Totara upgrade pathways

Totara offers two distinct upgrade pathways to provide organisations with flexibility in how they adopt new features and manage updates. These pathways are:

• Long-Term Support (LTS).

• Progressive.

Each pathway caters to different operational needs and preferences around innovation, and change management.

Long-Term Support (LTS) pathway

The Long-Term Support pathway is Totara’s default release option. LTS is designed for organisations that prefer planned annual upgrades, giving them time to prepare their teams and processes.

Great for:

• Customers with formal change-control processes and a limited appetite for frequent upgrades.

• Organisations that need predictable release schedules and longer periods between upgrades.

• Teams who prefer to manage change in larger, planned phases rather than incrementally.

Key features:

• One major release per year
  Organisations receive a new major version annually. For example: V19 in 2025 → V20 in 2026

• Each major version is supported for four years
  While you’re encouraged to upgrade annually to benefit from new features, each version remains supported with essential updates for up to four years.

• Monthly patch updates for stability
  These include bug fixes and security patches only – no new features or user interface changes are introduced between major versions.

• Consistent user experience
  Since patch updates don’t change functionality, the site environment remains consistent and predictable across the year.

• Feature availability
  New features developed during the year are held back and bundled into the next major release. This means LTS users receive innovations later but in a single, coordinated upgrade.

Progressive pathway

The Progressive pathway is ideal for organisations that want faster access to new features and usability enhancements. It supports a more agile, iterative approach to platform evolution - with the added benefit of opt-in feature controls, so you can adopt new functionality on your terms and at your own pace.

Great for:

• Those who want to deploy new features quickly to stay competitive (e.g., AI-enabled tools, advanced analytics, new integrations).

• Partners and customers who value early access to innovation and can easily absorb incremental change.

• Extended enterprise organisations delivering training to diverse external audiences that require agility.

Key features:

• Quarterly minor releases
  Minor releases (e.g. 20.1, 20.2, 20.3) are delivered roughly every three months, introducing new features and usability enhancements sooner than the LTS pathway.

• Opt-in new features
  Changes in functionality are never applied by default. You decide whether and when to enable new features, allowing flexibility and control over your site’s evolution.

• Immediate access to innovations
  For example, program self-enrolment was introduced in 19.1. Customers on the progressive pathway had quick access to that feature, while customers on LTS have to wait until version 20.

• Commitment to staying current
  Each minor version is only supported until the next one is released. Progressive users must upgrade with each minor and major release to remain supported.

• Freedom to switch
  Organisations can return to the LTS pathway at the start of any new major release cycle.

Switching between pathways

You are never locked into a single pathway. You can switch from LTS to Progressive at the beginning of any major release cycle. Likewise, you can move from Progressive back to LTS at the start of a new major version.

Example:

• Start with LTS in version 19

• Switch to Progressive in version 20

• Return to LTS in version 21

This flexibility allows you to tailor your upgrade strategy year-by-year, based on organisational readiness and evolving needs.

Each pathway offers a different approach to managing updates - whether you prefer the predictability of scheduled annual releases, or the flexibility to adopt new features as they become available. Your choice will depend on your organisation’s goals, readiness for ongoing improvements, and how quickly you want to benefit from new capabilities. If you’re unsure which option is right for you, your Totara Partner can help you find the best fit.