The verdict in three sentences
For a Dublin garden equipment retailer doing EUR 4 million online on Magento 2.4 with 70 extensions, standing still already costs EUR 15,000 to 20,000 a year in corrective maintenance, before counting the risk of running a version that no longer gets security patches. In 2026 there are three paths: version upgrade at EUR 40,000 to 60,000, migration to Shopify at EUR 45,000 to 80,000, or Sylius or custom at EUR 80,000 to 120,000, all with an SEO migration of 9,000 URLs and a 4 to 6 month timeline. The right choice depends less on price than on how many extensions are truly needed and on your B2B pricing rules.
Why end of support changes the maths
Adobe publishes a support calendar for each Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce release. A version out of support gets no more security patches, which exposes the store to known vulnerabilities and complicates PCI DSS compliance. With 70 third-party extensions, every update becomes a project: PHP incompatibilities, extensions abandoned by their vendors, undocumented overrides.
| Option | 2026 project cost excl. VAT (estimate) | Annual cost afterwards | Timeline | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade to a recent Magento 2.4.x | EUR 40,000 to 60,000 | EUR 15,000 to 25,000 support | 2 to 4 months | Complex catalogue, trained team |
| Migration to Shopify (Plus or Advanced) | EUR 45,000 to 80,000 | Subscription EUR 4,000 to 30,000 + apps EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | 4 to 5 months | Mostly B2C, few custom rules |
| Sylius (open source, Symfony) | EUR 80,000 to 110,000 | EUR 12,000 to 22,000 support | 5 to 6 months | Strong B2B, need for technical freedom |
| Custom (headless + APIs) | EUR 90,000 to 120,000 | EUR 15,000 to 30,000 | 5 to 6 months | Very specific processes, ERP at the core |
| Status quo (corrective maintenance) | EUR 0 | EUR 15,000+ and rising | Immediate | Short transition only |
An audit of the 70 extensions usually shows that 25 to 35 % are no longer used and 20 to 30 % are covered natively by the new platform. Start there: the audit sets the real budget.
Migrating 9,000 URLs for SEO: the line item not to underestimate
A garden equipment store lives on organic search for queries like self-propelled petrol lawnmower or cordless hedge trimmer. A botched migration can lose 20 to 40 % of organic traffic for 3 to 6 months.
| SEO task | Volume | 2026 cost excl. VAT (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Full crawl and export of current URLs | 9,000 URLs | EUR 1,500 to 2,500 |
| 301 redirect plan (products, categories, CMS) | 9,000 rows | EUR 3,500 to 6,500 |
| Title, meta, headings and structured data | 2,500 products, 300 categories | EUR 3,000 to 5,000 |
| Reviews and image migration | 15,000 reviews, 12,000 images | EUR 2,000 to 4,000 |
| SEO QA on staging | Redirect and indexing tests | EUR 1,500 to 2,500 |
| 3-month post-launch monitoring | Search Console, fixes | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 |
| Total SEO migration | EUR 13,000 to 23,500 |
A serious agency includes this in the migration ranges above. Insist on a signed-off redirect plan before cutover and launch off-season, ideally between October and January for gardening.
Mini case study
Aoife, head of e-commerce at a garden equipment retailer in Dublin, pays EUR 18,000 a year in corrective maintenance plus about EUR 9,000 a year in extension licences. Her audit shows that 24 of the 70 extensions can be removed.
She compares three scenarios over 3 years. Upgrade: EUR 50,000 + 3 x EUR 20,000 support = EUR 110,000. Shopify Plus migration: EUR 65,000 + 3 x (EUR 24,000 subscription + EUR 5,000 apps) = EUR 152,000, with less custom development. Sylius: EUR 95,000 + 3 x EUR 17,000 = EUR 146,000, with native B2B features for her 400 trade resellers. Because resellers make up 30 % of online turnover, or EUR 1.2 million, Aoife picks Sylius: a conversion gain of just 5 % on that B2B channel is worth EUR 60,000 of extra turnover a year.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
FAQ
How much does a Magento replatforming cost for an SME in 2026?
In Dublin, expect EUR 40,000 to 60,000 excl. VAT for an upgrade, EUR 45,000 to 80,000 for Shopify, and EUR 80,000 to 120,000 for Sylius or custom. SEO migration accounts for EUR 13,000 to 23,500 of that.
How long does the project take?
4 to 6 months for a full migration with 9,000 URLs and a connected ERP. A plain upgrade can fit in 2 to 4 months if extensions are compatible.
Will we lose SEO traffic?
A 5 to 10 % dip for a few weeks is common even with a good redirect plan. Without a complete 301 plan, losses can reach 20 to 40 % for several months.
Is Shopify suitable for B2B?
Shopify Plus offers B2B features (customer catalogues, payment terms), but complex pricing rules have limits. Beyond 300 to 500 resellers with specific price lists, Sylius or custom is often a better fit.
Can we keep Magento for another year?
Yes as a short transition, provided you apply the latest available patches and budget EUR 15,000 or more for maintenance. Beyond that, security risk and technical debt cost more than migrating.
Let's scope your project. Send us your Magento extension list, URL count and ERP: we will price an upgrade or migration between EUR 40,000 and 120,000 with SEO migration included, over 4 to 6 months. 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.
