An Umbraco upgrade is more than moving from one version to another. The impact depends on the platform you're running, the custom development around it and the content, packages and integrations it relies on.
Is your Umbraco version still supported?
Umbraco versions have defined support lifecycles, with older releases eventually reaching end of life. Understanding where your current platform sits is an important first step in deciding whether an upgrade is necessary.
| Version | Support status | End of life |
|---|---|---|
| Umbraco 7 | End of life | 30 September 2023 |
| Umbraco 8 | End of life | 24 February 2025 |
| Umbraco 10 LTS | End of life | 16 June 2025 |
| Umbraco 13 LTS | Security phase | 14 December 2026 |
| Umbraco 14 | End of life | 30 May 2025 |
| Umbraco 15 | End of life | 14 November 2025 |
| Umbraco 16 | End of life | 12 June 2026 |
| Umbraco 17 LTS | Supported | 27 November 2028 |
| Umbraco 18 STS | Supported | 25 June 2027 |
If your website is running a version approaching or beyond end of life, an upgrade can help maintain security, compatibility and access to ongoing platform support.
Staying on an unsupported version can introduce more than just a lack of vendor support. Older platforms can become harder to maintain, increasingly difficult to keep secure and incompatible with newer packages, frameworks and third-party services.
Upgrading gives you a supported foundation for ongoing development, while providing an opportunity to address technical debt, modernise parts of the platform and make sure the technology continues to support the organisation's needs.
An Umbraco upgrade can involve much more than the CMS itself.
The complexity of an upgrade depends on how your platform has been built and how long it has been evolving. Custom code, packages, content structures, integrations and the underlying .NET framework can all affect what needs to change.
Controllers, APIs, services, templates and bespoke backoffice functionality may need adapting for the target version.
Third-party packages need to be assessed for compatibility, with some requiring upgrades, replacement or removal.
Legacy property editors, content structures and stored data may require migration or restructuring as part of the upgrade.
Search, payment services, authentication, APIs and other third-party integrations need to be assessed and tested against the target platform.
Umbraco upgrades can also involve changes to the underlying .NET framework, hosting environment, configuration, storage and deployment infrastructure.
The upgraded platform needs to be validated across development, staging and production, with the deployment process and environment configuration considered from the outset.
Every Umbraco upgrade has its own path.
The route to a new Umbraco version depends on where your existing platform starts. Older implementations can require significantly more than a standard version upgrade, while more recent platforms may have a clearer migration path.
Older Umbraco implementations can require a migration rather than a straightforward upgrade. The underlying application, packages, custom code and content structures all need to be assessed to determine what can be carried forward and what needs to be rebuilt or adapted.
Umbraco 10 introduced a modern .NET foundation, making the move from earlier versions a significant change to the underlying application as well as the CMS. I assess the existing implementation and dependencies before defining the most practical route forward.
Moving from Umbraco 13 to 17 involves changes to the underlying .NET platform, backoffice extensions, packages and parts of the Umbraco development model. The right approach depends on the complexity and condition of the existing application and what needs to be retained.
The latest Umbraco release isn't necessarily the right destination for every project. I consider support lifecycle, package compatibility, technical requirements and your longer-term roadmap when recommending the version and upgrade path that makes the most sense.
From assessment to a successful upgrade.
Every upgrade is different, but a structured approach helps identify risks early and keeps the migration under control. I work through each stage with the existing platform, its dependencies and the requirements of the upgraded solution in mind.
01
Understand the existing Umbraco application, .NET framework, packages, content, integrations, infrastructure and deployment process.
02
Define the upgrade path, identify compatibility issues and determine what needs to be upgraded, adapted, migrated or replaced.
03
Carry out the Umbraco, .NET and dependency changes, adapting custom functionality and migrating content where required.
04
Test the upgraded platform across content, media, forms, search, integrations, URLs and other business-critical functionality.
05
Review and update build, packaging and deployment pipelines to support the upgraded application and its target environment.
06
Move the upgraded platform through the appropriate environments, complete the production deployment and validate the website after launch.
Clear documentation, defined outcomes and a controlled route from your existing Umbraco installation to the upgraded platform.
A documented review of your existing platform, compatibility issues, dependencies, technical risks and recommended upgrade approach.
A proposed delivery plan outlining the work required, key dependencies, milestones, estimated timescales and deployment considerations.
A summary of agreed testing, key functionality verified, issues identified and any outstanding items requiring attention.
Relevant technical documentation, release notes, deployment information and recommendations for ongoing maintenance.
Planning an Umbraco upgrade?
Every Umbraco website is different. Here are some of the questions I'm often asked when organisations are considering an upgrade.
Running an unsupported version can leave your website without the usual security updates and fixes. An upgrade can also provide a more sustainable technical foundation for future development. I’ll assess your current version, dependencies and requirements to help you understand the risks of staying where you are and the options for moving forward.
Absolutely. I can assess an existing Umbraco implementation, even if I didn’t build it. I start by reviewing the codebase, packages, integrations, hosting and deployment process, so I can understand what’s there before recommending the best way forward.
Not necessarily. Some upgrades allow much of the existing implementation to be retained, while others involve significant changes to custom code, packages or the backoffice. For larger version jumps, I’ll assess whether upgrading the existing solution or migrating to a fresh implementation makes more sense. The recommendation is based on your website, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Yes. An Umbraco upgrade can be a good opportunity to refresh your website’s design, improve the user experience or modernise the frontend. I can discuss these changes as part of the project and establish whether they can be delivered alongside the upgrade or would be better handled separately. We’ll agree the scope upfront so that design improvements don’t introduce unnecessary risk or complexity into the upgrade.
Absolutely. If you’re planning to introduce new features, integrations or improvements, we can assess whether it makes sense to include them in the upgrade project. Some changes fit naturally into the work, while others are better delivered once the upgraded platform is stable. We’ll help you prioritise the work, understand the implications and agree a clear scope before development begins.
The cost depends on your current version, the complexity of your implementation, third-party packages, integrations and testing requirements. We review the existing solution before providing a clear scope and estimate, including assumptions, dependencies and any known exclusions. That way, you can make an informed decision before committing to the work.
We plan the deployment around your operational requirements, with testing, backups and a recovery plan agreed in advance. Where possible, we carry out the upgrade in a separate environment before release. The aim is to minimise disruption, although the exact deployment approach and any maintenance window depend on your hosting and implementation.
An upgrade doesn’t automatically mean starting again. We assess your existing content, media, document types and templates to determine what can be retained and what needs adapting. We also consider URLs, metadata and redirects where relevant, helping to protect the search visibility and user journeys your website already relies on.
It depends on the starting version and how much custom functionality needs to be adapted or replaced. A straightforward upgrade can be very different from a major migration involving content models, integrations and backoffice extensions. After assessing your website, we’ll outline the work, key milestones and a realistic delivery plan.
Yes. Umbraco Cloud adds its own considerations around environments, deployments, database changes and the source-control workflow. We review how your project is managed and how changes move between environments before planning the upgrade, so the approach fits your existing setup.
We plan for recovery before deployment, not after a problem occurs. The approach depends on your hosting platform and release process, but may include verified backups, snapshots where available, deployment checks and an agreed rollback or recovery procedure. We also test the upgraded website before it reaches production.
Every upgrade starts with understanding what you have today and what you need from the platform tomorrow.
Talk to me about your current Umbraco version, your website and any concerns you have about upgrading.
Let's talk about your Umbraco Platform.
Whether you're running an older Umbraco installation, approaching end of life or considering a move to a newer version, I can assess your existing platform and help you understand the best route forward.