# Choosing an Aura or LWR template

*Experience Cloud Consultant Study Guide · Templates and Themes · Last updated October 24, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant/templates-and-themes/choosing-an-aura-or-lwr-template*

Match a site requirement to the right Experience Cloud template: the Aura templates (Customer Service, Partner Central, Customer Account Portal, Help Center, Build Your Own), the LWR templates (Build Your Own, Microsite), Aloha and Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce, plus the framework trade-offs, prerequisites and retired Koa and Kokua.

- Certification: Salesforce Experience Cloud Consultant
- Exam section: Templates and Themes
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a scenario, identify the right Template for the Experience.

## What the exam expects

- Pick the template from the site's audience and job: self-service with community questions and cases, public articles only, account and invoice self-service, channel sales, a custom portal, an event or landing page, or an app launcher.
- Compare the LWR, Aura and Visualforce frameworks on low-code effort, developer resources, component library and performance.
- Name template prerequisites: Chatter for Customer Service, a Partner Community license for Partner Central.
- Explain why Aloha and Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce aren't Experience Builder sites, and what to do with a retired Koa or Kokua site.

Key terms: **framework** (the technology a site runs on: LWR, Aura or Visualforce); **LWR** (Lightning Web Runtime, which runs Lightning web components only); **Aura template** (a mostly low-code template where Aura and Lightning web components coexist); **Experience Builder site** (any template except Aloha and Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce); **retired template** (Koa and Kokua: no new sites, existing sites still supported).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Frameworks | LWR, Aura and Visualforce | [Learn About Experience Cloud Frameworks and Templates](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_plan_frameworks.htm&language=en_US) |
| LWR templates | Build Your Own (LWR) and Microsite (LWR); need developer resources | [Learn About Experience Cloud Frameworks and Templates](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_plan_frameworks.htm&language=en_US) |
| Aura templates | Mostly low-code; Aura and LWC components coexist on a page | [Learn About Experience Cloud Frameworks and Templates](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_plan_frameworks.htm&language=en_US) |
| Performance | LWR is the fast framework; Aura can load more slowly | [Build Your Site: Choose Frameworks and Design Layouts](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/experience-cloud-site-strategy/design-your-site) |
| Customer Service prerequisite | Chatter turned on in the org | [Which Experience Cloud Template Should I Use?](https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=sf.siteforce_commtemp_intro.htm&language=en_US) |
| Partner Central prerequisite | At least one Partner Community license | [Experience Cloud User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=users_license_types_communities.htm&language=en_US&type=0) |
| Sites per org | Up to 100, including inactive, preview and Visualforce sites | [Experience Cloud User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=users_license_types_communities.htm&language=en_US&type=0) |
| Aloha | App Launcher with single sign-on, not a site | [Which Experience Cloud Template Should I Use?](https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=sf.siteforce_commtemp_intro.htm&language=en_US) |
| Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce | Not Lightning-based; no Experience Builder | [Which Experience Cloud Template Should I Use?](https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=sf.siteforce_commtemp_intro.htm&language=en_US) |
| Koa and Kokua | Retired: no new sites; existing sites supported, migration recommended | [Which Experience Cloud Template Should I Use?](https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=sf.siteforce_commtemp_intro.htm&language=en_US) |
| LWR routes | Up to 500; keep below 250 for best performance | [LWR Template Limitations](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.exp_cloud_lwr.meta/exp_cloud_lwr/template_limitations.htm) |

## Check yourself

- Why is Build Your Own (LWR) a poor fit for a team with one admin and no developers?
- When should a consultant recommend Customer Account Portal over Help Center?
- Which template creates an App Launcher rather than a site?
- What must be in place in the org before using the Customer Service template?

## Sources

- [Which Experience Cloud Template Should I Use?](https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=sf.siteforce_commtemp_intro.htm&language=en_US)
- [Learn About Experience Cloud Frameworks and Templates](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_plan_frameworks.htm&language=en_US)
- [Build Your Site: Choose Frameworks and Design Layouts](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/experience-cloud-site-strategy/design-your-site)
- [Get to Know the LWR Templates for Experience Cloud](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.exp_cloud_lwr.meta/exp_cloud_lwr/template_overview.htm)
- [LWR Template Limitations](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.exp_cloud_lwr.meta/exp_cloud_lwr/template_limitations.htm)
- [Experience Cloud User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=users_license_types_communities.htm&language=en_US&type=0)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 11 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Experience Cloud Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams