These days, most of us know the importance of backing up any work we do on a computer, particularly when it comes to updating and upgrading. Alas, when it comes to using WordPress as your website\u2019s platform, creating backups isn\u2019t as easy as it is for things like your computer\u2019s hard drive.<\/p>\n
WordPress doesn\u2019t have full, built-in backup functions. It has control panels like cPanel X and phpMyAdmin that will back up<\/a> your posts, pages, and comments, but not your theme files or images, among other things.<\/p>\n What do you do?<\/p>\n That\u2019s where backup plugins come in. We developed a list of the seven best WordPress backup plugins to help you out so you don\u2019t have to waste so much time finding a good one by yourself.<\/p>\n UpdraftPlus is a comprehensive<\/a>, general-purpose backup plugin and easily one of the highest-rated and most popular WordPress backup plugins available. You don\u2019t just get the ability to back your website up into the cloud. UpdraftPlus allows you to store your site on the widest range of cloud<\/a> storage utilities available as well.<\/p>\n You get the ability to migrate your site in addition to backing it up on whatever storage utility you choose. UpdraftPlus is easy to use so you can back up your website with as little hassle as possible.<\/p>\n Pros<\/b><\/p>\n Cons<\/b><\/p>\n As with any WordPress plugin, you have to install Updraft Plus on your site. However, once you have it and set it up, creating a backup takes one click. You can manage every site backup in one place, whether somewhere on the cloud or Updraft\u2019s own storage option.<\/p>\n You can also manage the backups for all your websites via one central location with a single password. In short, Updraft Plus simplifies more than just backups.<\/p>\n You can get help and support<\/a> from Updraft\u2019s YouTube channel, discussion forums, and FAQ sections. If you want direct support from the company itself, though, you need to purchase the premium option and renew it every 12 months or buy the support option by itself.<\/p>\n Even so, you get access to extensive help should you run into trouble backing your site up, migrating it, or anything else. Even with the free version, you can access the FAQs, YouTube channel, and free forums.<\/p>\n Updraft does offer a free plan, but you don\u2019t get very many features with it.<\/p>\n VaultPress is now part of Jetpack, making it even better for WordPress users since Jetpack<\/a> is one of the most commonly used WordPress plugins available. Many of us have never worked on a WordPress site that didn\u2019t have it.<\/p>\n Many web developers use VaultPress<\/a> to ensure their clients\u2019 sites never experience more than a brief hiccup. You can restore any backup with just a few mouse clicks, so if your site's most recent versions are problematic, you can revert to the last version that worked and go from there.<\/p>\n Pros<\/b><\/p>\n Cons<\/b><\/p>\n VaultPress has almost unmatched compatibility with WordPress. Installing it is as easy as installing Jetpack. Without having to do much more than install and activate, VaultPress is up and running and regularly taking snapshots of your site. You can even access all of your sites<\/a> through a single login.<\/p>\n As part of Jetpack, you can disable VaultPress with a click if you want to, just like every other feature in Jetpack, which means that you can turn it off and install something else if you decide VaultPress is not for you.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a paying customer, you get priority access to customer service representatives via email. However, if you don\u2019t have a subscription, you need to use WordPress\u2019s and VaultPress\u2019s FAQs and support forums to find solutions to your problems.<\/p>\n You can also email your questions directly, but you might be waiting a while for an answer. Paying customers get priority support via email.<\/p>\n If you need more than what VaultPress offers, you can check out Jetpack<\/a> for the following prices:<\/p>\n One of the best things about BackupBuddy<\/a> is that it\u2019s the original WordPress backup plugin, so they\u2019ve had a lot of time to refine it. Besides backup capability, BackupBuddy also provides many other security features, including malware detection and more.<\/p>\n BackupBuddy backs up everything on your site, even your other plugins, widgets, users, and more in addition to the core database. You can also customize your backups based on what you need.<\/p>\n Pros<\/b><\/p>\n Cons<\/b><\/p>\n You can install BackupBuddy in five steps, so it\u2019s a little more complicated than other plugins that only require you to install and then run them with a single click.<\/p>\n You need to register on BackupBuddy\u2019s website to take advantage of their help and support. However, they have a convenient email form that anyone can fill out, meaning you can ask questions before spending money on the plugin.<\/p>\n BackupBuddy also has a comprehensive FAQ section, WordPress tutorials, webinars, libraries, and even some actual training.<\/p>\n Hundreds of thousands of websites trust their backup needs to BlogVault<\/a>. Even if your website is down entirely, your backup is still up and running so you don\u2019t experience any downtime at all. They also store your backups on their servers so there\u2019s no load on yours.<\/p>\n Furthermore, you can see and compare backups to your current site on their dashboard, helping you see what\u2019s still in place should your site crash.<\/p>\n Pros<\/b><\/p>\n Cons<\/b><\/p>\n You can get started<\/a> with BlogVault in less than five minutes. All you do is log in to your WordPress dashboard, install BlogVault, click auto-install, and then activate it. Then you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n You can also update things without breaking the live site. In other words, you have no downtime, and there\u2019s no need to have a backup actively running while you update, giving you the ability to update your site the way you want, whenever you want.<\/p>\n BlogVault provides customized support<\/a> for everyone on any plan. You can submit a help ticket, browse their blogs and FAQs, or contact them directly through email to describe your problem in detail and get a direct response.<\/p>\n BlogVault does have an Agency plan for more than 100 sites, but you have to contact them to get set up. They also offer a free seven-day trial.<\/p>\n Duplicator<\/a> not only allows you to back up parts of your site and your entire site, but it also has excellent migration capabilities. You can pull down your live site to localhost for development and run a backup in the meantime. If you\u2019re migrating to another domain, you don\u2019t have to worry about things like SQL scripts.<\/p>\n Duplicator doesn\u2019t have all the bells and whistles of other WordPress backup plugins. Still, if you\u2019re looking for something that will allow you a full backup with complete migration capabilities, then you should check out Duplicator.<\/p>\n Pros<\/b><\/p>\n Cons<\/b><\/p>\n Duplicator requires some technical knowledge because you have to execute your backups manually. However, you also get to pre-configure your sites before backing them up or migrating them, saving you a lot of time and effort on manually configuring each site with the same themes and plugins.<\/p>\n Remember that if you have different themes and plugins on other sites, you\u2019ll have to configure each one. But since many organizations try and keep things as uniform as possible, Duplicator works well for that.<\/p>\n You can find a comprehensive selection of help and support areas. In addition to the standard FAQ section<\/a>, you can download their user guide, submit a support ticket, or contact the company directly to explain your problem or give your feedback. You can get help no matter what plan<\/a> you have except for the free version.<\/p>\n BackWPup<\/a> saves your entire installation, including \/wp-content\/, to an external utility in the cloud. You get full site backups and the ability to restore encrypted backups, too. You can also export your XML files, get a complete list of all your plugins, and even a log report via email.<\/p>\n Besides that, you can back your site up to multiple utilities in the cloud or to an FTP<\/a> server, along with a database check, multisite support, and personalized premium support depending on what plan you have.<\/p>\n Pros<\/b><\/p>\n Cons<\/b><\/p>\n You can install BackWPup<\/a> on more than your WordPress site. If you\u2019re installing it directly on your website, then you simply download, install, and activate. If you\u2019re downloading it to an FTP server, you\u2019ll find installation and use a bit more complicated.<\/p>\n On your WordPress site, you have to activate your license, which means logging into your account on their website to get your key. Then you have to go into the plugin's administration area to enter your license key and product ID number before you can use it.<\/p>\n To access any support area, you need to log into your account on BackWPup\u2019s website. You also need to have a paid account to get the most out of their development and customer service team.<\/p>\n They have a free version, but like most free versions of anything, you only get a few features and a low customer service level and support.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for something with both backup and migration features as its core functions, then WPVivid<\/a> may be what you\u2019re looking for. You can download it as an extension that allows you to set up and control it for your main site and all child sites from your WordPress dashboard.<\/p>\n You can schedule auto-backups of everything on your site, including its core database, and customize it to serve your needs. You can also use WPVivid to migrate your site from one host to another.<\/p>\n Pros<\/b><\/p>\n Cons<\/b><\/p>\nWhat Is the Best WordPress Backup Plugin?<\/h2>\n
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Plugin Summaries<\/h3>\n
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1: UpdraftPlus<\/h2>\n
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Ease of Use<\/h3>\n
Help and Support<\/h3>\n
Pricing<\/h3>\n
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2: VaultPress<\/h2>\n
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Ease of Use<\/h3>\n
Help and Support<\/h3>\n
Pricing<\/h3>\n
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3: BackupBuddy<\/h2>\n
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Ease of Use<\/h3>\n
Help and Support<\/h3>\n
Pricing<\/h3>\n
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4: BlogVault<\/h2>\n
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Ease of Use<\/h3>\n
Help and Support<\/h3>\n
Pricing<\/h3>\n
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5: Duplicator<\/h2>\n
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Ease of Use<\/h3>\n
Help and Support<\/h3>\n
Pricing<\/h3>\n
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6: BackWPup<\/h2>\n
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Ease of Use<\/h3>\n
Help and Support<\/h3>\n
Pricing<\/h3>\n
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7: WPVivid<\/h2>\n
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Ease of Use<\/h3>\n