10 of the Best WordPress Backup Plugins for 2023

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When it comes to safeguarding your WordPress site, selecting the most suitable backup plugin requires careful consideration of various factors. It should be effortless to install, user-friendly, and consistently reliable, as backups are a crucial aspect of website management.

Moreover, numerous WordPress backup plugins save backups on your site's server, which can consume resources, hamper performance, and occupy storage space. While it is advisable to store backups elsewhere, the expenses associated with cloud storage can be a hindrance, particularly if your site exceeds 100 GB.

Consequently, many website owners compromise on their backup schedules, like opting to backup weekly instead of daily or only backing up the database and ignoring the files. However, these shortcuts can leave your site vulnerable to data loss, server downtime, or malware attacks.

Fortunately, selecting the best WordPress backup plugin eliminates the need for such compromises. A top-notch backup solution will cater to websites of all sizes, restore data impeccably, and offer a user-friendly experience.

The Best WordPress Backup Plugins (Compared)

Not all WordPress backup plugins are created equal. Some use your site's server storage, which can drain resources and impede functionality, while others may struggle to handle large websites, resulting in failed restores.

Many people reach out to us with inquiries about whether to backup their entire site or just a portion of it. These questions also extend to the storage of backups, potential size limitations, and extra charges for larger sites, among other concerns. To address these issues, we have tested the most outstanding WordPress backup solutions on the market.

The ideal WordPress backup solution should provide a secure, well-managed backup system that operates seamlessly when needed. After conducting thorough research and analyzing the data, we can help you make an informed decision for your WordPress backup needs.

1. BlogVault WordPress backup plugin

If you are seeking a WordPress backup solution that is virtually indestructible, BlogVault is the answer. Whether you operate a photography website, a business brochure site, a WooCommerce store, or manage multiple sites for clients, BlogVault's backup system offers genuine peace of mind.

The setup for WordPress backups using BlogVault is remarkably straightforward. Gone are the days of fiddling around with cPanel and phpMyAdmin to retrieve data, and worrying about keeping those two files together. No longer do we need to implore web host support for our backups in the event of a total site wipeout by hackers.

Effortlessly handles large site backups

Out of all the WordPress backup plugins we evaluated, BlogVault was the only one that could back up large sites without difficulty. We put a media-rich portfolio site with a minimum of 50 GB of content through its paces. The initial sync admittedly took some time, but subsequent syncs were noticeably quicker. The reason behind this is the incremental backups feature that only backs up changes made since the previous sync. It's a huge resource saver.

The restores were just as seamless, with the option of testing the restore prior to replacing the live site. This is a priceless feature that helps prevent any potential conflicts or downtime. It would have been nice to see this feature in other WordPress backup and restore plugins or even to have reliable restores at all.

Unlimited backup storage

When it comes to other plugins, storage for large sites quickly becomes an issue. Either our site server space is rapidly decreasing, or the storage expenses on cloud services are becoming cost-prohibitive. BlogVault includes unlimited backup storage on its own servers. Jetpack, the only other WP backup plugin with this option, doesn't back up the entire site.

An overview of BlogVault WordPress Backup

In addition to backups, BlogVault resolved a major development bottleneck with its staging site feature. We used to make design changes straight to the live site, which was a terrible idea. Now, we can create a staging site with one click and test out all changes there. The staging site is an exact replica of the live site and is perfect for obtaining client approval for any changes without disrupting the live site. It's also ideal for testing out design alterations.

BlogVault offers a comprehensive backup solution for WordPress sites, which includes an emergency connector to restore fully crashed sites. All backups are managed through an external dashboard, and in case of site crashes or loss of access to wp-admin, the latest backup can be restored in a matter of minutes. Additionally, the platform offers customizable backups, with real-time backups available for high-traffic and WooCommerce sites. Other features include partial restores, an integrated staging site, migration capabilities, uptime monitoring, and an activity log. BlogVault's pricing starts at $89 a year, which includes unlimited offsite storage at no additional cost. Overall, BlogVault is a reliable and easy-to-use backup plugin with a 100% restore rate.

2. UpdraftPlus



More than 80% of websites have a size of less than 1 GB. If your website is not critical to your business and you can tolerate a few hours of downtime, then the UpdraftPlus WordPress backup plugin can be a viable option.

UpdraftPlus is a well-known choice for WordPress backups, particularly for smaller websites. It has a built-in integration with the highest number of cloud storage options, which is very convenient.



This plugin is excellent for backing up small websites. We tested UpdraftPlus and were initially impressed with how quickly it synced with our smaller sites. We were able to create a backup in a matter of minutes, which was then saved to our server immediately. We could also set up automatic backups and choose the frequency and number of backups we wanted to keep. At first, we chose the manual setting and selected 20 backups.

However, we soon realized that each backup was a full copy of our entire site. Incremental backups are only available as a premium feature, so we ended up storing multiple copies of our site on our server. This quickly depleted our server resources. With only 5 backups, the disk usage on our server skyrocketed to almost 700 MB, which is seven times larger than our site.

Despite this, UpdraftPlus integrates seamlessly with cloud storage services.



To address this issue, you can connect your UpdraftPlus account to cloud services like Amazon S3, Dropbox, and Google Drive. They also offer a paid storage service called UpdraftVault. However, for medium to large sites, the storage costs can become quite high as you'll need to upgrade your plan for every additional GB of storage required.

We've conducted a comprehensive review of our experience with UpdraftPlus backups. In summary, we found that the plugin is suitable for small sites only and is not scalable as a long-term solution.



Features of UpdraftPlus include manual and automatic backups, customisable complete and partial backups, and incremental backups for premium users. The plugin also offers 1-click restores, an integrated staging site to safely test changes, built-in migration capabilities, and extendable offsite storage with UpdraftVault.

The benefits of UpdraftPlus include being a free-to-use backup plugin and seamless integration with cloud services. It offers complete and partial backups and an external dashboard free up to 5 sites.

However, there are also some downsides to consider. Backups are stored on the site server or the user's own cloud storage, and offsite storage is metered and only available at an additional cost. Restores for sites larger than 200 MB can be unreliable, and there are no real-time backups for WooCommerce sites.



UpdraftPlus is a reliable backup plugin for WordPress that comes with a wide range of customizable settings and pricing plans. However, it may not be the best option for larger sites, as backup and restoration processes often fail. Storing backups on the same server as the site is not advisable, and we strongly suggest exploring UpdraftVault options in combination with the backup plugin.

3. BackupBuddy



At first glance, BackupBuddy may seem like a promising backup solution for WordPress, given its premium status. However, the plugin has not undergone significant improvements over the years. While it was once a popular backup plugin, it now lags behind UpdraftPlus, which has made significant strides in the same period.

Furthermore, BackupBuddy can be unreliable when taking backups, as evidenced by an error message that appears on the dashboard warning of potential backup failures or extended backup times. This is because BackupBuddy uses site resources to manage backups, which is not a reassuring sign. According to the documentation, the error could be due to a plugin conflict or incorrect DNS, but this information is not particularly helpful.


However, when we consulted BackupBuddy's documentation, we found that their recommended backup schedule was insufficient for most sites. The documentation suggests that a full site backup should be taken at least once a day, in addition to regular database backups. This discrepancy between the dashboard and documentation is concerning and could result in inadequate backups for users who rely solely on the dashboard's recommendations.

Overall, while BackupBuddy may seem like a viable WordPress backup plugin, its reliability when it comes to restoring backups is questionable. Its default storage location on the site server is also problematic, although offsite storage is available with their premium Stash Live feature. However, even this feature falls short, as we experienced issues accessing our backups through the iThemes Sync external dashboard. Finally, the recommended backup schedule provided by the dashboard is inadequate and potentially misleading.



When it comes to BackupBuddy's backup storage settings, it's important to note that partial backups may not be very useful. They are often suggested as a way to save storage space, but in reality, it's better to back up the entire site and only use partial restores when necessary for specific changes.



BackupBuddy offers on-demand backups, both complete and partial, as well as hourly automatic backups and a one-click automatic restore feature. The plugin also has the advantage of offsite backups with Stash Live, an independent dashboard with iThemes Sync, and integration with cloud services. Incremental backups are also available with Stash Live.



However, there are some downsides to BackupBuddy. Backups are stored on-site servers by default, and offsite backup storage is metered. Restoring large sites can be difficult and prone to failure, and the external dashboard doesn't always function as intended. Additionally, pricing starts at $80 per year for one site with a maximum of 1 GB storage.

Overall, BackupBuddy receives a rating of 1 out of 5 from our tests. Backups may not be accessible from everywhere, and server resources can be used up excessively. Backup storage costs may also be high. Additionally, to use BackupBuddy, you have to download the plugin directly from their website and then upload it to your WordPress site. For more detailed information on this plugin, please refer to our review.



4. Jetpack Backups




Jetpack Backup is a plugin with a well-organized dashboard that includes site stats, backup, and security information. It offers various plan options that include security, image optimization, and other maintenance tasks, making it an attractive solution for WordPress maintenance.



Jetpack offers automated scheduled backups and real-time backups for WooCommerce sites, as well as a 30-day backup archive with offsite storage at no additional cost. The backup and restore process is seamless, with our test sites backing up quickly and restoring easily. However, the backups do not include WordPress core files, certain database tables and files that are not considered a part of WordPress, and other exclusions. In our opinion, partial backups are not very useful, as they cannot restore the entire database at once, which is especially critical for WooCommerce sites.

Despite this drawback, Jetpack's backup system is powered by the WordPress.com team, and the integration of VaultPress into the Jetpack suite has expanded its WordPress maintenance capabilities. After installing the Jetpack plugin, users are directed to an external dashboard where they can manage backups, security, and image optimization in one place.

Jetpack stores all backups offsite for up to 30 days, except for the largest plan, which offers backups for 365 days. The backups are visible and accessible from the external dashboard at WordPress.com. Overall, Jetpack Backup is a good option for WordPress maintenance, but the partial backups may be a concern for some users.



Jetbackup is a WordPress backup plugin that offers real-time backups for WooCommerce sites, one-click automatic restore, incremental backups, uptime monitoring, brute force protection, and image optimization. The plugin is effective and reliable, with offsite storage for backups.

However, Jetbackup only offers partial backups, which may be a concern for some users. Additionally, the free plan does not include backups, and optimized elements may change the appearance of the website. Most plans offer 30 days of backups, and there is no multisite support.

Jetbackup's pricing starts at $85/year for backup plans with some security and performance features and unlimited storage.

Overall, Jetbackup is a good option for WordPress backups and restores, and it is one of the few plugins that offer unlimited offsite backup storage at no extra cost. However, the plugin does not allow for customization of backups, and it excludes WordPress core files and anything it deems not a part of the website, which can be concerning if there is custom code or premium plugin and theme additions.



5. WP Time Capsule



The interface of our popular plugin, WP Time Capsule, is one of its standout features. Instead of a standard dashboard, it offers a unique calendar view that displays backups taken on any date. This creates restore points on those specific dates, enabling users to quickly restore backups from the calendar.

However, it's important to note that WP Time Capsule can take a significant amount of time to backup a site. In fact, our initial backup took over 12 hours for a small site of approximately 300 MB. Although the plugin informed us that it would send an email once the backup was complete, the backup was still in progress after two hours. While this may be a situational issue, it does raise concerns about reliability. In comparison, all other plugins we tested took around 5 minutes, with some taking up to 15 minutes. It's difficult to understand why WP Time Capsule took 12 hours, and we're uncertain how long it would take for a larger site.



Subsequent backups are incremental, which means they don't take as long as the first sync. However, WP Time Capsule's syncs are still relatively slow compared to other plugins on average.

WP Time Capsule offers basic backup features and supports cloud storage services. However, the list of supported services is limited, and the plugin recommends Amazon S3 or Wasabi, presumably due to speed considerations. While WP Time Capsule allows you to schedule your automated backups, we found the restores to be highly unreliable. This was not entirely unexpected given the lengthy backup times we experienced. Unreliable restores can be a deal-breaker, rendering backups useless.



WP Time Capsule offers a 30-day free trial of their Business plan, which includes real-time backups and the ability to restore backups from up to 30 days. Once you sign up, you can test out features such as scheduled automatic backups, incremental backups, integration with cloud services, one-click restore, integrated staging, activity log, and auto-updates.

One notable advantage of WP Time Capsule is the option to encrypt database backups, as well as the unique calendar view of backups. However, there are some drawbacks to consider, such as slow backup times and unreliable restores. Additionally, there is no offsite storage option available.

The pricing for WP Time Capsule is relatively affordable at $49 per year. However, our overall verdict based on our testing is a 2 out of 5 rating. The significant amount of time it took to back up a small site was concerning, and while the calendar interface is visually appealing, it may not be practical for sites backed up daily.

6. BackWPup



The BackWPup plugin boasts of providing reliable backups and automated restores. Our test verified its effectiveness in performing these functions. However, the plugin's backup and restore processes lack clear explanations and intuitive features, resulting in unnecessary confusion for users.

Although BackWPup offers standard backup features, its dashboard presents a list of suggestions instead of straightforward options, requiring users to create a job to initiate manual or scheduled backups. Unfortunately, creating a job can be a complicated process that may be challenging for non-technical users unfamiliar with cron jobs and WP-CLI.



Moreover, BackWPup's free version does not provide secure or encrypted backups. The plugin developers emphasize that backup security is solely the responsibility of the admin, and users of the free version are on their own. As a result, the wp-config.php file, which contains crucial login credentials, may be vulnerable to hacking attempts if used for backups.


In summary, BackWPup is a simplistic backup plugin that may not be suitable for users unfamiliar with technical concepts like cron jobs and WP-CLI. Additionally, its free version does not offer secure or encrypted backups, and users should exercise caution while using it.



One of the strangest aspects of BackWPup is that restores are only available as a premium feature, either through the Pro version or the Standalone Restore App. Without upgrading, users must manually restore backups through cPanel, which may not be the most reliable method.

The plugin offers automatic scheduled backups, integration with cloud services, and the ability to repair and optimize databases. The premium version provides encrypted backup files, complete and partial backups, and offsite backups via the Standalone Restore App.


However, the interface is not intuitive, and the free version only replaces manual backups from cPanel. Users must manage and store the backups themselves. Additionally, the premium version's confusingly named Standalone Restore App offers automatic restores and offsite storage.



Overall, BackWPup may not be the best plugin for site backups, as it remains complex and unintuitive, with restores available only as a premium feature. Plans start at $69/year for offsite backup storage.

In summary, BackWPup's strengths include automatic scheduled backups and integration with cloud services, but its limitations include unintuitive interface, premium-only restores, and complexity. The plugin's free version only replaces manual backups from cPanel.

7. WPvivid



WPvivid is another backup plugin that offers automatic scheduled backups and easy restore options. Backups can be scheduled from once a day to monthly frequencies, but it may not be sufficient for high-traffic sites or WooCommerce sites.

The interface of WPvivid is basic, but not intuitive. Users have to explore the plugin to understand how it works. However, the backup process is fast and error-free, and website restoration is quick and without any issues.

WPvivid also offers integration with cloud services for remote storage of backups. Users need to connect their cloud service accounts to the plugin, and then these options will show up. If the cloud service account is not connected, the default storage location is the site server.

The plugin allows users to customize what to backup and choose between complete and partial backups. The free version allows storing up to three backups, but this limitation is removed in the pro plan. As backup storage is the user's responsibility, there is no reason for the plugin to have such a restriction.

Overall, WPvivid offers reliable and straightforward backup and restore options, with cloud storage integration, customizable backup options, and no backup storage limitations in the pro plan. However, the interface is basic and not intuitive.



Overall, WPvivid is a solid option for WordPress backup and restore needs. The plugin offers scheduled automatic backups, cloud storage integration, and one-click auto restore. The integrated staging feature is also a useful addition. However, the plugin does not offer offsite storage or real-time backups, and the free tier has a limit of up to 3 backups.



On the other hand, WPvivid offers partial and complete backups, migration capabilities, incremental backups as a premium feature, and multisite support. The plugin also has performance features that can help improve site speed. The pricing of $49/year is reasonable for the features offered.



In comparison to other popular backup plugins, WPvivid stands out with its full-featured capabilities and ease of use. It's a good option for those looking for a comprehensive backup plugin with additional migration and staging features. Overall, we give WPvivid a rating of 3/5.

8. WP ALL Backup



The WP ALL Backup plugin offers a free version that backs up the website database only, while the premium version, priced at $22 a year, allows for a complete backup. Our testing revealed that backups using the plugin were completed quickly, but the restore function encountered an error and did not provide any useful information to continue the process. Despite its user-friendly dashboard and clear backup and scheduling options, the plugin's unreliability in the crucial restore process makes it ineffective as a WordPress backup solution. WP ALL Backup also includes a mini-plugin called WP Database Backup that only backs up the database, but our experience with restores using this feature was also poor, rendering it not recommended. Ultimately, a reliable restore function is a non-negotiable feature of any backup plugin.



WP ALL Backup offers scheduled automatic backups and supports multisite, with fast backup times being a notable pro. However, it only integrates with Dropbox on the free tier and lacks offsite storage. Additionally, restores are unreliable, rendering it ineffective as a backup solution. The pricing model includes a mostly free option, with a Pro plan available at $22/year.



In our assessment, we give WP ALL Backup a low rating of 1 out of 5. The plugin only offers partial backups of the database, excluding website files, making it insufficient for restoring a website in case of a problem. The user experience is also poor, and we encountered the plugin accidentally while testing their database backup plugin.

9. Backup Guard



We have tested Backup Guard, which is a backup plugin for WordPress. The plugin has a well-designed and intuitive dashboard, and its instructions are clear and easy to follow, making it suitable even for beginners.

Backup Guard comes with several features, including automatic scheduled backups, complete and partial backups, and migration capabilities. Its fast and easy backup process, intuitive dashboard, and integration with cloud services are some of its strengths. However, the plugin does not offer real-time backups, manual restores, or offsite storage.



The free version of Backup Guard provides seamless backups and restores, and you can connect to a Dropbox account for storage. The premium version costs $25 per year and provides more cloud storage options, but still no offsite storage. The premium plans are also the only way to get automatic backups.

Overall, we give Backup Guard a rating of 2/5. Although the backup process is fairly easy, it took some time to backup even a small site of 300 MB. The plugin allows you to download your backups or store them on a cloud server. However, the automated backups can only be scheduled at the minimum frequency of an hour, which may not be frequent enough for high-traffic or WooCommerce sites.

10. Duplicator



The Duplicator plugin, featured last on this list, is a popular WordPress plugin that is commonly used for migrations but can also be used for backups. This plugin allows for scheduled backups on an hourly basis, with the option of either a complete or partial backup. While Duplicator is a versatile plugin, it may not be suitable for beginners, as it requires some technical understanding to operate effectively.

Features of the Duplicator plugin include scheduled automatic backups, complete and partial backups, and migration capabilities. However, there are a few drawbacks to using this plugin, such as the lack of offsite storage and a confusing user interface. The plugin does have integration with cloud services, which is a plus.

The pricing for Duplicator is $69 per year. It's important to note that since this plugin was originally developed as a migration tool, restoring backups is not a significant part of its functionality. While there is an option to revert to a previous version with Duplicator Pro, this feature is not included in the free version. Manual backup restoration is possible through cPanel or FTP.

In summary, the Duplicator plugin can be a useful tool for WordPress migrations and backups, but it may not be the best option for beginners due to its technical nature and confusing user interface. Its integration with cloud services and scheduled automatic backups are notable features, but the lack of offsite storage and manual backup restoration are significant drawbacks. Overall, the Duplicator plugin receives a rating of 1 out of 5.



When it comes to selecting the best WordPress backup plugin, it may be tempting to believe that simply creating a copy of your website is sufficient. However, this is rarely the case, which is why the abundance of options can be overwhelming. Some plugins only offer database backups, while others recommend weekly or monthly backups, both of which are not advisable.

In this article, we will explore the factors that should be taken into consideration when choosing the best WordPress backup solution for your site backups.

One crucial factor to consider is how easy it is to backup and restore your WordPress site. We discovered that BlogVault's backup plugin is exceptionally user-friendly and requires no setup beyond connecting your site to the plugin. There's no complex scheduling or configuration, and you don't need to set up FTP connections. It's so straightforward that anyone on your team can perform backups and restores without the need for developer assistance.

Another important consideration is performing full backups of your WordPress site. When asked what to backup on your site, the answer should always be everything. This includes the core files and folders, plugin and theme files and folders, and the database. In the event of a site crash, a full backup is the only reliable way to restore it. Anything less increases the risk of a failed restoration.


Most WP backup plugins recommend partial backups due to storage limitations. Backup storage must be considered, either on your site's server or on a cloud service. Both options have drawbacks. On-site storage consumes site resources and becomes vulnerable if the server fails. Cloud storage can be exorbitant.

BlogVault and Jetpack are the only plugins we found that offer unlimited backup storage. However, Jetpack does not back up WordPress core files and folders, making their backups incomplete.

Daily backups are usually sufficient for WordPress sites, but not for WooCommerce sites. Due to continuous activity such as new orders, user registrations, and inventory changes, real-time backups are critical. BlogVault offers real-time backups for WooCommerce sites, with backups every five minutes. BlogVault captures all events and backs them up on their servers, making it an invaluable recovery tool.


The majority of WordPress backup plugins use your site's resources to take and store backups. However, this can eventually lead to a trade-off between having sufficient backups and the rising costs of maintaining them. Backups should not compromise site performance or consume server resources. That's why offsite backup storage is essential.

Offsite storage is critical for two reasons: firstly, backups on your site server take up space and can reduce site performance over time; secondly, if something goes wrong with your server, and your backups are stored there, they will be affected too. They cannot be accessed to restore your site, rendering them useless.

BlogVault and Jetpack Backup are the only backup plugins that offer unlimited offsite storage. However, as mentioned earlier, Jetpack selectively backs up your site, whereas BlogVault always backs up your entire site.

One way backup plugins can consume site resources is by taking a full backup every time. However, a more efficient solution is to look for changes on the site since the last backup and only save those to the new backup. This approach is called incremental backups and can be found in plugins like WP Time Capsule.


Incremental backups are often promoted as space-saving since they only save changes, but they are not necessarily partial backups. However, BlogVault’s approach to incremental backups differs from this norm. Although subsequent backups only store changes, the backup retained by BlogVault is always complete, even if there were no changes to your site. This means that each BlogVault backup is complete on its own, eliminating the need for the initial backup. Furthermore, since BlogVault provides unlimited storage, space limitations are not a concern.

It is crucial to note that a backup plugin that fails to restore a backup is worse than useless, as we discovered during our testing. Unfortunately, even well-known plugins like UpdraftPlus and BackupBuddy can fail to restore backups. As a result, always test your restores and use a good backup plugin that allows you to roll back changes to a specific plugin or theme.

Since site backups contain sensitive information that can be used to hack into your site, it is critical to ensure that your backups are encrypted and that your backup service provider guarantees their security. For example, Wp-config.php contains plaintext database credentials, so encrypting your backups is especially important.


One item on the list of essential features for WordPress backup plugins is automated and scheduled backups. Although it seems obvious, not all backup plugins provide this option. Manually taking backups can be tedious, and remembering to do it regularly can be a hassle. To alleviate this necessary pain, a backup plugin should be an obvious solution. However, this is often not the case.

To ensure your site's safety, it's essential to choose a backup plugin that can automatically back up your site daily for a standard WordPress site and in real-time for a WooCommerce store.

Another important feature to look for in a backup plugin is the ability to handle large sites effortlessly. Many WordPress backup plugins have warnings that backups for large sites may fail, which can be unsettling. Large sites have just as much, if not more, need for backups, as there is that much more to lose. With BlogVault, backups for even 100 GB sites can be performed without a hitch, and they can also be restored 100% of the time.

It's also crucial to choose a backup solution that does not impact your website's performance. Many backup solutions store backups on the site server, which can cause several problems. Firstly, if anything goes wrong on the server, it will affect the site and its backups equally. Secondly, saving backups on the site server will invariably use site resources to save and restore them, thereby taking away those resources from the site itself. This impact on site performance is particularly noticeable when full site copies are made, and they're not configured to be incremental. In some cases, it may lead to an exorbitant hosting bill.


One crucial feature to look for in a WordPress backup plugin is an independent dashboard. Backups are essential for your website's safety, but if your plugin is only accessible through your wp-admin, you may lose access to your backups if your website goes down due to malware or web host issues. Therefore, it's essential to choose a plugin that provides an independent dashboard so that you can access your backups at all times.

Another important factor to consider is reliable support. Good customer support is necessary when investing in any plugin. In case anything goes wrong, you want to be sure that the plugin support is efficient enough to guide you and help you through it. Good support can be the difference between a failed restore and a successful one. To find plugins with reliable support, you can look at how they have responded to customer reviews and complaints and how they handle grievances in general.

Choosing a backup plugin for WordPress is far more reliable than other options such as manual backups or relying on your hosting provider. A WordPress backup plugin allows you to schedule and automate your backups, significantly reducing the chance of human error. Most backup plugins also offer the option of automatic restores for your website, reducing the chance of failure in restoring your website and the added costs of hiring an expert to restore it.


Web hosts may offer backups as part of their hosting package or as an add-on service, but they have several limitations that make them an unsustainable long-term solution. Firstly, backups are stored on the same server as the website, making them vulnerable to anything that affects the server, such as a hack or downtime. Also, backups stored on the site server consume valuable resources.

Offsite backups provided by web hosts may not be readily accessible, requiring you to contact support to gain access. If your site is hacked, your web host may delete your site along with its backups. Additionally, the risk of human error, such as forgetting to renew your hosting, can result in permanent data loss or a hefty penalty to recover it.

While web host backups are useful in quickly restoring your site, they have significant drawbacks. It is best to use a dedicated backup plugin that offers automatic and scheduled backups, an independent dashboard, and reliable support.



While we still recommend manual backups over no backups, there are some issues with this approach. Manual backups are typically used as a last resort when other options are not available.

One issue is that restores can be unreliable for larger sites. Manual backups are usually created through cPanel tools, and restores are done in the same way. However, cPanel is not designed to handle large volumes of data, so restoring anything above 1 GB is likely to fail, which defeats the purpose of having a backup.

Another issue is that restores can fail due to network issues. Manual backups are often downloaded using home networks and uploaded in the same way, which can be unreliable and result in timeouts. If the servers are located far away, this can create problems when transferring data.

Storage is also a concern with manual backups, as you may need to store backups on your local machine, external drives, or in cloud storage services. This is similar to web host backups, but with manual backups, you have to handle the storage directly.

Manual backups also take a lot of time and effort. It is a tedious process that involves copying files and folders from cPanel and exporting the database from phpMyAdmin, then saving those files together. It is not a scalable practice, especially if you want to maintain backups for at least 30 days. Doing this process every day for 30 days and beyond is impractical.

While manual backups are still better than having no backups at all, we recommend daily backups for most sites, and real-time backups for high-traffic sites or e-commerce stores. Unfortunately, with manual backups, this frequency is just not practical.


In conclusion, a good backup plugin is essential for protecting your WordPress website without sacrificing performance. The best backup solution may vary depending on your website, but reliable backups, easy restore, and secure storage should always be a priority.

We highly recommend using BlogVault as it offers efficient backup and restore functions with a single click, and takes the storage question out of the equation. It is a reliable, high-performance, and user-friendly plugin that is sure to meet your backup needs.

We hope our list and recommendations have helped you make an informed decision about your backup options. For frequently asked questions, we suggest using BlogVault for automated, offsite storage, and easy restore. It is the best backup plugin for WordPress, providing quick sync, alerts, incremental backups, and offsite storage.


Reducing the risk of losses and minimizing downtime is crucial for any website. One effective way to achieve this is by backing up your entire WordPress site regularly. A reliable backup plugin such as BlogVault can be used to schedule backups at desired intervals, including real-time backups. This plugin also offers offsite storage for added security in case of emergencies.

WordPress does not have an in-built backup feature, but backup plugins like BlogVault can be easily installed and set up to automatically backup your website. BlogVault is currently the gold standard in WordPress backup plugins, offering an intuitive and hassle-free backup solution.

If you prefer to backup your WordPress site manually without using any plugins, you can do so using your web host or an FTP client. However, this process can be time-consuming and may not be as reliable as automated backups.

It is generally recommended to take daily backups of your WordPress site to ensure that you do not lose too much data in case of a hack or server failure. For WooCommerce stores or high-traffic websites, real-time backups are crucial to prevent loss of orders and customer data.