November 10, 2025, marks a turning point in the Magento ecosystem. After 5 years of driving innovation and setting new standards for Magento frontends, Hyvä has announced that Hyvä Theme is now open source and free. Released under the OSL3 + AFL3 license, the same dual licensing as Magento Open Source itself, this move fundamentally changes the game for merchants, developers, and the entire Magento community.
This isn't just another product update. It's a deliberate, strategic decision to give back to the community that made Hyvä successful, while simultaneously lowering the barriers to entry for businesses of all sizes. For those of us who've been in the Magento ecosystem for years, this feels like the kind of bold move we've been waiting for.
Starting November 10, 2025, anyone can access, use, modify, and redistribute Hyvä Theme without paying a license fee. The theme is available on GitHub and via free Packagist Composer keys through the Hyvä Portal. This is the same level of openness that made Magento Open Source successful; you can learn from the code, build on it, and even create commercial derivatives.
Here's what's included in the open source release:
Hyvä Theme: The complete frontend framework that revolutionised Magento development
All compatibility modules: Supporting extensions relicensed to OSL3
Full redistribution rights: Build and sell commercial themes based on Hyvä
Meanwhile, Hyvä's premium products remain commercial offerings:
Hyvä UI: Now a standalone product at 250€ per store (existing licensees keep access)
Hyvä Checkout: No longer requires a paid Theme license
Hyvä Enterprise: Adobe Commerce compatibility, also independent from Theme license
Hyvä Commerce: The comprehensive eCommerce suite remains proprietary
For merchants, this announcement is a massive win. The cost of entry to the Hyvä ecosystem just dropped to zero. Smaller businesses, startups, and anyone testing the waters with Magento can now leverage one of the best frontends in the ecosystem without upfront licensing costs.
But this isn't just about saving money. Hyvä Theme has consistently delivered:
Now, all of this becomes accessible to everyone. Whether you're a startup exploring Magento or a mid-market merchant looking to optimise your frontend, the path forward just became significantly clearer.
For developers and agencies, this opens up incredible opportunities. Students and junior developers can now learn modern frontend development on a production-grade codebase. Agencies can build custom themes on top of Hyvä and sell them commercially under their own license terms, something the dual AFL licensing explicitly enables.
This also strengthens the entire Magento ecosystem. With more developers learning Hyvä, more extensions supporting it, and more merchants adopting it, the network effects become increasingly powerful. The barrier to entry drops, the talent pool grows, and the ecosystem becomes healthier and more sustainable.
What stands out most about this announcement is that it's not a reactive decision; it's been part of Hyvä's long-term strategy from day one. Over the past 5 years, Willem and the Hyvä team have systematically built the foundation for this moment:
This foundation enabled Hyvä to make a bold move that many companies simply couldn't afford. By diversifying revenue and building a strong commercial product portfolio, they created the financial security to open source their core theme while continuing to invest in innovation.
There's a strategic insight here that deserves attention: "They who own the lower end of the market will own the middle market." By making Hyvä Theme free and accessible to smaller businesses, Hyvä is positioning itself to grow alongside those merchants as they scale.
This is the opposite of the "SaaS lock-in" model where platforms dictate your choices and extract increasing fees as you grow. With Hyvä + Magento, merchants maintain flexibility, own their data, and work with service providers they choose, not those dictated by a platform.
The Hyvä Theme is available now on GitHub and via free Packagist keys from the Hyvä Portal. If you've been curious about Hyvä but held back due to licensing costs, there's no longer any barrier to entry. Install it, explore the codebase, build something with it.
For existing Hyvä customers, nothing changes; you keep your premium support and access to Hyvä UI. For those considering upgrades to Hyvä Commerce, cashback options remain available.
This announcement represents a rare alignment of business strategy, community values, and long-term vision. It's proof that you can build a sustainable, profitable company while genuinely contributing to the ecosystem that supports you. That's not just good business; it's the kind of leadership the Magento community has needed.
At run_as_root, we've been working with Hyvä since its early days, and we've seen firsthand how transformative it can be for merchants. This announcement doesn't just validate our investment in the technology; it signals a fundamental shift in how the Magento ecosystem operates.
With Adobe focusing primarily on Adobe Commerce and reducing feature development for Magento Open Source, the community needed someone to step up with a product vision and long-term commitment. Hyvä has done exactly that, and now they're doubling down by removing cost barriers and inviting the entire community to participate.
This is what sustainable open source looks like: a company that's financially secure enough to give back, strategically positioned to benefit from ecosystem growth, and committed enough to invest in the long-term health of the platform.
If you're running a Magento store and haven't explored Hyvä yet, there's never been a better time to start. If you're a developer looking to learn modern frontend development, you now have access to production-grade code from day one. And if you're invested in the long-term success of Magento as a platform, this announcement should make you optimistic about what's possible.
Welcome to the next chapter of Magento. It's going to be an exciting ride. 🚀
Read the full announcement from Hyvä: Hyvä is Free & Open Source
Let's discuss with David how the open source Hyvä Theme can transform your Magento store and what opportunities this opens up for your business.
26.05.25
