Drupal 8-9 to 11 upgrade
On Drupal 8 or 9? You're closer to safety than you think
You're on the modern architecture already. There's a real upgrade path to Drupal 11, not a rebuild. Which makes staying put a genuinely bad deal. You're carrying end-of-life risk for a problem that's cheaper to fix than you probably assume
There's a strange irony in the Drupal world: sites on Drupal 8 or 9 are running software just as unsupported as Drupal 7 — Drupal 8 lost support in November 2021, Drupal 9 in November 2023 — but the fix is far smaller.
What the upgrade involves
Dependency and module audit.
Every contributed module gets checked for a Drupal 11-compatible release; the handful that don't have one get a named replacement or a small patch.
Deprecated code fixed.
Custom modules and themes are updated for the APIs that changed between your version and 11 — this is the bulk of the real work, and it's very well-trodden ground.
Stepped upgrade where needed
Drupal 8 sites go through 9 and 10 on the way; it sounds dramatic but it's a controlled sequence, not three separate projects.
Everything tested before switchover
The upgraded site is built and verified in a separate environment. Your live site isn't touched until the new one is proven.
Fixed price, from £2,400
One number and one date, both agreed up front. This costs less than a Drupal 7 migration for a simple reason: you're on the modern architecture already, so it's an upgrade rather than a rebuild. If it turns out harder than scoped, the risk sits with me.
Why now rather than later
Two reasons. First, the obvious one: no security fixes means every month is accumulating risk, same as Drupal 7. Second, the less obvious one: module maintainers are dropping support for old branches all the time.
Every quarter you wait, another module you rely on loses its upgrade path, and a routine job picks up another complication. The easiest version of this upgrade is always the one you do now.
Quick answers
An upgrade — and that's the good news. Because Drupal 8, 9, 10 and 11 all share the same architecture, your site moves forward in place rather than being rebuilt from scratch. That's why it costs less and takes less time than a Drupal 7 move.
Most small-organisation sites take 1-2 weeks from kickoff, depending mainly on how many contributed and custom modules are involved. You get a fixed timeline with the fixed price, agreed before anything starts.
No. The upgraded site is built and tested in a separate environment, and your live site keeps running untouched until the new one is proven and switched over.
Not dramatically. A Drupal 8 site goes through 9 and 10 on the way to 11, but that's a controlled sequence, not three separate projects — and it's priced as one job. The main variable is your custom code and contributed modules, which I check as part of scoping so the quote reflects the real work.
Yes — that's exactly what the free exposure check is for. I review your modules and theme for the API changes between your version and Drupal 11, then quote against what I actually find. No surprises after signing.
Not sure which version you're actually on?
Most people aren't — the site just works until it doesn't. Run the free scan and it'll tell you in about five seconds: version, support status, and what a move to Drupal 11 would put right.