The verdict in three sentences
A Magento 1 site still in production in 2026 is a security and PCI DSS compliance risk that your acquirer or cyber insurer can hold against you at any time: end of support was June 2020. For a London distributor, migration costs EUR 40,000 to 90,000 excl. VAT (about GBP 34,000 to 77,000) to Sylius or Shopware, EUR 60,000 to 150,000 to Adobe Commerce, plus EUR 5,000 to 12,000 for data migration and SEO redirects. Done properly, it takes 4 to 7 months without lasting traffic loss and often cuts annual maintenance by 30 to 50%.
Target platforms compared in 2026
The choice depends on your B2B features (multi-user company accounts, customer-specific price lists, quotes, quick order by SKU) and your in-house technical team.
| Platform | 2026 migration budget (excl. VAT) | Annual licence | B2B strengths | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento 2 Commerce) | EUR 60,000 to 150,000 | EUR 25,000 to 80,000 by revenue | Full native B2B, ecosystem | 5 to 8 months |
| Magento Open Source 2 | EUR 45,000 to 100,000 | EUR 0 | Close to Magento 1, paid B2B extensions | 4 to 6 months |
| Shopware 6 (Rise or Evolve) | EUR 40,000 to 90,000 | EUR 0 to 30,000 | B2B Suite, European vendor | 4 to 6 months |
| Sylius (open source) | EUR 40,000 to 90,000 | EUR 0 (Plus optional) | Custom-friendly, API-first | 4 to 7 months |
| Shopify Plus B2B | EUR 30,000 to 70,000 | about EUR 27,000 | Fast, less flexible on complex pricing | 3 to 5 months |
| Custom development | EUR 80,000 to 180,000 | EUR 0 | Total freedom | 6 to 10 months |
For a mid-sized distributor (5,000 to 30,000 SKUs, 500 to 3,000 customer accounts), Sylius or Shopware offer the best balance of features and five-year total cost.
The migration budget line by line
Building the new site is only part of the bill. The items below are the ones that overrun most often.
| Item | 2026 range (excl. VAT) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Audit of the existing site and scoping | EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | Extensions, overrides, ERP feeds |
| Data migration (products, customers, orders) | EUR 3,000 to 7,000 | 3 to 5 years of history advised |
| 301 redirect plan and SEO monitoring | EUR 2,000 to 5,000 | Essential to keep traffic |
| ERP and PIM reconnection | EUR 8,000 to 25,000 | Sage 200, SAP B1, NetSuite, Akeneo |
| Theme redesign and B2B UX | EUR 10,000 to 30,000 | Quick order, lists, quotes |
| PCI DSS 4.0 and UK GDPR compliance | EUR 2,000 to 6,000 | Hosted payment, cookies, logging |
| Testing, training and hypercare | EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | 4 to 6 weeks after launch |
Mini case study
Thomas, managing director of a laboratory equipment distributor in London, runs Magento 1 with 12,000 SKUs, 1,800 customer accounts and EUR 2.4 million of online revenue.
- Current cost: maintenance and third-party security patches EUR 28,000 a year, dedicated hosting EUR 7,200 a year.
- Migration to Sylius: EUR 68,000 of project work and EUR 9,000 of data and SEO, i.e. EUR 77,000 excl. VAT.
- Annual cost after migration: maintenance EUR 14,000, cloud hosting EUR 4,800, i.e. EUR 16,400 saved per year.
- Commercial effect: B2B conversion rate up from 2.1% to 2.6% thanks to quick order, i.e. about EUR 480,000 of additional sales and EUR 120,000 of margin at 25%.
The project pays back in under a year, before counting the avoided data breach risk.
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FAQ
Can we keep Magento 1 for another year?
Technically yes, with third-party patches such as OpenMage, but the site generally no longer passes a PCI DSS 4.0 audit. A card data breach can cost EUR 50,000 to 200,000 in fines, investigations and bank charges.
Will we lose SEO traffic?
A temporary drop of 5 to 15% for 4 to 8 weeks is common. With a complete redirect plan and URLs kept where possible, traffic usually recovers within three months.
Should we migrate the full order history?
Three to five years of history is enough for reorders and customer service. Migrating more can add EUR 2,000 to 4,000 excl. VAT without real benefit.
Is Adobe Commerce worth the price?
Above EUR 15 to 20 million of online revenue or with several country sites, yes. Below that, a licence of EUR 25,000 to 80,000 a year weighs heavily against Sylius or Shopware.
What timeline should we plan for?
Four to seven months for Sylius or Shopware, five to eight months for Adobe Commerce. Avoid launching between November and January if your business is seasonal.
Let's scope your project. Send us your list of Magento 1 extensions, your ERP and SKU count, and we will price a migration between EUR 40,000 and 150,000 excl. VAT on a 4 to 8 month schedule. 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.
