Upgrade Your OJS, Tested on Staging Before It Goes Live
Moving servers, upgrading versions, or leaving OJS 2.x behind — we do it all on a staging copy first, never directly on the journal your editors are using. Pricing is set by an assessment, not a guess.
When to Migrate or Upgrade
You’re still on OJS 2.x or 3.0–3.2, versions PKP no longer updates.
Your hosting is expiring or slow, and the journal needs to move to a new server or your institution’s own.
PHP on the server was upgraded, and now your old OJS throws errors or won’t load.
A plugin you need requires a newer OJS version.
A do-it-yourself upgrade stopped halfway, and the journal is now broken.
Old Version, Old Holes
A version that no longer gets updates means its security holes stay open — a common way in for gambling spam injections. Read about Malware Cleanup.
Priced per Journal, by Tier
The tier is set by a free assessment, and we send a written quote before any work starts.
| Tier | Scope | Price / journal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Server Move | Same version, new host or server. Free when moving to Jurnal Space hosting. | US$120 |
| 2 · Minor Upgrade | Patches within a series, e.g. 3.3.0-x to the latest 3.3.0. Tier 1 + 2 bundle: US$200. | US$120 |
| 3 · Major Upgrade | Across series, e.g. 3.3 to 3.4/3.5, including plugin & theme compatibility checks. | US$350 |
| 4 · Legacy / Recovery | OJS 2.x to 3.x (step by step), or a broken/erroring system. | from US$550 |
- ✓ Assessment
- ✓ Full backup before we start
- ✓ Staging tests
- ✓ Verification checklist
- ✓ Rollback plan
- ✓ 30-day fix warranty
- + US$60 per extra journal (Tier 1–2)
- + US$120 per extra journal (Tier 3–4)
- + US$30 per 10 GB above 5 GB of data
- Adapting a legacy theme: quoted separately
- Hosting panel/SSH access, or
- Database dump +
files/&public/folders
Check, Back Up, Execute
Every migration and upgrade follows the same four steps, so your live journal is never the test environment.
Assessment
We review your OJS and PHP versions, plugins, theme, and data size. That sets the work tier and the final price.
Written quote before we start
Backup & Staging
Full backup of the database, files/, and public/ folders. The work is tested on a staging copy first, never on your live journal.
Rollback plan prepared
Execute & Verify
The work runs on the target server, then is checked against a list: articles, galleys, user accounts, and review history.
Verification checklist delivered
Handover & Warranty
Your journal is ready for the editorial team. For 30 days, any error caused by our work is fixed free of charge.
30-day fix warranty
Notes by Type of Work
OJS 2.x to 3.x
Done in stages (via 2.4.8). 2.x themes can’t be carried over to 3.x, so the journal uses the default theme or a new one.
Themes & Plugins
Compatibility is checked during the assessment. Adapting a legacy theme is quoted separately, and paid third-party plugins are not included.
Old Article URLs
For 2.x to 3.x migrations (Tier 4), old URLs are redirected to the new ones so links and citations already in circulation keep working.
Questions About Migration & Upgrades
Does the journal have to go offline during the upgrade?
We’re still on OJS 2.x. Can we go straight to 3.x?
What about the theme and plugins we have now?
What if the upgrade fails?
Tell Us Your OJS Version & Server
Let us know your OJS version and where the journal should move. We’ll check and send a written quote by tier — free of charge.