Best WordPress Backup Plugins (2026): 5 Free Plugins Tested

WordPress backup plugins copy your files and database so you can get your site back after a bad update, a hack or a mistake. The good ones run on a schedule, send the copy somewhere other than your own server, and make restoring painless. Many of them can also move a site to a new host, which is why backup and migration tools overlap so much.

We tested five popular WordPress backup plugins on the same clean WordPress 7.1.3 site, one at a time, and measured what each adds to your server and dashboard.

Our picks at a glance

The order reflects what we would recommend for most sites, weighing features and hosting fit. The score measures only what each plugin costs your site.

WordPress backup plugins compared: our test results

Lower is better for memory, tables and options. None of the plugins added CSS or JavaScript for logged-out visitors.

All four measured plugins were light for visitors. The differences were in the admin: WPvivid added 8.6 MB of memory on admin screens, BackWPup saved 31 options and sent us to an onboarding screen, while UpdraftPlus and All-in-One WP Migration stayed quiet and light.

What about Duplicator?

Duplicator has more than 1 million active installs and a 4.9-star rating, so we wanted it in this test. In WordPress Playground, it stopped with a fatal error on activation. Playground runs WordPress on SQLite instead of MySQL, and Duplicator’s database tools expect MySQL.

This says nothing about how it runs on normal hosting, where it works for a huge number of sites, but it means we have no measurements for it, so it is not ranked here. Among WordPress backup plugins, Duplicator is best known for migrations: it bundles your site into an archive and an installer script. Paid plans (Duplicator Pro) start at $79 per year.

1. UpdraftPlus: best of the free WordPress backup plugins

9.7/10 Free plan v1.26.13 · 3 million+ installs · 4.8★ on WordPress.org

UpdraftPlus is one of the most used WordPress backup plugins, with more than 3 million active installs and 4.8 stars from 8,696 reviews. The free version runs scheduled backups of your files and database and sends them to remote storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3 or email. Restoring is a click from the same screen.

In our test it added 1.7 MB of memory, no tables, 7 options and 2 cron jobs (for scheduled backups). It added a top-level UpdraftPlus menu and an admin-bar item, and it did not redirect or show an upsell notice. We use UpdraftPlus on wpglory.com, with backups stored off the server.

2. All-in-One WP Migration: easiest way to move a site

9.7/10 Free plan v7.112 · 5 million+ installs · 4.5★ on WordPress.org

All-in-One WP Migration exports your whole site (database, media, plugins and themes) into a single file that you import on the new site. For moving a site to a new host or a new domain, it is the easiest tool we know.

It was also very light: 1.6 MB on the front end, 0.9 MB in the admin, no tables and one option. It is built around manual exports, so it is not a full scheduled-backup tool in its free version; use it next to a scheduled backup plugin, or for migrations.

Large sites can hit the import limits of the free version or of your hosting’s upload size. Check both before you start a big move.

3. WPvivid Backup: strong free all-rounder

9.2/10 Free plan v0.9.136 · 900,000+ installs · 4.9★ on WordPress.org

WPvivid Backup & Migration offers scheduled backups, cloud storage and site migration in its free version, and it has the highest rating of the group: 4.9 stars from 1,566 reviews.

It was heavier than UpdraftPlus, the lightest full backup plugin here. It added 4.5 MB on the front end and 8.6 MB in the admin, one table, 12 options, a 6-item menu and an admin-bar item, and it redirected to its dashboard on the first admin visit.

4. BackWPup: flexible backup jobs

8.9/10 Free plan v5.7.8 · 400,000+ installs · 4.0★ on WordPress.org

BackWPup lets you build backup “jobs”: what to back up, how often, and where to send it, including FTP, Dropbox and S3-compatible storage. That flexibility suits people who want different schedules for the database and the files, which few free WordPress backup plugins offer.

It added 3.3 MB of memory, one table, 31 options (the most here), an admin-bar item, and sent us to an onboarding screen on the first admin visit. Its rating is the lowest of the group at 4.0 stars.

How to choose between WordPress backup plugins

• You want set-and-forget backups: UpdraftPlus, with remote storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
• You are moving to a new host: All-in-One WP Migration, or Duplicator if you prefer an installer script.
• You want backups and migration free in one plugin: WPvivid.
• You want custom backup jobs: BackWPup.

Also check what your host already does. Many hosts take daily backups, but they are often stored on the same infrastructure as your site and kept for a limited time. One of these WordPress backup plugins gives you a copy you control.

A simple backup routine that works

1. Back up the database daily and files weekly (daily for busy shops).
2. Store backups off your server: cloud storage, not just the hosting account.
3. Keep at least a few weeks of backups, not only the last one.
4. Take a manual backup before every major update.
5. Test a restore on a staging copy every few months. A backup you have never restored is a guess, whichever backup plugin made it.

Backups pair well with good security and a light plugin stack. See our WordPress cache plugins test and our lightweight WordPress plugins guide.

How we tested

Every plugin was installed from WordPress.org on a clean WordPress 7.1.3 site (PHP 8.3, Kadence theme) in WordPress Playground on 26 October 2026. We activated one plugin at a time, measured the site, then deactivated it again, so each result is compared with the same clean baseline. We loaded the home page as a logged-out visitor three times and kept the median PHP peak memory, counted the CSS and JavaScript the plugin added, and recorded database tables, options, scheduled cron jobs, admin menus, notices, dashboard widgets and any redirect on the first admin visit. Ratings, installs and versions come from the WordPress.org plugin directory on the same day.

Duplicator could not be activated in Playground (it expects MySQL; Playground uses SQLite), so it has no measurements or score.

The WPGlory score rates what a plugin costs your site, not how many features it has: front-end weight 30%, server cost 20%, admin clutter 20%, WordPress.org rating 20% (weighted by the number of reviews) and maintenance 10%. Features are covered in the text. Read the full method.

FAQ

Modasser Jasim

Meet Modasser, an industry specialist, website designer, and developer with professional experience. With over 9+ years of expertise in crafting interactive websites and providing intelligent business solutions, Modasser has established a solid reputation for excellence in the industry.

I install every plugin on a clean test site and publish the numbers.

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