Isotope eCommerce for Contao 5 is now available as a release candidate, just in time for the Contao Summit starting on October 15, 2026. After several months of private beta testing, we’re opening the next chapter to everyone: install it, explore it, and help us prepare the stable release.
From private beta to release candidate
When we launched the private beta in June, fundraising participants were the first to try Isotope for Contao 5 in their own projects. It has been a while since that announcement, and your feedback has been an important part of the work since then.
This is more than an update to make the old version run on a newer Contao. As described in our development updates, Isotope is embracing Contao’s current architecture: shop features use content elements instead of frontend modules, and templates are written in Twig. The familiar shop-management principles remain, while the technical foundation moves forward.
Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraising, and to all our beta testers. Your financial support made this work possible. Your time, test projects, bug reports, and patience since the beta release have helped us reach this milestone. This release candidate is a community achievement.
Install the RC with the Contao Manager
Use a separate test installation or a copy of your shop—not your live production shop. Before upgrading an existing installation, make a complete backup of both its files and database, and make sure you can restore it.
Contao compatibility: Install the RC on Contao 5.7. Contao 6 is not yet supported; support will be added no later than the release of Contao 6.1 in February 2027.
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Open the Contao Manager for your Contao 5.7 installation and go to the package search.
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Search for Isotope eCommerce and review the package details. Click Install next to the incompatible warning to add the package for installation.
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Enter the version constraint manually. Set the constraint to
^3.0@rcto select the Isotope 3 release candidate for Contao 5 instead of an older Isotope 2 release. -
Review and apply the proposed package changes. Let the Manager finish resolving and installing the dependencies.
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Run the database migrations through the Manager when prompted. Then sign in to the Contao backend and configure your test shop—or review the migrated configuration, templates, and extensions if you upgraded a copy of an existing shop.
Please test—and understand the migration risk
Everyone is now welcome to test the RC and report feedback through GitHub issues. Please search existing reports first, then include your Isotope, Contao, and PHP versions, clear reproduction steps, and what you expected to happen. Never include passwords, access tokens, or customer data.
Try the workflows your projects depend on: products and variants, prices and taxes, cart and checkout, payment and shipping, notifications, and your own templates and extensions. A release candidate is a testing release, not the stable version.
Important: later migration fixes will not automatically repair a shop that has already been upgraded to the RC. If an RC migration transforms your data incorrectly, correcting that migration in a later release does not undo or repair the transformation already performed in your database. You may need to restore your pre-upgrade backup and repeat the upgrade with the corrected version, or carry out a separate repair. Keep that backup throughout testing, and do not treat an RC upgrade as a safe shortcut to production.
Explore the updated Isotope Demo
An updated Isotope Demo is available as well, so you can test the new version independently as a new website without upgrading an existing shop. Based on the official Contao Demo, it combines a fresh Contao 5.7 installation with Isotope and a ready-to-explore shop configuration.
Follow the Demo installation guide for step-by-step instructions using either the Contao Manager or Composer. Use a fresh, isolated database: restoring the supplied demo backup replaces existing database data. Once installed, explore the storefront, sign in to the backend, and try the shop features at your own pace.
Extensions for the new version
You can find extensions for Isotope for Contao 5 on the Isotope website and in the terminal42 Extension Store. Check each extension’s compatibility: extensions for the older Isotope 2 version are listed separately and should not be assumed to work with the new version.
Extensions marked “On Request” can also be made available for testing on request. Contact us to arrange access for your test project. Testing access is not a production licence: these extensions must be purchased and paid for before your project goes live.
Looking ahead to December 1st
One practical note from me as lead developer: I will be on holiday until early November. Please continue testing and submitting issues in the meantime, but expect delayed responses and fixes while I’m away. I’ll resume work on the reported issues after my return.
The planned date for the fixes and stable release is December 1, 2026—exactly two years after our initial fundraising campaign reached its goal. That is the milestone we’re working towards, and your RC feedback will help us get there.
Thank you for staying with us on this journey. Whether you funded the development, tested the private beta, or are installing Isotope for Contao 5 for the first time today: welcome to the next chapter. Let’s make it ready together.