Editions of 1C-Bitrix: Site Management

Editions of 1C-Bitrix: Site management is a system of website management that is used to create and manage the sites of any complexity. This product is a set of modules that provide for a large functionality and options thanks to which sites are created using this platform.

To create a site on Bitrix you do not need to acquire the product in full and pay excessively because you might not need the full functionality of Bitrix. For this purpose, 1C-Bitrix has developed various editions of the product. But then the question arises: which edition to choose and what to pay attention to when choosing?

When choosing an edition, you should, firstly, decide what functionality your site will have. Secondly, it is important to understand what functionality each edition provides.

In this article we will review the available editions and try to help you to make your choice.

Editions of 1C-Bitrix

Bitrix is delivered in several editions of the product. The editions are shown as follows in the increasing order of their number of modules and price:

1. Start
2. Standard
3. Small business
4. Business
5. Enterprise

Please find more detailed and up-to-date information on the editions provided and the prices thereof on the official site www.1c-bitrix.ru

The general characteristics of Bitrix editions:

• Each edition is an enhanced version of the previous version and only differ in the number of modules provided.
• Each edition may be enhanced at any time by simply paying the difference in prices. When upgrading to another edition the site does not break because only the new functionality is added. However, it is always better to back up.
• All of the Bitrix editions (except for the «Start» edition) support the multisite feature and provide for the launching of an unlimited number of sites on one installation.
• The difference between the editions is only in the set of modules which is why any template or unique design of a site may be used on any edition.
• All of the editions support MarketPlace through which you can install other developers’ additional enhancements.
• All of the editions allow you to build any sitemap, an unlimited number of pages, sections, users, and information units.

We will further consider the editions in the increasing order of their number of modules and price:

«Start» edition

The «Start» edition is a minimum set of tools for the quick launch of a site. This edition will be suitable for the creation of a simple site, an online business card, a site of a developing enterprise, or a small corporate site.

Using this edition, you can configure a full-text search on the site, host and manage the content of news and articles, etc. You can also enable user authorization through social networks. However, this is the limit of user options on a site if you use this edition.

Unlike the other editions, there is an important limitation: you can only create two sites. However, like on the other editions, the same database will be used for both sites and the sites will be physically placed on the same server or hosting.

If you need your enterprise to be represented on the web, the «Start» edition will be a good choice, to begin with. You can upgrade to an edition you need at any time during the website functioning and growth.

«Standart» edition

«Standard» edition is popular when there is the need to create the resources where the interaction between the users takes place, namely the forums and blogs. With help from this edition you may organize a community on the web around the site, create a photo gallery section, forum, and blog with the comments and ratings, create polls, receive feedback from the users and organize subscription and newsletters.

Starting from this edition the «Proactive protection» module which provides for the site protection against hacking becomes available. The next useful module is web forms with help from which you can add feedback and request form. Another useful module is «Subscription, newsletters» which is used to create newsletters categories, gathers the users’ e-mails through the dedicated form, and provides for automated newsletters.

«Small business» edition

«Small business» edition is suitable for the creation of online stores for small and medium enterprises with minimum expenses. With help from this edition you may couple 1С with Bitrix, create a catalog of products and services, determine a price, and configure the product purchase process with the delivery system and payment methods.

Essentially, starting from this edition two useful modules become available: «Commercial catalog» and the «Online store». Those two modules allow us to sell the products and provide for the ordering process.

Unlike the higher «Business» edition, there are important limitations, namely:

• There may be only one store warehouse with remaining products.
• A product may be sold with only one type of price, e.g., «Retail price».
• You cannot sell sets and bundles of products.

If such limitations are against your selling policy, choose the higher «Business» edition.

«Business» edition

The «Business» edition is a more enhanced version of the «Small business» edition. It has the most modules and provides more options for the project. With help from this edition you may not only create an online store but also organize a training process, create a social network, build communities, and more.

In addition to the above-mentioned features the «Report designer» module becomes available. The reports will be completed and updated online and using this tool you will be able to analyze the store’s performance. The «Advertising» module provides for the configuration and management of the advertising banners on the site. The «Web analytics» module which gathers statistics on the site sessions becomes available. Based on the data gathered you can subsequently make analysis and create reports.

«Enterprise» edition

The «Enterprise» edition is the full version of Bitrix. Essentially, the difference between this version and the previous «Business» version is that the project scaling and support from Bitrix become available. Such a version of Bitrix will be suitable for the enterprises which have a large network and require a high fail-safety of the site.

Where can I try the editions?

The following are the ways how you can test-drive a Bitrix product and try any edition for free:

• Bitrix provides a 30 days free trial version of the product that you can install on your server or hosting. This is described in detail here.
• Furthermore, you can test-drive an edition online for 3 hours in the virtual laboratory to try the product.

When should I choose the «Business» edition?

Surely, there is often the difficulty to choose between the «Small business» and «Business» editions. Those two editions are significantly different in terms of price and features which is why we suggest considering an acquisition of the «Business» edition taking into account the following indicators:

1. Various price types for one product, i.e. the products are sold at wholesale, at retail, etc.
2. There are several stores or warehouses and you need the remaining products to be displayed in various ways.
3. The products are sold in sets or bundles.
4. The following marketing modules are required: cumulative discounts, subscription for unavailable products, abandoned cart notification, online store reports, and analytics.

If the online store has just been opened the «Small business» edition will be entirely sufficient. If your budget allows you to acquire a higher edition you should consider buying the «Business» edition.

Conclusion

When choosing an edition you should, first of all, be guided by what functionality is necessary for the tasks at hand. The prices of editions differ widely and it is not always clear if the additional functionality will be justified. Maybe it will be a good idea not to acquire a higher edition for the sake of one function and to ask the developers for an additional solution or to acquire it through Bitrix MarketPlace.

If you are not sure about what edition you should choose, do not hurry to follow «The more expensive, the better» rule. You might begin with the «Start» or «Small business» edition that could be suitable depending on the requirements. This will give an idea of how the site works and whether you should acquire a higher edition. To move to a higher edition you will only need to pay the difference in prices and not the full amount.

Should you have any questions concerning the selection of an edition, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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