Why We Prioritise Umbraco LTS Versions

At uSkinned, our mission is to make building and managing Umbraco websites as fast, flexible, and future-proof as possible.

To do that, we build uSkinned Site Builder specifically for the Long-Term Support (LTS) versions of Umbraco — giving our users stability and confidence without locking them into short-lived release cycles.

With Umbraco 17 on the horizon, here’s what that means for the future of Site Builder, and why LTS continues to be the foundation of our product strategy.

Built for Umbraco LTS

Umbraco’s Long-Term Support (LTS) versions are designed for users who value reliability over rapid iteration. Every fourth major release (currently Umbraco 13, and soon Umbraco 17) is designated as LTS and benefits from:

• 24 months of active support (bug fixes & improvements)
• 12 additional months of security fixes

These are the versions Umbraco recommends for production use — and they’re the ones we build Site Builder for.

This approach makes practical sense. The average lifespan of a website is around three years, which aligns perfectly with the three-year support window that LTS versions offer. By building on LTS, our users can launch with confidence — knowing their site is backed by stable, supported technology for its entire lifecycle.

Why Umbraco 13 Remains Our Focus (for now)

Right now, Umbraco 13 is the current LTS version — supported until December 14, 2026 — and it's our primary development target. The latest version of uSkinned Site Builder is fully optimised for Umbraco 13, and we continue to release new features and improvements within that framework.

This allows us to deliver a mature, feature-rich experience without exposing customers to the bugs, instability, or short support windows that can come with non-LTS versions.

No Site Builder for Umbraco 14, 15 or 16 

While it’s exciting to see Umbraco evolve with every release, we’ve made the decision not to build uSkinned Site Builder on Umbraco 14, 15 or 16.

Here’s why: 

• These versions are Short-Term Support (STS) only — typically supported for just 12 months
• Umbraco 14 reached end-of-life in May 2025
  • Umbraco 15 reaches end-of-life in November 2025 
  • Umbraco 16 reaches end-of-life in June 2026
• All three versions have ongoing issues as well as missing features that impact stability and developer experience 

Because most users experience Umbraco and uSkinned Site Builder as one integrated solution, we won’t release on versions where known issues could affect quality, performance, or reliability.

What’s Coming: Umbraco 17

The next LTS release, Umbraco 17, is due on November 27, 2025. Just like we’ve done with previous LTS releases, we will build a new version of Site Builder specifically for Umbraco 17 once it’s officially released and proven stable.

And yes — there will be a clear upgrade path from the current Umbraco 13-compatible version of Site Builder to the one built for Umbraco 17.

Our approach is simple: focus on the strongest foundation possible so you can build websites that are fast, stable, and future-ready.

If you’re unsure which Umbraco version is right for your next project, or you’d like to chat about your upgrade path, get in touch with our team — we’re always happy to help.

#h5yr