diff --git a/actor/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/actor/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index 7ef70b85606..46890c5ba1f 100644
--- a/actor/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/actor/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 #####################################
 # Pekko Actor Reference Config File #
-########################3############
+#####################################
 
 # This is the reference config file that contains all the default settings.
 # Make your edits/overrides in your application.conf.
diff --git a/persistence/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/persistence/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index 435341de456..2c07f51d81f 100644
--- a/persistence/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/persistence/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-###########################################################
+############################################################
 # Pekko Persistence Extension Reference Configuration File #
-###########################################################
+############################################################
 
 # This is the reference config file that contains all the default settings.
 # Make your edits in your application.conf in order to override these settings.
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ pekko.persistence {
         plugin = ""
         # List of snapshot stores to start automatically. Use "" for the default snapshot store.
         auto-start-snapshot-stores = []
+        # When migrating from using Akka Persistence to using Pekko Persistence,
+        # you may need to have the serializer handle Akka or Pekko created snapshots.
+        # Supported values are "pekko", "akka" and "no-migration".
+        # See https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/PEKKO/Pekko+Akka+Compatibility
+        auto-migrate-manifest = "pekko"
     }
     # used as default-snapshot store if no plugin configured 
     # (see `pekko.persistence.snapshot-store`)
diff --git a/persistence/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializer.scala b/persistence/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializer.scala
index d9926f2a35a..15691025f20 100644
--- a/persistence/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializer.scala
+++ b/persistence/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializer.scala
@@ -29,15 +29,39 @@ import pekko.util.ByteString.UTF_8
 @SerialVersionUID(1L)
 final case class Snapshot(data: Any)
 
+private[serialization] sealed trait SnapshotAutoMigration
+
+private[serialization] object SnapshotAutoMigration {
+  val ConfigName = "pekko.persistence.snapshot-store.auto-migrate-manifest"
+
+  // Ignore the snapshot migration strategy - means that Pekko will not be able to work with snapshots saved by Akka
+  object NoMigration extends SnapshotAutoMigration
+  // When saving snapshots, migrate any manifests with `akka` to `org.apache.pekko`
+  object Pekko extends SnapshotAutoMigration
+  // When saving snapshots, migrate any manifests with `org.apache.pekko` to `akka`
+  object Akka extends SnapshotAutoMigration
+
+  def fromString(s: String): SnapshotAutoMigration = s match {
+    case "no-migration" => NoMigration
+    case "pekko"        => Pekko
+    case "akka"         => Akka
+    case _              => throw new IllegalArgumentException(s"Unknown snapshot migration strategy: $s")
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * [[Snapshot]] serializer.
  */
 class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer {
+  import SnapshotAutoMigration._
 
   override val includeManifest: Boolean = false
 
   private lazy val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
 
+  private lazy val migrationStrategy = SnapshotAutoMigration.fromString(
+    system.settings.config.getString(ConfigName))
+
   /**
    * Serializes a [[Snapshot]]. Delegates serialization of snapshot `data` to a matching
    * `org.apache.pekko.serialization.Serializer`.
@@ -58,7 +82,7 @@ class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
     val out = new ByteArrayOutputStream
     writeInt(out, snapshotSerializer.identifier)
 
-    val ms = Serializers.manifestFor(snapshotSerializer, snapshot)
+    val ms = migrateManifestIfNecessary(Serializers.manifestFor(snapshotSerializer, snapshot))
     if (ms.nonEmpty) out.write(ms.getBytes(UTF_8))
 
     out.toByteArray
@@ -77,11 +101,44 @@ class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
       else {
         val manifestBytes = new Array[Byte](remaining)
         in.read(manifestBytes)
-        new String(manifestBytes, UTF_8)
+        migrateManifestToPekkoIfNecessary(new String(manifestBytes, UTF_8))
       }
     (serializerId, manifest)
   }
 
+  // when writing the data, we want to allow the serialized data to
+  // support Akka and Pekko serializers as required by configuration
+  private def migrateManifestIfNecessary(manifest: String): String = {
+    migrationStrategy match {
+      case NoMigration => manifest
+      case Pekko =>
+        if (manifest.startsWith("akka")) {
+          manifest.replaceFirst("akka", "org.apache.pekko")
+        } else {
+          manifest
+        }
+      case Akka =>
+        if (manifest.startsWith("org.apache.pekko")) {
+          manifest.replaceFirst("org.apache.pekko", "akka")
+        } else {
+          manifest
+        }
+    }
+  }
+
+  // when reading the data, we want to force use of the Pekko serializer
+  private def migrateManifestToPekkoIfNecessary(manifest: String): String = {
+    migrationStrategy match {
+      case NoMigration => manifest
+      case _ =>
+        if (manifest.startsWith("akka")) {
+          manifest.replaceFirst("akka", "org.apache.pekko")
+        } else {
+          manifest
+        }
+    }
+  }
+
   private def snapshotToBinary(snapshot: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = {
     def serialize() = {
       val snapshotSerializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(snapshot)
@@ -112,14 +169,8 @@ class SnapshotSerializer(val system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends BaseSerializer
 
     val (serializerId, manifest) = headerFromBinary(headerBytes)
 
-    // suggested in https://github.com/scullxbones/pekko-persistence-mongo/pull/14#issuecomment-1847223850
     serialization
       .deserialize(snapshotBytes, serializerId, manifest)
-      .recoverWith {
-        case _: NotSerializableException if manifest.startsWith("akka") =>
-          serialization
-            .deserialize(snapshotBytes, serializerId, manifest.replaceFirst("akka", "org.apache.pekko"))
-      }
       .get
   }
 
diff --git a/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerMigrationAkkaSpec.scala b/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerMigrationAkkaSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..952df9ed9c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerMigrationAkkaSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.apache.pekko.persistence.serialization
+
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+import org.apache.pekko
+import pekko.actor.ActorSystem
+import pekko.persistence.fsm.PersistentFSM.PersistentFSMSnapshot
+import pekko.serialization.SerializationExtension
+import pekko.testkit.PekkoSpec
+
+import java.io.NotSerializableException
+import java.util.Base64
+
+class SnapshotSerializerMigrationAkkaSpec extends PekkoSpec(
+      s"${SnapshotAutoMigration.ConfigName}=akka"
+    ) {
+
+  import SnapshotSerializerTestData._
+
+  "Snapshot serializer with migration to Akka" should {
+    "deserialize akka snapshots" in {
+      val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+      val bytes = Base64.getDecoder.decode(akkaSnapshotData)
+      val result = serialization.deserialize(bytes, classOf[Snapshot]).get
+      val deserialized = result.data
+      deserialized shouldBe a[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      val persistentFSMSnapshot = deserialized.asInstanceOf[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      persistentFSMSnapshot shouldEqual fsmSnapshot
+    }
+    "deserialize pekko snapshots" in {
+      val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+      val bytes = serialization.serialize(Snapshot(fsmSnapshot)).get
+      val result = serialization.deserialize(bytes, classOf[Snapshot]).get
+      val deserialized = result.data
+      deserialized shouldBe a[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      val persistentFSMSnapshot = deserialized.asInstanceOf[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      persistentFSMSnapshot shouldEqual fsmSnapshot
+    }
+    "serialize snapshot with Akka class name" in {
+      val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+      val bytes = serialization.serialize(Snapshot(fsmSnapshot)).get
+      val cfg = ConfigFactory.parseString(s"${SnapshotAutoMigration.ConfigName}=no-migration")
+        .withFallback(system.settings.config)
+      val pekkoOnlySystem = ActorSystem("pekko-only-serialization", cfg)
+      try {
+        val pekkoOnlySerialization = SerializationExtension(pekkoOnlySystem)
+        intercept[NotSerializableException] {
+          pekkoOnlySerialization.deserialize(bytes, classOf[Snapshot]).get
+        }
+      } finally {
+        pekkoOnlySystem.terminate()
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerNoMigrationSpec.scala b/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerNoMigrationSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bab9ede5504
--- /dev/null
+++ b/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerNoMigrationSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.apache.pekko.persistence.serialization
+
+import org.apache.pekko
+import pekko.persistence.fsm.PersistentFSM.PersistentFSMSnapshot
+import pekko.serialization.SerializationExtension
+import pekko.testkit.PekkoSpec
+
+import java.io.NotSerializableException
+import java.util.Base64
+
+class SnapshotSerializerNoMigrationSpec extends PekkoSpec(
+      s"${SnapshotAutoMigration.ConfigName}=no-migration"
+    ) {
+
+  import SnapshotSerializerTestData._
+
+  "Snapshot serializer with no migration" should {
+    "deserialize pekko snapshots" in {
+      val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+      val bytes = serialization.serialize(Snapshot(fsmSnapshot)).get
+      val result = serialization.deserialize(bytes, classOf[Snapshot]).get
+      val deserialized = result.data
+      deserialized shouldBe a[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      val persistentFSMSnapshot = deserialized.asInstanceOf[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      persistentFSMSnapshot shouldEqual fsmSnapshot
+    }
+    "fail to deserialize akka snapshots" in {
+      val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+      val bytes = Base64.getDecoder.decode(akkaSnapshotData)
+      intercept[NotSerializableException] {
+        serialization.deserialize(bytes, classOf[Snapshot]).get
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerSpec.scala b/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerSpec.scala
index 6291aaa61c1..5a383cee499 100644
--- a/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerSpec.scala
+++ b/persistence/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/persistence/serialization/SnapshotSerializerSpec.scala
@@ -18,28 +18,53 @@
 package org.apache.pekko.persistence.serialization
 
 import org.apache.pekko
-import pekko.actor.ActorSystem
 import pekko.persistence.fsm.PersistentFSM.PersistentFSMSnapshot
 import pekko.serialization.SerializationExtension
 import pekko.testkit.PekkoSpec
 
 import java.util.Base64
 
+private[serialization] object SnapshotSerializerTestData {
+  val fsmSnapshot = PersistentFSMSnapshot[String]("test-identifier", "test-data", None)
+  // https://github.com/apache/pekko/pull/837#issuecomment-1847320309
+  val akkaSnapshotData =
+    "PAAAAAcAAABha2thLnBlcnNpc3RlbmNlLmZzbS5QZXJzaXN0ZW50RlNNJFBlcnNpc3RlbnRGU01TbmFwc2hvdAoPdGVzdC1pZGVudGlmaWVyEg0IFBIJdGVzdC1kYXRh"
+}
+
 class SnapshotSerializerSpec extends PekkoSpec {
 
+  import SnapshotSerializerTestData._
+
   "Snapshot serializer" should {
     "deserialize akka snapshots" in {
-      val system = ActorSystem()
       val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
-      // https://github.com/apache/pekko/pull/837#issuecomment-1847320309
-      val data =
-        "PAAAAAcAAABha2thLnBlcnNpc3RlbmNlLmZzbS5QZXJzaXN0ZW50RlNNJFBlcnNpc3RlbnRGU01TbmFwc2hvdAoPdGVzdC1pZGVudGlmaWVyEg0IFBIJdGVzdC1kYXRh"
-      val bytes = Base64.getDecoder.decode(data)
+      val bytes = Base64.getDecoder.decode(akkaSnapshotData)
+      val result = serialization.deserialize(bytes, classOf[Snapshot]).get
+      val deserialized = result.data
+      deserialized shouldBe a[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      val persistentFSMSnapshot = deserialized.asInstanceOf[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      persistentFSMSnapshot shouldEqual fsmSnapshot
+    }
+    "deserialize pekko snapshots" in {
+      val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+      val bytes = serialization.serialize(Snapshot(fsmSnapshot)).get
+      val result = serialization.deserialize(bytes, classOf[Snapshot]).get
+      val deserialized = result.data
+      deserialized shouldBe a[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      val persistentFSMSnapshot = deserialized.asInstanceOf[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
+      persistentFSMSnapshot shouldEqual fsmSnapshot
+    }
+    "deserialize pre-saved pekko snapshots" in {
+      val serialization = SerializationExtension(system)
+      // this is Pekko encoded snapshot based on https://github.com/apache/pekko/pull/837#issuecomment-1847320309
+      val pekkoSnapshotData =
+        "SAAAAAcAAABvcmcuYXBhY2hlLnBla2tvLnBlcnNpc3RlbmNlLmZzbS5QZXJzaXN0ZW50RlNNJFBlcnNpc3RlbnRGU01TbmFwc2hvdAoPdGVzdC1pZGVudGlmaWVyEg0IFBIJdGVzdC1kYXRh"
+      val bytes = Base64.getDecoder.decode(pekkoSnapshotData)
       val result = serialization.deserialize(bytes, classOf[Snapshot]).get
       val deserialized = result.data
       deserialized shouldBe a[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
       val persistentFSMSnapshot = deserialized.asInstanceOf[PersistentFSMSnapshot[_]]
-      persistentFSMSnapshot shouldEqual PersistentFSMSnapshot[String]("test-identifier", "test-data", None)
+      persistentFSMSnapshot shouldEqual fsmSnapshot
     }
   }
 }