10 Must-Have Magento 2 Extensions That Dramatically Improve The Platform’s Functionality
In the article below, you will find ten extensions that enhance critical areas of Magento 2, eliminating the default bottlenecks of the platform. The selection is based on the broad experience of the Firebear team and the reviews of our customers. Why did we choose those particular tools? The following modules are the most reliable and fully-featured in comparison to rival solutions. Besides, they offer the best price/quality ratio.
Open Ecosystem
From the very beginning, Magento has the ambition to become a robust e-commerce system. However, it was always a challenge, especially if you consider the complexity of an average e-commerce project that combines so many functionalities. Although the platform implemented all of them, most areas still had a massive room for improvement. Luckily, the open nature of the e-commerce system changed the game. Various third-party extensions appeared, fixing default weak points of Magento.
Within the last decade, the platform made a tremendous breakthrough, inspired by the community endeavors. However, third-party vendors didn’t let the grass grow under their feet. They diligently enhanced their portfolios with the new solutions and improved the existing modules, motivating Magento to improve its existing offerings. In fact, the status quo is still maintained. Magento provides a fully-featured e-commerce system, while vendors still deliver third-party extensions that dramatically enhance its functionality. Below, we’d like to introduce you to the most precious gems of this resistance that always comes down to mutual benefits.
Improved Import & Export Magento 2 Extension by Firebear
Almost no Magento 2 website can exist without data transfers. Merchants utilize import/export for various processes from bulk editing to complex integrations with external systems. However, the default data transfer tools of Magento 2 are pretty minimalistic. Due to various limitations, they may be associated with headaches more than with process automation. Therefore, we recommend checking out the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension developed by our studio.
The module introduces numerous vital enhancements that most of its competitors lack, not to mention the default tools. It already offers 100+ features.
Improved Import & Export adds two sections with profiles: import and export. In each one, you can find highly configurable jobs with numerous perks.
First of all, the Improved Import & Export plugin enables data transfer automation. You can find something similar in Magento Commerce, while Magento Open Source still lacks this handy improvement. So, the module offers two different ways to automate data flow to and from your website.
You can either specify a schedule or streamline triggers. In the first case, the extension provides the ability to use cron-based intervals for launching data transfer processes. You can customize the predefined schedules as well as create new ones from scratch.
When it comes to triggers, the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension lets you select an event that initiates a data transfer. You can also create conditions to make automated import/export processes more precise.
Next, the plugin provides mapping features that enable genuine automation. The problem is that schedules and triggers can transfer data automatically only when you move it between two Magento 2 stores. When it comes to the integration with external systems (or even migration from Magento 1), you face a huge obstacle — different attribute standards.
Every system has its unique requirements for storing data. Therefore, you cannot just take the Magento 2 output and freely transfer it to, for example, one of the SAP products. The inverse operation is also impossible. You always need to edit the output before moving it into the system. Usually, this process takes lots of time since you have to edit numerous data attributes and sometimes their values. While Magento doesn’t do anything with this problem, the Improved Import & Export helps to avoid this exhausting routine as follows.
First of all, the extension offers presets that enable automated mapping. You only choose a matching scheme suitable for your integration, and the module does the rest. It is a simple, fast, and reliable way to reduce the default complexity of every integration.
Next, the module lets you map attributes manually right within the Magento admin. You no longer have to open a data file in an editor to prepare it for the import to your Magento 2 website. Improved Import & Export offers a section where you select third-party attributes and specify their local replacements in front of them. That’s it! The created scheme is used for all further transfers. Besides, you can map attribute values as well as edit them in bulk right within your backend.
Other mapping features include:
- Category Mapping — import products to any specified categories from your catalog or create them on-the-fly.
- Filters — create a data output with the exact information your partners require.
- Attributes On-the-fly — generate missing attributes and their values during import processes.
The extensions support for an extended range of file formats, sources, and data transfer options is another noteworthy aspect we’d like to discuss. While the default data transfer tools and most third-party solutions work with CSV and XML, our main character enlarges this range with Excel, ODS, and JSON, resulting in that you no longer need to convert them to CSV before importing into Magento. Furthermore, the extension even lets you provide such files in a compressed state. Improved Import & Export unpacks ZIP & TAR archives automatically!
The extended range of data sources introduced in Improved Import & Export includes REST and SOAP API, Google Sheets, Google Drive, FTP/SFTP, Dropbox, Direct File Upload, Direct URL Download, etc. Nothing similar is introduced in rival solutions not to mention the default import-export processes of Magento 2.
What’s even more important is that the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension has numerous add-ons that help you leverage the features described above. Here is a shortlist of them:
- Free Magento 1 To Magento 2 Migration — a solution that automates the transfer of core entities from your old e-commerce storefront to a new one;
- MSI — a handy improvement when you need to import and export entities related to the official Multi-Source Inventory extension;
- B2B — a tool responsible for automated transfers of the entities added to Magento Commerce (Cloud) in the official B2B extension;
- WooCommerce Migration — migrate from WordPress to Magento 2 with little to no programming knowledge;
- MS Dynamics Integration — connect MS Dynamics Business Central ERP/CRM to your Magento 2 website to synchronize products, orders, customers, and other entities;
- NetSuite Integration — synchronize data flow between Oracle NetSuite ERP and Magento 2;
- Banggood Dropshipping — initiate a dropshipping business within a few clicks.
The price of the extension is $599. Some of its add-ons are available for free. For further information and features, follow this link: Improved Import & Export Magento 2 Extension.
Abandoned Cart Email Magento 2 Extension by Amasty
It is hard to overestimate the impact of cart abandonment on an average e-commerce business. According to different sources, more than 70% of customers abandon their carts. However, you can mitigate this impact with the help of third-party extensions and tools. Although the Magento 2 ecosystem offers numerous such solutions, there is one we’d like to drive your attention to.
Meet the Abandoned Cart Email extension by Amasty. It is a simple, flexible, and yet powerful module that lets you decrease the negative impact of cart abandonment.
Abandoned Cart Email by Amasty offers one-step cart recovery — a buyer-centric improvement that lets prospects restore their shopping carts within just one click! It means that customers no longer need to return to your e-commerce website and re-add products to the cart manually. They only need to click a link.
Due to precise email targeting, the efficiency of this feature rises dramatically. You can always deliver the right message to the right customers, using highly-configurable templates. The Abandoned Cart Email extension lets you choose a ready-made email layout and tailor it following your brand requirements. Add variables and contacts, change email layouts and styles, etc.
A built-in discount coupon generator is also under your disposal. You can display not only code itself but also the new subtotal compared to the old one right in an email (like on the image above).
Note that the Abandoned Cart Email extension provides the ability to show products in an email as a grid or list. It also supports configurable product options.
There is even a feature similar to the one we’ve just described above — scheduling. The module lets you set intervals to send abandoned cart emails automatically. Besides, You can set up rule conditions based on different parameters, such as a customer group, store view, attributes, etc.
It is also possible to check whether your campaign is properly configured before reaching any customer. The Abandoned Cart Email extension provides the ability to send test emails to make sure settings work correctly.
Another noteworthy feature is an exit-intent pop-up that helps to retain customers by offering discounts, special prices, downloadable items, coupons, or any additional information via a pop-up window.
The extension offers accurate statistical data visualized on Abandoned Cart Reports. Thus, you can evaluate the performance of your email campaigns, making every new campaign better.
The price of the Abandoned Cart Email Magento 2 extension by Amasty is only $149. For further information, check it here: Amasty Abandoned Cart Email for Magento 2.
SEO Suite Ultimate Magento 2 Extension by Mageworx
It is impossible to imagine any modern website without SEO techniques applied to it. Although there is a minimum amount of optimizations every e-commerce platform offers by default, they are often basic. Any advanced SEO improvements are available with third-party extensions.
While Magento 2 marketplace lists dozens of SEO modules, there is one tool to start your enhancements from. Meet the SEO Suite Ultimate extension that offers the combination of the most important SEO techniques under the hood. In fact, it is the number one SEO plugin for Magento stores that covers numerous areas from small on-page optimizations to well-thought site architecture shifts. Let’s take a look at the key features of the extension and then proceed to the problems it solves.
SEO Suite Ultimate provides template-based URL and metadata optimizations for all product, category, and CMS pages. Besides, it improves store crawling and indexation with the help of XML and HTML sitemaps. As for enhancements related to a store’s architecture, the plugin lets you cross-link all relevant site pages automatically. Besides, it enables you to add links to external sources within just a few clicks. Advanced Rich Snippets are also under your disposal with Mageworx. Also, you can evaluate the efficiency of your SEO improvements as well as find the existing bottlenecks with reports and tracking capabilities of the tool.
Now, let’s focus on the exact problems the Mageworx SEO extension can fix. Firstly, it is a ubiquitous content duplication that every e-commerce store regularly faces. Since the same product may appear in different categories, search engines consider it duplication. As a result, they may degrade the SEO rating of your website. Luckily, there is a simple and efficient solution — canonical tags. They notify search engines about the preferred version of a page/domain so that sources with similar content are dismissed. The Mageworx SEO Suite Ultimate Magento 2 extension lets you quickly add canonical tags for the product, category, and layered navigation pages.
Besides, SEO Suite Ultimate by Mageworx helps search engine spiders to get to the critical areas of your store with the help of robots meta headers for HTTP pages. At the same time, the extension utilizes noindex robots meta headers for pages without content to keep bots away from the content they don’t need to see. If you use layered navigation (and we are sure you do) along with other improvements, Mageworx introduces meta robots for category filter pages, specific filter combinations, and layered navigation pages.
Now, let’s describe metadata improvements introduced in the Mageworx SEO Suite Ultimate Magento 2 extension in more detail. The module offers SEO templates that optimize a massive amount of any metadata within a reduced amount of time. You can add meta titles, descriptions, and keywords for any product and category pages in bulk.
Other mass optimizations touch upon product page URL keys and H1 tags. Besides, it is possible to leverage template rules and attribute randomizers to naturalize the optimized page elements. As a result, they mimic the ones processed manually.
As for the advanced rich snippets functionality of SEO Suite Ultimate, it adds lots of features that Magento 2 doesn’t provide by default. For instance, you cannot find any product availability info or some business details in the configuration section of your admin. At the same time, the system does not provide any support for such elements as data markup for the category and CMS pages, Twitter Cards, Facebook Open Graph, and so on.
However, you can get the missing cogs with the SEO Suite Ultimate extension. The plugin lets you attach advanced markup data with any kind of valuable information and optimize social postings. Since it adds structured data via the JSON-LD method, there is no need to edit HTML.
If you operate globally and run several localized stores, Mageworx also knows how to help you. It provides an opportunity to set up alternate URLs to highlight localized content. As a result, search engines rapidly understand what pages to add to regional SERPs.
This functionality is based on HREFLANG tags that can enforce any localized store or scope. The feature is quite flexible since you can implement it on product/category/CMS pages. The X-default HREFLANG attribute is automatically added for non-localized store sections.
With the help of the extension’s support for breadcrumbs, you can optimize site navigation to help visitors understand where they are. Besides, you let search engines work out how your e-commerce store is structured. The module offers customer- and search engine-friendly breadcrumbs with the shortest, longest, or default paths. You can also leverage category prioritization to indicate the main route to products assigned to multiple categories.
Last but not least, SEO Suite Ultimate provides the ability to leverage 301 and 302 redirects. This feature eliminates the impact of deleted product pages. It lets you save link juice and let customers avoid the ‘404 Not Found’ page by setting custom redirects from/to any site page.
You can buy the SEO Suite Ultimate Magento 2 extension for $299. Follow this link for more information: Mageworx SEO Suite Ultimate for Magento 2.
Google Page Speed Optimizer Magento 2 Extension by Amasty
Nowadays, page speed is among the top ranking factors. If store content takes too much time to load, search engines knock it out of the running. If they don’t do that for some reason, customers won’t spend much time on a slow store. The importance of page speed optimizations is undoubtable. Luckily, we have Amasty’s Google Page Speed Optimizer. Let’s see how the extension impacts Magento 2 to deliver exceptional performance, satisfying both search engines and store visitors.
Page Speed Optimizer by Amasty organizes Javascript, CSS and HTML content to make it less resource-hungry. Merging and bundling JS, CSS, and HTML files help to reduce code weight and let a browser operate them faster. Besides, the extension moves JS content to the page bottom since not all its elements are used in rendering. The same is about non-critical CSS files.
You can also invalidate the browser cache for static resources with the help of the extension. This manipulation helps a browser update cache files automatically, eliminating old static resources serving. This feature not only improves the performance of Magento 2 but also provides store visitors with the latest content version.
Besides, Page Speed Optimizer presents advanced controls over asynchronous indexing. Thus, you reveal additional performance from processes optimized on the database level. Distinguish traffic patterns to eliminate conflicts that may occur between read and write operations by storing and indexing order data asynchronously. To achieve this goal, the extension places orders in temporary storage. Then, it moves them in bulk to the Order Management grid so that no conflicts happen.
Another vital page speed improvement of the plugin is related to images. The Page Speed Optimizer extension lets you convert them to the Webp format. You can freely adjust resolutions as well as apply different resize algorithms. Freely compress and alleviate JPEG, PNG, and GIF content of your store in bulk to achieve new performance results right in a few clicks.
It is also possible to accelerate web pages by deferring initialization of objects that are not necessary at the moment. Amasty’s Page Speed Optimizer lets you postpone this process until the point at which it is needed.
Activate User-Agent to fetch properly optimized images more efficiently. Besides, you can load them asynchronously right before a browser needs to display the visual content. This page speed optimization allows loading images only when a store visitor scrolls down and reaches them. Note that the extension offers several lazy load strategies to choose from. Also, you can apply the feature to particular store pages only and choose what images should be uploaded and how.
Amasty offers this set of optimizations for $259. For further information, follow this link: Amasty Page Speed Optimizer for Magento 2.
Improved Layered Navigation Magento 2 Extension by Amasty
During the Magento 1 era, the improved layered navigation functionality wasn’t available by default. It was necessary to install a third-party extension to apply changes to store pages, making them more customer-friendly. Although Magento 2 added the missing functionality to the platform, it is yet quite basic. You still need to install an extra tool to build an ultimate and feature-rich navigation system. Therefore, take a look at the Amasty Improved Layered Navigation Magento 2 extension. Let’s see how this module helps customers find what they are looking for.
First of all, you can streamline robust, flexible, and SEO-friendly navigation filters. Let your customers narrow down the selection of products using any product attribute, including rating, new arrivals, stock availability, and, of course, price. Amasty offers five different display modes for filters: labels, drop-downs, images, images + labels, and, of course, swatches. All of them incorporate AJAX, so customers can select new parameters without page reloads.
If there are dependent filters, you can hide them until a value from the parent filter is selected. Thus, Improved Layered Navigation helps to make the corresponding section way more compact and comfortable. Another feature that keeps navigation neat is a configurable number of unfolded filter options.
Moreover, Amasty lets customers select several values of the same filter — a feature that is not available by default. For instance, a prospect wants to filter out black and grey shirts simultaneously. Without Improved Layered Navigation, it is possible to display products of either one color or another. However, the extension eliminates the limitation, making every search more friendly.
Two other customer-oriented enhancements are search and tooltips. The former allows rapidly finding necessary filter options, while the latter adds clarity to filtering processes.
Swatches are also worth mentioning here. The Improved Layered Navigation adds small images that illustrate filter options. Consider color swatches as the most evident example. Note that you can combine filter values into groups, creating a more compact color swatches section. For instance, a blue swatch can include all shades of this color.
Another notable enhancement is that Amasty’s plugin enables the feature-rich “Shop by Brand” functionality. Note that this feature can be based on any attribute — not just “brand.” Thus, you can create any “Shop by” page, for instance, “Shop by Country” or “Shop by Genre.”
Despite the chosen attribute, you can add a corresponding slider to your category pages and create separate brand pages with unique content. Another tiny improvement is a brand logo suitable for product pages. By hitting the icon, a customer gets to an appropriate brand page, where you can promote specific items ordered following the specified priority.
Just like in the case of a filter section, Amasty lets you add tooltips for brands. Hover over a brand icon to get additional info. A block with brand products is a useful addition for any product page. Last but not least, the Improved Layered Navigation extension adds a separate new section with brands to the top menu.
Furthermore, Amasty provides the ability to make your website more SEO-friendly by optimizing layered navigation pages. Firstly, the Improved Layered Navigation extension allows for creating custom URLs for categories, products, and brand pages. Secondly, it is possible to add metadata to pages with filtered results.
You can enhance the default layered navigation functionality of Magento 2 for $349. Follow this link to discover more features of the module: Amasty Improved Layered Navigation for Magento 2.
Social Login Magento 2 Extension by Amasty
Social networks are an inevitable part of your customers’ life, and you can streamline the existing order of things to increase the number of registrations on your store. It is only necessary to install the Social Login extension by Amasty. The module lets your customers create store accounts within just a few clicks, using their existing social media registrations. Besides, it offers several more handy improvements that we describe below.
As we’ve already mentioned, the accessible AJAX login pop-up of Social Login enables one-click login and registration. As a store administrator, you can adjust the position social buttons and customize the pop-up style, following your brand design. The plugin works with Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Amazon, Twitch, and PayPal accounts. Besides, you can let users log in with Apple ID. It is necessary to install an add-on.
You can also use the Social Login Magento 2 extension to collect data about your prospects. The module navigates them to fill in the registration form where they provide all the necessary info.
The ability to use the pop-up on a checkout page is another useful feature. Besides, social login buttons can be added to a shopping cart. If a customer forgets their password, it is still possible to recover it. However, no redirects occur, so no data is lost due to reloads.
As for the safety measures of the Magento 2 Social Media Login extension, they include reCAPTCHA. You can freely add it to login/register and forget password pop-ups to avoid spam accounts. Note that the module offers several reCAPTCHA configurations.
It is also necessary to mention that the Amasty Social Login Magento 2 extension supports three types of behavior after a customer clicks a social login button. Firstly, it is possible to retain a customer on the current page. Secondly, the plugin can refresh the current page. Thirdly, you can specify a custom URL to transfer a prospect to.
To provide a better understanding of your potential buyers, Amasty offers an analytics dashboard with an intuitive UI. You can segment customers by their social media preferences and get other insights.
The Social Login Magento 2 extension by Amasty costs $219. The price of its add-on is $99. You can get both here: Amasty Social Login for Magento 2.
Full Page Cache Warmer Magento 2 Extension by Mirasvit
Now, let’s take a look at another performance improvement. This time, it is a robust full page cache optimizer. The Mirasvit FPC Warmer module monitors cache status and keeps its version up to date. As a result, you can boost store performance, providing a positive impact on SEO.
One of the best things about the plugin is that it does all the work automatically. For instance, you create a page or edit an existing one. After saving it, the extension creates its cached copy, provided to store visitors.
Mirasvit Full Page Cache Warmer delivers optimizations for the product, category, layered navigation, and CMS pages in the background. You configure it only once after the installation. Next, it relies on cron to complete all tasks.
The module allows you to adjust the number of concurrent requests, maximum run time, and cron frequency. Besides, it is possible to manage the priority of cached content following such parameters as page popularity and type, product type, or customer group.
You can enhance the performance of your Magento 2 website by optimizing the default caching mechanisms for $149. Check the extension here: Full Page Cache Warmer Magento 2 Extension by Mirasvit.
OneStepCheckout Magento 2 Extension
The native checkout of Magento 2 has been reduced to just 2 steps instead of 6 like it was in Magento 1. However, two separate screens didn’t make it as user-friendly as in the case of most third-party solutions. You can find some reliable alternatives in this blog post: Magento 2 One Step Checkout Extensions. Below, we describe one of the best modules mentioned there — the Magento 2 OneStepCheckout extension.
This tool merges the two default steps into a single page that looks more comfortable and user-oriented. It also simplifies the default procedure by enabling country auto-fill. The extension detects the GeoIP localization of a prospect and fills in the corresponding address data.
Another vital enhancement is related to auto-updates. When a customer changes quantity or shipping/payment methods, OneStepCheckout automatically updates prices and totals. All these and other features work equally well on all screen sizes.
Broad field management capabilities of the extension are under your disposal too. Use them to get additional information or reduce the number of checkout fields. You can also choose an order of displaying address fields.
When it comes to the shipping and payment sections, the OneStepCheckout module lets you set default options for both of them. The extension automatically updates available payment methods when a shipping method is selected. The same happens with shipping cost rates. When a user specifies a country, zip code, or region, the checkout page reflects these changes in a corresponding section.
Also, note that OneStepCheckout is easy to integrate with other Magento 2 extensions. Thus, it can be connected with the Social Login module to simplify the life of your buyers.
OneStepCheckout costs €485. If you need support and regular updates, get ready to spend €10 per month. For further information, visit this website: OneStepCheckout Extension for Magento 2.
Out of Stock Notification Magento 2 Extension by Amasty
This extension is responsible for converting store visitors into buyers, even when the products they are looking for are absent. It provides the ability to inform both registered and unregistered clients regarding product stock status and price changes.
The Magento 2 Out of Stock Notification module will help you not only get more buyers but also better understand them. The plugin enables stock and price alerts for different product groups. Customers, in their turn, can subscribe to notifications right on a category page. This process completely follows GDPR requirements. Besides, you can display stock and price alerts for logged-in customers, motivating guests to provide their emails.
The extension introduces a broad range of automation. After a customer is subscribed to a particular product, the extension notifies them when the item is back in stock or its price changes, depending on the chosen option. Registered buyers can manage all their subscriptions in a customer account. Besides, you can send successful subscription notifications.
Store admins also get notifications. The module informs them about new stock and price subscriptions as well as product inventory statuses. As an administrator, you can explore the ‘Analytics Dashboard’ that contains numerous reports, such as created back in stock requests, sent notifications, complete orders, etc. Besides, the section displays the most requested products and recent activities. Thus, the Out of Stock Notification Magento 2 extension lets you have a keen sense of the pulse of your customers’ desires.
You can get the module for $199. Follow this link for further information: Amasty Out of Stock Notification Magento 2 Extension.
Automatic Related Products Magento 2 Extension by Aheadworks
Personalization is one of the most significant e-commerce trends of 2020. Magento 2 Commerce already offers individual product recommendations based on Adobe Sensei. As for Open Source merchants, they can leverage powerful third-party solutions that go far beyond recommendation sections. Key services are described here: The Best Personalization Services for Magento 2.
As for more conventional product recommendations, you can quickly implement them using one of the numerous third-party extensions. However, there is a tool that also adds a touch of personalization to the game. Aheadworks Automatic Related Products for Magento 2 completely revamps the default process of product relations, making it more precise and less time-consuming. Let’s explore the possibilities of the module.
Aheadworks Automatic Related Products for Magento 2 displays related products on various pages of an e-commerce store. For instance, you can add a block with recommendations to a product page or shopping cart. At the same time, category pages are under your disposal too.
The creation of related products is much simplified in comparison to default manual processes. You only need to specify rules and assign them to multiple items simultaneously. This strategy helps you save tons of time: it is no longer necessary to create each relation individually. As for personalization opportunities, Aheadworks provides the ability to generate recommendations based on views and relevant product purchases. Thus, your store visitors get more individualized blocks.
Besides, you can customize the look of the related products, following your brand style. Choosing a block position is possible, as well.
The flexible rule settings of Aheadworks Automatic Related Products also deserve your attention. The extension makes the rule creating process as user-friendly as possible. You can find a dashboard where rules are grouped by page type in the module’s admin. Here, you also create and combine conditions to display items more precisely. To avoid conflicts between the rules, Aheadworks lets you apply priority.
Besides, the Automatic Related Products extension provides the ability to integrate related products with any store design. You can create an unlimited number of blocks on any of the supported store sections. Furthermore, the plugin offers two layouts for product recommendation sections: grid view and slider view. Blocks are not only responsive in terms of different screen sizes but also support mobile-specific gestures.
Another vital aspect of the extension is that it lets you analyze the performance of product blocks to improve further promotions. The Aheadworks Automatic Related Products Magento 2 extension delivers such stats as the number of views and clicks as well as click-through rates.
You can add the simple and powerful related product blocks to your Magento 2 store for $299. Follow this link to get more in-depth exploration: Aheadworks Automatic Related Products Magento 2 Extension.
Endless Possibilities
The extensions described above introduce just a small selection of possibilities associated with the open ecosystem of Magento. In fact, there are numerous other modules in different price ranges that offer tons of enhancements to the default functionality of our favorite e-commerce platform. You can find them in our blog here: Firebear Blog. We’ve also compared the best tools in each category here: Magento 2 Extensions Compared On Firebear.
