Regularly backing up your website is one of the most important things you can do to guard against losing all your data. After all, no one plans to be hacked or for their server to crash.
Fortunately, there are plenty of excellent, not to mention free, WordPress plugins available that will back up your posts, pages, product descriptions, and whatever else you have on your site.
First, we’ll look at the pros and cons of using free backup plugins, then we’ll provide you with a list of key features to be looking for when searching for the best backup solution. Finally, we’ll close with a list of the 11 best free backup plugins we could find.
Premium vs. Free Plugins
Although many backup plugins are free, there are some with extended features, like off-site cloud storage, that cost money. Before we look at the free ones, it’s worth considering the pros and cons of both types.
The biggest – and most noticeable – benefit of a free plugin is, of course, the price (or lack thereof). However, it’s always best to remember the phrase: “You get what you pay for.”
Premium plugins like Snapshot Pro typically offer a better support program. If something doesn’t seem to be working as it should, you can contact support and get the issue resolved. Support from companies that price their backup service on a monthly basis is usually very good at responding to your questions because they don’t want to lose you as a customer.
If you want to try a premium backup plugin, download Snapshot Pro – absolutely free! Plus, you’ll get 24/7 support and access to all of our premium plugins and services for 7 days.
Since Snapshot was launched we’ve added sooo much new stuff! Head over to the project page to check out all the new features. Check out Snapshot
That said, the free backup options are rated by other users. In some cases, they’ve been downloaded and installed by hundreds of thousands of fellow WordPressers. That should give you some peace of mind knowing that other people have gone on before you and found that the plugin was, at the very least, satisfactory.
When would you pick a free backup plugin over a premium backup plugin? Typically when your budget constraints demand that you do so. If you simply don’t have the money for a professional backup service, then your best (and only!) option is to go with a free solution.
Key Backup Plugin Features
When scoping out your backup plugin options, there are a few features that all backup plugins should come with:
- Automation. To be honest, there’s little point going for a backup plugin if it’s not automated; you may as well conduct the backup manually every time.
- Ease of use. Depending on how tech-savvy you are, the easier it is to restore from a backup, the better.
- The ability to backup your entire site. You don’t just want your database, but also all of your media files, themes, etc. A backup that only
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This article was written by Tom Ewer and originally published on WPMU DEV Blog.