What Happened to Frontastic? Frontastic to commercetools Frontend (and the Alternatives)

If you search for "Frontastic" today, you'll rarely land on a standalone Frontastic site anymore, you'll land on commercetools Frontend. That's not a coincidence and not a rebranding trick, it's the result of an acquisition that's now a few years in the past. This post lays out the timeline factually, explains what it means for existing users in practice, and looks at which frontend options exist in the commercetools ecosystem today, Laioutr included.

The Timeline: From Frontastic to commercetools Frontend

Frontastic was founded in Munich in 2017 as a standalone composable frontend product and went through its own funding round before commercetools acquired the company in November 2021. commercetools officially communicated the acquisition as the purchase of the "leading composable frontend platform." In the years that followed, the "Frontastic" brand was gradually phased out in favor of "commercetools Frontend," so the product now operates under that name as part of the commercetools product suite, no longer as an independent brand in the market.

For the technical roadmap, that means commercetools Frontend isn't a rebuild from scratch, it's the continuation of what started as Frontastic, now embedded in commercetools' product strategy and backed with the corresponding resources for ongoing development. Frontend Studio as the business-user layer, and the developer layer on a modern React/Next.js stack, are the direct successors of the original Frontastic components.

What This Means for Existing Users in Practice

If your team still refers to "Frontastic" internally but is technically running on commercetools Frontend already, there's generally nothing urgent to change. The platform is being actively developed as part of the commercetools Composable Commerce Suite, with investment going into Frontend Studio, the component layer, and B2B-specific templates. For existing users that means continued development, not a sunsetting product.

Two points matter practically. First, commercetools Frontend is closely coupled to the commercetools backend, the product is designed as a native companion to the commercetools commerce engine, not as a backend-agnostic frontend tool. Second, ongoing development runs on a modern React/Next.js stack today, which is a direct advantage for teams with React experience, and a deliberate stack decision for teams coming from a Vue/Nuxt background.

Frontend Options in the commercetools Ecosystem

Anyone running commercetools as their backend has to choose one of the following frontend options, and all of them are legitimate paths, none is "the right one" by default:

commercetools Frontend is the native option, operated directly by the backend vendor, with Frontend Studio for business users and full code access for developers. Teams that are committed to commercetools as their backend long-term and prioritize native integration are well served here.

A custom-built frontend, typically on Next.js or Nuxt, developed directly against the commercetools GraphQL API. Full control over stack and architecture, in exchange for owning integration work, maintenance, and team building.

Other composable frontend providers in the commercetools ecosystem, such as Alokai, with their own approach to connectors and hosting model.

Laioutr as a Frontend Management Platform, which also connects directly to the commercetools GraphQL API but runs as an independent layer, regardless of whether the backend stays commercetools or changes later. More on that in the "Where Laioutr Fits" section below. We've also put together a detailed options comparison in commercetools Frontend vs. Alokai vs. FMP.

The choice between these options is a question of your own priorities, not a judgment of which vendor is "better." commercetools delivers a mature, production-proven commerce engine; the frontend layer on top of it is a separate architecture decision in its own right.

Where Laioutr Fits

As a composable frontend layer, Laioutr connects directly to the commercetools GraphQL API and takes over rendering ownership without requiring changes to your commercetools setup. The difference from commercetools Frontend isn't about quality, it's about the operating model: Laioutr is built as a backend-independent layer that keeps working even as you extend or adjust your backend over time, for example by adding PIM or ERP connections. For teams firmly committed to commercetools long-term, commercetools Frontend is the natural native choice; for teams that want to make the frontend decision independently of future backend adjustments, Laioutr is one of the options that allows for that.

In practice, that means layout composition, campaign building, and multi-locale publishing run through Laioutr's visual editor, while commercetools stays the central data source as the commerce engine, with the product catalog, pricing logic, and order management unchanged. We've also covered how content requirements and commercetools as a pure backend system complement each other in Does commercetools Need a CMS?.

Our Take

The search intent behind "Frontastic" today usually comes down to one of two questions: either "what happened to the product I knew" or "what frontend options do I actually have if I'm running commercetools as my backend." Both can be answered factually, without playing one option off against the other. commercetools built a solid native frontend offering by acquiring and carrying Frontastic forward, and it works well for teams with a clear backend commitment. But the frontend layer, as with any composable stack, remains its own decision with several viable paths, and that's the real point here: not "replace Frontastic," but look at the frontend architecture independently of your current backend decision.

FAQ

Does Frontastic still exist as a standalone product?

Not under its own brand name anymore. Following the commercetools acquisition in November 2021, the product was gradually carried forward as commercetools Frontend and is now part of the commercetools product suite.

Do I need to do anything as an existing Frontastic user?

Technically, development continues seamlessly under the commercetools Frontend name. Whether a switch makes sense doesn't depend on the name change, it depends on whether your backend setup and frontend requirements have changed since your original Frontastic setup.

Is commercetools Frontend only usable with commercetools as the backend?

Yes, commercetools Frontend is designed as a native companion product to the commercetools commerce engine. If you're looking for a frontend that works independently of your chosen backend, other options exist in the composable ecosystem, Laioutr included.

What's the difference between Laioutr and commercetools Frontend if both work against the same API?

Mainly the operating model: commercetools Frontend is built as a native product of the commercetools suite, Laioutr is an independent, backend-agnostic frontend layer. Both are legitimate paths, the choice depends on how firmly you want to commit to your backend over the coming years.

Next Steps

If you're currently reviewing your frontend options in the commercetools ecosystem, book a 30-minute demo and we'll show you how Laioutr connects directly to your commercetools GraphQL API.

More From the Laioutr Platform

• Headless Frontend for commercetools
• Composable Digital Experience Platform
• commercetools Frontend vs. Alokai vs. FMP

About the author: Marcel Thiesies is Co-Founder of Laioutr and spends his days thinking about how commerce teams can make their frontend decision independently of their backend choice.