Our Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration service transfers all critical store data using a structured migration process built around Adobe's Data Migration Tool and custom validation layers. Every entity is mapped, cleaned, and validated against Magento 2 's data model before your new store goes live.
Product names, SKUs, descriptions, prices, images, inventory levels, configurable and simple product structures, custom attributes, and product SEO data migrated and remapped to Magento 2's product and attribute model.
Customer accounts, email addresses, phone numbers, billing and shipping addresses, customer group assignments, and account history fully migrated with data integrity preserved across Magento 2 's customer model.
Cart price rules, discount codes, coupon usage limits, expiry dates, conditions, and customer segment targeting migrated and recreated within Magento 2's promotions framework.
Complete order history including statuses, line items, tax calculations, shipping carrier details, and billing records transferred and validated against the Magento 1 source post-migration.
Product reviews including ratings, review content, reviewer names, and publication status migrated to Magento 2's native review and rating system.
Brand and supplier attribute data migrated within Magento 2's product attribute structure, maintaining catalogue organisation and enabling layered navigation filtering.
All Magento 1 custom product and customer attributes remapped to the correct Magento 2 EAV structure with no custom data lost during migration.
Product pricing, special prices, tier pricing rules, and tax class assignments migrated accurately. Magento 2 tax zone and rate configuration is reviewed and updated as part of the migration.
All Magento 1 CMS pages, static blocks, and content with widgets migrated and rebuilt within Magento 2's content management system.
Meta titles, meta descriptions, URL rewrites, canonical tags, full URL structure mapping, and 301 redirects for every changed URL protecting your organic rankings throughout the migration.
Blog posts, categories, and associated SEO metadata migrated using a compatible Magento 2 blog extension with URL mapping applied to preserve existing content authority.
After delivering Magento 1 to Magento 2 migrations for clients across multiple industries, we follow a proven process that protects your traffic, revenue, and customer data from project start through to 30 days post-launch.
Magento 1 to Magento 2 is not a simple upgrade, it's closer to a rebuild. We audit your existing Magento 1 store in full: custom code, third-party extensions, theme customisations, database structure, and integration dependencies. Every migration risk is documented before scope is agreed.
Your Magento 1 store stays live throughout the migration. All Magento 2 build and data migration work happens on a separate staging environment, fully tested and validated before your domain switches over. Your customers see no disruption.
Magento 1 extensions are not compatible with Magento 2. Every extension needs to be assessed, some have official Magento 2 versions, some have been superseded by better alternatives, some need to be rebuilt as custom modules. We audit the full extension stack at project start and agree the replacement strategy before scope is confirmed.
Custom code written for Magento 1 cannot be copied to Magento 2 . Magento 2's architecture dependency injection, service contracts, UI components are fundamentally different from M1. Custom modules, checkout modifications, and business logic need to be rewritten to Magento 2 standards. We include this in every migration scope from the start.
Magento 1 and Magento 2 generate URLs differently. Product URLs, category paths, and CMS page slugs all need to be mapped and redirected to preserve the SEO value your store has built. We crawl the full Magento 1 site before migration, map every URL, and validate all redirects in staging before go-live.
Traffic, rankings, checkout performance, and integration sync are monitored after go-live. Any issue that surfaces post-launch is resolved as part of the project not raised as a separate engagement.
Magento 1 to Magento 2 is the most technically complex migration in the Magento ecosystem. It is not a version upgrade, it is a platform rebuild on a fundamentally different architecture. This guide covers why the migration is now a security necessity, what the real technical challenges involve, what Magento 2 unlocks, and what the risks of staying on Magento 1 actually mean for your business.
Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration is a strategic move that requires careful planning and execution. This guide provides in-depth insights to ensure a smooth, secure, and SEO-safe transition.
Magento 1 reached official end-of-life on 30 June 2020. Adobe stopped issuing security patches, quality fixes, and official support for all Magento 1 versions from that date. Any store still running on Magento 1 in 2026 has been operating without official security patches for six years.
This is the primary reason to migrate not feature envy, not platform preference, but the concrete security risk of running ecommerce on unsupported software. Payment card industry compliance requirements (PCI-DSS) require that ecommerce platforms receive regular security updates. Without them, maintaining PCI compliance becomes increasingly difficult, and the liability exposure in the event of a breach increases significantly. Several major payment gateway providers have already restricted or removed their support for Magento 1 integrations.
Beyond the security argument, Magento 2 represents a genuine architectural advancement over M1. It was not a minor update Magento 2 was rebuilt from scratch on a modern PHP framework with dependency injection, service contracts, a modular architecture, and a completely redesigned frontend stack. The performance improvements are measurable: Magento 2 can process significantly more orders per hour on the same hardware, page load times are faster, and the mobile-responsive frontend is built in by default rather than requiring additional configuration.
The admin interface is substantially improved, more intuitive, better organised, and designed to reduce the developer dependency that characterises routine operations on M1. The extension marketplace has shifted almost entirely to Magento 2 , with far fewer developers maintaining or releasing new Magento 1 extensions.
For businesses that have been delaying the migration because of cost or complexity concerns, the calculation in 2026 is straightforward: the ongoing cost and risk of operating on unsupported Magento 1 custom security patches, growing compliance exposure, shrinking extension support, and increasing technical debt now exceeds the cost of the migration itself for most stores.
OurMagento development team has delivered Magento 1 to Magento 2 migrations across stores of varying size and complexity, including sites with extensive custom development and complex ERP integrations. We understand both platforms at an architectural level, which is what makes the difference between a migration that works and one that doesn't.
Magento 1 to Magento 2 is the most technically demanding migration in ecommerce. Understanding the challenges upfront is what separates a well-planned project from an expensive one.
Architecture incompatibility: this is not a version upgrade.
Magento 2 was rebuilt on a completely different technical foundation. It uses PHP's dependency injection pattern, service contracts for inter-module communication, a new database schema, and a completely redesigned frontend stack. None of M1's custom code runs on Magento 2 without modification. This is the central challenge: there is no shortcut, no automated tool that handles custom code migration. It requires developer expertise in both platforms.
Extension migration.
Magento 1 extensions are not compatible with Magento 2. Every extension in your Magento 1 stack needs to be assessed individually. Some have official Magento 2 versions from the same developer. Some have been superseded by better Magento 2 alternatives. Some particularly custom or highly bespoke extensions need to be rebuilt from scratch as Magento 2 modules. For stores with large extension stacks, this audit and replacement process is often the most time-consuming and commercially significant part of the project.
Theme and frontend rebuild.
Magento 1 themes do not work on Magento 2 . The frontend architecture is completely different. Magento 2 uses the Luma theme as its base (or Hyvä as a performance-optimised alternative), with a component-based UI system. Your storefront needs to be redesigned and rebuilt for Magento 2 . This is also the right moment to evaluate whether a standard Magento 2 theme or Hyvä theme development is the right choice. Hyvä delivers substantially better Core Web Vitals performance than Luma.
Custom business logic and checkout modifications.
Any custom checkout steps, custom order workflows, bespoke pricing logic, or custom integrations built for Magento 1 need to be rewritten to Magento 2 's service contract and plugin architecture. This requires deep Magento 2 expertise developers who understand how the new architecture works, not just how to replicate Magento 1 functionality.
Data migration complexity.
Adobe provides a Data Migration Tool for Magento 1 to Magento 2 , but it handles standard data entities products, customers, orders, categories. Custom attributes, complex EAV structures, and data from third-party extensions often require custom migration scripts. Data quality issues in Magento 1 duplicate records, inconsistent attribute values, legacy orphaned records need to be resolved during migration rather than carried forward.
SEO risk.
Magento 1 and Magento 2 generate URLs differently. Default Magento 2 URL structures differ from M1's, meaning without deliberate URL mapping and redirect implementation, organic rankings built over years can be lost in the migration. We treat this as a non-negotiable part of every Magento 1 to Magento 2 project.
For Magento 1 stores that make the migration properly, the benefits of Magento 2 are substantial and commercially significant.
Security and compliance from a supported platform.
Magento 2 receives regular security patches from Adobe. Your store operates on a platform where vulnerabilities are actively patched, PCI-DSS compliance is maintainable, and the security posture is managed at the platform level rather than through expensive custom patches.
Measurably better performance.
Magento 2 processes more orders per hour on equivalent hardware, delivers faster page load times through built-in full-page caching, and supports Elasticsearch for faster and more relevant product search. For stores with high traffic or large catalogues, the performance improvement is directly measurable in conversion rates and customer experience metrics.
Mobile-first by default.
Magento 2 's responsive frontend design was built for mobile from the ground up. Magento 1 required additional configuration or theme work to deliver acceptable mobile performance. In an environment where mobile accounts for the majority of ecommerce traffic, this matters commercially.
Improved admin and operational efficiency.
Magento 2 's admin interface is significantly more intuitive than M1's. Routine operations product management, order processing, content updates are faster and require less developer involvement. Teams become less dependent on technical resources for day-to-day store management.
Modern architecture for complex integrations.
Magento 2 's REST and GraphQL APIs, service contract architecture, and modular design make it substantially easier to build reliable integrations with ERP systems, CRMs, PIMs, and third-party services than M1's older integration model.
A path to Hyvä and headless.
Magento 2 opens the door to performance-optimised frontends like Hyvä, which delivers Core Web Vitals scores that standard Luma themes cannot match, and to headless or PWA architectures for stores with advanced frontend requirements. Neither of these options is available on M1.
Continued Adobe development and ecosystem growth.
Adobe actively develops Magento 2 (Adobe Commerce). The extension marketplace, community support, and developer ecosystem are focused on Magento 2 . The same resources are not available for M1, and that gap will only widen.
For businesses that have been delaying the Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration, it's worth being direct about what staying on Magento 1 in 2026 actually means.
No security patches since June 2020.
Adobe ceased issuing all security fixes for Magento 1 six years ago. Every security vulnerability discovered since then in M1's core code, in PHP versions Magento 1 depends on, in the extensions installed on Magento 1 stores has no official patch. The only options for security-conscious Magento 1 operators are expensive custom patches from third-party vendors, or accepting the exposure. Hackers actively target known vulnerabilities in unsupported software, and Magento 1 stores are visible targets.
PCI-DSS compliance is increasingly difficult to maintain.
Payment card industry standards require that software platforms receive regular security updates. Operating on a platform that hasn't received official security patches in six years makes demonstrating PCI compliance harder with each passing year. Payment gateway providers have been progressively reducing their Magento 1 support, and some have removed Magento 1 integrations entirely.
Extension support has largely ended.
Third-party Magento 1 extension developers have almost universally moved to Magento 2 -only development. Finding new extensions for Magento 1 is difficult. Getting bug fixes or security updates for existing Magento 1 extensions is increasingly rare. Each installed extension that is no longer maintained represents an additional, unmanaged security surface.
PHP version dependency creates compound risk.
Magento 1 was built for older PHP versions. Keeping Magento 1 running on PHP versions that receive security updates requires patches that can themselves introduce instability. Running Magento 1 on unsupported PHP versions means the underlying language runtime is also exposed.
The cost of staying on Magento 1 is rising, not falling.
Custom security patching, workarounds for payment gateway deprecations, increasingly rare developer expertise, and the compounding risk of a security incident that requires emergency response the true cost of operating Magento 1 in 2026 is higher than the cost of migrating was two years ago. Every year of delay increases both the cost and the risk.
The question for Magento 1 businesses is no longer whether to migrate, it's how to do it efficiently and without disrupting trading. Get in touch for a free migration consultation and a project scoping call with our Magento team.
Every Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration follows the same structured approach thorough audit first, phased build second, go-live only when everything is validated, tested, and confirmed stable.
Kiwi Commerce's founder holds Magento Master status awarded to fewer than 60 developers globally and our team holds Adobe Commerce certifications, the highest technical standard in the Magento ecosystem. Magento 1 to Magento 2 is one of the most technically demanding migrations in ecommerce. We've delivered it across stores of varying complexity, including large catalogues with extensive custom development, complex B2B setups, and multi-store architectures. We understand both platforms architecturally which is what makes the difference.
Every Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration starts with a full technical audit, follows a fixed scope and timeline, executes in staging while your Magento 1 store stays live, and includes 30 days of post-launch monitoring as standard. We don't use automated migration tools as a substitute for expertise. The data migration, extension rebuilds, and custom code rewrites are all handled by our certified Magento team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration is the process of transferring your ecommerce store, including products, customers, orders, extensions, and SEO data, from Magento 1 to Magento 2. Businesses choose to migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2 to improve security, performance, scalability, and long-term platform support.
Magento 1 is no longer officially supported, which means it no longer receives security updates or platform improvements. Migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2 gives businesses access to better performance, enhanced security, improved checkout functionality, and modern ecommerce capabilities.
Magento 1 to Magento 2 data migration can include products, categories, customers, order history, CMS pages, SEO metadata, images, reviews, and custom attributes. A professional Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration service ensures data is transferred accurately and securely.
Yes, Magento 1 to Magento 2 product migration can preserve product descriptions, images, variants, inventory levels, customer data, and SEO settings when handled through a structured migration process.
SEO rankings can be maintained during Magento 1 migration to Magento 2 by implementing proper 301 redirects, preserving metadata, and carefully managing URL structures. A planned migration approach helps reduce the risk of traffic loss.
Common challenges in Magento to Magento 2 migration include extension compatibility, theme redevelopment, custom functionality rebuilding, data mapping issues, and SEO preservation. Experienced migration specialists help minimise these risks.
A professional Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration service ensures secure data transfer, minimal downtime, accurate migration, and proper handling of SEO and integrations. It also helps businesses avoid technical issues that can affect store performance.
The timeline depends on the size of the store, the complexity of the custom functionality, and the amount of data involved. Smaller projects may take a few weeks, while larger Magento 1 migration to Magento 2 projects can take significantly longer.
Switching from Magento 1 to Magento 2 provides faster performance, improved scalability, stronger security, better mobile experience, advanced checkout features, and access to ongoing Magento support and updates.
Yes, Magento 2 is designed to support modern ecommerce requirements with improved performance, scalability, and flexibility. Growing online stores often migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2 to handle increased traffic, larger product catalogues, and more advanced customer experiences.
Yes, most custom Magento 1 functionality can be rebuilt or improved in Magento 2 through custom development and compatible extensions. This ensures your store continues to meet your operational requirements after migration.
After completing the Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration, businesses should test checkout functionality, monitor SEO performance, optimise site speed, review redirects, and confirm all integrations are functioning correctly.
The cost of Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration services depends on the complexity of the store, design requirements, third-party integrations, and the amount of data being migrated.
Magento 1 to Magento 2 product migration typically includes product names, descriptions, categories, images, pricing, stock levels, variants, SEO metadata, and related product information.
For businesses still running Magento 1, migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2 is essential for maintaining security, improving performance, and supporting long-term ecommerce growth.
KIWI Commerce redeveloped my entire website, exactly to my requirements. They worked exactly along with my timeframe and were fantastic to work with. I would highly recommend this company. Thank you Sam and the team!
Great response to tickets. We feel our website is in safe hands with Kiwi. Any issues are fixed very quickly. Great value for money. We have been working with Kiwi for a couple of years now and find them very helpful and easy to get along with. Would highly recommend.
Working with Kiwi Commerce has been a very smooth experience. Their team is responsive, knowledgeable, and always willing to go the extra mile. From development to ongoing support, everything is handled efficiently and with great attention to detail. Highly recommended.
We’ve been working with Kiwi Commerce for ongoing website improvements and support, and the experience has been consistently positive. They are proactive, easy to work with, and quick to respond whenever we need assistance. Great team and great service.
We’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re planning a new e-commerce launch, redesigning an existing store, or looking for ongoing support and growth strategies, our team is here to help.
From custom Magento 2 builds and B2B implementations to Adobe Commerce Enterprise projects and complex multi-store setups our certified team delivers Magento at every scale.
Post-migration Hyvä theme development delivers Core Web Vitals scores that standard Luma themes cannot match faster storefronts, better mobile experience, and improved conversion performance.
We don't disappear after launch. Our certified team provides continuous Magento 2 support, performance optimisation, extension development, and strategic development as your business grows on the new platform.
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