Selecting and Installing the Ideal 1C-Bitrix Edition for Your Project
Imagine: you ordered a website, chose the Start edition for $199, spent budget and time, and six months later realize you can't do without a shopping cart and orders. You have to buy a new license ($699 for Small Business) and rework part of the functionality, costing up to $1000 extra. According to our data, about 35% of inquiries are related to an incorrect edition choice from the start. For example, a recent case: a client came with a ready-made site on Start that needed payment processing. We had to change the license and rewrite the cart logic from scratch—those losses in time and budget are 2–3 times higher than if we had chosen Small Business initially. Choosing the right edition upfront saves an average of $500 and weeks of rework. We see such situations almost every week. Our goal is to select the right edition from the start and install it correctly, so you don't pay twice.
Understanding Edition Features
Start Edition Inclusions
The Start edition includes: site with unlimited pages, content management via CMS, basic infoblocks for news and articles, visual editor, SEO tools, feedback form. The e-Store module (sale) is not included in Start—no cart, orders, or payment capabilities. No multisite, no built-in search with morphology, no web messenger.
Suitable for: corporate brochure site, landing page with form, company blog, small information portal. Not suitable for: online store of any size, catalog with prices and orders, B2B portal.
Strategies for Selecting the Edition Without Overpaying
Key principle: evaluate your functional needs for the next year ahead. If you definitely do not plan online sales, Start is the optimal solution. If there is any doubt, it's better to take Small Business. Start is 3.5 times cheaper than Small Business (Start $199 vs Small Business $699), but lacks e-commerce features. Making the right choice from the start saves significantly on reworks.
Edition Comparison
| Criterion | Start ($199) | Small Business ($699) |
|---|---|---|
| Online store | no | yes |
| Search with morphology | no | yes |
| Web messenger | no | yes |
| Optimal for | brochure site, blog | online store, B2B |
Official 1C-Bitrix documentation: https://dev.1c-bitrix.ru/learning/course/index.php?COURSE_ID=34&LESSON_ID=2257
When Is the Start Edition Sufficient?
If your project is a non-commercial site or a landing page for contact collection, Start is a reasonable minimum. You get a full CMS, content management, and basic SEO. Many clients, for example, run construction company sites, law firms, or startup MVPs on Start. Over 10 years, we have completed 70+ Bitrix installations, with a 98% satisfaction rate. Our clients typically save 40% in initial setup time by choosing the right edition. Get a consultation on your project—we'll help you decide.
Installation and Upgrade Process
Server Requirements and Setup
The Start edition installation requires PHP 7.4-8.2, MySQL 5.7+ or PostgreSQL 13+, and Nginx or Apache. The distribution is identical for all editions; the difference is the modules activated via the license key. Common mistakes during self-installation: incorrect permissions on bitrix and upload folders—images don't appear; missing cron tasks for agents—background operations lag; wrong cache settings—performance drops with increased traffic.
How Installation Works
Edition selection occurs at the stage of entering the license key during installation or in the admin panel. On a prepared server, installation takes a few hours. If configuring the server from scratch, the process can take 1–2 days. It includes selecting the configuration, activating the license, and initial setup.
Upgrading to a Higher Edition
Moving from Start to Small Business or Standard is a matter of changing the license key and installing additional modules. Site data, content, template remain untouched. Procedure: buy a new license → in the admin panel 'System Update' → enter the new key → install the newly available modules.
Benefits of Professional Installation
Installing 1C-Bitrix might seem simple: upload files, enter a key, done. But in practice, subtleties arise: file permissions, encodings, cron setup for agents, cache optimization. We configure PHP memory limit to 256MB, MySQL query cache, and enable compression for faster loading. Over 10+ years and 70+ successful implementations, we have developed an algorithm that eliminates errors. For instance, in a project for a holding company, we configured tagged caching so that pages loaded in 200 ms—without experience, such results are not achievable on the Start edition. If you are unsure of your abilities, order professional installation—it saves time and nerves.
Work Process
- Consultation — we analyze your tasks and select the edition. We often recommend Start if that's truly all you need.
- Server preparation — we configure PHP, database, web server, set optimal parameters.
- Installation and activation — we upload the distribution, enter the license key, select configuration.
- Testing — we check agents, component operation, load speed.
- Support — we assist with updates and initial content setup.
Contact us for a consultation and edition selection. Order turnkey installation with a guarantee of stable operation. Wikipedia: 1C-Bitrix