Getting started
Free migration from another host
How the free migration tools work, what Kora does with you, and when a person does the move instead.
Two ways to move, and the tools are free
The website, email and DNS migration tools live in the panel. They are free on every plan, there is no size limit, and you run them yourself. Kora will run them with you if you would rather watch than drive.
For a complex or sensitive setup there is also a Website Migration service, in which one of our engineers carries out the same move for you. It is listed with its price on Professional services. Most people never need it. It tends to be the right call when your site is on Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, Drupal or Joomla, which the tools do not import, when an old cPanel account has neither SSH nor FTP access, or when you would simply rather somebody else did it.
What comes across
Either way, the move brings:
- Files: all your website files, themes, plugins, media
- Databases: MySQL databases, WordPress data
- Email: all mailboxes, folders, and history
- DNS records: we replicate your existing DNS setup
How to start
- Sign up and choose your plan
- Open Migrations in the panel and start a move, or ask Kora to start it with you
- Point it at your current site and let it run
Everything is staged on a preview URL. You test it there, and your DNS only moves when you say so.
To have an engineer do it instead, order Website Migration from Professional services and we will pick it up from there.
Typical timeline
| Step | Timeframe |
|---|---|
| Initial setup | Same day |
| Files + database copy | 1-4 hours |
| Email migration | 4-24 hours (depending on mailbox size) |
| You review on staging URL | As long as you need |
| DNS cutover | Scheduled with you |
Zero-downtime migrations
Your old site keeps serving the entire time. The copy is built on a staging address of its own, your domain is not touched, and DNS only moves when you say so. Nothing goes down, because nothing about the live site changes until the moment you switch it.
Mail is the one thing worth planning around: nothing bounces and nothing is lost, and for a short window after the switch a few messages still land in the old mailbox and stay there. Leave it open for a day and collect them.
What we need from you
- Current host cPanel/Plesk login (or SSH access)
- Email admin credentials (if migrating email)
- FTP/SFTP details if your host uses those instead of cPanel
The plugin path we recommend needs no credentials at all: you install the plugin on your current site and it pushes to us. Where you do hand over access instead, it is encrypted at rest and used only to carry out the move.
Supported hosts
We've migrated from: GoDaddy, SiteGround, Bluehost, WP Engine, Kinsta, MyHost, Freeparking, 123Reg, Hostinger, and cPanel-based hosts generally.
If your current host is unusual, email us and we'll confirm compatibility.