Backing up your website regularly is one of the best ways to protect it. A good WordPress Backup plugin is essential for any website owner. You must protect your website files and database if something breaks or you run into an error you can’t fix. A backup plugin can give you peace of mind if something unexpected happens.
In this article, we’ll look at the best backup plugins available on WordPress to help you pick the one that’s right for you.
What is a WordPress Backup Plugin?
Backing up your website is downloading a copy of all your site files and/or database for safekeeping. Although it is possible to back up your WordPress site manually, it is a task that is easily forgotten and often time-consuming. A WordPress backup plugin streamlines the process of automatically backing up your site so you don’t have to. Most backup plugins will allow you to store backups in the cloud by integrating with third-party storage platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox. This ensures that your backups are safe if your entire website goes down. Without a backup, you might be able to recover your site and fix your issues. But nothing can replace a backup.
Other WordPress Backup Alternatives
Of course, there are other ways to back up your WordPress site. Many WordPress users may use their hosting provider’s backup services (like Cloudways) to manage and restore daily backups in a few clicks. Most managed WordPress hosting providers will also allow you to create a staging site that can be backed up as well. There are even entire WordPress maintenance support services that provide a suite of services to optimize your site, including backups. But if you are on
No matter how you choose to back up your site, it’s always best practice to maintain a separate backup if there is a problem with your hosting server or you encounter the white screen of death. You’ll want a solution that helps mitigate the damage from attacks or malware, stores your data securely, and has regular updates.
We considered these factors and more when choosing the best WordPress backup plugins below.
The Best WordPress Backup Plugins
The Best WordPress Backup Plugins Listed In Order
Let’s jump into our list of the best WordPress backup plugins without further delay. We scoured the web and picked what we believe are the best and most popular plugins available today. Below, we’ll cover the pros and cons of each plugin and then compare their prices. Ultimately, you can choose the right solution for your website.
1. UpdraftPlus
🥇Best Backup Plugin Overall
UpdraftPlus is one of, if not the most trusted WordPress backup plugins available, garnering over 3 million active installations and a near 5-star review. With this plugin, you can create a full backup of your WordPress site and store it in the cloud or download it so you can have a copy locally. The plugin supports both scheduled backups and backups on-demand. Additionally, you can decide what parts you want to back up, such as your plugins, themes, or data.
Your backups can be automatically uploaded to a variety of cloud storage services, including Dropbox, Google Drive, S3, Rackspace, FTP, SFTP, email, and more. These features are all available for free, but the premium version allows for more capabilities like incremental backups stored in multiple locations, creating copies of your site to migrate to a new domain, and advanced security reporting.
Configuring your backup is super straightforward, allowing beginners to set settings and choose from a wide range of remote storage options, along with being able to store a backup locally on your computer.
What We Like About UpdraftPlus
- Free Version: UpdraftPlus Free provides a range of features, including scheduled backups, incremental backups, database and file backups, restoration, and support for various cloud storage options like Dropbox and Google Drive.
- Incremental Backups: UpdraftPlus’ premium version allows you to enjoy the benefits of incremental backups on your website, which only save the modifications made since the previous backup, resulting in reduced storage space and backup operation time.
- Dependable Performance: UpdraftPlus operates efficiently, ensuring that it uses only a minimal amount of server resources when backing up your data.
What Could Be Improved
- User Interface: An excessive number of options presented all at once can be a bit cumbersome and potentially overwhelm some users, although it is not necessarily poor.
🥇Why We Picked It
UpdraftPlus is our top choice for a WordPress backup plugin. It provides comprehensive backup solutions, including incremental backups, easy restoration options, reporting and scheduling features, and seamless integration with cloud storage services. What’s even better is that setting it up and getting it running is incredibly simple.
Who Is UpdraftPlus Best For?
UpdraftPlus is ideal for individuals, businesses, and organizations that want a reliable and user-friendly solution for backing up and restoring their WordPress websites. It offers a range of features and flexibility to meet the backup needs of both small and large-scale WordPress users.
Community Reviews and Ratings
Users of UpdraftPlus adore the plugin because it is straightforward to use, efficient, and seamlessly integrates with other platforms. This is evident from the positive reviews on G2, Capterra, and WordPress plugin forums.
Pricing
The basic version of Updraftplus is free, with premium licenses starting at $95 per year.
2. Jetpack VaultPress Backups
🥈One Plugin to Rule Them All
Jetpack VaultPress Backups is one of the premium add-ons included in the Jetpack plugin by Automattic. This WordPress backup plugin automates the backup process so you can restore your website seamlessly. The plugin allows you to set up backups in real time with every change you make to your site. This lets you have the most recent backup ready to restore if something breaks with editing or updating your site. You can also schedule backups to happen daily with a 30-day backup archive available. This ensures you have the backup you need when you need it.
Jetpack keeps your website secure by regularly updating your backups and rapidly restoring your site with a single click. Moreover, its activity log ensures you’re always updated on changes to your site for proactive monitoring.
However, it’s important to recognize that Jetpack Backups may not backup all your site files for space efficiency. This includes WordPress core files or subdirectories outside your primary WordPress setup. Furthermore, it may restrict your database backups to WordPress tables only. Although this normally doesn’t pose a problem for most basic websites, we recommend ensuring that the plugin covers all your backup requirements before deciding to use it.
You will also need to install Jetpack and have a WordPress.com account/log in to access the WordPress.com cloud features. So, if you don’t need other features in the Jetpack core plugin, you might consider another option.
What We Like About Jetpack
- Automated Incremental Backups: Jetpack guarantees that it automatically backs up your website in real-time as soon as any changes are made, ensuring no modifications are lost.
- Instant Restoration: Jetpack allows you to swiftly recover your site with just a few clicks, even if your hosting provider is experiencing downtime.
- User-Friendly Interface: Jetpack ensures seamless usability with one of the most intuitive user interfaces among WordPress backup plugins.
What Could Be Improved
- Limited Control: Jetpack does not offer the ability to manually select specific directories or files for backup compared to other plugins. Furthermore, users are unable to choose their preferred storage provider.
- Expense: Jetpack VaultPress offers various pricing plans based on storage capacity and additional features, making it a paid service that may prove costly for websites with substantial data volumes.
🥈Why We Picked It
Jetpack is our next pick due to its convenient automated daily backups, effortless one-click restores, and user-friendly interface. It offers real-time security scanning and protection against malware, along with a range of other features, making it a reliable and comprehensive solution for managing and securing your website.
Who Is Jetpack Backups Best For?
Jetpack backups are perfect for you if you’re an individual, small business owner, or website owner. They provide a great way to safeguard your data and ensure the security of your websites. With automated backups, easy restoration options, and reliable storage, Jetpack offers convenience and peace of mind. It also includes features like security and anti-spam, all in one package. So, if you value simplicity and want to protect your data, Jetpack backups are an excellent choice.
Community Reviews and Ratings
User feedback from various platforms – including G2, Capterra, and the WordPress plugin repository – indicates that Jetpack is well-regarded for its easy-to-use interface, handy nature, and diverse features.
Pricing
Jetpack Bakups start at $119.40 per year
3. BackWPup
🥉Best Backup Plugin For Developers
BackWPup is a WordPress backup plugin that is a great free option for creating complete site backups. Plus, you can send your backups by email, upload them to a cloud storage service, or save them on the server hosting your website using BackWPup. To really take advantage of the plugin, you will want to upgrade to the pro version, which includes a ton of automated backup features, including complete automatic site restore, backup encryption, and a standalone app that allows you to backup and restore your site even if you can’t access it on the backend.
BackWPup offers an easy-to-use dashboard with simple steps to back up and restore your files successfully. The lack of frills and design may turn some users off, but this solution does give you the basic system you need to back up your WordPress site securely.
What We Like About BackWPup
- Flexibility: BackWPup offers a wide range of options for configuring and executing backups, allowing you to tailor them to your needs. You can select which data to include in the backup, decide where to store it, and schedule how frequently to perform the backups. Additionally, you can specify specific files or folders to exclude from the backup process.
- Reliability: BackWPup has established a solid track record of consistently successful backups, making it a highly dependable backup plugin. The plugin has earned a positive reputation within the WordPress community for its reliability and performance.
- Scheduling: BackWPup enables users to automate backups by scheduling them at specific intervals, ensuring that it regularly backs up their data without requiring manual intervention.
What Could Be Improved
- Lack Of Restore In Free Version: Unlike most free backup plugins, the free version lacks a restore function. Instead, users would need to manually restore the backup, which may require some technical expertise.
🥉Why We Picked It
Our third choice for backup solutions is BackWPup. It was developed by a well-known developer (the makers of WP Rocket) in the WordPress community and provides a range of comprehensive backup options. With BackWPup, you can easily schedule backups and seamlessly integrate with cloud storage services, ensuring reliable and convenient backup solutions for your WordPress website.
Who Is BackWPup Best For?
BackWPup is perfect if you own or manage a website and want a dependable and efficient way to back up your WordPress site. It’s easy to set up, automatically handles backups, and provides flexible storage options. With BackWPup, you can ensure your website’s security and peace of mind.
Community Reviews and Ratings
Some BackWPup users find the plugin easy to use and appreciate its integrations. However, some have raised concerns about the limited features available in the free version on the WordPress support forums.
Pricing
BackWPup has a free basic version, with premium licenses starting at $69 per year
4. BlogVault
BlogVault is more than just a WordPress backup plugin. It’s a comprehensive solution that helps you with website security and backups. With BlogVault, you can easily schedule daily, weekly, or monthly backups. It also offers incremental backups to prevent server overload. Using the activity logs, you can quickly identify any issues on your site. If you’re unsure about upgrading, you can use their free 7-day trial to test the plugin/service.
A standout feature is the BlogVault dashboard, where you can manage backups for multiple websites, all on a single dashboard. The dashboard makes it easy to set up real-time backups with just a button click. It has a well-designed UI and takes away any technical know-how necessary to restore and manage backups.
What We Like About BlogVault
- Comprehensive Solution: BlogVault does not just function as a simple backup plugin and storage solution; it allows users to store unlimited backups on its offsite servers, with the specific timeframe varying depending on the plan.
- Staging: BlogVault lets you take advantage of its integrated staging environment, which allows you to safely test plugins or themes before making any updates on your live site.
- Uptime Monitoring: BlogVault keeps a close watch on the uptime of your website. If your site goes down, you will receive real-time notifications, enabling you to address any issues that may arise promptly.
- Security Features: BlogVault ensures that your website is always protected by providing automated malware scanning and removal services in addition to its backup solutions.
What Could Be Improved
- Lack of Flexibility: BlogVault cannot choose the storage location for your backups, unlike other options on this list. This lack of choice could result in difficulties accessing your backups if you forget to renew your subscription.
- High Cost: Additionally, the high cost of using BlogVault may discourage users on a tight budget from utilizing the plugin.
Who Is BlogVault Best For?
BlogVault is an ideal solution for website owners, bloggers, and businesses looking for a reliable and secure backup system for their WordPress websites. With its automated backups, easy site restoration, and seamless migration features, BlogVault ensures your data is protected and offers a hassle-free backup management experience.
Community Reviews and Ratings
BlogVault is highly regarded by its users for its agility, efficiency, and quality of service. Users appreciate these features, as evidenced by positive reviews on platforms like G2 and the WordPress plugin repository.
Pricing
BlogVault offers a 7-day free trial, $149 per year after that.
5. Solid Backups (Formerly, Backup Buddy)
Solid Backups, formerly known as Backup Buddy, is a premium WordPress backup plugin that can handle all of your backup needs and more in one convenient place. It will back up all your site files and database in one downloadable zip file. The plugin allows the scheduling of daily, weekly, and monthly backups. You can email yourself a backup and store it in cloud storage providers like Dropbox, Amazon S3, Rackspace Cloud, FTP, and Stash (their cloud service). If you opt to use their service, they support real-time backups.
One distinctive advantage BackupBuddy offers is the capacity to restore and optimize your database. You will get 1 GB of free Stash Live storage for each plugin you buy (5GB on the Gold plan). And BackupBuddy can make it simple for you to switch hosts or domains for your WordPress site. The WordPress migration tool makes this plugin a popular alternative for web designers who build client-specific websites on temporary domains before transferring them to live domains.
The quick setup for your backup makes this an excellent option, as you can have automatic backups configured with just a few clicks. Plus, the 1GB of free storage should be sufficient for small website owners.
What We Like About Solid Backups
- User-Friendly Interface: Solid Backups is distinguished by its user-friendly interface, which features well-organized options that enable quick and effortless installation and setup.
- Efficient Incremental Backups: Solid Backups offers an intelligent backup solution that saves time and storage space and maximizes efficiency by backing up only the modifications made since the last backup.
What Could Be Improved
- Lack of A Free Version: Solid Backups does not provide a free version of their plugin or offer a free trial to try the plugin out. However, they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Who Is Solid Backups Best For?
Solid Backups is ideal for individuals and businesses who prioritize the security and reliability of their data. It offers robust backup solutions that protect vital files and information from data loss or system failures. Solid Backups has you covered whether you’re a small business owner or an individual with crucial data.
Pricing
Solid Backups is a premium-only plugin that starts at $99 per year.
6. All-In-One WP Migration
All-In-One WP Migration is, without a doubt, one of the most popular WordPress migration plugins. What makes this plugin such a great backup option is that it ensures your backups are properly configured for migrating to other sites on different hosting providers. Plus, the plugin has been heavily tested to work with other WordPress plugins and themes. The free version is fairly limited when it comes to backup features. But, it offers premium add-ons to back up your site with all the popular third-party storage platforms like Google Drive, AWS, and more. This allows you to export/import your site to and from the platform of your choice on any number of websites you own and create scheduled backups.
One of the most recent features added to the plugin is password-protected backups. The feature comes with the free version of the plugin and ensures your backups are encrypted and well-protected from others.
What We Like About All-In-One WP Migrate
- User-friendly Interface: All-in-One WP Migration provides a straightforward and intuitive interface, ensuring users can easily migrate their WordPress site.
- Comprehensive Migration: All website components, including the database, media files, plugins, themes, and settings, are efficiently transferred by All-In-One WP Migration.
- Broad Compatibility: The plugin seamlessly integrates with a wide range of hosting providers and fully supports various versions of WordPress.
What Could Be Improved
- Free Version Limitations: The file size limits of the free version of All-In-One WP Migration may not be sufficient for larger websites. However, the premium version removes this limitation. Additionally, the premium version offers advanced features such as cloud storage integration and unlimited file size, which are not available in the free version.
Who Is All-In-One WP Migrate Best For?
All-In-One WP Migration is perfect for you if you’re a website owner looking for a user-friendly backup solution, migrate or clone your WordPress site. It’s also a valuable tool for developers like you who need to transfer websites between different environments or collaborate on on-site development.
Community Reviews and Ratings
Users of All-in-One WP Migration have expressed appreciation for several critical aspects of the plugin. These include its ease of use, multilingual capabilities, user-friendly interface, and compatibility with various platforms. Reviews on websites like G2 and the WordPress plugin repository highlight these positive features.
Pricing
While the plugin itself is free, premium add-ons are available starting at $69 per year.
Comparing the Best WordPress Backup Plugins
The backup plugins in this article cover a lot of ground. Most of them have many of the same features and are priced similarly. But since we’ve featured each plugin individually, let’s look at some side-by-side comparisons of these plugins.
Backup Plugin Feature Comparison
Backup plugins for WordPress are some of the oldest and most widely used plugins out there. They are relied on by many websites. Considering that feature parity is pretty dense, and the category is a monolith. Backup plugins are all about handling the same tasks; just see our top 3 list. However, when finding the best plugin for your websites, check which pricing plans have the features you need, as not every feature is on all plans. Also, look into plugin UI and storage integrations that match your needs.
| Features | 🥇UpdraftPlus | 🥈 Jetpack Backups | 🥉 BackWPup |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Click Backup | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| One Click Restore | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ (Premium) |
| Incremental Backups | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Bring Your Own Storage | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Free Option | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Price for All Features | $95/year | $119.40/year | $69/year |
| Get Updraftplus | Get Jetpack Backups | Try BackWPup |
Backup Plugin Price Comparison
Price might be one of the standout differences if you are stuck choosing between two or three different options. Here’s a look at yearly prices and free options.
| Plugin | Price | Free Option | User Reviews (avg) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Updraftplus | $95/year | ✔️ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(4.8/5) | Visit |
| 🥈 | Jetpack Backups | $119.40/year | ❌ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(4.5/5) | Visit |
| 🥉 | BackWPup | $69/year | ✔️ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(4.5/5) | Visit |
| 4 | BlogVault | $149/year | ✔️ (Trial) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4.2/5) | Visit |
| 5 | Solid Backups | $99/year | ❌ | NA | Visit |
| 6 | All-In-One WP Migration | $69/year | ✔️ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(4.7/5) | Visit |
Which WordPress Backup Plugin Is The Best?
It’s important always to have a backup plan ready in case of a disaster. One of the most crucial steps you can take to secure your website and safeguard its data is to use a high-quality WordPress backup plugin. Make sure the backup plugin offers automatic backups (daily or weekly) so you don’t have to worry about losing the most current version of your site. It’s also convenient to have a plugin that enables migrations, cloning, and the transfer of data between servers. UpdraftPlus seems to have everything you would need to back up your site. However, the All-In-One WP Migration plugin is also a unique mention here since it makes it really easy to use backups to migrate websites from one host to another.
Backups usually come in handy once something goes wrong with your site. So, it’s always recommended that you enhance the security of your site now rather than later. To start, you can conduct a site security audit and ensure all your plugins are updated.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Before we wrap up, let’s answer some of your most common questions regarding WordPress backup plugins. Did we miss one? Leave a question below, and we will respond!
What is the best WordPress backup plugin?
What's the best free backup plugin for WordPress?
What is the best way to back up a WordPress site?
What is the best automated backup plugin for WordPress?
How can I store my WordPress site backups on Google Drive?
How often should I back up my WordPress site?
Are there any WordPress backup plugins that offer one-click restoration options?
What are the key features to look for in a WordPress backup plugin?
Is there a backup plugin for WordPress multisite installation?
Do any WordPress backup plugins provide off-site or cloud storage options?
Do you have a favorite WordPress backup plugin? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured Image via Graphic farm / shutterstock.com
UpdraftPlus
Jetpack VaultPress Backups
BackWPup
All-in-one migration is the best option. It’s a paid solution, but it never disappoints.
Thanks for the article! I used to use All in One WP Migration, but the free version no longer works consistently when trying to restore a backup. I now use WP Vivid. It gets around server upload limits by splitting your backup into two or more files. It’s simple to use and very reliable.
A lot of the hosting services have an in-built daily backup option.
Kinsta would be a great example of that. You get a daily backup (free). But, if you’re willing to pay extra, you can opt for shorter interval back-ups.
We’ve been using it for years at famium.co and have opted for 1-hour backup. I can’t tell you how life-saving it has been.
2. BackWPup is the best WordPress that I considered and useful.
I would also add Duplicator to this list. I’m using it to backup my sites and to clone them as well. It is free and works great with Divi.
Thanks for the suggestion! That’s a great plugin with several really useful features.
All-in-one WP migration seems to be the best plugin for backup.
It’s a great choice for many users 🙂
All of the above plugins are best for backup in WordPress, but I prefer All-in-one wp migration. I am also using this plugin, it backups each and every single data present in your site. So if you use this one, you will get all the pieces of your sites easily.
I echo with you Husyn! WP is one of the best tool even for beginners. I liked this plugin as it’s backing up all my bits and pieces(data). Thanks for the informative article Will.
Thanks for sharing your experience with that plugin 🙂
We know wordpress is the best for anyone to create website. And there are many plugins which helps us to improve wordpress use. This 6 plugins can helps much better.
Thanks for reading!
Hi Will Morris,
Thanks for the post. I have used Akeeba Backup for many years and it has performed like a champ on the most difficult sites. Wondering if you tested it out? It is a paid plugin, but to me it’s worth it for such an important function.
We haven’t tested that one out lately, but we’ll have to give it a look!
What? No BackupBuddy from iThemes?
Another solid option 🙂