On 24 February 2025, Umbraco 8 officially reached the end of its life. For years, it gave organisations a dependable foundation, but that chapter is closed. No more patches, no more fixes, no more support.
What does that mean in practice? It means the world keeps moving while version 8 stays still. Hosting providers update. Cloud platforms evolve. Integrations keep changing. And the gap gets wider every month. At a glance, A package that won't update could look harmless, a deployment pipeline that needs extra effort. But over time, those gaps become business risks.
The way forward is clear. Umbraco 13 is the supported Long-Term Support (LTS) release right now. Later this year, Umbraco 17 arrives as the next LTS. For organizations running on Umbraco, the choice is between moving today to 13 or preparing a direct route to 17.
At Phases, we’ve been through this journey with firms across Europe. Some needed a straightforward migration. Others required the redevelopment of large, multilingual, integration-heavy platforms. As an Umbraco Gold Partner since 2021 and a contributing Platinum Partner since 2025, we bring more than implementation skills; we bring inside knowledge from our direct collaboration with Umbraco HQ.
Why Umbraco 8 Has Run Its Course
When it launched in 2019, Umbraco 8 gave businesses stability. It was built on the .NET Framework, and it served its role well. But the end of life changes the picture. Running a platform without support creates challenges that only grow:
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Security vulnerabilities stay open.
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Infrastructure evolves while the site remains static.
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Packages stop aligning with the old core.
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Developers move away from maintaining legacy systems.
These problems rarely start as a crisis. They creep in. A form integration starts throwing errors. An editor finds they can’t update a plugin. A release takes hours instead of minutes. Soon it snowballs into higher costs and slower delivery.
Why Umbraco 13 Fits 2025
Released in December 2023, Umbraco 13 is the current LTS version. It’s built on .NET 8 LTS and aligned with Microsoft’s lifecycle. That alignment helps, because it gives you a clear horizon:
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Full support and new features until December 2025
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Security updates until December 2026
For organisations moving today, version 13 offers stability without compromise. Teams gain:
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Two years of reliable coverage
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Modern editing with Block Grid and Block List replacing Nested Content
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A strong, widely adopted package ecosystem
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Smooth compatibility with cloud hosting and CI/CD pipelines
For anyone still on Umbraco 8, this is the natural and supported landing point
How We Approach Upgrades
Every organisation has different needs. Some run simple marketing sites. Others manage multi-site, multi-language platforms tied into business-critical systems. That’s why upgrades cannot be a tick-box exercise. They require a clear framework.
At Phases, we focus on four principles:
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Stabilise- make the existing site reliable enough to plan from.
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Assess- look closely at packages, dependencies, and integrations. Decide what continues, what changes, and what is rebuilt.
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Future-proof- redesign outdated content models, remove workarounds, and cut technical debt.
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Deliver- test editor workflows, validate migrations, and manage cutover with redirects, monitoring, and safeguards.
This ensures upgrades don’t come with surprises. SEO rankings hold. Integrations remain intact. Editors end up with a platform that feels faster and simpler.
From our Recent Work
NYC Vote: From 8 to 13 Without Downtime
The NYC Vote site provides public election information, so reliability was critical. We moved it from Umbraco 8 to 13, rebuilt content using Block Grid, and introduced CI/CD pipelines. The upgrade was seamless with zero downtime, no interruptions, even during election cycles.
In-Kommuner: Migration with uSync
For In-Kommuner, we delivered a structured migration straight from Umbraco 7 to 13 using uSync. Site settings and content transferred cleanly. Editors kept a familiar back office. The frontend was updated to modern standards with minimal disruption.
Green Key: Redevelopment Across Multiple Brands
Green Key manages several brands within one Umbraco instance, from Green Restaurant to Green Sport Facility. The platform began in ASP, moved to Umbraco 7, and in 2023 was rebuilt directly into Umbraco 10. With multilingual content, Podio integration, hotel data feeds, and maps, redevelopment proved the most effective strategy for scale and stability.
Selecting Umbraco 13 for Long-Term Support
We worked with an organisation that had just received a new site on Umbraco 15 from another agency. The site was delivered with more than 300 static pages, which meant editors had almost no control over content. Managing updates was slow and difficult.
Our review showed the site would work better on Umbraco 13 LTS, so that became the recommendation. This Umbraco version offered long-term support, a proper content structure, and an editor-friendly back office. The team gained flexibility, and the business gained a platform built to last.
This project shows why the newest release is not always the right answer. The stronger choice is the one that combines stability, support, and ease of use.
Looking Ahead: Umbraco 17
While 13 is the right choice today, Umbraco 17 is worth planning for. Scheduled for 27 November 2025, it will run on .NET 10 LTS and carry support until November 2028.
This release will mark a major shift:
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The new back office becomes standard.
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Performance improves with .NET 10.
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Organisations gain a three-year support window.
That leaves two paths:
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Move now to 13 for stability through 2026.
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Hold steady and prepare a direct move to 17 for support through 2028.
Either option works; the key is staying on the LTS track to avoid disruptive rebuilds and escalating costs.
Umbraco with Phases
An Umbraco upgrade is a strategic decision about how your organisation manages content, protects integrations, and prepares for the future. Recognized as the best Gold Partner by Umbraco in 2021, we earned that position by ensuring every build delivered three essentials:
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Content, SEO, and integrations remain intact.
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Editors gain a more efficient and reliable platform.
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The business operates on a foundation supported for years to come.
At Phases, we bring that assurance. Our team includes Umbraco MVPs and Masters who actively contribute to the platform. As a Platinum Partner, we have direct visibility into the roadmap and close collaboration with Umbraco HQ.
Some organisations will move to 13 this year. Others will wait and plan for Umbraco 17. Both are sound strategies. The difference lies in how the upgrade is managed. Whether it's predictable, safe, and aligned with long-term goals.
If you are considering the future of your Umbraco site, now is the time to plan the path forward.