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CiviCRM Extended Security Release (ESR) provides a longer release window for CiviCRM, prioritizing security and stability over new features.

CiviCRM ESR is a subscription service to an alternate version of CiviCRM that priorities stability over new features. It is accessible via subscription or through vetted partners.
Explore ESR
Pricing

What is ESR?

And why use it?

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.

Fewer upgrades necessary

Reduced Effort

For smaller organizations without a CiviCRM partner, ESR reduces the frequency of upgrades, making it less onerous than upgrading on a monthly basis.
Ideal to manage complexities

Consistency

For large organizations with heavy customizations, ESR may be advantageous to forego new features in exchange for operational consistency.
Stable, secure and scalable

Stability

Fewer upgrades and fewer new features, combined with security fixes, makes for an overall more stable and secure system.

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.

Pricing

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 in the pricing.

Subscriptions for ESR are tiered based on annual budget size and can be paid either annually or monthly. Pricing listed is per organization.

ESR Tier 1
For organizations with budgets less than $500,000.
$ 240/year
$ 20/month
Per organization
ESR Tier 2
For organizations with budgets between $500,000 and $2 million.
$ 600/year
$ 50/month
Per organization
ESR Tier 3
For organizations with budgets greater than $2 million.
$ 1,200/year
$ 50/month
Per organization
Subscribe to CiviCRM ESR
Are you a provider that needs multiple licenses? Use our bulk licensing subscription form.
Support

Looking for expert 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.

Additional Partners

“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.”

Have Questions?

Have other questions before getting started? No problem.
You can jump on community chat or shoot us an email at any time.

We just subscribed, how do we access 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.

We deploy a site with a custom workflow based on “git”. How can we merge ESR changes into our project?

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.

What is prioritized in each ESR release?

CiviCRM ESR only addresses security and critical bugs.

For how long is each version of ESR supported?

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.

We are already a member. How do we access the ESR files?

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.

Where can we participate in ESR related discussions?

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.

Can we get a refund if we cancel?

We do not offer refunds for CiviCRM ESR.

Does ESR include any support?

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.

We are an end user organization that’s subscribed to ESR. On how many sites can we use ESR?

Subscription to ESR is valid for one live site. You may use the same license on development, staging and testing sites without issue.

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