The verdict in three sentences
When a B2B manufacturer's Magento version reaches end of support, the cheapest short-term path is an Adobe Commerce upgrade (40,000 to 80,000 EUR excluding VAT), but licences above 40,000 EUR a year add up fast over five years. A custom B2B replatform costs 80,000 to 150,000 EUR upfront and often becomes cheaper by year three for 8,000 business customers. Either way, the real risk is migrating accounts and negotiated pricing, which needs a 6 to 9 month plan.
Why end of support forces a decision now
The CIO of an industrial supplies manufacturer (fasteners, consumables, safety equipment) often built the B2B portal on Magento six to eight years ago. Each release line reaches end of support on Adobe's published schedule: no more security patches, third-party extensions that stop following, an ageing PHP stack. Staying on an unsupported version exposes a site that holds customer accounts, payment terms and sometimes card data.
So the question is not whether to move, but where. Three options are on the table in 2026.
| Option | Initial cost excl. VAT, 2026 order of magnitude | Annual cost | Timeline | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magento Open Source upgrade | 30,000 to 60,000 EUR | 10,000 to 20,000 EUR | 4 to 6 months | No native B2B features, extensions to rebuy |
| Adobe Commerce upgrade | 40,000 to 80,000 EUR | Over 40,000 EUR licence, plus maintenance | 4 to 6 months | Licence tied to online revenue |
| Custom replatform | 80,000 to 150,000 EUR | 15,000 to 30,000 EUR | 6 to 9 months | Rigorous specs, data migration |
| Off-the-shelf B2B SaaS | 40,000 to 90,000 EUR | 20,000 to 60,000 EUR | 5 to 8 months | Limits on complex pricing and ERP |
| Stay on unsupported version | 0 EUR | Unquantifiable security risk | None | Fails key-account security audits |
Large industrial buyers increasingly send supplier security questionnaires. An unsupported platform can cost you a listing.
5-year total cost compared
Reason in total cost of ownership, not project budget. Take a manufacturer whose Adobe Commerce licence is 45,000 EUR a year, with 20,000 EUR annual maintenance.
| 5-year item | Adobe Commerce (upgrade) | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Initial project | 60,000 EUR | 120,000 EUR |
| Licences (5 × 45,000 EUR) | 225,000 EUR | 0 EUR |
| Maintenance and hosting | 100,000 EUR | 110,000 EUR |
| Feature development | 50,000 EUR | 50,000 EUR |
| Next major upgrade (year 4 or 5) | 40,000 EUR | 0 EUR |
| 5-year total | 475,000 EUR | 280,000 EUR |
| Break-even point | Around the end of year 2 |
These are estimates. Custom only makes sense if the manufacturer has strong B2B rules to support: customer net prices, discounts by product family, ordering by manufacturer part number, multi-level buyer approvals, restricted catalogues. If needs stay standard and online revenue is modest, Magento Open Source or a B2B SaaS is often enough.
Migrating accounts and negotiated pricing safely
This is where migrations fail. A B2B portal with 8,000 customers holds thousands of conditions: customer net prices, family discounts, free shipping thresholds, payment terms, multiple delivery addresses, several users per account with different rights.
The proven method has four steps. First, a full inventory of pricing rules actually in use, often half of what sits in the database. Next, decide the source of truth: the ERP owns prices, the site displays them. Then run two dry-run migrations with automated comparison of displayed prices on a sample of 500 customers and 2,000 SKUs. Finally, cut over on a weekend, with 301 redirects from old URLs to protect product page rankings.
At Kolonell, this kind of project sits in the complex application tier, 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) for the application build, with the final scope always set in the quote.
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Mini case study
Mark, CIO of an industrial supplies manufacturer in the Midlands, does 14 M EUR of online revenue with 8,000 business customers. His Adobe Commerce licence costs 48,000 EUR a year. The upgrade quote is 70,000 EUR, the custom replatform quote 130,000 EUR.
Over 5 years: Adobe Commerce = 70,000 + 5 × 48,000 + 5 × 20,000 = 410,000 EUR. Custom = 130,000 + 5 × 24,000 = 250,000 EUR. The gap is 160,000 EUR, and break-even comes after about 16 months (60,000 EUR initial gap divided by 44,000 EUR annual saving, so roughly 1.4 years). Mark picks custom, with an 8-month project and one dry-run migration per month from month four.
FAQ
How long can we stay on an unsupported Magento version?
Technically several months, but without security patches. For a B2B site with 8,000 accounts, a breach can cost far more than the 40,000 to 80,000 EUR of an upgrade.
Is custom riskier than Adobe Commerce?
The risk moves to specifications and data migration. With two dry runs and a pilot on 100 customers, it stays under control over 6 to 9 months.
Should negotiated prices stay in Magento?
No, the ERP should own prices and the site should read them. That avoids invoicing gaps, often 1 to 3% of orders on poorly synchronised portals.
Will we lose organic search traffic?
Not if 301 redirects cover every product and category URL. A temporary 10 to 20% dip in organic traffic for 4 to 8 weeks remains common.
Can we keep Magento Open Source instead of Adobe Commerce?
Yes, if Adobe Commerce's native B2B features are not essential. You then buy or build B2B extensions, for 15,000 to 40,000 EUR depending on needs.
Let's scope your project. We compare the upgrade and the replatform against your accounts, negotiated pricing and ERP, with a 6 to 9 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
