Best Plugins for Backing Up WordPress

WordPress is one of the most versatile website development tools. However it does have some drawbacks and one of its weaknesses is the built-in backup system. It only backs up your posts, pages, comments, tags, categories and custom fields. However, in case of a server crash or any other issue which could take your site down, you would do well to have a complete backup of the entire file structure including the directories, files, images and databases. If you lose this data, you may end up having to redesign the whole site.

Luckily, there are a multitude of plugins available for backing up WordPress. Most of them are easy to install and offer the flexibility of backing up your folders, files, posts, comments, tags, or just a complete database backup for your entire site.

Here are 6 backup plugins that you can try out. Once you’ve done investigating these I recommend you also check out the top plugins for securing your WordPress site.

1. WordPress Backup To Dropbox

As the name implies, WordPress Backup to Dropbox is a plugin that lets you back your entire site up to a Dropbox folder.

It gives you the flexibility of restoring your site from any device through which you can access your Dropbox folder. However, the space available for backing up your site is limited to the size of your Dropbox folder, which depending on your site may not be large enough. You may have to upgrade to the paid version of the Dropbox service in order to get a storage space beyond the free 2 GB. Which introduces a monthly fee, which you may not want.

2. WordPress EZ Backup

WordPress EZ Backup provides a simple and automated way to backup your data in its entirety. The admin interface is simple and easy to use, and provides the option of restoring your site from a previous backup.

It allows you to customize the backup schedule for your convenience and for the maximum performance of your site. It’s a good rule of thumb to backup your site during non-peak traffic hours (usually in the middle of the night for most websites).

The only drawback with this plugin is the lack of any third party storage.

3. Backup Buddy

Backup Buddy is not your run of the mill backup plugins. Being one of the costlier plugins, it comes with an extensive set of features. The plans are based on how many sites you want to back up with the smallest plant being $80 per year for two sites.

Key features include online storage space of up to 512 MB, malware scanning, it shows how many changes have been made to your site since the last backup, and much more. Check out the full list of features here.

It also has a complete restore feature, which allows you to restore your entire site simply and easily. You can even use that restore feature to migrate your site to a different domain or server.

4. Blog Vault

Blog Vault completely automates the WordPress backup process, which means that the users can focus on the content of the website. The best part about this service is their test restore feature, which works as a sandbox to check if the site restore works. Besides the automated off-site backup, BlogVault provides an option to backup on Dropbox as well. It also allows you to migrate your site to a different location.

The cost for Blog Vault is about the same as Backup Buddy.

5. UpdraftPlus Backup

Updraft Plus has over 1 million downloads and it’s rating is 4.9 out of 5, so it gets great reviews.

It allows you to back your site up to a cloud service and also to FTP and email. It also provides a one click restore solution and backup encryption to protect your backed up data.

This plugin is specifically used to back up themes, plugins, and anything else that is stored in the folder named wp-content. The basic plugin is free, but a variety of different add-ons of different value are available for purchase. There is also an all inclusive Premium Package.

6. VaultPress

Last, but certainly not least, is VaultPress. This backup plugin is created by the Automattic team, which is also the team behind WordPress.

It is a premium plugin that has all the features of Backup Buddy and Blog Vault including Real-time backups, security/malware scans and site activity statistics.

In conclusion, fter all the work you put into your site and all the time spent getting it just right, it would be a pity if you were to lose it all because you didn’t have it backed up. I recommend you try out the out plugins I’ve mentioned above and pick one! You’ll thank me later.

If you use a backup plugin that I didn’t talk about and you’ve had a great experience with it please let me know in the comments!