WooCommerce Release Calendar

Key dates for WooCommerce developers

This calendar provides an overview of upcoming WooCommerce core releases, helping us plan and prepare for new versions.

Understanding the Calendar

The calendar includes several types of events related to the WooCommerce release cycle:

  1. Releases: Significant updates that may include new features, improvements, or changes. Each release is denoted by an increment in the version number (e.g., 9.0, 9.1, 9.2). Note that there’s no distinction between major and minor releases in our versioning system.
  2. Release Candidates (RC): These are pre-release versions that are feature-complete and considered stable enough for final testing. RCs are typically released a short period before the final release to catch any last-minute issues.
  3. Beta Releases: Pre-release versions for testing purposes, available earlier in the development cycle. These allow more time for thorough testing and feedback from the community. Beta releases may contain new features or significant changes that need wider testing.
  4. Feature Freeze Dates: Dates when new feature development for a release stops. After this point, efforts focus on stabilization, bug fixing, and polishing existing features. No new features are added after the feature freeze.

As of September 2024, WooCommerce has adopted a new release cadence with the following key features:

  • Releases typically occur on a 5-week cycle
  • Release day is Monday
  • Beta releases are made available earlier in the cycle

This new schedule aims to provide more time for testing and reduce the need for unplanned fix releases.