Legacy PHP modernisation
Your ordering, billing or dealer system runs on PHP 5.6 or 7.x and an old MySQL. Nobody wants to touch it, and everything else depends on it. We read it, tell you which route makes sense, and move it.
If the application is already on Laravel, even an old version, the Laravel upgrade service is a better fit. If you have lost your developer and need things stabilised first, start with Laravel rescue. For new PHP work, see PHP development.
The route comes out of the assessment. We don’t arrive with one in mind.
| Route | What happens | A project of ours |
|---|---|---|
| In-place upgrade | The code stays. We fix what breaks at each PHP version and bring dependencies up to date. | Live WooCommerce store, PHP 7.4 to current |
| Re-platform | We rebuild on a framework, migrate the data, and keep the rules and outcomes the same. | Loyalty-card system, PHP 5.6 to Laravel, two months |
| Re-platform with a new front end | As above, and the screens people use every day are replaced too. | Cabinet manufacturer, PHP 5.6 and MySQL 5.0 to Laravel 13, PHP 8.5, MySQL 8 and Next.js, about eight months |
We wrote up how we decide in rewrite or upgrade.
We need read-only access to the code and a copy of the schema. We record versions and extensions, and look for the items that decide scope: the database layer, encrypted data, encoding, and connections to other systems. You get a written recommendation, and a fixed price if you want one.
Together with the people who use the system, we list the workflows and totals that have to come out the same. This list decides how the new system will be judged, so it comes before any new code.
Old MySQL has a route of its own, and data is validated at each step. Our MySQL 5 to 8 checklist shows what we look at.
We run the agreed workflows on old and new and compare the results. Differences get investigated rather than assumed to be improvements, since the old behaviour is sometimes a rule nobody remembers making.
We recommend rehearsing the cutover on a copy, so the window is measured rather than estimated. It can be set up as a zero-downtime deployment where the system allows it, and we agree a way back with you first. After that, the system can move to our maintenance plan or to your own team.
On the cabinet manufacturer’s system, the requirement was that the engineering team’s workflows keep working, so the eight months included auditing the old code and schema, validating the data at every step, and comparing each workflow against the old system running in parallel. It is why we suggest setting the comparison up first.
The loyalty system shows the opposite end. It was our own earlier build, so we knew it already. Every card, balance and rule had to come through, and two months from start to live was realistic for that reason. If we hadn’t written it, we would have planned for longer. Most of our work is delivered under NDA, so many projects cannot be named.
| Application | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Small application | from $799 |
| Mid-sized application | from $1,200 |
| Large application (thousands of files, full audit) | from $2,999 |
Legacy PHP modernisation uses this ladder. After a free assessment; fixed price quoted after assessment. Prices are invoiced in USD, GBP, EUR or INR. The cost guide explains what moves a quote on an old system.
No. Both of our PHP 5.6 re-platforms landed on Laravel, but that isn't a rule. If your code can move in place to a current PHP version, or your team works in another framework, we will say so.
Yes, that is the usual state of these systems. The code and the database are the record of what it does. We read both, ask the people who use it, and agree which workflows will be compared against the old system.
Normally yes. The old system keeps running while the new one is built and compared. The final cutover is planned and rehearsed, and the length of any maintenance window depends on your data, so we give you that figure once we have rehearsed it.
Our published upgrade prices are small application from $799, mid-sized application from $1,200, large application (thousands of files, full audit) from $2,999, in USD. After a free assessment; fixed price quoted after assessment. Older and larger systems can go beyond the top tier.
Probably not. See our Laravel upgrade service or Laravel rescue, which are built around that situation.
Cabinet manufacturer's ordering, dealer-portal and inventory system moved from PHP 5.6 and MySQL 5.0 to Laravel 13 on PHP 8.5 and MySQL 8, with a new Next.js front end. Eight months, workflows preserved, now live.
Loyalty-card management system we first built on PHP 5.6, re-platformed onto Laravel with all cards, balances and rules preserved. Two months, live since mid-2026, Indian client.
You don’t need to know the version numbers. Describe the system and what is worrying you, and we will take it from there.
We reply within one business day (IST). We are an engineering team in India with 3–5 hours of overlap with the UK and Europe; US calls by appointment.