Your Umbraco Still “Works”... But For How Long?

I hear this a lot from teams:

“Our Umbraco site is on an older version, but it still works. We’ll upgrade when we have time.”

Totally fair instinct. If the site loads, the forms submit, and nobody is screaming, why touch it?

The catch is that “it still works” and “it is safe, supportable, and future-ready” are not the same thing. With an Umbraco website, a flexible open-source content management system (CMS) and widely adopted CMS platform, staying current is less about chasing the latest toy and more about quietly protecting the channel that holds a big chunk of your revenue and reputation.

Let’s talk about what really changes when you stay on a supported Umbraco version, and why an Umbraco Version Upgrade belongs on your roadmap, not in the “someday” pile.

The “it still works” trap

On the surface, an older Umbraco site can look completely fine. Pages render, editors log in, marketing campaigns go out. Nothing looks urgent.

Underneath, a few things are happening:

• Security patches stop arriving once a version hits end-of-life. For example, Umbraco 8 moved through full support, then a security-only phase, then reached full end-of-life, at which point security updates stopped.
   
• New vulnerabilities keep being discovered in the ecosystem. Attackers know older CMS versions are softer targets and actively scan for them.
   
• Dependencies move on. Frameworks, libraries, hosting platforms, and integrations gradually stop supporting your old baseline.

So while the site looks stable, risk quietly increases month after month.

What this means for you

• “It still works” can mask growing risk and fragility.
   
• The longer you wait, the less control you have over when something forces your hand.
   

Security and compliance: the non-negotiables

Security is the big one, especially for technical decision makers who have to sign off on risk.

From multiple security and lifecycle guides, the pattern is consistent: once a version of Umbraco is out of support, you stop receiving security fixes for newly discovered issues. That includes vulnerabilities in the CMS itself and, often, the underlying platform.

Common risks called out across these guides include:

• Unpatched vulnerabilities that let attackers upload malicious files, execute arbitrary code, or escalate privileges.
   
• Weak or outdated plugins and custom code that were never revisited once the project launched.
   
• Misconfigured access control, over-privileged editor accounts, and admin panels left wide open to brute-force attempts.
   

On top of that, regulations and standards expect you to run supported, patched software. Several industry write-ups explicitly connect unsupported CMS versions to compliance risk around data protection and payment standards.

Here is the part that bites in practice: you might not see any symptoms until after an incident, which is exactly when everyone starts asking why the platform was out of support.

What this means for you

• If you store personal data, logins, or payments, an unsupported version is a direct risk to your compliance posture.
   
• Upgrading gives you current security patches and a clear story when someone asks, “Are we keeping this thing up to date?”
   

Performance, stability, and your team’s sanity

I like it when things just work. You can feel the difference between a healthy, current Umbraco setup and a tired, legacy one.

Across the upgrade guides, you see the same advantages highlighted for newer versions:

• Faster page loads and better caching on modern .NET.
   
• Better handling of traffic spikes and heavier workloads.
   
• Cleaner integration patterns, rather than a pile of fragile custom glue.
   
• A more intuitive, modern editing experience with block-based editing and improved media handling.
   

For marketers, this means editors are not fighting the tool just to publish content or run a campaign. For developers, it means fewer 2 a.m. firefights over brittle dependencies.

What this means for you

• Performance and stability improvements in newer releases are not just “nice to have”, they support SEO, conversions, and uptime.
   
• Having happier editors and developers usually translates into faster delivery and fewer production surprises.
   

What you actually gain from an Umbraco Version Upgrade

“Upgrade” can sound like a pure cost, but you do get real capability back in return.

From recent analyses focused on modern Umbraco versions, you see several themes:

• Modern architecture
  Newer Umbraco releases sit on current .NET, support cross-platform hosting, and offer cleaner APIs for headless and multi-channel scenarios. That makes it easier to connect your CMS to apps, marketing tools, and data platforms.
   
• Better content tooling
  Editors get richer page-building tools, more flexible forms, and more control over how content is structured and reused.
   
• Marketing capabilities
  The platform ecosystem increasingly includes personalisation, analytics, and testing tools that are designed for current versions, not legacy ones.
   

In other words, each time you skip a major version, you are not just dodging work, you are saying “no” to a whole generation of improvements.

What this means for you

• An upgrade is a chance to modernise how you build, manage, and personalise content, not just a technical chore.
   
• You can align the upgrade with your broader digital roadmap, instead of treating it as a separate IT project.
   

The real cost of delaying your upgrade

Delaying an Umbraco Version Upgrade always feels cheaper up front. No immediate spend, no disruption, no project kickoff.

The hidden costs show up over time, and the sources are very consistent on this:

• Technical debt: Each year you stay put, the gap between your current version and the supported ones grows. That means a bigger jump, more breaking changes, and a more complex migration later.
   
• Emergency work: If an unsupported dependency fails, or a security incident occurs, you suddenly have to upgrade in a rush instead of on your own schedule.
   
• Opportunity cost: You miss out on performance, features, and tools that could have made your campaigns and customer journeys better.
   
• Higher maintenance costs: Developers spend more time babysitting the old platform instead of building new value.
   

I have yet to see a case where “wait until it breaks” ends up cheaper than “plan the upgrade and control the timing.”

What this means for you

• Think of routine upgrades as spreading the cost out and keeping the risk manageable.
   
• The real comparison is not “upgrade vs do nothing”, it is “planned upgrade vs urgent recovery project later”.
   

How to plan your Umbraco upgrade

The good news: you do not have to jump straight from “we know we are behind” to “surprise rebuild”.

Most guidance around Umbraco lifecycle and end-of-life suggests a few practical steps:

1. Figure out where you sit in the lifecycle

• Confirm your current Umbraco major version.
   
• Check whether that version is fully supported, security-only, or already past end-of-life.
   
• Note that older majors like 8 and 10 have now reached or are very close to end-of-life, which means no ongoing patches from the vendor.

This gives you an honest picture of urgency.

2. Choose your path: upgrade, rebuild, or temporary extended support

In broad strokes, you have three options that keep showing up in official and third-party guidance:

• Direct upgrade to a current long-term support version
  Often the best option if your architecture is reasonable and the version gap is manageable.
   
• Rebuild on a modern baseline
  Makes sense if your current solution is heavily customised, glued together by many one-off integrations, or already overdue for a design and UX refresh.
   
• Extended support as a short-term bridge
  Some vendors offer extended security coverage past official end-of-life, giving you a bit more time to plan. It is a safety net, not a permanent solution.
   

3. Make it a joint tech + marketing project

From the upgrade checklists I have seen, the most successful projects treat this as a cross-team initiative, not just an IT task:

• Tech leads own the architecture, dependencies, hosting, and integration plan.
   
• Marketing and content teams use the opportunity to rationalise content, refresh key journeys, and take advantage of new features.
   
• Everyone aligns on timing, especially around big campaigns or seasonal peaks.
   

What this means for you

• You have options, even if you are several versions behind.
   
• A structured Umbraco Version Upgrade can reduce risk and unlock improvements without blowing up your roadmap.
   

Ready to talk about your Umbraco website?

If you are running an older Umbraco version and this all feels a bit close to home, you are not alone. The important thing is to move from “we know we should do something” to a concrete plan.

If you want help figuring out where you stand, which path makes sense, and how to line an Umbraco Version Upgrade up with your wider digital goals, get in touch and let’s talk through your site.