If your website runs PHP 8.1 or older, it no longer gets security updates. PHP 8.2 stops getting them on 31 December 2026. Listonics moves your site to a safe version, fixes the code that an update can break, and tests the whole site before you get it back. The price is AED 700 to AED 1,500. It depends on the size of the site.
Proof, not promises
Real reviews from Trustpilot and Google, word for word. Google rating 5.0 from 5 reviews, checked 2026-10-17.
Best team I’ve ever hired. All in one place.
As a construction company, we have a lot to manage, so finding one team that can handle our IT and digital requirements has been really helpful. Listonics has supported us with office networking, cybersecurity, website development and SEO. Their team knows what they’re doing and has been easy to work with. We no longer need to coordinate with different companies for every requirement, which saves us time and effort. Overall, it’s been a good experience, and we’re happy to have them supporting our business.
We needed a custom ERP and HR system…
We needed a custom ERP and HR system for our business, along with a new website, and Listonics helped us with all three. The team was approachable, listened to what we wanted and made the process easier than we expected. We could discuss changes directly with them, which made a big difference. It was also convenient having one team handle everything instead of dealing with multiple companies. Overall, we’re happy with how things turned out and glad we chose them.
Listonics projects run from AED 2,500 to AED 30,000 as a fixed scope; support is a fixed monthly fee with response times written into the agreement. The IT support cost guide and managed IT pricing guide set out how the numbers are built.
Is your website running an old version of PHP?
Almost every website runs on PHP. WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, Laravel and Joomla all use it. PHP comes in versions. Each version is looked after for a few years. After that it reaches its end of life, and the team behind PHP stops fixing security problems in it. So any problem found after that date stays open on your site for good.
This matters right now. Many live websites are still on versions that have stopped getting fixes, or are about to. PHP 8.1 reached its end of life on 31 December 2025, so it gets no more fixes at all. PHP 8.2 stops getting security fixes on 31 December 2026. If your site is on either one, the time has run out or is close to it. You can check the dates on the official PHP supported-versions page.
Which PHP versions are still safe in 2026?
Here is where each version stands. If your site is on anything in the top two rows, it should move to a newer one.
| Version | Status | Security fixes |
|---|---|---|
| PHP 8.1 and older | End of life | Ended, no more fixes |
| PHP 8.2 | Security only | End on 31 December 2026 |
| PHP 8.3 | Security only | Until December 2027 |
| PHP 8.4 | Still supported | Until December 2028 |
| PHP 8.5 | Latest version | Until December 2029 |
Why old PHP gets attacked, and what else goes wrong
The biggest problem is security, and it helps to know why. The attacks on old PHP are not personal. They are automatic. Bots scan the whole web for sites running a version with a known, unfixed hole, and they simply try it on every site they find. Your site does not have to be chosen. It only has to be found.
When a PHP version reaches its end of life, the holes found after that are public but never fixed, so an old version is a set of open doors left standing. Websites on old PHP are a common way in for attacks of the kind listed in the OWASP Top Ten. That risk sits on your site, and on the customer data you hold.
- Security: problems found after the end date are never fixed, so the door stays open.
- Plugins and themes: new versions stop supporting old PHP, so your updates start to fail or break the site.
- Hosting: hosts are dropping old PHP from their servers, and some force an upgrade with little notice, which can take a site down.
- Speed: newer PHP runs faster, so an old version makes the site slower than it needs to be.
- Trust: a site that holds customer data on old, unfixed software is hard to explain to a client, an insurer or an auditor.
Why updating PHP needs care, and is not just one click
On most hosting panels, the PHP version is a drop-down. Changing it takes a few seconds. The problem is what happens next. A newer PHP version removes some old code and ways of working. So a theme, a plugin or custom code written for PHP 7 or 8.0 can throw errors, or stop the site loading, the moment the version changes.
This is why the safe way is not to change it and hope. We take a backup first. We move the version up in a careful way. We find every place the update breaks, and we fix or replace that code. Then we test the whole site before it goes live. Done this way, visitors never see a thing. Done in a rush, the home page can go blank. If your site is custom-built, our web development service covers the deeper code fixes an update can bring up.
What our PHP update service includes
We give you one fixed price, from AED 700 to AED 1,500. The price is set by the size of the site, not by the hour. A simple WordPress site is at the lower end. A larger site, a shop or a custom build is higher. Whatever the price, the work is the same, and the fixes are included. So there is no surprise bill if something breaks during the update.
- A full backup of the site and the database before anything changes, so there is always a safe point to go back to.
- The PHP version moved up to a new, supported one.
- Every error the update causes found and fixed, including old code in themes, plugins and custom files.
- The whole site tested after: pages, forms, checkout, logins and anything that talks to another system.
- A short written note of what the version was, what it is now, and anything to keep an eye on.
- Security checked as we go, in the same way we handle cybersecurity for small businesses.
Who this is for
This is for any business in Dubai whose website runs on PHP and has not been updated in a while. That is most sites more than a year or two old. It is for the owner who got a warning email from the host about PHP and is afraid to touch it in case the site breaks. It is for the one whose plugin updates have started to fail. If you do not know which version you are on, that is the normal place to start, and checking it is the first thing we do.
It is not for a brand-new site built this year on a current version. That one is already fine. If that is you, you do not need this, and we will say so rather than sell you a job you do not need. For the full background and how to check your own version, read our guide to running an outdated PHP version.
How it works, and how to start
First we do a quick check of your site. We see which PHP version it runs, what it is built on, and how much is likely to break on an update. From that, we give you the fixed price in the AED 700 to AED 1,500 range, and a short time window for the work. Then we take the backup, do the update, fix what breaks, test everything, and confirm it back to you. Most sites are done within a day or two once we start.
To begin, tell us your website address and an engineer will check the version and come back with the fixed price, before any work or payment. There is no charge for the check.
Frequently asked questions
The easiest way is your hosting control panel, which usually shows the PHP version under a settings or software section. On WordPress, the Site Health tool under Tools also shows it. If you would rather not log in, send us your website address and we will check it for you at no cost, as the first step.
It can, and that is exactly why we do it with care, not with one click. A newer PHP version drops some old code, so themes, plugins or custom code can throw errors. We take a backup first, find every break the update causes, fix it, and test the whole site before it goes live, so visitors never see a problem.
Listonics charges one fixed price, from AED 700 to AED 1,500, set by the size of the site. A simple WordPress site is at the lower end, and a shop or custom build is higher. The fix work is part of that price, so there is no extra bill if the update breaks something that then has to be put right.
PHP 8.1 reached its end of life on 31 December 2025 and gets no more security fixes, so it is not safe for a live site. PHP 8.2 still gets fixes until 31 December 2026, and after that it is in the same place. Both should move to a newer version, 8.3 or later, before or soon after those dates.
Most sites are done within a day or two once the work is booked in, and the live site stays up the whole time because the update and the testing happen in a careful way. A larger site, or one with a lot of custom code to fix, can take longer. We tell you the likely time window when we give you the fixed price.
A site can keep working for a while on an old PHP version, but working is not the same as safe. The risk is that a security hole stays open, a plugin update breaks it, or the host forces an upgrade with little notice. Updating on your own time, with testing, keeps you from being caught out by any of those.
Written by Srinivasan Ramachandran, Founder, Listonics · Last reviewed October 27, 2026