Stuck on Sitecore XP? Here are three options
Mainstream support ended, Extended Support now costs extra, and even that has an expiry date. Upgrade to 10.4, rebuild on SitecoreAI, or migrate to Sanity. This hub gives you honest cost ranges and a calculator for all three.
The clock actually ran out
If you are reading this, something on a renewal quote or a security bulletin got your attention. Here is the plain version. Since June 1, 2026, Sitecore Extended Support no longer includes security updates or production incident support unless you buy a separate paid arrangement. XP 10.0 and 10.1 reach the end of Extended Support on December 31, 2026, after which security patches are unavailable at any price. Only 10.4 remains in mainstream support, and that window closes at the end of 2027.
In other words: staying exactly where you are means paying more to be less supported, on a platform with a defined sunset. That is the real search moment — not "is XP end of life" but "what do I do about it, and what does each option cost." You have three honest paths. Every one of them has a real price tag, and none of them is free. Let's walk them.
Three honest paths off Sitecore XP
Answer a couple of quick questions to see which route fits your situation — then compare all three branches with real cost ranges, timelines, and the honest trade-off for each.
Find your path
How much does your site rely on Sitecore-specific engines — xDB personalization, Marketing Automation, EXM, or commerce?
Be honest about what you actually run in production, not what you license.
Upgrade to Sitecore 10.4
Stay on Sitecore and get back into mainstream support.
- One-time
- $75k–$250k
- Ongoing
- Current license + infra
- Timeline
- 8–16 weeks
Best for
- Heavy xDB / personalization
- EXM & Marketing Automation
- Deep custom code
- No appetite to replatform
Rebuild on SitecoreAI
Move to Sitecore's AI-native, cloud platform.
- One-time
- $150k–$500k+
- Ongoing
- SaaS subscription (no infra)
- Timeline
- 4–9 months
Best for
- Committed to the Sitecore roadmap
- Want agentic authoring & AI personalization
- Composable / headless ready
- Enterprise governance needs
Migrate to Sanity
Replatform a content-driven site and cut run cost to near zero.
- One-time
- $40k–$150k
- Ongoing
- Near $0 — often free
- Timeline
- Days to a few weeks
Best for
- Content-driven site (pages, articles, listings)
- Tired of license + infra bills
- Want fast, static, edge-served pages
- Editors want modern authoring
What will each path actually cost you?
Adjust what you spend on Sitecore XP today — licensing, hosting, and maintenance. We model the one-time investment, ongoing run cost, and three-year total for each path so you can see the trade-offs side by side.
Your current annual Sitecore XP spend
Adjust each line to match your reality. The total is what every path is measured against.
Annual Sitecore license or subscription fees.
VMs, SQL Server, Solr, CDN, and environments.
Patching, upgrades, dev retainer, and (now) Extended Support fees.
3-year total cost, side by side
Bars show the range (low to high) for each path. Shorter is cheaper.
Upgrade to 10.4
Stay on Sitecore, back in mainstream support.
- One-time investment
- $75k–$250k
- Ongoing / year
- $225k–$263k
- 3-year total
- $750k–$1.0M
Mainstream support for 10.4 ends Dec 2027 — budget for another move after that.
Upgrade servicesRebuild on SitecoreAI
Sitecore's AI-native cloud platform.
- One-time investment
- $150k–$500k
- Ongoing / year
- $175k–$275k
- 3-year total
- $675k–$1.3M
A full rebuild. SaaS subscription replaces your infra, but licensing continues.
Explore SitecoreAIMigrate to Sanity
Replatform a content-driven site; run cost near zero.
- One-time investment
- $40k–$150k
- Ongoing / year
- $0–$37k
- 3-year total
- $40k–$260k
Assumes a content-driven site. Heavy personalization or commerce adds scope.
Explore Sanity migrationEstimates are directional and based on typical content-driven Sitecore XP implementations. Your actual numbers depend on scope, personalization, and integrations. Book a scoping call for a firm figure.
How to read these numbers honestly
Cheapest is not automatically right. If your business genuinely runs on xDB personalization, Marketing Automation, EXM, or commerce, an upgrade or a SitecoreAI rebuild keeps capabilities that a content-first replatform would not replace. That is a real reason to keep spending, and we will say so.
But most Sitecore XP sites are, underneath, content sites: pages, articles, listings, search, and forms running on a very expensive engine. If that is you, migrating to Sanity typically pays for itself inside the first year and then costs almost nothing to run. The calculator above is deliberately conservative — it compares against your current spend, not the higher Extended Support pricing you are now facing, so the real savings are usually larger.
Straight answers
Is Sitecore XP really end of life?
Effectively yes for older versions. Since June 1, 2026, Extended Support no longer bundles security updates or production incident support without a separate paid arrangement. XP 10.0 and 10.1 lose Extended Support entirely on December 31, 2026. Only 10.4 stays in mainstream support, and that ends at the close of 2027. Doing nothing means running unsupported, unpatched software.
Which option is cheapest?
Over three years, migrating a content-driven site to Sanity is almost always the lowest total cost, because ongoing licensing and hosting drop to near zero. An upgrade to 10.4 is the smallest upfront project but keeps your existing license and infrastructure bills. SitecoreAI is the largest investment but delivers the newest platform. Use the calculator above with your real numbers.
Do I lose personalization if I leave Sitecore?
It depends on how much you actually use. Many XP sites license heavy personalization and marketing automation but run very little of it in production. If that describes you, a content-first migration loses little of real value. If personalization genuinely drives your business, upgrading or moving to SitecoreAI keeps it — and we will tell you honestly which side of that line you are on.
How fast can we actually move?
An upgrade to 10.4 typically runs 8 to 16 weeks. A SitecoreAI rebuild is a larger project, usually 4 to 9 months. A content-driven Sanity migration is measured in days to a few weeks, because a typical XP site runs on far fewer components than anyone remembers. One scoping conversation is enough to give you a firm timeline.
Not sure which path is yours?
Tell us about your Sitecore XP site and we will give you an honest recommendation and a firm number — upgrade, SitecoreAI, or Sanity.