TL;DR. On December 19, 2026 we stop adding new features to the CleanTalk Anti-Spam extension for OpenCart 2.x. The extension keeps working, your license keeps working, and we keep fixing bugs reported by customers. What ends is development: no new features and no new releases beyond fixes. If your store runs OpenCart 3.x or 4.x, nothing changes for you. If it still runs 2.x, this is a good moment to plan the upgrade, and below is how.
Why we are doing this
OpenCart itself moved on a long time ago. The last release of the 2.x branch, version 2.3.0.2, was published on August 1, 2016. Since then every OpenCart release has been 3.x or 4.x – the current ones are 3.0.5.1 and 4.1.0.4, both from August 2026. OpenCart 2.x no longer receives updates from its own developers, which means no fixes for new PHP versions and no security patches.
We follow the same rule for every CMS we support: we actively develop extensions for the versions the CMS developers themselves maintain. For OpenCart that is 3.x and 4.x.
There is a practical side too. The 2.x extension is built for a PHP generation that is going away. On PHP 8.4 parts of it already need patching, and PHP 8.5 will break more. Keeping it fully featured on a platform that is not maintained upstream would mean rewriting code for a CMS version that its own authors have retired.
What changes on December 19, 2026
- No new features for the OpenCart 2.x extension.
- No new releases except bug fixes.
- The download and the installation guide for 2.x stay online, on their own pages.
What does not change
- The extension keeps working after that date. We are not disabling anything.
- Your CleanTalk license keeps working. The same key protects OpenCart 2, 3 and 4 stores.
- Bug fixes and critical maintenance continue. If something breaks, open a ticket at cleantalk.org/my/support/open and we will fix it.
- The cloud side – spam checks, block lists, your Dashboard – is unaffected. Only the extension code moves to limited maintenance: no new features or releases, bug fixes only.
What is available for OpenCart 2.x now
The latest compatible extension is version 2.1. It lives in its own repository and has its own guides, so it will not be mixed up with the 3.x package:
- Installation for OpenCart 2.x: cleantalk.org/help/install-opencart2
- Update for OpenCart 2.x: cleantalk.org/help/update-opencart2
- Source and download: github.com/CleanTalk/opencart2-antispam
Both guides carry a notice with the December 19, 2026 date, so anyone who lands there sees the status right away.
What to do if your store is on OpenCart 2.x
Option 1 – stay on 2.x for now. Keep the extension at version 2.1. Spam protection continues, bugs get fixed. Plan the upgrade for when it suits your business, not under pressure.
Option 2 – upgrade to OpenCart 3.x. The steps to install and update the CleanTalk extension on 3.x are the same as on 2.x, only the package is different: it comes as a ready .ocmod.zip file and installs through the Extension Installer.
- Installation for OpenCart 3.x: cleantalk.org/help/install-opencart
- Update for OpenCart 3.x: cleantalk.org/help/update-opencart
Option 3 – upgrade to OpenCart 4.x. OpenCart 4 has its own extension, version 1.1, built for the 4.x architecture.
- Installation for OpenCart 4: cleantalk.org/help/install-opencart4
- Update for OpenCart 4: cleantalk.org/help/update-opencart4
In every case your existing access key is reused. Copy it from the old store settings or from your CleanTalk Dashboard, paste it into the new extension, and protection continues without a gap.
Timeline
| Date | What happens |
| Now | Notice added to the OpenCart 2.x guides. Version 2.1 remains the latest package for 2.x. |
| December 19, 2026 | Active development ends. Bug fixes and critical maintenance only. |
| After that | We review the status. If demand on 2.x keeps falling, we will announce the next step in advance, the same way as this one. |
Questions
Will my store stop being protected on December 19?
No. The extension and your license keep working. Only new features stop.
Will you still fix bugs?
Yes. Report them through a support ticket, and we fix them for the 2.x extension as well.
Do I need a new license for OpenCart 3 or 4?
No. One access key works on any supported CMS version. Move the key, not the license.
Where do I get the last 2.x package if I need to reinstall?
From the 2.x installation guide or directly from the opencart2-antispam repository on GitHub.
Is the 3.x extension different from the 2.x one?
Same features, same settings. The difference is the package format and the repository it comes from.
If anything here is unclear, write to us: cleantalk.org/my/support/open. We read every ticket.
