Migration isn’t just for the birds: Meet Divi 5!

Divi 5 is here—grounded, sleek, and speedy.

It’s still cold in Massachusetts this spring but most of the juncos have moved on; bluebirds, cardinals, Carolina wrens, and robins are regular visitors in our yard, while woodpeckers make occasional appearances. Even a pileated woodpecker popped by, dazzling with its rock star ways. A bunny hopped by and we trust hummingbirds will be here soon. While nature works its wonder, we at kaleidaweb have been navigating a migration our own—to Divi 5.

The next generation of WordPress website building is here! For much of the last year, we’ve been preparing for the launch by familiarizing ourselves with the new software in beta. On February 26, Divi 5 went live and we’ve since migrated the first kaleidaweb site. As with an obligatory Windows or Apple iPhone update, upgrading to Divi 5 is required.

Here’s what you need to know about Divi 5, the migration process, and how to schedule your upgrade:

Why should I upgrade to Divi 5?

To maintain the safety and performance capacity of your website, it is important to update to Divi 5 before Elegant Themes, the software’s creator, stops maintaining its predecessor. There are strong benefits and limited downside to embracing what Shahzad Raza, a developer with the company, calls the “biggest changes ever introduced to the Divi ecosystem.” The transformation is so spectacular that Elegant Themes has implemented a six-month stay on Divi 4 to allow web designers time to learn the software and process migrations.

We’re ahead of the curve.

To avoid any unforeseen interruptions outside of our control, we recommend that you schedule your upgrade by August 31, 2026. We strongly recommend that you schedule your upgrade sooner if your site:

• is large—15 or more pages or 7-10 pages with lots of blog posts;
• has multiple customizations—photo galleries, videos, image boxes, blurbs, testimonials, popouts, newsletters, contact or other custom forms, subscriptions, etc.; or
• includes ecommerce features and plugins.

Plan for your Divi 5 Upgrade

This upgrade isn’t as easy as pressing a button. With Divi 5 being a complete rebuild of the backend, a little more is required migrate websites to the new software.

1. Your upgrade includes:

• Divi 5 licensing—valued at $89/year;
• backup of your existing website;
• compatibility audit of all plugins and content;
• manual repair of all aspects that fail compatibility tests;
• QA check on desktop, mobile, and tablet; and
• client review process before your site goes live.

2. Upgrading to Divi 5 takes between four and eight hours:

• About four hours for smaller sites of five or fewer pages; and
• Up to eight hours for sites with ecommerce features and/or multiple customizations.

If your site doesn’t have ecommerce or multiple customization features, your upgrade will be performed at the same time as your regular weekly maintenance.

3. Cost of the upgrade:

• Begins at $400 for smaller websites of five or fewer pages and Power Landing Pages; and
• Up to $800 for ecommerce websites or those with multiple customizations.

These are our best time and cost estimates and we will do our best to stick to them. If additional time is needed beyond the abovementioned estimates, we’ll invoice you the overage after the migration is complete.

4. If you’ve been thinking about a redesign, we strongly suggest that you:

• Upgrade to Divi 5 at the time of your upgrade, which will:
  • Allow us to work most efficiently; and
  • Save you time and money.

  Most of the Divi 5 upgrade fee is waived for clients doing redesigns at the same time because it’s efficient for us to complete both tasks simultaneously. If you’ve been eyeing a redesign, this is the way to get the best bang for your buck.

5. Timing is everything, so we recommend:

• Scheduling your Divi 5 upgrade around your busy season; and
• Allowing a cushion of 2-4 weeks, especially for larger sites and those with multiple customizations, to ensure a smooth transition.

Schedule Your Divi 5 Upgrade Today

Your website will not immediately “die” if you put off the upgrade Divi 5. It is important to note, however, that sticking with Divi 4 as it nears obsoletion can result in your website:

• Having security lapses;
• Developing glitches; and
• Lacking fixes for any issue that ensues.

Bottom Line

Divi 5 isn’t a marginal upgrade but it is an innovative, forward-thinking one for the longevity of web design and maintenance. We’ve spent about a year getting to know Divi 5 to ensure kaleidaweb clients a headache-free transition and are already wowed. We believe Divi 5 is great for web designers, like us, who work on the backend, and for all of your customers and prospects who land on your webpage. The clients whose sites we’ve already converted are very pleased.

Post written by Tamryn Spruill.

FURTHER READING:

• A modern workspace for the modern web
• Divi—Reimagined
• Next generation of WordPress website building
• Why Divi 5 is better than Divi 4