6 cost factors when upgrading from Drupal 7

What influences your Drupal 7 upgrade costs?

So you’re thinking about upgrading from Drupal 7? Given Drupal 7 End-of-Life is fast-approaching, it’s definitely a good idea!

In this insight, we take a look at 6 factors that will impact your costs when making the leap to a newer Drupal version. These factors are:

1. Size and complexity of the site
2. Level of customisation
3. Required team resourcing
4. Complexity of the upgrade process
5. Availability of technical resources
6. Market rates

Cost factor 1 — size and complexity of the site

The larger and more complex the site, the more work will be required to upgrade it. For example, a site with a large number of pages, custom modules and integrations will be more expensive to upgrade than a smaller, simpler site. You should consider some of the following:

• Number of content types, views and user roles
• Amount of custom functionality and third-party integrations
• Volume of content that needs to be migrated

Cost factor 2 — level of customisation

If your Drupal 7 site has been heavily customised, it may be more expensive to upgrade. You’ll need to review your customisations and then work out how to migrate/rebuild these customisations on your new Drupal 10 website. Custom themes may need to be completely overhauled and custom modules rewritten or replaced with newer modules.

Cost factor 3 — required team resourcing

The cost of upgrading a Drupal 7 site will depend on the team mix and resources required to complete the work. This can include the number of developers needed, as well as the amount of time and effort required. You may also need graphic designers (if you’re visually redesigning your site), frontend developers to develop your new theme, and backend developers. Do you have some or all of the team in-house, are they even available to work on the project, or do you need to bring in external team members (with ramp up times) for the project? Of course, all these resources come with a cost, and it's worth factoring them all into your budget.

Cost factor 4 — complexity of the upgrade process

Upgrading from Drupal 7 is often complex, with the level of complexity varying depending on your Drupal 7 site. The more complex the upgrade is, the longer it will take, and the more expensive it will be. No two upgrades are the same, and the complexity of your upgrade process will influence the cost. Upgrade complexity is dependent on how much content you have, what type of content, what Drupal 7 features and modules you’re using, whether or not there are ways to implement current features easily in Drupal 10, what content and features you’re willing to remove, and many other factors.

Cost factor 5 — availability of technical resources

The availability of developers or agencies with experience in upgrading Drupal 7 sites may also influence the cost. If there’s a high demand for these resources, it could drive up the cost of the upgrade. This may be accentuated because the number of Drupal 7 experts is shrinking as more people shift their focus to Drupal 9 and Drupal 10. And, as we get closer to the EOL date, it’s expected that the demand for Drupal 7 migrations will get higher and higher which will likely make it even harder to get help.

Cost factor 6 — market rates

Finally, the cost of upgrading a Drupal 7 site may also be influenced by market rates for these services in your region. If you're in an area where Drupal skills are in high demand, you may end up paying higher rates for the same resources. Or, if you are able to look beyond your local region, make sure you’re comparing “apples to apples”, so that you’re properly assessing cost differences for a similar level of work.

How to upgrade to Drupal 10 for less money

Using traditional methods, the Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 upgrade pathway is typically complex, time-consuming and costly. However, Salsa has created a unique set of EOL options that can save you serious time and money.

Find out more about your Drupal 7 EOL options