What is Extended Security Release?
The latest stable version of CiviCRM, which is released monthly, will continue as it currently does. It is free to download and use, same as it was yesterday. Same as it always will be.
CiviCRM Extended Security Release (ESR) is a slightly older version of CiviCRM that prioritizes stability over features. Released every six months, ESR takes a slower approach to adopting new developments, allowing them first to be vetted and stabilized publicly via the monthly releases.
Though ESR is only available by subscription, it is not a newer, better, or otherwise premium version of CiviCRM. It is an older version that's supported longer, allowing organizations that prefer longevity over new features to have just that.
Why Use ESR?
Consistency
For large organizations with heavy customizations, it may be advantageous to forego new features in exchange for consistency.
Low Effort
For smaller organizations without a CiviCRM partner, you may find it onerous to upgrade monthly.
Stability
Maybe you just want to help fund CiviCRM and, well, using ESR is as good as using the latest stable.
Looking for stability and support?
While Extended Security Release provides for longer term stability and fewer upgrades for subscribers, it does not include any additional level of support over and above what is provided via the community. For organizations that need professional support, we recommend working with an expert that specializes in CiviCRM ESR.
“Our clients value the stability of CiviCRM’s ESR. It allows us to provide top notch support and develop sophisticated enhancements quickly on a stable codebase. We are founding CiviCRM partners and proud to be a driving force behind the ESR initiative.”
-Paul Keogan, Founder
610-709-6570
Skvare
719-302-0142 | info@skvare.com
Palante Technology Cooperative
Clear, simple pricing
ESR offers the most straightforward pricing possible. No hidden costs, additional licenses, expansion packs, or per transaction fees. Support services for ESR are not included.
Subscriptions for ESR are tiered based on annual budget size and can be paid either annually or monthly.
Tier 1
$240 annually or $20 per month.
For organizations with budgets less than $500,000.
Tier 2
$600 annually or $50 monthly.
For organizations with budgets between $500,000 and $2 million.
Tier 3
$1200 annually or $100 monthly.
For organizations with budgets greater than $2 million.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Have other questions before getting started? No problem.
You can jump on community chat or shoot us an email at any time.
No, CiviCRM ESR does not include any additional support over and above what's provided by the community. If you require advanced support, please check out our ESR partners above.
At present, each version of ESR will receive 6 months of support. The CiviCRM Core Team may extend the release to a full 12 months of support, depending on the financial viability of maintaining this version of CiviCRM. Schedules are documented here.
CiviCRM ESR only addresses security and critical bugs.
Subscription to ESR is valid for one live site. You may use the same license on development, staging and testing sites without issue.
ESR includes an export of the git history. Alongside the normal downloads (such as "civicrm-X.Y.Z-drupal.tar.gz" or "civicrm-X.Y.Z-wordpress.zip"), there is another file "civicrm-X.Y.Z-patchset.tar.gz". The export is generated via "git format-patch", and you can import with "git am /path/to/patch/files". Of course, we can't anticipate all the custom workflows out there. Fortunately, the patch-file format is versatile and supported by many tools.
ESR discussions take place in a dedicated channel on https://chat.civicrm.org. Register for an account at https://civicrm.org and we’ll add you to the channel.
We do not offer refunds for CiviCRM ESR.
First and foremost, thank you for supporting ESR. We’ve already received your subscription and are processing it. You'll be provided access to ESR via https://lab.civicrm.org where you can download the necessary files. If you've not already done so, please log into https://lab.civicrm.org using the same credentials that you've established at https://civicrm.org.
Ensure that you're registered with https://civicrm.org and, using the same credentials, log into https://lab.civicrm.org. Once complete, send us an email at info@civicrm.org stating that you need to be added to the ESR project.
