All good things must come to an end. That delicious meal. That fun vacation. It's sad, we know. But anytime something ends, something new begins. When it comes to Magento 1, the good news is your next eCommerce solution awaits: and it will be much, much better.
Magento 1 End Of Life
Magento 1 end of life is happening in June 2020. That means if your business is still on Magento 1, it's time to migrate right now! Whether moving from Magento 1 to Magento 2, or if you're seeking a different platform...Do not wait until the last minute, it is best to move over your assets now so that you have time to test before you deploy in a live environment.
Magento Migration Checklist
This migration stuff takes time and human resources. It also takes a lot of planning and strategy to successfully execute. So IWD Agency is making your job easier by providing a FREE migration checklist eBook to help you make a smooth migration away from Magento 1. In it you'll find great strategies for managing the migration process from beginning to end. Download The Free Migration Checklist eBook
Let IWD Agency Help You Migrate
IWD Agency specializes in helping businesses migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2 or to other eCommerce solutions. We can do the heavy lifting so that you can continue focusing on growing your business. With dedicated project managers and a team of highly experienced engineers, we'll set you up for success on a new eCommerce platform solution. If we can help with your Magento migration, please reach out to us. Our team of Magento eCommerce experts will be happy to help.
Updated for 2026: The Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Is Six Years Overdue
Magento 1 reached official end-of-life on June 30, 2020. That was six years ago. The post you're reading was published before that deadline. If you're reading this in 2026 and still on Magento 1, you're running production ecommerce on a platform with no security patches, no upstream support, and a shrinking developer pool. Below is what migration looks like today, why the delay is risky, and the paths forward.
- Security is the immediate risk. No upstream patches since 2020. Any new CVE on Magento 1 stays unpatched unless you backport it yourself. Brands processing card data on M1 are typically out of PCI compliance.
- Developer pool is shrinking. Active Magento 1 developers have largely moved to Magento 2, Adobe Commerce, or Shopify. Finding qualified maintenance teams is harder every year. Rates for the remaining M1 specialists keep rising.
- Extensions are stale. Most M1 extension vendors stopped shipping updates in 2020 to 2022. Compatibility breaks accumulate as PHP, MySQL, and hosting stacks evolve.
- The migration path is well-known. Data Migration Tool handles catalog, customers, and orders. Theme rebuilds on Magento 2 architecture (Luma) or Hyva. Custom modules need rebuild against M2's service contracts + DI architecture. Typical timeline: 10 to 18 weeks.
- Most M1 stores moving today choose Adobe Commerce. Reason: B2B Edition, native Page Builder, and Adobe Commerce Cloud managed hosting. Magento Open Source M2 is the cheaper destination if B2B isn't needed.
- Shopify Plus is also a valid destination. For brands wanting to leave the Magento ecosystem entirely, Plus is the most common migration target. Timeline: 12 to 20 weeks from M1.
Frequently asked questions
Is Magento 1 still safe to run in 2026?
No. No security patches since June 2020. Brands processing payment data are typically out of PCI compliance. Any new vulnerability discovered in M1 stays unpatched. We don't recommend keeping production stores on M1; the operational and security risk compounds every quarter.
What's the cheapest migration path off Magento 1?
Magento Open Source 2 (free license, self-hosted). Cheaper than Adobe Commerce or Shopify Plus. Best fit for brands with smaller catalogs (under 10K SKUs), no B2B requirements, and a strong DevOps team. Typical migration cost: 75K to 200K.
Should I migrate from M1 to Adobe Commerce or to Shopify Plus?
Depends on B2B needs and unified B2B + DTC requirements. Adobe Commerce if you need deep B2B Edition workflows (shared catalogs, quote-to-order, multi-warehouse). Shopify Plus if you want unified B2B + DTC under one tenant, faster time-to-launch, and the broader Shopify app ecosystem. Both are valid; the choice flows from your operational requirements.
How long does an M1 to M2 or M1 to Shopify Plus migration take?
M1 to Magento Open Source 2 or Adobe Commerce: 10 to 18 weeks. M1 to Shopify Plus: 12 to 20 weeks. Custom module count is the biggest timeline driver. Stores with 10+ heavy custom modules push toward the higher end of the range.
What happens to our existing Magento 1 themes during migration?
Themes don't translate 1:1. M1 theme templates use a different architecture than M2 / Adobe Commerce. We use the migration as an opportunity to rebuild on a modern theme architecture — Hyva (for fastest performance) or Luma-based (for compatibility with custom modules). Brand visual identity transfers; the underlying code is rebuilt.
Can I delay another year?
Each year of delay increases risk (compounding security exposure) and cost (developer rates rising, hosting compatibility breaking, more vulnerabilities to backport). The 2020 EOL was the right deadline. Six years later, the urgency is higher, not lower.
Related reading
Magento migration services · Magento to Shopify migration · Adobe Commerce migration · Magento development services · Cost of upgrading Magento
Still on Magento 1 in 2026? Migration scoping starts with a 1-week audit of your current store. Book a 15-minute scoping call to get the migration roadmap.
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