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Leaving Sitecore XP and XM in 2026: why enterprises move and how long it takes
Jean-Nicolas GauthierLast updated:
Short answer. Enterprises are moving off Sitecore XP and XM in 2026 for four main reasons. Sitecore launched SitecoreAI in November 2025 as the evolution of XM Cloud and centers its new launches on it. Support windows for older XP versions are closing, and since June 2026 security updates during Extended Support are a paid option. The JSS front-end SDK reaches end of life in June 2026 for SitecoreAI. And self-hosted run costs and skills get harder to justify each year. A realistic migration for a mid-sized enterprise estate takes 9 to 14 months; large multi-site estates, like those many Fortune 500 companies run, often take 18 months or more. These are typical ranges that depend on scope.
Why enterprises are leaving Sitecore XP and XM in 2026
1. Sitecore's product direction is SitecoreAI. On November 4, 2025, Sitecore launched SitecoreAI as the evolution of XM Cloud. It brings content management, customer data, personalization and search into one SaaS platform and adds an Agentic Studio of AI agents, including migration tooling agents. Sitecore said existing XM Cloud customers move to SitecoreAI without a migration (Sitecore announcement). Teams on self-hosted XP or XM get those capabilities only by moving.
2. Support windows are closing. Sitecore's support policy sets fixed end dates for each XP and XM version (Sitecore KB0641167):
| Version | Extended support ends |
|---|---|
| 9.3 | December 31, 2025 (sustaining support to December 31, 2027) |
| 10.0 and 10.1 | December 31, 2026 |
| 10.2 | December 31, 2027 |
| 10.3 | December 31, 2028 |
| 10.4 | December 31, 2030 |
| 10.5 | December 31, 2032 |
3. Staying supported now costs more. Under the support model in effect since June 1, 2026, security updates and production-incident assistance during Extended Support are paid options instead of included services (Sitecore KB0641167). For teams on 10.0 to 10.2, that cost arrives within the next year or two.
4. The front-end SDK is changing. The Content SDK is the official SDK for SitecoreAI. JSS 22 reaches end of life in June 2026, and JSS 23 supports XM and XP but not SitecoreAI (Sitecore KB1004260, Sitecore changelog). Any headless XM build on JSS faces front-end rework either way.
5. Run costs and skills. In our view, the less visible driver is operational. Self-hosted XP means servers, upgrades, xDB and Solr to maintain, plus .NET MVC skills that are harder to hire than Next.js skills. Each upgrade cycle reopens the question of whether to keep paying for it.
Staying on XP is still an option
Leaving is not mandatory. Sitecore still maintains XP: version 10.5, released in August 2026, adds support for Windows Server 2025, SQL Server 2025 and Solr 10, plus security hardening (XP 10.5 release notes). Upgrading to 10.5 can make sense when your site depends on XP-only features, your team knows the platform well, and a migration would collide with other priorities. The trade-off is that you keep the run costs and push the platform decision a few years out.
Where enterprises go next
- SitecoreAI. Keep Sitecore and re-architect for headless delivery with the Content SDK. Our step-by-step migration guide covers the process.
- Another platform. Teams that want a lighter or different stack compare options such as Contentful, Optimizely CMS, which comes as SaaS or PaaS (Optimizely hosting options), Storyblok or Kentico. Our Sitecore vs Optimizely vs Contentful comparison and headless CMS decision framework help narrow the field.
A realistic migration timeline, phase by phase
Vendor material often suggests 4 to 6 months. The ranges below are more realistic for enterprise estates. Your own content volume, number of integrations, languages and governance decide where you land in each range.
| Phase | Typical range | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Assessment | 2 to 6 weeks | Inventory content, templates, customizations, integrations and editorial workflows; build a 3-year cost model |
| 2. Architecture and planning | 3 to 8 weeks | Target content model, component map, integration patterns, migration waves and backlog |
| 3. Build and rework | 4 to 9 months | Next.js components, integrations, search, forms and repeated content migration runs |
| 4. Parallel running | 4 to 8 weeks | Both platforms live while sections move over and get validated |
| 5. Cutover and decommission | 2 to 6 weeks | Final delta migration, DNS switch, monitoring, then retiring XP |
Added up, that is 9 to 14 months for a mid-sized enterprise estate.
For comparison, an upgrade is shorter than a migration. For the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), Sengo led the upgrade from Sitecore 9 to 10, along with Coveo and Node.js, in a six-month engagement (read the CCQ story). Moving to a new platform adds a rebuild, content migration and parallel running on top of that kind of work.
What changes for a Fortune 500-scale estate
Large enterprises rarely migrate everything at once. They usually run phases 3 to 5 in waves, by brand, region or business unit, so the total often reaches 18 months or more. The factors that stretch the plan are predictable:
- Integrations. Allow 3 to 6 weeks of rework per major integration such as CRM, ERP, DAM or search.
- Languages and markets. Every language needs its own fallback and content checks.
- Personalization. Plan 2 to 4 weeks after launch to tune Personalize rules.
- Governance. Security, legal and procurement reviews and change freezes add calendar time even when the build is on track.
- Rollback. Keep XP read-only for at least 30 days after each cutover before you decommission it.
Start from your support end date and work backward. If you run XP 10.2, extended support ends on December 31, 2027, so a large estate that starts its assessment in early 2027 has little room for delays.
How to start without overcommitting
Run a structured assessment before you commit to a platform or a date. Our pre-migration checklist shows what to gather, and our free Sitecore audit turns it into a roadmap with effort ranges for your own estate.
Frequently asked questions
Why are enterprises migrating away from Sitecore XP and XM in 2026?
Because Sitecore's product direction is SitecoreAI, launched in November 2025 as the evolution of XM Cloud; because extended support for older XP versions ends between 2026 and 2030 and security updates during Extended Support became a paid option in June 2026; because JSS 22 reaches end of life in June 2026; and because self-hosted run costs and skills are harder to justify (Sitecore, KB0641167).
What is a realistic migration timeline for a Fortune 500 company moving off Sitecore?
Typically 18 months or more for a large multi-site estate, delivered in waves by brand, region or business unit. A mid-sized estate usually takes 9 to 14 months. These are typical ranges, not a quote: integrations, languages and governance reviews decide your actual timeline.
Is Sitecore XP being discontinued?
No. Sitecore still maintains XP and released version 10.5 in August 2026, with extended support until December 31, 2032 (KB0641167). Older versions reach the end of extended support between 2026 and 2030.
Do we have to move to SitecoreAI if we leave XP?
No. SitecoreAI is the natural path if you want to stay with Sitecore. Some enterprises move to another platform instead, such as Contentful, Optimizely CMS, Storyblok or Kentico. An assessment that compares at least two options gives you a defensible choice.
What is the fastest safe way to start?
Run a 2 to 6 week assessment that inventories content, customizations and integrations and models a 3-year cost. It sets realistic dates before you sign a contract or announce a launch.
Sources
- Sitecore: Sitecore unveils SitecoreAI (November 4, 2025)
- Sitecore KB0641167: Sitecore XP and XM support lifecycle
- Sitecore KB1004260: Content SDK and JSS support for SitecoreAI
- Sitecore changelog: new SDK lifecycle for XM Cloud
- Sitecore Experience Platform 10.5 release notes
- Optimizely: CMS hosting options
Planning a move off Sitecore XP or XM? We can help you set a realistic plan for your own estate.
Talk to a Sitecore migration advisor
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