Understanding the True Cost of Ownership for Magento: Why Regular Updates Are Essential.
At Envisage Digital, we often hear from new and existing clients who want to understand the true cost of owning a Magento or Adobe Commerce store. It’s a fair question - Magento is an incredibly powerful eCommerce platform… but maintaining that power requires ongoing attention, which costs money.
One of the most important and often overlooked parts of Magento ownership is regular updates. These updates are the backbone of a secure, stable and high-performing site. While they do require a small annual investment, they are what keeps your store safe, fast and future-proof.
How Often Should Magento Be Updated?
From our experience managing and supporting dozens of Magento stores, we’ve found that most merchants need around five major updates per year. On average, each update takes around five hours to implement, test, and deploy. This means that you can expect roughly 25 hours of work per year dedicated just to keep your site up to date.
The time required can vary depending on:
1. The number and complexity of installed extensions
2. The level of customisation in your build
3. Integrations with CRMs, ERPs or third-party tools
4. Whether you’re using a modern Hyvä theme
or an older Luma-based theme
In addition to those scheduled updates, urgent patches released by Adobe can require extra time throughout the year.
Why Magento Updates Are So Important
Adobe releases several updates and patches for Magento every year. The official Adobe Commerce release schedule
outlines when these versions are expected, and they’re not just about adding new features - they are critical for:
Security: Protecting against vulnerabilities that could expose your store or customers.
Performance: Keeping your site fast and efficient as web standards evolve.
Compatibility: Ensuring your third-party extensions and integrations continue to work smoothly.
Compliance: Staying aligned with new requirements for payments, data, and accessibility.
Adobe also issues urgent security patches throughout the year to address critical issues such as the recent Cosmic Sting vulnerability, which was resolved via Magento security updates. These patches need to be implemented quickly to prevent exposure to risk.
The Reality Behind Zero-Hour Support Contracts
Sometimes clients ask whether they can operate on a zero hour or very minimal support contract - aka paying only when something breaks. While that might sound cost-effective in theory, the reality is that Magento cannot be left alone for long periods to just run.
Without regular updates and maintenance, stores can quickly develop:
- Security vulnerabilities which can leave data exposed
- Extension conflicts when new versions aren’t properly integrated
- Performance decreases from outdated code
- Unexpected downtime or errors that can disrupt sales
For that reason, we recommend a minimum of 25 support hours per year purely for Magento updates and patches. This proactive approach is the most cost-efficient way to maintain a healthy, secure website, and is far cheaper than emergency fixes or rebuilds later on.
What’s Included in Magento Update Support
Our Magento support and maintenance
plans are designed to make updates seamless and stress-free. A typical update cycle includes:
- Creating and testing on a staging environment
- Reviewing your site’s code and extensions for conflicts
- Applying and testing Adobe’s core update or patch
- Running quality assurance across key browsers and devices
-Deploying safely to your live environment with minimal downtime
We also continuously monitor Adobe’s security bulletins so that your site stays compliant and protected.
The Importance of Ongoing Maintenance
Magento isn’t a “set and forget” platform; that’s exactly what makes it so powerful. Its flexibility and scalability mean your store can grow and evolve with your business. But to make the most of that flexibility, regular maintenance is essential.
Consistent updates and support help to:
- Extend the lifespan of your Magento store
- Keep performance high and loading times fast
- Prevent costly emergency repairs
- Ensure compatibility with the latest tech and payment standards
By investing a small amount of time each month, you’ll save far more in the long run and maintain a smooth, secure customer experience year-round.
Magento Costs
The cost of ownership for Magento goes beyond hosting and development. It includes the ongoing maintenance that keeps your site secure, stable, and performing at its best.
At Envisage Digital, our expert developers and support team handle Magento and Adobe Commerce updates for brands across the UK and beyond. As an award-winning Hyvä Gold Partner with years of Magento experience, we help merchants stay ahead of security risks and performance issues before they happen.
If you’d like to understand what level of Magento support your business needs, explore our Magento Support & Maintenance packages or get in touch
for a tailored recommendation.
Author Becky Coombes has been a Senior Account Manager at Envisage Digital for over ten years and is an industry-leading expert in Magento and Hyvä .
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