39% of Umbraco sites are still on v7 or v8

This week, Skrift published one of the most useful pieces of Umbraco research we've seen in a while. Sotiris Filippidis and the team at DotSee ran a checker across a dataset of more than 22 million company records, looking for websites built on Umbraco. They found about 25,000 verified Umbraco sites, and one number stood out: 39% of them are still running Umbraco 7 or Umbraco 8.

Both versions are past end of life: Umbraco 7 on 30 September 2023 and Umbraco 8 on 24 February 2025. Umbraco's paid extended support (XLTS) for both ends in early 2027, and on the same dates Umbraco Cloud starts moving v7 and v8 projects off shared hosting. A lot of site owners are about to face a decision they may have been putting off.

Here's what the data shows, why the next 15 months matter, and what your options are if one of those sites is yours.

What the data shows

The study checked each site's home page and its /umbraco login path to work out which version it runs. Sites behind a firewall, or with a moved or protected login, couldn't be verified, so the real totals are almost certainly higher. As the author says, it isn't a scientific sample, but it's the clearest picture of the installed base anyone has published.

Two things in this are worth noticing.

These aren't abandoned sites. Nearly 30% of the v7 and v8 sites had been updated in the previous three months. Someone is still editing content, adding pages and relying on them every day. They're working sites on unsupported software.

The UK is at the centre of it. UK-headquartered companies lead the study's country list, followed by the US, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. Belgium and Australia have the highest numbers of legacy v7 and v8 installs. If you run an Umbraco site in any of these countries, there's a good chance you're in the 39%.

Why 2027 matters

Running an end-of-life version isn't new for many of these sites. What changes in 2027 is that the hosting option many of them sit on, Umbraco Cloud, is winding down support:

From those dates, v7 and v8 projects on Umbraco Cloud move to dedicated resources, which typically cost more, and a year later they stop being hosted altogether. If your site is on Umbraco Cloud, the clock is already running. Wherever it's hosted, the end of extended support brings the same risk: no more security patches from Umbraco, older .NET Framework versions, and packages that no longer get updates.

None of this means a v7 or v8 site has to come down tomorrow. It does mean the decision should be a deliberate one, made before a deadline makes it for you.

Your options

There are four realistic routes. The right one depends on your budget, how long the site needs to last, and how much it relies on custom code or old packages.

1. Upgrade to a current version. Moving to Umbraco 17 gets you back onto supported software and modern .NET. It's the best long-term answer, but from v7 or v8 it's closer to a rebuild of the back end than an in-place upgrade: content can be migrated, but templates, custom code and packages usually need rewriting.

2. Rebuild. If the site is due a redesign anyway, a fresh build on Umbraco 17 lets you fix years of workarounds at the same time. It's the biggest project, but often the best value if a refresh was coming in the next year or two.

3. Move to a host that still supports your version, and plan the upgrade properly. If the site works and the budget for an upgrade isn't there yet, moving it to a host that runs v7 and v8 well buys you time without a deadline. Do it with eyes open: the software is still unsupported, so it needs hosting that's hardened around it (a web application firewall, patched servers, backups and monitoring) and a plan for when you will upgrade.

4. Stay on Umbraco Cloud on dedicated resources. This keeps everything as it is until the end-of-service dates, at a higher cost. It's the least work in 2027, but it doesn't remove the need to move or upgrade before 2028.

Many teams end up combining 3 and 1: move the site somewhere stable now, then upgrade on their own schedule rather than Umbraco Cloud's.

How UmbHost can help

We've specialised in Umbraco since 2015, and we host every version from v4 to v17+, including the v7 and v8 sites many hosts won't take. If your site is in the 39%:

• Free migration from Umbraco Cloud or any other host, done by people who know the platform.
• Hosting built for older versions: the right .NET Framework, patched Windows servers, a web application firewall, backups and monitoring.
• No forced upgrades and no end-of-service deadlines. You upgrade when it suits your budget, not ours.
• Help with the upgrade when you're ready, from an Umbraco Certified Master and Umbraco MVP.
• Hosting in the UK, Europe and the US, from £20 a month.

Find out more: Umbraco 7 hosting · Umbraco 8 hosting · Umbraco 9 hosting · Switching from Umbraco Cloud

Not sure which route is right for your site? Get in touch and we'll give you an honest answer, even if it's "stay where you are for now".

Frequently asked questions

How many Umbraco sites are still on version 7 or 8? A November 2026 study published by Skrift found about 25,000 verified Umbraco websites, of which 39% (roughly 9,750) were running Umbraco 7 or 8. The real number is likely higher, because sites behind firewalls or with protected login pages couldn't be checked.

Is it safe to keep running Umbraco 7 or 8? Both versions are past end of life, and Umbraco's paid extended support for them ends in early 2027, after which there are no security updates from Umbraco at all. The risk grows over time. With hardened hosting (a web application firewall, patched servers, backups and monitoring) a site can run safely while you plan an upgrade, but it shouldn't be treated as permanent.

When does Umbraco Cloud stop supporting Umbraco 7 and 8? Umbraco 7 projects move to dedicated resources on 1 January 2027 and stop being hosted on 1 January 2028. Umbraco 8 projects move on 24 February 2027 and stop on 24 February 2028.

Can I move my Umbraco 7 or 8 site away from Umbraco Cloud? Yes. A specialist Umbraco host can migrate the site as it is, with no upgrade needed first. UmbHost migrates Umbraco 7, 8 and 9 sites for free.

Should I upgrade or rebuild my Umbraco 8 site? If the site is due a redesign in the next year or two, a rebuild on Umbraco 17 is often better value. If not, moving it to stable hosting now and upgrading on your own schedule spreads the cost and avoids a rushed project.

Sources

• Sotiris Filippidis, "We checked 22 million company records for Umbraco, and oh boy", Skrift, 3 November 2026
• Umbraco, "Umbraco Cloud End-of-Service Policy"
• Umbraco, "Umbraco 7 End-of-Life"