The verdict in three sentences
Replatforming a legacy enterprise website to a modern platform costs $35,000 to $80,000 in Dubai in 2026, delivered design system included (+$10,000 to $18,000). For a group, progressive migration almost always beats big bang: it spreads risk and budget across 16 to 24 weeks. The real challenge is not the headline price but content governance and service continuity during cutover.
The replatforming budget, line by line
An enterprise site is not a brochure site: governance, multilingual support, accessibility and integrations push the budget up.
| Item | 2026 detail | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture & enterprise CMS | Setup, roles, editorial workflows | 9,000 – 18,000 |
| Delivered design system | Tokens, components, documentation | 10,000 – 18,000 |
| Front-end development | Pages, templates, animations | 12,000 – 25,000 |
| Content migration | Migration, restructuring, media | 6,000 – 14,000 |
| WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility | Audit + fixes | 3,500 – 8,000 |
| Integrations & security | CRM, SSO, CSP, GDPR | 5,000 – 12,000 |
| Total | 35,000 – 80,000 |
The day rate sits between $700 and $950 in 2026 for this level of project. Annual maintenance then runs at $500 to $1,000/month. In Strasbourg, the same scope benchmarks at €30,000 to €70,000.
Big bang vs progressive migration
The cutover strategy weighs as much as the budget. Here is the comparison of the two approaches.
| Criterion | Big bang | Progressive migration |
|---|---|---|
| Overall timeline | 16 – 20 weeks | 18 – 24 weeks |
| Regression risk | High | Controlled |
| Cash-flow impact | Concentrated | Spread out |
| Service continuity | Possible downtime | No downtime |
| QA | Massive, at the end | Continuous, by batch |
| Recommended for | Small sites | Enterprise sites |
For a group, progressive wins: you migrate section by section (corporate, press, careers) while keeping the old site live until the final switch.
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Mini case study
Eric, IT director of a Dubai-based group (450 staff, trilingual EN/AR/FR site), must migrate a 220-page legacy site. Replatforming quote: $58,000, of which $13,000 for the design system. He chooses progressive migration over 20 weeks: corporate first (60 pages), then press and careers. Estimated cost of a failed big bang (rollback + lost traffic): ~$16,000. By smoothing it, he avoids that risk and spreads the budget across two fiscal years. The delivered design system cuts the cost of future changes by 25 to 30%, paying back from the second internal campaign.
FAQ
Why does a design system cost $10,000 to $18,000 more? Because you receive a reusable asset: tokens, documented components and guidelines. It then reduces the cost of every new page or campaign by 25 to 30%.
How long does an enterprise replatforming take? Expect 16 to 24 weeks in 2026, with progressive migration at the upper end but without service downtime.
Can we keep the SEO of a high-authority site? Yes: exhaustive 301 redirect plan, preservation of strategic URLs and multilingual hreflang. On a high-authority enterprise site this is a non-negotiable item.
Does multilingual (EN/AR/FR) add much to the budget? It mainly adds content migration and QA. An enterprise CMS handles language variants natively, which limits the development overhead.
What maintenance should we plan for? $500 to $1,000/month in 2026 depending on the SLA, covering security updates, monitoring and minor changes. An enterprise site demands high uptime.
Let's scope your project. Send us the page count, the languages and your integrations (CRM, SSO): we quantify the replatforming and recommend the cutover strategy. 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.
