Salesforce Lightning vs Classic: A Comparison

Salesforce has become a go-to platform for customer relationship management (CRM), offering businesses an all-in-one solution to manage sales, marketing, service, and more. However, Salesforce provides two different user interfaces: Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Classic. While both interfaces offer the same core functionality, they differ significantly in terms of user experience, features, and customization options. In this blog, we will compare Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Classic, examining their key differences to help you understand which version best suits your business needs.

What is Salesforce Classic?

Salesforce Classic is the original interface of Salesforce, offering a simple and straightforward layout for users to manage customer data. It has been around since the inception of Salesforce, and while it has evolved over the years, it still maintains its traditional design. Classic has been a staple for many Salesforce users and is particularly favored by organizations that have been using the platform for a long time.

What is Salesforce Lightning?

Salesforce Lightning, on the other hand, is the modern interface designed to improve user experience and provide enhanced functionality. It was introduced as a more intuitive and visually appealing version of Salesforce, offering advanced features, better performance, and a more customizable interface. Lightning is built on a more flexible framework, providing users with modern UI elements like drag-and-drop components, interactive dashboards, and advanced automation tools.

Key Differences Between Salesforce Lightning and Classic

1. User Interface (UI) and Design
   The most noticeable difference between Salesforce Classic and Lightning is the user interface.

   • Salesforce Classic: The design is more basic, with a less visually appealing layout. Users navigate through tabs and links, which can sometimes make accessing certain features feel more cumbersome. Classic’s interface is functional but outdated, making it less efficient for modern-day workflows.
   • Salesforce Lightning: The Lightning interface is visually sleek and more user-friendly. It incorporates a modern design, with a customizable home page and a more intuitive navigation system. The Lightning UI is responsive, which means it adapts to various devices, providing an optimal experience on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.

2. Customization and Flexibility
   Customization is one of the areas where Salesforce Lightning shines.

   • Salesforce Classic: While Classic offers basic customization options, such as page layouts and custom fields, it lacks the advanced features available in Lightning. Users are limited in how they can adjust the user interface and workflows.
   • Salesforce Lightning: Lightning provides greater flexibility for customizing the platform. Users can build custom components with Lightning App Builder and create personalized dashboards. Lightning also allows for drag-and-drop functionality, making it easier to design and customize pages without coding knowledge. Additionally, Lightning’s Lightning Record Pages and Lightning Pages give users full control over how information is displayed and organized.

3. Performance and Speed
   Lightning offers a significant performance improvement over Classic.

   • Salesforce Classic: While reliable, Classic doesn’t leverage newer technologies that can optimize performance. As a result, certain processes in Classic can feel slower, particularly when working with large datasets or complex reports.
   • Salesforce Lightning: Built on a modern framework, Lightning has better performance, faster load times, and more efficient data handling. Lightning uses Aura Components and Lightning Web Components, which provide better speed and responsiveness when interacting with data and applications.

4. Mobile Experience
   As mobile usage continues to rise, Salesforce Lightning provides a superior experience for mobile users.

   • Salesforce Classic: Classic’s mobile experience is limited. While it offers a mobile app, the interface is less optimized, and the user experience is not as fluid or responsive as in Lightning.
   • Salesforce Lightning: Lightning was designed with mobile in mind. Its interface is fully responsive, making it easy to access Salesforce from any device. Users can leverage the Salesforce1 mobile app, which is optimized for Lightning, allowing for a seamless experience across desktop and mobile platforms.

5. Advanced Features and Automation
   Salesforce Lightning comes with many advanced features that are not available in Classic.

   • Salesforce Classic: Classic offers the core functionalities of Salesforce, including standard reports, dashboards, and workflows. However, it lacks many of the new automation and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities found in Lightning.
   • Salesforce Lightning: Lightning brings many advanced features, such as Salesforce Einstein, which integrates AI-driven insights into user workflows. It also includes Lightning Process Builder and Flow, tools that allow users to automate processes and improve efficiency without writing code. These features are integral to improving productivity and streamlining business operations.

6. Reports and Dashboards

   • Salesforce Classic: In Classic, reports and dashboards are somewhat limited in terms of interactivity and visual appeal. Although users can create and customize reports, the design options and interactive features are less advanced compared to Lightning.
   • Salesforce Lightning: Lightning offers more powerful reporting tools, including dynamic dashboards and more detailed data visualization. Users can drill down into reports and view data in real-time, which is essential for making informed decisions.

7. Migration to Lightning
   Salesforce has been steadily encouraging users to migrate from Classic to Lightning.

   • Salesforce Classic: Classic is still supported, but it is no longer the primary focus for updates and new features. As Salesforce continues to evolve, new functionalities are developed with Lightning in mind.
   • Salesforce Lightning: Salesforce is actively enhancing and adding new features to Lightning, making it the future of the platform. The company has announced that it will eventually phase out Classic, so businesses that have not yet migrated should begin planning the transition.

Conclusion

Choosing between Salesforce Classic and Lightning largely depends on your organization’s needs, but the clear trend is that Lightning provides a modern, more efficient, and customizable experience that enhances productivity and user satisfaction. While Salesforce Classic continues to serve businesses that are more familiar with the old interface, Salesforce Lightning is the future of the platform, offering greater flexibility, performance, and innovative features. As Salesforce continues to improve its Lightning functionality, transitioning from Classic to Lightning will help businesses take full advantage of the platform’s capabilities and future-proof their Salesforce ecosystem.