Joomla Support UK

Where Joomla sites are in 2026

Joomla is a mature open source CMS with a loyal following, especially for membership, directory and multilingual sites. The version you are on matters a lot:

If your site is on Joomla 3 or 4, any newly discovered vulnerability will stay open. That is the single biggest reason Joomla sites get hacked.

Upgrading Joomla without losing the site

Joomla 3 to 4 was a big jump: a new admin template, Bootstrap 5, a rewritten codebase and removed legacy features. Many Joomla 3 extensions and templates were never updated. Moving from 4 to 5 and 5 to 6 is smoother, but each major version removes deprecated code, so old extensions still break.

Our upgrade process:

1. Full backup, typically with Akeeba Backup, and a restore test on a staging copy.
2. Run Joomla's Pre-Update Check to list incompatible extensions and PHP requirements.
3. For each extension: update, replace with an alternative, or remove if no longer needed.
4. Rebuild or update the template and any template overrides in /templates/your-template/html.
5. Upgrade the staging site, test forms, menus, logins and SEF URLs, then repeat on live.

A Joomla 3 site may need an upgrade or a rebuild, depending on how many extensions are dead. We quote major upgrades after the audit. Sometimes moving to WordPress is the better long-term choice, and we will tell you honestly if so. See website migration support.

Common Joomla errors we fix

• 500 errors and class not found: often a plugin that was not compatible with the new version, or a corrupted update. We use the error log and disable the plugin in the database if the admin is unreachable.
• Admin login loop: session handler, cookie domain or caching problems, sometimes a security extension blocking your IP.
• Broken SEF URLs: rewrite rules in .htaccess not enabled after a move, or the htaccess.txt never renamed.
• Database schema mismatches: fixed from System > Database once we know it is safe.
• PHP version problems: Joomla 5 and 6 require PHP 8, so a host PHP change can break an older site overnight. See PHP version upgrade.

Security for Joomla sites

We keep Joomla core and extensions patched, check the Joomla Vulnerable Extensions List, remove unused extensions, enforce strong Super User passwords and two-factor authentication, and set correct file permissions. Admin Tools or similar can add a web application firewall layer.

If your site has already been compromised, see hacked website repair and malware removal.

Extensions that cause the most trouble

On Joomla sites we take over, the same groups of extensions cause most upgrade and security work:

• Page builders and template frameworks: older versions of frameworks such as Gantry, T3 or Helix, and builders that never gained Joomla 4 or 5 support, can leave a site with no working template after an upgrade.
• Form and content construction kits: large extensions that store data in their own tables need their own upgrade path, and their data must survive the move.
• Ecommerce: VirtueMart and HikaShop versions are tied closely to particular Joomla versions, so the shop decides when the CMS can be upgraded.
• Abandoned extensions: anything from a developer who has stopped trading. These are the most common entry point for attackers.

Our audit lists every extension with its version, whether it is still maintained and what it would take to replace, so the upgrade quote is based on facts.

Joomla support prices

Essential, £25 a month + VAT: core and extension updates applied and checked, daily backups, uptime and security monitoring. Business, £50 a month + VAT: adds an hour of fixes or changes each month and priority support. Complete, £99 a month + VAT: three hours a month plus IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk.

One-off Joomla fixes are £45 an hour + VAT, 30-minute minimum. Major version upgrades are quoted after an audit. Compare options on our pricing page, or read about website maintenance.

What it costs

Support plans from £25 a month + VAT, or £45 an hour + VAT for one-off fixes. Pick a plan if you want it looked after every month, or pay by the hour for a one-off job.

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