approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but choosing between a rebuild or retrofit can have a big impact on the cost and turnaround time of a project.

What is a Magento rebuild?

A Magento rebuild involves completely rebuilding your webshop from the ground up. This means we redevelop all existing functionality, design and extensions, often with a new design and improved codebase. The idea is to make a fresh start without the limitations of the current setup.

Benefits of a rebuild:

• Modernization: You get a completely new, up-to-date web shop with the latest technologies and best practices.
• Optimization: The chance to remove inefficiencies in legacy code and create a leaner, faster site.
• Flexibility: More room to implement new features and designs without regard to legacy code or processes.

What is a Magento retrofit?

A Magento retrofit involves improving and optimizing the existing webshop without completely rebuilding it. This can mean adding new features, improving performance, increasing security and solving existing problems, all within the existing framework of your current webshop.

Benefits of a retrofit:

• Cost savings: Retrofitting is generally much cheaper than a full rebuild because it requires less development time and resources.
• Faster implementation: Because we build on the existing structure, a retrofit can be completed much faster than a full rebuild.

Why we almost never choose a rebuild

We have found that a rebuild is often not the best choice for our clients for the following reasons:

1. Uncertainty whether problems will be solved: Often we see that a rebuild is chosen when the cause of the existing problems is unknown. The hope is that when the rebuild is finished the problems will be gone. But if the source of the problem is unknown, there is a good chance that the same problem has reappeared in the rebuild. In a retrofit, we address the problems at the source without gambling on a magic solution.
2. Cost and lead time: A rebuild is more expensive and time-intensive. For many companies, the investment in time and money is not justified, especially when a retrofit can deliver the same or better results with fewer resources.
3. Risks: A full rebuild involves more risks, such as data migration issues, SEO loss and potential downtime. These risks can have significant negative effects on your business.

In short, while a Magento rebuild can be useful in certain situations, we almost always prefer a retrofit. This approach offers a better balance of cost, time and risk, while still allowing for significant improvements and modernizations to your webshop.