Website design

Craft CMS Upgrades - Keep Your Site Current, Secure, and Performing at Its Best

Running an older version of Craft CMS? Upgrading keeps your site secure, improves performance, and gives your team the latest features. As a certified Craft CMS Enterprise Partner, we handle upgrades with the expertise your business depends on.

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Why upgrading Craft CMS matters

Craft CMS evolves fast - and for good reason. Each major version brings meaningful improvements in security, performance, editing experience, and developer tooling. Staying on an older version means missing those gains, and eventually means running software that's no longer actively supported.

Security risks increase

Older versions stop receiving security patches. Known vulnerabilities stay unaddressed — and your site stays exposed.

Performance degrades

Newer Craft versions include optimizations that make your site faster. Older versions miss out and become harder to host efficiently.

Your editing experience gets stuck

Craft's authoring tools improve significantly with each release. Your team deserves the current experience — not one from three years ago.

Plugin compatibility narrows

As the ecosystem moves forward, plugin developers focus on current versions. Staying behind means losing access to updated plugins and community support.

The Laravel transition is coming

Craft CMS is moving to Laravel as its underlying framework — expanding the developer ecosystem and long-term viability. Planning your upgrade path now ensures you're ready.

Why collaborate with our team to
upgrade your Craft CMS website?

Craft, enterprise and commerce verified partner

We were one of the first in Canada to earn Craft’s highest partner status. That recognition reflects deep, hands-on experience with the platform and the confidence to handle complex upgrades.

A process that’s clear and tested

Our upgrade process is structured, documented, and built to avoid surprises. You’ll always know what’s happening and what comes next.

Built for custom setups

Have custom templates, plugins, or third-party integrations? We work with Craft CMS at an advanced level and know how to upgrade without breaking what matters.

Trusted across high-stakes industries

Organizations in healthcare, finance, public sector, and e-commerce trust us to upgrade their websites without downtime or data loss.

How we handle Craft CMS upgrades

Assessment: We audit your current installation, custom modules, plugins, and integrations to identify potential issues before work begins.
Planning: A detailed upgrade plan covering template changes, plugin updates or replacements, database migrations, and custom code.
Staging Environment: The upgrade happens in staging first. Your live site stays untouched until everything is tested.
Testing: Comprehensive testing across all pages, forms, integrations, and admin functions.
Deployment: Production deployment with minimal downtime. Post-launch monitoring to catch any issues immediately.
Documentation and Training: If the upgrade introduces new features, we make sure your team knows how to use them.

Common upgrade paths

Craft 3 to Craft 4: PHP version requirements, plugin compatibility changes, template updates. We've handled dozens of these.
Craft 4 to Craft 5: The latest version with improved content modelling and enhanced developer experience. The upgrade to plan for now.
Craft 2 to Current: Still on Craft 2? We can help, though this typically involves a more comprehensive rebuild.
Plugin updates and replacements: We identify what needs updating or replacing and handle transitions so nothing breaks.

Don't let your Craft CMS website fall behind

The longer you wait, the harder and more expensive the upgrade becomes. Let's assess where your site stands and map out a practical upgrade path.

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Common questions our clients ask about Craft CMS upgrades

An update is a small change within the same major version—like moving from 4.4 to 4.5—to fix bugs or improve performance. An upgrade means moving to a new major version, such as from Craft 3 or 4 to Craft 5. Upgrades often include major system changes that affect plugins, templates, and custom code. Because of this, they require planning, testing, and technical adjustments.

A typical upgrade includes reviewing your current site setup, creating a development environment, and upgrading Craft CMS in stages. We update or replace plugins, adjust custom code for compatibility, and migrate content and settings. Everything is thoroughly tested before launch. Once stable, we deploy the upgraded site with minimal downtime.

The timeframe depends on how your site is built and how much customization it has. A basic site may take a few days, while a complex setup could take a few weeks. After we review your site, we provide a clear timeline based on scope. Our goal is always to minimize disruption to your business.

We complete the upgrade in a separate development environment, so your live site stays online throughout most of the process. When it’s time to launch the new version, we schedule it during off-peak hours. Any downtime is brief—usually under an hour. We’ll coordinate with your team to pick the best time.

No. Your pages, entries, images, user accounts, and site settings are all preserved during the upgrade. We use migration tools and testing to make sure nothing gets missed or broken. We also verify the data after migration. Your content stays safe from start to finish.

We review all custom-built components and third-party integrations as part of the upgrade. If adjustments are needed for compatibility with the new version, we make those updates. This includes things like CRMs, forms, APIs, or unique business logic. Everything is tested thoroughly before launch.

We audit your existing plugins and check their compatibility with the new Craft CMS version. Supported plugins are updated; outdated ones are either replaced or custom-coded to match functionality. We also make sure none of your core features are lost. If a plugin is no longer maintained, we’ll offer safe alternatives.

Possibly. New Craft versions often require updated server environments—for example, a newer PHP version or more memory. We’ll review your hosting setup and advise on any changes. If needed, we coordinate with your hosting provider to make the transition smooth.

Yes. We support multi-site Craft configurations, whether they’re multilingual sites, region-specific setups, or different domains under one install. Each site is reviewed and tested to make sure everything works after the upgrade. We also help streamline shared settings or templates across your sites.

We check and test every integration, including forms, payment gateways, and third-party APIs. If anything changes in how these tools work, we’ll update the code accordingly. We make sure your users can continue submitting forms, checking out, or syncing data without issues. Nothing is pushed live until it’s confirmed working.

We take a full backup of your site before starting the upgrade. If anything goes wrong, we can restore your original setup immediately. But we also work in a staging environment first, so most issues are found and fixed before they ever reach your live site. You stay in control the whole time.

Yes. We can provide updated documentation, video walk-throughs, or live sessions to help your team get familiar with the new version. If you need long-term support, we also offer maintenance plans. You won’t be left figuring it out on your own—we’re here to help beyond the launch.

Pricing depends on the size and complexity of your website. After a quick review, we’ll give you a clear estimate that includes everything—no surprises. Smaller sites are typically faster and lower cost; larger, customized setups take more time. We work within your budget and timeline.

Major upgrades are typically recommended every few years, depending on Craft’s release cycle. Staying current reduces the risk of bugs, security issues, and unsupported plugins. It also keeps your site faster and easier to maintain. We’ll advise on timing based on your specific setup.

You don’t need to do much—just give us access to your website and hosting. We’ll take care of the rest, from planning to launch. We’ll also keep you updated along the way, so you always know what’s happening. If anything’s needed from your side, we’ll let you know early.

Featured projects

We're proud of our work as a leading Craft CMS website development company. Our portfolio of websites made with Craft CMS showcases exceptional results that we can achieve when we combine outstanding creativity, a modern content management system, top-notch web development, and a passion for excellence.

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