What percentage of Joomla sites still use Joomla 3?

W3Techs reported 52.6% of detected Joomla sites on version 3 on 7 September 2026. About 71% are on any unsupported major (1, 2, 3, or 4). Source: W3Techs Joomla usage .

Is Joomla 3 still supported in 2026?

No. Official community support ended 17 August 2023. Paid eLTS ended 17 February 2025. There is no official Joomla 3 core patch at any price. That is why the 52.6% still on 3.x are in the danger zone.

Should I upgrade Joomla 3 to Joomla 4 or Joomla 6?

Go to Joomla 6. Joomla 4 is a required hop on the path, not the destination. Joomla 4 security support ended 14 October 2025.

Can I upgrade directly from Joomla 3 to Joomla 6?

No. Update to 3.10, migrate to 4.4, upgrade to 5.4, then to 6.x. Do not skip 5.4. The project tells you not to update to 6 from anything below 5.4.

What PHP version does Joomla 6 need compared with Joomla 3?

Joomla 6 requires PHP 8.3.0 minimum and recommends 8.4. Joomla 3.10’s absolute minimum is PHP 5.3.10. That gap is why many 3.x sites cannot even install 6 until hosting changes.

Is Joomla 6 faster than Joomla 3?

Usually yes on real hosting, because you leave PHP 7 and Bootstrap 2, and 6.x caches language parsing and uses the Web Asset Manager. Measure on staging. Do not quote a fake percentage.

Will my Joomla 3 template work on Joomla 6?

Almost never if it is Protostar or a 2016 club fork. Rebuild as a Cassiopeia child or replace with a Joomla 6-ready template.

What about K2 sites still on Joomla 3?

Migrate K2 content before or as part of the CMS move. Core articles or a J6-ready CCK, not a K2 install on Joomla 6. See Joomla K2 migration .

How long does a Joomla 3 to Joomla 6 upgrade take?

A small brochure site with a replaceable template can be days on staging. A VirtueMart plus page-builder plus 80 extensions site is weeks. Inventory first. Infyways quotes after that list, not before: Joomla Upgrade .

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Joomla 6 vs Joomla 3: Why You Should Upgrade Now

W3Techs still finds 52.6% of detected Joomla sites on version 3. This comparison covers that share, why those sites are in the danger zone, and the real 3.10 to 6.x upgrade path.

Abhilash Sahoo

Sep 7, 202620 min read

Joomla 6 vs Joomla 3: Why You Should Upgrade Now

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Written by

Abhilash Sahoo

Abhilash Sahoo, with over 16 years of experience, is Founder & CEO of Infyways Solutions. He builds web platforms and eCommerce on Joomla, WordPress, Shopify, Magento, and OpenCart, plus modern stacks like Next.js, React, Node.js, and Python, with AI agents, automation, and headless CMS when products need to scale.

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Joomla 6 vs Joomla 3: Why You Should Upgrade Now

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Abhilash Sahoo

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