Umbraco 13 end of life: your options before December 14, 2026

Umbraco 13 reaches end of life on December 14, 2026. After that date, Umbraco stops releasing security patches and updates for it. You have three real options: upgrade to the current long-term support version, buy Extended Long-Term Support (XLTS), or move to another platform. This guide explains what changes, how to choose, what drives cost over three years, and a timeline you can still meet.

What end of life means for Umbraco 13

Umbraco 13 was released on December 14, 2023 as a long-term support (LTS) version. Umbraco supports LTS versions for three years: 24 months of support followed by 12 months of security fixes only. Umbraco 13 is in that final security phase now, and it reaches end of life on December 14, 2026.

Umbraco says projects will technically keep running after that date, but it strongly advises against running Umbraco 13 past it, since security patches stop and issues may become impossible to resolve.

Umbraco Cloud projects

Projects on Umbraco Cloud follow the same deadline. Umbraco's end-of-service policy for Umbraco 13 on Cloud sets four dates:

• End of life: December 14, 2026.
• XLTS ends: December 14, 2028.
• Projects move to dedicated hosting: December 14, 2028.
• Hosting ends: December 14, 2029.

The .NET 8 date

Umbraco 13 runs on .NET 8, and Microsoft's support for .NET 8 ends on November 10, 2026, a month before Umbraco's own date. Upgrading Umbraco is the way to move to a newer .NET version, because Umbraco's documentation notes that each new major version of Umbraco also means a new .NET version.

Your options

Each option fits a different situation. Staying on Umbraco is often the right answer, and so is buying time with XLTS while you plan properly.

Option 1: upgrade to Umbraco 17 LTS

Umbraco 17 is the current LTS version. It was released on November 27, 2025, runs on .NET 10, and Umbraco states it is supported until November 27, 2028. The Umbraco 17 release notes confirm a direct LTS-to-LTS upgrade from 13 to 17, with database migrations applied automatically.

Direct does not mean small. Umbraco calls the jump from 13 to 17 a milestone upgrade, because it includes the new backoffice architecture introduced in Umbraco 14. The Umbraco upgrade documentation lists the points to plan for:

• AngularJS was removed in Umbraco 14. Any custom backoffice extension, property editor or dashboard written in AngularJS must be rebuilt.
• Umbraco 15 changed the internal data format for Block Editors, so a content migration runs during the upgrade. Test it on a copy of production content.
• Every package you use needs a version compatible with Umbraco 17.
• Commercial add-ons can change licensing. In its Umbraco 17 announcement, Umbraco explains that one-off Umbraco Forms licenses keep working on earlier versions but must move to a subscription for use with Umbraco 17 or later.

Option 2: Umbraco 13 XLTS

Extended Long-Term Support for Umbraco 13 keeps security patches coming after end of life. According to Umbraco:

• You choose 6, 12 or 24 months of coverage.
• Coverage begins the day after end of life.
• Extensions must be continuous, with no gaps.
• Updates arrive through a secure, private NuGet feed.
• You get security patches only. The feature set stays frozen.

With 24 months, Umbraco 13 stays patched until December 14, 2028. XLTS needs no code changes, which makes it the lowest-effort way to stay secure while you plan. It does not shrink the upgrade work you will face later. It moves that work to a date you choose.

Option 3: replatform

Since moving from 13 to 17 already means rebuilding backoffice customizations, some teams use the moment to compare platforms. A replatform can make sense if your editors have outgrown the content model, if you plan a headless front end, or if your organization already licenses another CMS. Our Kentico vs Umbraco comparison is a good starting point if Kentico is on your list.

Replatforming is usually the largest project of the three. It is worth it when your reasons go beyond the deadline.

Staying past the date without XLTS

Running Umbraco 13 after December 14, 2026 without XLTS means no security patches. Umbraco's own comparison rates doing nothing as no protection and a high risk of compliance violations. If a short gap is truly unavoidable, apply the last patch, restrict backoffice access to known networks, put a web application firewall in front of the site and set a firm end date.

Decision table

Your situation	Most likely fit	Watch out for
Few backoffice customizations, packages already available for Umbraco 17	Upgrade to Umbraco 17 LTS now	Block Editor content migration on real data
Many AngularJS extensions and no budget until 2027	XLTS for 6 or 12 months, then upgrade	Coverage must start the day after end of life, with no gaps
Large, complex site with a long release calendar	XLTS for 24 months while you plan and phase the work	Letting two years pass without starting
Content model no longer fits, or a headless move is planned	Replatform, possibly with XLTS as a bridge	Content clean-up, URL redirects and bilingual parity
Project hosted on Umbraco Cloud	Upgrade, or XLTS with a clear end before December 14, 2028	The Cloud hosting dates in 2028 and 2029

Three-year cost drivers to compare

We do not publish prices. XLTS pricing comes from Umbraco, and project costs depend on your code. These are the drivers that move a three-year total for each option.

Cost driver	Upgrade to Umbraco 17	Umbraco 13 XLTS	Replatform
Licensing and subscriptions	Umbraco CMS is open source; commercial add-ons such as Forms may move to subscriptions	XLTS fee per coverage period, plus existing add-ons	New vendor license or subscription
One-time project work	Rebuild AngularJS extensions, update packages, test content migrations	None at first	Full rebuild: content model, templates, integrations and migration
Ongoing updates	Regular Umbraco 17 patches and minor releases	Security patches through a private feed	Depends on the new vendor's release model
Feature access	New backoffice and current features	Frozen feature set	Depends on the platform
Team skills	Developers learn the new backoffice extension model	No change	Training for developers and editors
Next deadline	Umbraco 17 support ends November 27, 2028	The upgrade still has to happen by the end of coverage	Depends on the new platform's lifecycle

Note the last row. Umbraco 17 support ends about two weeks before 24-month XLTS for Umbraco 13 would. Whatever you pick, plan for your next move within three years, not just this one.

A realistic timeline from today

• Next two weeks: list your packages, custom backoffice code and Block Editor usage. Check which packages already support Umbraco 17.
• By mid-November 2026: decide between upgrading now, XLTS, or a replatform with XLTS as a bridge.
• Before December 14, 2026: if you need XLTS, have it in place so coverage starts the day after end of life.
• 2027: run the upgrade or replatform in phases, testing the content migration on a full copy of production, in French and English.
• By late 2028: plan the next LTS move, since Umbraco 17 support ends November 27, 2028.

How a platform assessment helps

Sengo is a bilingual EN/FR team in Canada that works across Umbraco, Kentico, Sitecore, Optimizely, Contentful, Storyblok and Coveo. We have no reason to push you off Umbraco if it still fits. Our free Umbraco assessment reviews your packages, backoffice customizations and content model, then tells you which option fits and what will drive the effort.