Sitecore XP End of Life and the Kentico 13 Sunset: Migration Costs, Timelines, and What to Do Next

2026 is a decision year for Sitecore XP and Kentico Xperience 13 customers

Organizations running legacy Sitecore XP or Kentico Xperience 13 are facing important support deadlines in 2026.

But there is an important distinction: Sitecore and Kentico are not reaching an identical “end of life” date.

For Sitecore XP, the urgency depends on the version you are running. Sitecore 10.0 and 10.1 reach the end of Extended Support on December 31, 2026. Older XP versions have already reached, or are approaching, the end of their respective support phases.

Kentico Xperience 13 has a clearer deadline. End of Technical Support is December 31, 2026. Kentico describes this as End of Support rather than End of Life. From January 1, 2027, Kentico will no longer provide product updates, security hotfixes, patches, repairs or technical support for Xperience 13.

That makes 2026 a natural point to assess three options:

1. Continue or extend support where possible.
2. Upgrade within the existing platform ecosystem.
3. Use the support deadline as an opportunity to replatform.

The right choice depends on your current version, technical debt, content estate, integrations, customizations, business requirements and future digital experience strategy.

Sitecore XP: why 2026 is an inflection point

Sitecore’s move toward SitecoreAI makes the strategic direction of the platform clearer.

Sitecore announced SitecoreAI in 2025 as its next-generation AI-powered digital experience platform.

For existing XP customers, however, the immediate issue is not simply whether SitecoreAI exists. It is whether continuing to invest in a legacy XP implementation still makes sense compared with upgrading or moving to a SaaS-based architecture.

If you are running a relatively current XP version with significant support runway, an upgrade may remain a sensible option.

If you are running an older version approaching the end of its support lifecycle, or if your implementation has accumulated significant technical debt, the economics become more complicated.

The first step is therefore to identify exactly which XP version you are running and what support phase it is currently in.

Sitecore XP support dates: the 2026 picture

The important date for many organizations is December 31, 2026, when Sitecore 10.0 and 10.1 reach the end of Extended Support.

There is also an important change to Sitecore’s support model in 2026. From June 1, 2026, production incident support and security updates for versions in Extended Support become paid services.

This means organizations should consider not only the technical end date but also the changing cost and risk of remaining on an older XP version.

Kentico Xperience 13: End of Support is December 31, 2026

Kentico uses more precise terminology than simply calling the deadline “EOL.”

Xperience 13 reaches End of Technical Support on December 31, 2026.

That does not mean the software will suddenly stop functioning on January 1, 2027.

Instead, from January 1, 2027, Kentico will no longer provide support and maintenance for Xperience 13, including product updates and security hotfixes.

For customers still running Xperience 13, the strategic question is therefore what comes next.

Kentico positions Xperience by Kentico as the current platform and migration destination.

The migration process can transfer supported data and content, but organizations should not assume that migration tooling automatically converts the entire application. Custom code, integrations, unsupported content and other implementation-specific elements may require manual adaptation.

Sitecore vs. Kentico: the deadlines at a glance

Do not treat these deadlines as equivalent.

Sitecore has version-specific lifecycle stages and support phases. Kentico Xperience 13 has a defined End of Support date.

That distinction matters when assessing risk, budget and migration urgency.

What does a Sitecore or Kentico migration actually cost?

There is no reliable universal “Sitecore migration cost” or “Kentico migration cost.”

The biggest cost drivers are usually the complexity of the existing implementation rather than the CMS name alone.

These include:

• Number of pages, assets and languages
• Content model complexity
• Custom templates and components
• Custom modules and application code
• Integrations with CRM, commerce, DAM, search and analytics platforms
• Personalization and marketing functionality
• Front-end architecture
• E-commerce requirements
• SEO and URL migration
• Data migration and cleansing
• Testing and quality assurance
• Editorial workflows
• Training and change management

Kentico itself states that migration cost varies according to factors including project complexity, commerce scope, customization and team experience.

The same principle applies to Sitecore.

A credible migration estimate therefore requires an assessment of the existing implementation.

The main cost drivers to assess before requesting a quote

Content

How many pages, assets, languages and content types need to be migrated?

Architecture

Is the project primarily a migration, or does the organization also want to modernize the architecture?

Customization

Which custom modules, templates, pipelines, components and application code need to be rebuilt?

Front end

Can the existing front end be retained, or does the target platform require a new implementation?

Integrations

Which CRM, commerce, search, DAM, analytics and third-party systems need to be reconnected?

SEO

How many URLs, redirects, metadata rules and search-critical templates need to be preserved?

Personalization

Which audiences, rules and personalized experiences need to be recreated?

Commerce

Are products, customers, orders, promotions or pricing logic included in the migration?

Testing

What level of functional, accessibility, performance, SEO and user-acceptance testing is required?

Change management

How much training and workflow redesign will editors need?

How long does a migration take?

Avoid treating a single migration duration as a universal benchmark.

Kentico currently states that many clients can go live in as little as 90 days, depending on project scope and the migration approach.

That is useful as an example of what may be possible, but it should not be interpreted as a standard timeline for every Xperience 13 migration.

Sitecore migrations can also vary substantially.

A relatively straightforward implementation may require substantially less work than an enterprise environment with extensive customizations, integrations, personalization and a front-end rebuild.

The most useful way to think about migration timing is therefore by project phase.

A practical migration timeline

1. Discovery

Audit the existing platform, content, code, integrations and infrastructure.

Output: Migration assessment.

2. Strategy

Define the target platform, architecture, scope, priorities and business case.

Output: Migration roadmap.

3. Foundation

Set up environments, content models, development processes and core integrations.

Output: Working target platform.

4. Build and migrate

Rebuild components, adapt custom functionality and migrate content and data.

Output: Feature-complete target platform.

5. QA and UAT

Test functionality, SEO, accessibility, performance and content integrity.

Output: Go-live approval.

6. Cutover

Complete the final content migration, redirects, DNS and production release.

Output: Production launch.

7. Stabilization

Monitor the new platform, resolve issues, train teams and optimize the implementation.

Output: Stable supported operating model.

The key planning variable is not simply the number of pages.

A 500-page website with simple content and few integrations can require less effort than a smaller enterprise estate with extensive custom code and complex integrations.

What should Sitecore XP customers do next?

If you are running Sitecore 10.0 or 10.1, 2026 should be treated as a decision year.

Extended Support ends on December 31, 2026, while the support-model changes introduced during 2026 also change the economics of remaining on an older version.

There are three broad options.

Option 1: Upgrade within Sitecore

Moving toward Sitecore 10.4 can provide additional support runway.

This may make sense if the existing implementation is stable, the organization is satisfied with Sitecore and a larger replatform is not currently justified.

Option 2: Move toward SitecoreAI

SitecoreAI represents the current direction of Sitecore’s platform strategy.

This may be appropriate when an organization wants a SaaS/composable architecture, needs to address technical debt or wants to move toward the capabilities provided by XM Cloud and SitecoreAI.

However, the migration scope needs to be assessed carefully.

For example, existing MVC-based XP implementations may require significant front-end changes when moving to XM Cloud.

Option 3: Replatform elsewhere

A support deadline is also an opportunity to reassess whether Sitecore remains the right platform for the organization.

The decision should consider:

• Total cost of ownership
• Content management requirements
• Editorial experience
• Integrations
• Personalization
• Commerce
• Hosting and infrastructure
• Developer skills
• Architecture
• Future roadmap

The right answer is not automatically “stay with Sitecore.”

What should Kentico Xperience 13 customers do next?

Kentico’s primary migration destination is Xperience by Kentico.

Its migration tooling can help transfer supported data and content, but the migration should not be treated as a simple export-and-import exercise.

Organizations should first audit the existing Xperience 13 implementation and identify:

• Content types and content volumes
• Custom code
• Custom modules
• Integrations
• Commerce requirements
• Editorial workflows
• Front-end implementation
• SEO requirements
• Unsupported or obsolete content

The objective should be to determine what should be migrated, rebuilt, redesigned or retired.

This is particularly important because reproducing every element of a legacy implementation can carry technical debt into the new platform rather than taking advantage of the migration to simplify the architecture.

Should you migrate from Sitecore to Kentico?

This is a fundamentally different decision from upgrading Kentico 13 to Xperience by Kentico.

A Sitecore-to-Kentico migration is a cross-platform replatform, not a standard version upgrade.

Potential reasons to evaluate Xperience by Kentico may include a desire for a different operating model, modern architecture, simplified platform management or a different total cost of ownership.

Kentico supports migration from other platforms, including Sitecore.

However, the right comparison should be based on the organization’s actual requirements rather than simply which platform has the nearer support deadline.

Before selecting a destination platform, compare:

Don’t use a five-week migration as a generic benchmark

One important caveat for anyone researching migration options: a vendor or agency’s shortest migration example should not be treated as a universal project timeline.

A successful five-week project, for example, may represent a tightly scoped implementation with limited customization and content.

It does not establish that an enterprise Sitecore or Kentico migration can normally be completed in five weeks. For the same reason, this article does not publish an unverified generic Sitefinity migration cost.

The goal should be to provide defensible benchmarks rather than attractive but misleading numbers.

Frequently asked questions

When does Sitecore XP reach end of life?

It depends on the version.

For example, Sitecore 10.0 and 10.1 reach the end of Extended Support on December 31, 2026. Other XP versions have different lifecycle dates and support phases.

When does Kentico Xperience 13 reach EOL?

Kentico’s official terminology is End of Support, rather than End of Life.

Xperience 13 reaches End of Technical Support on December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027, Kentico will no longer provide support, maintenance or security hotfixes.

What is replacing Kentico Xperience 13?

Kentico positions Xperience by Kentico as its current platform and migration destination.

How much does a Kentico 13 migration cost?

There is no universal cost.

The price depends on factors such as implementation complexity, customization, commerce requirements, content volume, integrations and the experience of the migration team.

A migration assessment should be completed before establishing a reliable budget.

How long does a Kentico migration take?

Kentico currently says that many customers can go live in as little as 90 days, depending on scope and migration approach.

That should be treated as an example rather than a universal project duration.

Should I upgrade Sitecore XP or move to SitecoreAI?

It depends on your current XP version, technical debt, customizations, architecture, budget and long-term digital experience strategy.

For Sitecore 10.0 and 10.1 customers, the December 31, 2026 Extended Support deadline makes this decision particularly time-sensitive.

Can I migrate from Sitecore to Xperience by Kentico?

Yes. Kentico supports migration from other platforms, including Sitecore. However, a cross-platform migration requires assessment, data/content migration and adaptation or rebuilding of implementation-specific functionality.

The bottom line

The 2026 support deadlines are a trigger to make a platform decision, not a reason to rush into an arbitrary migration timeline.

For Sitecore XP customers, the first priority is to identify the exact XP version and understand the support and cost implications of remaining on that version.

For Kentico Xperience 13 customers, December 31, 2026 is the firm End of Support date, with Xperience by Kentico positioned as the primary migration destination.

For organizations considering a move between Sitecore and Kentico, the decision should go beyond EOL dates.

The strongest business case starts with an audit:

1. Inventory the content estate.
2. Map custom code and integrations.
3. Identify technical debt.
4. Define the target architecture.
5. Estimate migration effort.
6. Compare upgrade and replatforming scenarios.
7. Build the business case around total cost, risk and future requirements.

The deadline tells you when support changes. The audit tells you what to do about it.

Planning a Sitecore or Kentico migration?

If your Sitecore XP or Kentico Xperience 13 environment is approaching a support deadline, start with a migration assessment that maps your current platform, content estate, integrations and customizations to the effort, timeline and risk of each available path.

Book a migration assessment

Last Updated: August 2026