Pavol Rašev
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Upgrading PrestaShop 1.7 to 8 and 9

Your store still runs on PrestaShop 1.7, which nobody patches any more, and you don’t know what an upgrade will break. I find out on a copy of the store first, then move the live one in two planned steps: 1.7 to 8.2, then 8.2 to 9.

I want to upgrade PrestaShop

Within two working days you get a plan and a price.

Or start with a free audit →

What the upgrade involves

  • An audit before anything changes.PrestaShop and PHP versions, the theme, every non-native module with its version and author, and every file in override/. Anything that touches payments, shipping, invoices, ERP exports or URLs gets marked first.
  • A staging copy with the real database.On the same PHP version as production. The full upgrade runs there first, and I read the PHP error log, not just the pages: notices nobody saw on PHP 7.4 are errors on PHP 8.
  • Two steps, not one.No PHP version runs both PrestaShop 1.7.8 and 9. So the store goes from 1.7.8 on PHP 7.4 to 8.2, the server moves to PHP 8.1 or newer, and only then from 8.2 to 9. In between, the store sells as usual.
  • Modules, overrides and the theme.Custom modules searched for what the new version removed. Authors of bought modules asked which version supports PrestaShop 8 or 9. Overrides listed, so the right ones are back on after the switch.
  • Testing what earns money.An order with each payment method and each carrier, an order with a discount, the invoice PDF, the customer e-mails, the ERP or accounting export, and a sample of product, category and CMS URLs, which must not change.
  • The switch, and the clean-up after it.The live upgrade at a quiet hour, hook registrations compared with staging, and the Update Assistant backup deleted. It holds your database password and your customers’ data.

Where I have done it

Matrace Lema: screenshot

E-shop, PrestaShop 8

Matrace Lema

PrestaShop 1.7.8 → 8.2.3, including the database migration with the official Update Assistant. Then a lean child of the classic theme in place of the bought one, and mobile PageSpeed from about 40 to over 90. 38 custom modules and ERP sync. Looked after since 2023.

40→90+ mobile PageSpeed after the performance work

Vlnkovo: screenshot

E-shop, PrestaShop 9

Vlnkovo

A store on PrestaShop 9.1. This is where I learned that overrides do nothing on 9 until the class index is cleared, and that a module shipping its own <code>vendor</code> folder can take down the back office.

605 old URLs redirected and tested before launch

Ellevani: screenshot

E-shop, PrestaShop 8

Ellevani

PrestaShop 8.2 with a custom child theme and in-house modules.

How to start

  1. Send me the store’s address, the PrestaShop version and, if you have it, the list of modules.
  2. I go through the modules, theme and overrides and tell you what needs updating, replacing or dropping. The first estimate is free.
  3. A fixed price for the upgrade, then the work on a staging copy you can click through yourself. Invoiced from the EU with VAT reverse charge for business clients.
  4. The live switch at a time we agree on.

Rate

From €70 per hour. An upgrade is a fixed price, set once I have seen the modules, theme and overrides. The first estimate is free.

Remote, across Europe

I work from Slovakia, in the CET time zone, in English or Slovak. PrestaShop is at its strongest in Europe, and I know the European side of it: VAT reverse charge, EU consumer rules on withdrawals and reviews, and local carriers and payment gateways. Working hours overlap fully with the rest of Europe and the UK.

Questions

Can I upgrade PrestaShop 1.7 straight to 9?
Not in one go. PrestaShop 1.7.8 runs on PHP 7.1 to 7.4 and 9 needs PHP 8.1 or newer, so there is no PHP version both understand while the upgrade runs. The safe path is 1.7.8 to 8.2 on PHP 7.4, then PHP 8.1 or newer, then 8.2 to 9. I like to leave a few weeks between the two steps, with the store running normally.
Is it still safe to stay on 1.7?
Since 8.0 came out, 1.7 only received security fixes, and those ended when PrestaShop 9 was released in June 2025. A store on 1.7 today runs a version nobody patches.
Will my theme work after the upgrade?
It depends on the theme. A child of the classic theme with few changes usually comes through. A heavily customised bought theme needs its author to have released a version for 8 or 9, and that is worth checking before anything is planned. On Matrace Lema, once the store was on 8.2, I replaced the bought theme with a lean child of classic.
Will my modules keep working?
Some will, some need an update, some need replacing. I ask each author which version supports PrestaShop 8 or 9 and PHP 8.1, and search custom modules for what the new version removed. A module that installs and opens its settings page proves little: on PHP 8 old notices turn into errors, and a module that ships its own vendor folder can break the back office.
Will the store be down during the upgrade?
The work happens on a copy, so the live store keeps selling. It goes into maintenance only for the final switch, at a time we agree on, and the test run on the copy tells us roughly how long that will take.
How long does it take and what does it cost?
It depends mostly on the modules, the overrides and the theme, so I won’t guess a number before I have seen the store. After that you get a fixed price and a date. The first estimate is free.

Also

Send an enquiry

Within two working days you get a plan and a price.

A few lines about what you need are enough. I reply with a concrete proposal and an estimate, not a template. Hiring for your team? Write too, in English or Slovak.

  • A reply within two working days
  • First proposal and estimate for free
  • No commitment and no sales calls

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I want to upgrade PrestaShop