Your WordPress website is a valuable asset. Whether it’s a business site, an online store, or a personal blog, losing your data due to a server crash, hacking attempt, or a simple user error can be devastating. Relying solely on your hosting provider’s backups often isn’t enough, you need independent control and robust protection.
WordPress backup plugins make safeguarding your site simple and automatic. Investing in the right one is crucial; the most expensive backup is the one you didn’t take. But with hundreds of options, which is best?
As senior content strategists at Doindigital.com, we’ve tested and analyzed the top solutions. This guide compares the 11 best WordPress backup plugins for 2025 both free and premium to help you choose the perfect safety net for your site. While backups protect your data, the right hosting protects your site’s performance; see our guide on choosing a hosting provider for WordPress for more.
Key Features to Look For in a Backup Plugin
Before diving into the list, understand what makes a great backup plugin:
- Complete Backups: Needs to back up both your WordPress files (themes, plugins, uploads) and your database.
- Incremental Backups: Saves resources by only backing up changes since the last backup (often a premium feature).
- Off-site Storage: Ability to automatically send backups to secure cloud locations (Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, etc.).
- Easy Restore: Simple, ideally one-click, process to restore your site from a backup.
- Scheduling & Automation: “Set it and forget it” automated backups are essential.
- Staging & Migration: Bonus features for testing changes or moving your site.
The 11 Best WordPress Backup Plugins in 2025
Here are our top picks:
1. UpdraftPlus
Best All-Around Free Plugin
UpdraftPlus dominates the market as the most popular free WordPress backup plugin, trusted by over 3 million websites. Its generous free version allows complete site backups (files + database), scheduled automation, and integration with numerous cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon S3. Restoring is straightforward directly from the WordPress dashboard.
| Pros | Cons |
| Most feature-rich free plugin available | UI can feel slightly dated compared to newer plugins |
| Supports many free cloud storage options | Migration, incremental backups, and multisite are Pro features |
| Highly reliable with a massive user base (3M+ installs) | Priority support requires premium upgrade |
Pricing:
- Free: Available on WordPress.org.
- Premium: Starts at $70/year (Personal plan, up to 2 sites).
Verdict: For most users, UpdraftPlus Free provides the best balance of features, reliability, and cost. It’s the undisputed king of free backup solutions.
2. Jetpack Backup (Formerly VaultPress)
Best for Real-Time Backups
Developed by Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com), Jetpack Backup provides real-time, incremental backups stored securely in the cloud. Every change—every new post, comment, or WooCommerce order is saved instantly. This makes it ideal for dynamic sites where data loss is unacceptable. It operates offsite, putting zero load on your server.
| Pros | Cons |
| True real-time incremental backups | Recurring subscription model (no free tier for backups) |
| Offsite backups don’t strain your server | Ties you into the wider Jetpack ecosystem |
| One-click restore, even if your site is offline | Initial storage (10GB) might be limiting for large sites |
| Excellent for WooCommerce (preserves orders during restore) | 30-day archive on the basic plan |
Pricing:
- Starts at $4.95/month (billed annually, often with a first-year discount) for daily backups, 10GB storage, and a 30-day archive. Real-time options are available in higher tiers or bundles.
Verdict: The gold standard for WooCommerce stores and high-activity sites needing continuous, real-time protection.
3. BlogVault
Best Premium SaaS with Integrated Staging
BlogVault is a premium Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that performs backups incrementally on its own servers, ensuring zero performance impact on your website. It offers automatic daily backups, a generous 90-day archive on basic plans, and simple restoration. Its standout feature is the included one-click staging environment, allowing you to safely test updates.
| Pros | Cons |
| Zero load on your server during backups | Premium only; higher starting price than plugin-based solutions |
| Free one-click staging site included | Per-site pricing can add up for multiple websites |
| Reliable incremental backups stored offsite | |
| Long backup archive (90+ days) |
Pricing:
- Starts at $89/year (Basic/Personal plan for 1 site) including daily backups and staging. Higher plans add real-time backups and longer archives.
Verdict: An excellent, worry-free solution for agencies, developers, and businesses wanting robust backups and integrated staging without impacting site speed.
4. Solid Backups (Formerly BackupBuddy)
Best for Developers & Reliable Migration
Solid Backups (the evolution of BackupBuddy) is a long-standing premium plugin favored by developers. It creates comprehensive, standalone .zip backups of your entire site, making migration to a new host or domain straightforward. It supports various cloud destinations and includes its own cloud storage option.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent tools for site migration and cloning | No free version available |
| Creates complete, portable backup archives | Can be more server-intensive than SaaS options during backup |
| Includes cloud storage (20GB on starting plan) | Restore process might be less intuitive for beginners |
| Part of the broader SolidWP suite (Security, etc.) |
Pricing:
- Starts at $99/year for the standalone Solid Backups plugin (2 sites, 20GB cloud storage). Also available bundled in the Solid Suite.
Verdict: A powerful and reliable tool, particularly strong for developers needing robust migration and cloning capabilities alongside dependable backups.
5. WPvivid Backup Plugin
Best UpdraftPlus Free Alternative with Staging
WPvivid has rapidly gained popularity, offering an impressive suite of features in its free version, including backup, restore, and even basic migration. It supports backup to major cloud providers like Google Drive and Dropbox. The Pro version adds incremental backups, more cloud options, advanced migration, and a capable staging environment.
| Pros | Cons |
| Generous free version includes backup, restore & migration | Some advanced features (incremental, staging) require Pro |
| Multiple cloud storage options supported | Cloud restore might face issues on restrictive shared hosting |
| Pro version offers excellent value with staging included | UI might be less polished than top-tier premium options |
Pricing:
- Free: Available on WordPress.org.
- Pro: Starts at $49/year (Blogger plan for 2 sites). Lifetime plans are also available.
Verdict: WPvivid offers fantastic value, especially its Pro version. It’s a strong competitor to UpdraftPlus, with the added benefit of staging features.
6. Duplicator
Best for Site Migration & Cloning (with Backup)
Duplicator is legendary in the WordPress community, primarily as the go-to plugin for migrating or cloning websites. It packages your entire site into a couple of files that can be easily deployed on a new server, even without WordPress pre-installed. While the free version allows manual backups, Duplicator Pro adds crucial backup features like scheduling and cloud storage.
| Pros | Cons |
| The gold standard for site migration and cloning | Free version lacks scheduled backups and cloud storage |
| Pro version offers robust backup features | Primarily designed for migration; backup focus is secondary to UpdraftPlus Free |
| Can restore/migrate even if WordPress isn’t installed | Learning curve for beginners compared to simpler backup plugins |
Pricing:
- Free (Lite): Available on WordPress.org (excellent for manual backup/migration).
- Pro: Starts at $49.50/year (Basic plan for 2 sites).
Verdict: If your primary need is flawless site migration or cloning, Duplicator is unbeatable. The Pro version turns it into a capable backup solution as well.
7. BackWPup
Good Free Option with Diverse Cloud Support
BackWPup is a solid freemium plugin that allows you to create complete WordPress backups and store them in various locations. Its free version notably supports destinations like Dropbox, Amazon S3, FTP, and Microsoft Azure. You can schedule backups automatically. The Pro version adds more destinations (Google Drive, OneDrive), encrypted backups, and an easier restore process.
| Pros | Cons |
| Supports many cloud destinations in the free version | Automatic restore requires the Pro version |
| Flexible scheduling options | Interface is less intuitive than some competitors |
| Affordable Pro version | Can sometimes be resource-intensive during backup on shared hosting |
Pricing:
- Free: Available on WordPress.org.
- Pro: Starts around $69/year (Standard plan for 1 site), with renewals around $39/year.
Verdict: A reliable free alternative, especially if you need to back up to specific cloud services like Microsoft Azure without paying.
8. All-in-One WP Migration
Simplest Plugin for Small Site Migration & Backup
Famous for its simplicity, All-in-One WP Migration exports your entire site into a single .wpress file via a one-click process. Importing is just as easy with drag-and-drop. While primarily a migration tool (used by over 5 million sites), the export file serves as a full backup. Its major limitation is the restrictive upload size limit in the free version (often <512MB).
| Pros | Cons |
| Incredibly simple drag-and-drop interface | Free version has a very restrictive upload size limit |
| Exports entire site into one portable file | Requires paid extensions for cloud storage, multisite, and size limit removal |
| Huge user base (5M+ installs) | Less flexible than dedicated backup plugins (no scheduling in free) |
Pricing:
- Free: Available on WordPress.org (with size limits).
- Unlimited Extension: $69 (one-time fee) to remove the import size limit. Cloud storage extensions are sold separately or bundled.
Verdict: The easiest way to migrate small websites. The export serves as a manual backup, but it’s not ideal as a primary, automated backup solution without paid extensions.
9. Total Upkeep (from BoldGrid)
Best for Automatic Pre-Update Backups
Total Upkeep (formerly BoldGrid Backup) offers standard backup features (scheduling, cloud storage via FTP/SFTP, Google Drive & S3 in Pro) but stands out with its “Auto Rollback” or “Automated Site Protection”. It automatically creates a backup before WordPress core, theme, or plugin updates run. If an update fails, it can automatically restore the site to the pre-update state, preventing disaster.
| Pros | Cons |
| Automatic backups before updates & auto-restore on failure | Fewer cloud destinations than competitors (only FTP/SFTP free) |
| Simple interface and setup | Free version features are basic compared to UpdraftPlus |
| Affordable premium plan |
Pricing:
- Free: Available on WordPress.org.
- Premium: Starts at $2.50/month (billed annually at $30/year).
Verdict: Excellent choice if your main concern is preventing site crashes caused by faulty updates. The pre-update backup feature is invaluable.
10. WP Staging
Best Staging Plugin with Backup Capabilities
Primarily known as one of the best staging plugins, WP Staging allows you to create a clone of your site for testing. However, even the free version includes basic backup and restore functionality, creating a full backup within a subdirectory. The Pro version significantly enhances backup features, adding scheduling, cloud storage (S3, Google Drive), migration, and pushing staging changes live.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent staging functionality is its core strength | Free backup features are less comprehensive than dedicated backup plugins |
| Free version includes basic backup & restore | Cloud storage and scheduled backups require Pro |
| Pro version is a powerful all-in-one staging & backup tool | Higher starting price for Pro compared to basic backup plugins |
Pricing:
- Free: Available on WordPress.org.
- Pro: Starts at €89/year (approx. $95 USD) for the Personal plan (1 site).
Verdict: If you need both a staging environment and backups, WP Staging Pro is a robust, integrated solution. The free version offers basic backup as a bonus.
11. WP Time Capsule
Best for Low-Resource Incremental Backups
WP Time Capsule focuses on efficient, incremental backups. After the initial full backup, it only saves changes directly to your cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Wasabi, Backblaze). This uses minimal server resources and allows for real-time backups. It also includes staging features.
| Pros | Cons |
| Very low server resource usage due to incremental backups | Requires connecting to your own cloud storage (no bundled storage) |
| Real-time backup option available | Smaller user base (20k+ installs) compared to giants |
| Includes staging features | Restore window limited on the basic plan (30 days) |
Pricing:
- Starts at $49/year (Business plan for 2 sites) with a 30-day restore window. Higher plans offer longer restore windows and more sites.
Verdict: A great option for users on shared hosting concerned about resource usage, or those needing real-time backups without the Jetpack ecosystem.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Backup Plugin
Selecting the best WordPress backup plugin boils down to your specific needs and budget:
- Best Free Option: UpdraftPlus offers unmatched features and reliability for free.
- Best for E-commerce/Real-Time: Jetpack Backup provides seamless, real-time protection. BlogVault is a strong alternative with added staging.
- Best for Agencies/Developers: BlogVault (for SaaS/staging) or Solid Backups (for robust migration) are excellent choices.
- Best for Migration: Duplicator remains the king of moving sites.
- Best Value Premium: WPvivid Pro bundles backup, migration, and staging at a competitive price.
No matter which plugin you choose, set it up immediately and schedule regular, automated, off-site backups. It’s the single most important step you can take to protect your WordPress website. Combine this with regular site maintenance and performance tuning, like the tips in our guide to speeding up your WordPress site, for a truly resilient online presence.
