Laravel code review
An independent audit of a Laravel codebase covering security, performance, architecture and maintainability, with a written report in four working days.
Laravel services
Laravel upgrades, done safely
Old Laravel versions stop getting security fixes, and every year you wait makes the jump bigger. We upgrade Laravel applications from any version back to 4.2, step by step, with tests at every stage and a report you can show your board.
Stay supported
Laravel 11 and older no longer get security fixes. Laravel 12 gets security fixes only until February 2027.
Tested at every step
We run your test suite after each version, and write smoke tests first if there are none.
AI-assisted, human-checked
Automated refactoring and AI agents do the repetitive edits. Engineers check every change and the tricky ones by hand.
A clear report
What changed, what we found along the way and what to watch for after release.
Why upgrade Laravel now?
Laravel releases a new major version every year. Each one gets bug fixes for 18 months and security fixes for two years. After that, if a vulnerability is found in the framework, your version will not be patched.
As of October 2026:
- Laravel 13 (released March 2026) is fully supported, with security fixes until March 2028.
- Laravel 12 gets security fixes only, until 24 February 2027.
- Laravel 11 and older are end of life and no longer receive security fixes.
Check the dates for your version in our Laravel version support tracker.
What makes upgrades go wrong
The framework itself is rarely the problem. Laravel's upgrade guides are thorough, and recent releases have had few breaking changes. Upgrades get stuck because of everything around the framework:
- Packages that are abandoned, pinned to old versions or replaced by first-party Laravel features.
- PHP versions. Laravel 13 needs PHP 8.3, so older servers have to be upgraded too.
- Missing tests, which means nobody knows whether something broke until a customer finds it.
- Old patterns such as global helper functions, old-style model factories or custom authentication that newer versions handle differently.
We plan for all of this in the assessment, so the fixed quote reflects the real work.
How we use AI on upgrades
Upgrades are a good fit for AI-assisted work, because much of the effort is repetitive and well documented. We use automated refactoring tools such as Rector and AI coding agents to apply the mechanical changes across your codebase. Our engineers then review each change, handle the cases tools get wrong and test the result.
That lets us keep upgrade prices low without skipping the careful bits.
Upgrading from very old versions
We regularly upgrade applications from Laravel 5.x and older. These jobs usually also involve moving from PHP 7 to PHP 8.3 or newer, replacing abandoned packages and adding basic tests. If an application is very old or very fragile, we may suggest a code review first, or a rescue if there are deeper problems.
Read our Laravel 13 upgrade guide for business owners for more detail on costs, risks and timing.
Keep it current
Once you are on Laravel 13, staying current is cheap. A support and maintenance plan or a security patching plan includes minor updates every month and planning for the next major version each year.
Scope
What's included
- Upgrade assessment covering your Laravel version, PHP version, packages and test coverage
- A step-by-step upgrade through each major version, following the official upgrade guides
- Composer dependency updates, including replacements for abandoned packages
- PHP version upgrade on your servers, coordinated with the deploy
- Automated refactoring with tools such as Rector, reviewed by an engineer
- Smoke tests for critical paths where your test suite is thin
- Deployment to staging for you to check, then a planned production release
- A written upgrade report with recommendations
Not included
- Rewriting bespoke or abandoned packages, which we quote separately after the assessment
- New features or design changes
Process
How it works
Assess
We read your composer.json, code and tests and send a fixed quote with any risks called out.
Prepare
We add smoke tests for critical paths and make sure staging matches production.
Upgrade
We move one major version at a time, fixing breaking changes and running the tests at each step.
Release
You check staging, then we release to production at a quiet time with a rollback plan ready.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Laravel upgrade cost?
Core framework upgrades start at £195 per codebase, excluding VAT. The price depends on how many major versions you need to cross, how many packages need replacing and how good your test coverage is. We send a fixed quote after a short assessment, before any work starts.
How long does a Laravel upgrade take?
A move from Laravel 12 to 13 on a well-tested app can take a day. Jumping several versions, from Laravel 5 or 6 for example, usually takes one to two weeks, mostly because packages and PHP versions need upgrading along the way.
Can you upgrade straight from Laravel 5 to Laravel 13?
We upgrade one major version at a time, because each step has its own breaking changes and the official guides are written that way. Doing it in steps is faster and safer than a single leap. Our Laravel upgrade planner shows every step for your version.
Which PHP version does Laravel 13 need?
Laravel 13 needs PHP 8.3 or newer and supports up to PHP 8.5. If your servers run an older PHP version, we upgrade PHP as part of the project.
Will the upgrade break our application?
Not if it is done carefully. We work on a separate branch, run tests at every step, check everything on staging and release with a rollback plan. Most clients see no visible change apart from better performance.
Is upgrading worth it if the app works fine?
Usually, yes. Unsupported versions stop getting security patches, newer packages stop supporting them, and hiring developers for old versions gets harder. Upgrades are also much cheaper when done regularly than when left for years.
Keep exploring
Related services and guides
Support and maintenance
A monthly block of senior Laravel hours for patching, upgrades, monitoring, bug fixes and small improvements, with clear priorities and reporting.
Security review and patching
An application, dependency and server security review, followed by a monthly patching plan that keeps Laravel, PHP and every package up to date.
Upgrades and maintenance
Laravel 13 upgrade guide for business owners
Should you upgrade to Laravel 13 now? Support dates, PHP requirements, what usually breaks, how long it takes and what it costs, explained for business owners.
Talk to a senior Laravel engineer
Book a free 30-minute call. Tell us what you are building or what is worrying you, and we will tell you honestly what we would do, what it costs and how long it takes.