Buy Magento extension or build from scratch

Buy Magento extension or build from scratch?;

The existence of a website Magento means that its extensions must be used. There are thousands of ready-to-use Magento extensions and choosing the right one can be a difficult task. In many cases, there will not be an exact extension that someone might need, so a custom Magento extension may be needed. How much does it cost to develop a new one, when should an existing solution be chosen and how does a good functional Magento module developer stand out?; 

Magento and extensions.

In a previous article, we analyzed Magento and how powerful an e-commerce platform it is, as well as its future potential, “9 reasons to create an e-shop with Magento“. This platform has many opportunities and capabilities for online businesses. However, in the increasingly competitive e-commerce market, merchants need to update and improve the functionality of online stores in order to attract and serve more customers. This functionality is essential for improving marketing, sales, providing advanced customer support, etc. The three main ways to improve the functionality of a Magento online store are:

• Add Magento extensions 
• Magento 2 custom module development 
• Customizing Magento extensions

Extensions are small software modules that help add custom functionality to a core Magento store. They are already developed and are often plug and play, so new features can be used right away. Extensions can add powerful new features and functionality to your Magento store in minutes. They can be purchased from the Magento marketplace or from third-party providers. They are a really fast, efficient, and affordable way to speed up the development process and improve your store. Custom development is the process of developing software specifically for a specific customer. Unlike extensions, custom development of Magento 2 modules helps ensure that specific preferences and requirements are met.

1. Purchase a Magento extension and install it.

In this case, the recommendation is to contact the developer who was responsible for creating the Magento website. If changes were made to the Magento core, it may affect the ability to keep the version updated and install new functional modules. You should also make sure that the version of a plugin is compatible with the Magento version used on the website. 

Generally, new extensions are created for the latest Magento version, so an update may be required. Similarly, some old functional extensions were intended to be used with older Magento versions, so the developer needs to make sure that it can fit the newer version. In case the required module is available in the market, the total cost of its implementation will include the following:

• Analyzing the Magento website and needs.
• Purchase the ready-made plug-in.
• Integrating it into Magento.
• Tests.
• Implementation in the production version of the website.

Some Magento extensions are free. In this case, the cost is limited only to the developer's time. Unfortunately, free extensions only have basic features. 

Magento extensions are crucial to its use.

Advantages of buying a ready-made extension.

• The cost is lower than with custom development. The usual price of Magento extensions ranges from 50 to 500 euros, so this is the best price compared to custom development. 
• It does not require time to develop the extension. 
• All extensions come with manuals explaining the functionality. The manuals are handy for training staff on how to use the new features. 
• Extensions are more optimized compared to custom development. Since they have often already gone through several iterations, much of the bug-solving that often accompanies custom development can be avoided. 
• Additionally, when an extension is purchased, extension providers usually provide free lifetime upgrades of the extension. These factors make Magento extensions the top choice of many merchants.

Disadvantages of ready-made extensions.

• A ready-made extension may not meet all requirements. 
• Be careful not to use too many extensions for an online store, as it can slow it down. 
• Sometimes the problem is unique or not in high enough demand. In these cases, out-of-the-box extensions may not be available for that feature.

2. Requirement to create an extension from scratch.

First, you need to check out the existing Magento plugins for the features they offer. Let’s take Magento’s checkout modules for example. During a basic checkout in Magento, a user has to fill in many fields on many pages. There are some extensions that allow you to implement a One Step Checkout, a checkout without registering with the service, or even manage a checkout via a phone call. 

The Advanced SEO Suite, for example, is the ultimate option with everything you could possibly need. It costs less than 250 euros, making it a truly affordable option. This means that you don't need to create a new extension from scratch, for example.

When it comes to searches, there are several Magento extensions. However, there are no out-of-the-box ones that allow you to display custom search results in a specific order. For example, a Magento store sells consumer electronics. A user types “Samsung TV” in the search box. Without a dedicated search engine, they will get all the Samsung TVs in the store, then Samsung TV accessories, and then some other Samsung products. 

A custom search extension allows to display TVs from other brands after Samsung. Thus, there is a higher chance of selling the product. The overall cost of developing such a Magento extension is quite high. When the built-in Magento features and all the existing extensions are checked and what is required for a store is not found, it is time to develop a new Magento extension.

• Analysis of the existing project.
• Create a project object. 
• Development of the extension. 
• Tests. 
• Implementation.

The price estimate for a custom Magento plugin depends on the time the developer will spend on it. 

Advantages of custom extension development.

• It adapts perfectly to the needs of the company. There is only the necessary functionality for the store. 
• Less code, faster website. Ability to customize and improve the software if new functionality is required for the store.
• Meeting all requirements.
• Solutions to any personalized problem.
• Support.

Disadvantages of custom extensions.

• Developing custom software is often more expensive compared to purchasing extensions. 
• Managing a custom online store is more involved as it requires the constant involvement of a software team. 
• It takes more time to do. The development period depends on the complexity of the solution. 
• Custom software that has been developed also requires a period of testing and quality assurance for store managers and developers.

In many cases, the development of custom extensions is required.

3. How do you tell a bad extension developer from a good one?;

When there is no extension required for the Magento store, one can be created specifically for a specific project. If one does not already exist, a developer for the project in question should be sought. Here are the characteristics of a good one:

• He wants to look at the project first, to see if it is possible to add an add-on. 
• It charges for the time it spends on the analysis as it requires from a few hours to two days. 
• He's trying not to sell an extension, but to find a solution to the problem. 
• Writes a detailed scope of the project and requests approval. 
• It tests both the frontend and backend before and after implementation in the working copy.

Epilogue. 

As one can see, there are huge benefits to using both custom Magento extensions and ready-made ones. The optimal performance of a store depends purely on the choices that will be made and on the golden ratio between personalized solutions and general, widely used ones. This improves the performance of the website vertically, having a very fast response, due to the custom solutions, but also economic benefits, due to the already existing extensions.