Compatibility audit
Your Joomla, PHP, extensions, and template checked against the release you're moving to.
The Problem
Your Joomla Site Still Works, but the Upgrade Keeps Getting Harder
Your Joomla site may run for years without trouble. Then support ends, your host raises its PHP version, and the extensions holding your site together have no release for the next Joomla version.
01 · Support ended
Your Joomla version no longer gets security fixes.
We move the site to the current release, one tested step at a time.
02 · Dead extensions
Key extensions have no release for newer Joomla.
Each one is updated, swapped for a maintained option, or rebuilt as custom code.
03 · Old template
The template breaks on anything after Joomla 3.
We rebuild it for the current release, keeping your layout and branding.
04 · PHP warnings
Your host is retiring the PHP version your site needs.
The upgraded site runs on a supported PHP version your host keeps.
Your Joomla site has served members, events, and news for years. Now the admin shows an end-of-support warning, and your host wants a newer PHP version than the site can handle. Several extensions you rely on were abandoned by their developers. The template was built for Joomla 3 and breaks on anything newer. Every month you wait, the jump gets longer and an unpatched site becomes an easier target.
We start with an audit of your Joomla version, PHP version, extensions, template, and hosting. Then we plan the path step by step: 3.10 to 4.4, then 5.4, then the current Joomla 6 release, with each extension updated, replaced, or retired along the way. Every step is rehearsed on a staging copy first. Your live site moves once, after the rehearsal works, not in a hopeful weekend update.
Every extension checked first
Each of your extensions tested for a compatible release, with replacements chosen before anything moves.
One version at a time
Joomla 3.10 to 4.4, then 5.4, then Joomla 6, with a tested stop at each step.
Rehearsed on staging
A full staging copy of your site goes through every step before the live site changes.
Our Joomla Development Services Process
From Site Audit to a Supported Joomla Release in Five Steps
You see the audit, approve the version path and extension plan, test the staging copy, and choose when the live site moves.
We check your Joomla and PHP versions, every extension, the template, user groups, and hosting. You get a compatibility list, the upgrade path, a fixed quote, and a straight answer on whether staying on Joomla makes sense.
What's Included
What You Get From a Joomla Development Company
Every project covers the audit, extension plan, staged migration, template work, content checks, and a planned go-live, sized to your Joomla version and the number of extensions.
Compare Options
DeveloperLook vs DIY Update vs Freelancer
The built-in Joomla Update is free and works well for minor releases, and a freelancer can be cheaper for one site. Here's how each handles a major version jump.
| Feature | DeveloperLookBest fit | DIY update | Freelancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor updates | Included in every plan | Free and quick | Fast for small jobs |
| Major version jumps | Rehearsed step by step | Risky on older sites | Depends on experience |
| Extensions | Each one checked and planned | You find breakage after updating | Fixed as they break |
| Template | Rebuilt for the new version | Often breaks | Patched or rebuilt |
| Staging copy | Every step tested first | Rarely set up | Sometimes used |
| Backups | Full backup before each step | Your own responsibility | Varies by person |
| Support after | 30 to 90 days of fixes | Forums and docs | Hourly when available |
| Cost | From $700, fixed scope | Free, plus your time | Lower hourly rate |
DeveloperLook
DIY update
- Minor updates
- DeveloperLook: Included in every planDIY update: Free and quick
- Major version jumps
- DeveloperLook: Rehearsed step by stepDIY update: Risky on older sites
- Extensions
- DeveloperLook: Each one checked and plannedDIY update: You find breakage after updating
- Template
- DeveloperLook: Rebuilt for the new versionDIY update: Often breaks
- Staging copy
- DeveloperLook: Every step tested firstDIY update: Rarely set up
- Backups
- DeveloperLook: Full backup before each stepDIY update: Your own responsibility
- Support after
- DeveloperLook: 30 to 90 days of fixesDIY update: Forums and docs
- Cost
- DeveloperLook: From $700, fixed scopeDIY update: Free, plus your time
Projects We've Built
Community and Content Projects We Have Built
Membership, education, art, and community websites our team designed and built, with user roles and steady publishing.
StriveGym Membership Website Design & Development
- Fitness & Gym
- Membership Platform
- Website
Edutech E-Learning Web Design & Development
- Education
- Dashboard
- E-commerce
Airline Review Community Website for Business and First Class
- Travel
- Portal
- Website
Renwick Fine Art Services Storage and Crating Website
- Art
- Logistics & Transportation
- Website
What Our Clients Say
What Clients Say After Launch
Feedback from teams we have built community and content websites for.
We had a pretty specific idea of what we wanted our website to become, but I wasn’t sure how easily we could explain all of it to a development team. There were quite a few moving parts, and we were working toward a deadline, so I expected a few things to get lost along the way. That never really happened. They understood what we were trying to achieve, kept us updated throughout the process, and got everything ready within the agreed timeline. The final site feels much easier to navigate, works beautifully on mobile, and is noticeably smoother for our customers. It was a huge relief seeing the original idea actually turn into the website we had in mind.
The mobile experience is probably my favourite part of the new site. We had spent a lot of time making sure the desktop version looked right, and the team kept pushing us to think about how everything would actually feel on a phone too. They were right. The navigation is clean, the interactions feel natural, and everything we’ve tested so far works exactly as it should. They also went through the links, forms, integrations, and other details more than once before launch, which I really appreciated. And even after going live, we could still reach out when something came up. The whole process felt friendly, organised, and surprisingly straightforward.
What I appreciate most is that the website is actually easy for us to manage now. We can update content ourselves instead of sending a developer a message every time we need to change something small. They also paid attention to the technical SEO side, which mattered to us because we didn’t want a new website to create problems for the traffic we already had. I’ve probably asked more questions than I should have since launch, but every question has been handled patiently and without any fuss. The team is easy to work with, they explain things clearly, and when we need something changed, they focus on getting it done rather than making the process complicated.
1,250+
Projects shipped
10+
Years of experience
Top 3%
Upwork Top Rated Plus
5 stars
Average review score
Want results like these?
Tell us what you are building. You get a reply within 24 hours on business days, then a written estimate.
Work Culture
Why Site Owners Trust Us With Joomla Development
Old Joomla sites like yours carry years of content, members, and history. These habits protect all of it while the version underneath changes.
Stay or leave, honestly
If your site would be cheaper to rebuild on another CMS than to migrate, we'll say so in the audit. Joomla is still a good home for many sites, but not all.
Backup before every step
We take a full backup before each version jump, not just at the start. Any step can be rolled back without losing your work before it.
Members and access kept
User groups, access levels, and member logins are tested after each step. Your members shouldn't notice anything except a cleaner site.
Supported versions at handover
We finish on a supported Joomla release and PHP version, then note the next support dates for you. You'll know when to plan the next move.
Extension decisions written down
Every extension we keep, replace, or retire is listed with the reason. The next developer you hire knows why your site works the way it does.
Your site, your accounts
Code, backups, and extension licenses stay in your hosting and accounts. Nothing about the site depends on us staying involved.
Overview
What do Joomla development services cover?
DeveloperLook offers Joomla development services for organizations still running Joomla 3, 4, or 5. We audit extensions, migrate sites to the current Joomla release on staging, rebuild templates, and write custom components. Work starts at $700, takes 1 to 8 weeks, and every change is rehearsed before your live site moves.
DEVELOPERLOOK
Project facts · Joomla Development Services
- Service
- Joomla Development Services (version migrations, extensions, templates, custom components)
- Typical timeline
- 1 to 2 weeks for an update, 3 to 8 weeks for a Joomla 3 migration or rebuild
- Platforms
- Joomla 3, 4, 5, and 6
- Built with
- PHP, MySQL, Joomla Update, Akeeba Backup, Bootstrap 5
- Experience
- 10+ years of development experience and 1,250+ shipped projects
- Post-launch support
- 30 to 90 days, depending on plan
- Communication
- Calls in US, UK, and AU business hours
- Starting price
- From $700 USD, fixed scope after a free site audit
Reviewed 8 Oct 2026 by Saimul Islam
Good fit
Organizations still on Joomla 3
Your Joomla 3 site lost official support in August 2023, and your host now warns about the old PHP version it needs.
Teams stuck on Joomla 4
Your site runs Joomla 4, its security support ended in October 2025, and you need a Joomla 4 migration service you can trust.
Clubs and nonprofits with member areas
Your club or nonprofit relies on Joomla's user groups and access levels, and you need them working exactly the same after the upgrade.
Owners who need new Joomla features
You're on a current Joomla release and want a custom component, a new template, or an integration added by a Joomla developer.
Agencies with Joomla clients
Your agency still maintains Joomla sites for clients and wants to hire Joomla developers for upgrades without retraining your team.
Not a fit
Moving to WordPress
You've decided to leave Joomla for WordPress. Our WordPress Migration Services page covers that move, including content mapping and redirects.
Complex permissions needed
You need content types and permissions far beyond what Joomla handles well. Our Drupal Development Services page covers a heavier CMS built for that.
Keeping Joomla 3 unchanged
You want Joomla 3 to keep running unchanged for years. Joomla's paid extended support program for Joomla 3 may fit that better than a migration.
Budget under $700
Your budget is under $700 and the site only needs a minor update. If the built-in Joomla Update already covers your case, we'll tell you before we quote.
Not sure we're the right fit?
Book a free call or message us. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team.
Pricing
Transparent Starting Prices for Joomla Development Services
These are starting points in USD. Your final price depends on your Joomla version, extension count, and template work, and you get a fixed proposal after a free site audit.
For Joomla 4 or 5 sites that need moving to a supported release with a few fixes.
$700one-time, USD
- Extension and template compatibility audit
- Update from Joomla 4 or 5 to the current release
- PHP raised to a supported version
- Rehearsal on a staging copy before go-live
- Up to 3 small fixes or broken extensions replaced
- 30 days of post-launch support
Recommended
For Joomla 3 sites that need the full move to a current Joomla release without losing content.
$2,300one-time, USD
- Everything in Joomla Update
- Joomla migration 3 to 5, then on to Joomla 6
- Up to 15 extensions updated, replaced, or retired
- Template rebuilt for the current Joomla version
- URL checks and redirects for any changed paths
- 60 days of post-launch support
For larger Joomla sites that need a new template, custom extensions, and integrations.
$5,400one-time, USD
- Everything in Joomla 3 Migration
- Custom template built from a new design
- 1 custom component or module for your workflows
- Multilingual setup or up to 3 integrations
- Accessibility and speed checks on key pages
- 90 days of post-launch support
For Agencies
White-Label Joomla Development for Agencies and Studios
You own the client relationship. We supply the Joomla engineering behind it: audits, version migrations, templates, and custom extensions. Work is delivered under your brand, and your team stays the client's contact while we handle the upgrade.
How the partnership works
White label: your client only ever sees your brand
- Your client
- You, the agency
- DeveloperLook
List the client sites
Send admin and hosting access for the Joomla sites that need work.
- Client needs
- You share the details
- Details received
We audit each site
You get a version path and a fixed price for every site.
- Scope and plan
- Proposal to resell
- Your quoteYOUR LOGO
Migrate and hand off
Each site moved on schedule and documented under your brand.
- Done by our team
- Your brand on it
- Handed to your clientDone
Partner with DeveloperLookDelivered under your brand
Your brand throughout
Audits, staging links, and handover notes carry your agency's name.
Joomla 3 to 6
One team for legacy Joomla 3 sites and current Joomla 6 builds.
Fixed prices per site
Migration quotes for each site that you can mark up for clients.
Help for upgrade waves
Extra capacity when several client sites need upgrading at once.
The Right Technology for Your Project
Technology Stack
We work with Joomla's own update tools and standard PHP hosting, so the site stays easy for any Joomla developer to maintain.
- Joomla
PHP
MySQL- MariaDB
- Bootstrap
HTML5
CSS3
JavaScript
- Apache
- Nginx
- cPanel
Cloudflare- Let's Encrypt
- GitHub
Docker- Amazon S3
- Composer
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers on Joomla costs, whether Joomla is still alive, open source licensing, and how a Joomla migration works.
Saimul IslamFounder & CEO, DeveloperLookStill have questions?
Send a message or book a call with the team.
Joomla work at DeveloperLook starts at $700 for updating a Joomla 4 or 5 site to the current release with up to 3 fixes. A full Joomla 3 migration starts at $2,300, and a rebuild with a new template and custom component starts at $5,400. You get a fixed price after the free audit.
A Joomla 4 or 5 update takes 1 to 2 weeks, and a Joomla 3 migration or rebuild takes 3 to 8 weeks. Extensions decide most of the time, especially ones without a release for newer Joomla. The free audit takes 2 to 4 days and tells you which end of the range to expect.
You migrate a Joomla site one major version at a time, on a staging copy first. From Joomla 3.10, run the Pre-Update Check, update to 4.4, then to 5.4, then to Joomla 6. Before each jump, back up the site and confirm every extension and the template has a compatible release.
Joomla is used for business websites, membership sites, community portals, school and nonprofit sites, and multilingual sites. Its built-in user groups, access levels, and language support suit sites where different visitors should see different content. Extensions add forms, events, directories, and online stores on top.
No, Joomla is not dead: it's actively developed, and Joomla 6 arrived in October 2025. The project publishes a roadmap with support dates for each version, and Joomla 5 keeps security fixes until October 2027. What has ended is support for Joomla 3 and 4, so if your site still runs one of them, it needs migrating.
Yes, Joomla is still used by businesses, clubs, schools, and public bodies around the world. Fewer new projects choose it than WordPress, but many existing sites stay on Joomla. If yours holds years of content, users, and extensions, upgrading Joomla usually costs less than moving to another CMS.
Yes, Joomla is free, open source software released under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later. You can download, use, and change it without a license fee. Open Source Matters, a nonprofit, supports the project, and many extensions are open source too, though some charge for updates and support.
Joomla development is building and extending websites on Joomla: custom components, modules, plugins, templates, and integrations. A Joomla developer works in PHP with Joomla's MVC framework, and on modern versions uses namespaced code and the Web Asset Manager. If you hire a Joomla developer today, much of the work will be upgrading your older sites safely.
Joomla itself costs nothing: the software is free to download and use. Your running costs are hosting, a domain, any paid extensions or templates, and developer time for updates. A small Joomla site often runs on standard PHP hosting, so the main ongoing cost is keeping it updated.
Joomla is used by small businesses, nonprofits, schools, clubs, and government bodies that need user roles or several languages. Agencies also keep client sites on Joomla because those editors already know it well. If your site has run for years, upgrading it safely is the most common job today.
Saimul IslamFounder & CEO, DeveloperLookStill have questions?
Send a message or book a call with the team.
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