Announcing Duplicator WP-CLI Commands (And How They Speed Up Backups)
Looking for a smarter way to manage site backups? Explore Duplicator's new features, including customizable WP-CLI commands and permission settings!
Announcing Duplicator WP-CLI Commands (And How They Speed Up Backups)
Joella Dunn
Joella Dunn
John Turner
John Turner
Manual backups are a bit like flossing. We know we should do it regularly, but life gets in the way.
That’s where automatic backup plugins come to the rescue.
These plugins automatically back up your site so you never have to worry about it. They work tirelessly in the background, ensuring that every piece of your WordPress site – from blog posts to product pages – is safely tucked away.
But with so many options out there, how do you choose the right automatic backup plugin for your WordPress site? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
I tested each leading WordPress automatic backup plugin on the market and found the best ones! You’ll find good options for any type of website you’re running.
Ready to say goodbye to manual backup stress? Let’s dive in!
| Automatic Backup Plugin | Free Version? | Automatic Backups | Premium Pricing | Best For |
| Duplicator | ✅ | ✅ | $49.50/yr | Flexible backup scheduling, cloning, and migrations |
| UpdraftPlus | ✅ | ✅ | $70/yr | Beginners |
| Jetpack Backup | ❌ | ✅ | $4.95/mo | Real-time cloud backups |
| BlogVault | ❌ | ✅ | $149/yr | Extra tools for performance and security |
| Solid Backups | ❌ | ✅ | $99/yr | Selective restores and off-site storage |
| BackWPup | ✅ | ✅ | $69/yr | Free automatic backup plugin |
| Total Upkeep | ✅ | ✅ | $2.50/mo | Automating backups and updates |
| WPvivid | ✅ | ✅ | $49/yr | Extra tools for image optimization and staging |
| WP Database Backup | ✅ | ✅ | $149/yr | Free automatic backups for your database and full site |
Out of the box, WordPress doesn’t include automatic backups. Surprising, isn’t it? The core WordPress software is like a house without a security system – functional, but missing a critical safeguard.
If you’re using a managed WordPress host, you might have a basic safety net. Many managed hosting providers include daily backups as part of their service.
But here’s the catch: these host-provided backups often come with limitations. They might not create frequent enough backups or save all aspects of your site.
This is where third-party backup plugins come into play. These plugins fill the gap left by WordPress core and basic hosting backups. Many backup plugins offer comprehensive, automatic backup solutions tailored to your specific needs.
With a good automatic backup plugin, you’re not just getting a basic safety net. You’re getting a sophisticated system that can:
So, while WordPress itself might not have automatic backups, the WordPress ecosystem certainly has you covered. The key is choosing the right plugin for your needs – which is exactly what we’ll help you do.
Automatic backup plugins save copies of your site’s content, settings, and data at specific points in time. You won’t have to worry about creating any backups yourself.
But how do they work? It’s simpler than you might think:
All of this happens in the background, without you lifting a finger. You’ll have a safety net that’s always there, even when you forget about it.
WordPress automatic backup plugins aren’t just for protection — they’re about efficiency.
Manual backups can be time-consuming. You have to remember to do them, then go through the process step by step. Automatic backups happen in the background while you focus on more important things.
With fast-changing e-commerce sites, you might even need hourly backups. Automatic backup plugins maintain your ideal schedule without fail. Rain or shine, holiday or workday, they’re on the job.
We’re all human, and humans make mistakes. Maybe you forget to include an important folder in your manual backup, or you accidentally overwrite a recent backup with an older version. Automatic backup plugins follow the rules you set, consistently and accurately.
Many automatic backup plugins offer one-click restore options. It’s like having an “undo” button for your entire website. No need to fumble with database imports or FTP uploads — just choose your backup point and click.
By handling these crucial but repetitive tasks, automatic backup plugins let you focus on what really matters — creating great content, serving your customers, and growing your business. They turn what could be a stressful, time-consuming chore into a seamless background process.
Not all automatic backup plugins are created equal. When you’re shopping for one, keep an eye out for these essential features.
Flexibility is key. Automatic backup plugins should let you set backups as frequently as you need.
Maybe you need daily backups for your busy e-commerce site, or perhaps weekly backups are enough for your personal blog. The best plugins let you tailor the schedule to your specific needs.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Look for a plugin that offers multiple storage options like:
The more options, the better. When your data is in multiple locations, you don’t need to worry about server errors wiping out your backups.
Full backups are great, but they can be resource-intensive. Incremental backups only save what’s changed since the last backup. This approach saves time, storage space, and server resources.
When disaster strikes, you want to get back on your feet fast. Look for plugins that offer simple, one-click restore options.
You should also be able to restore your site without the WordPress dashboard. You won’t want to get locked out of your admin dashboard with no way to access your backups.
Sometimes, you don’t need a complete backup. A good plugin should let you choose what to include or exclude.
Maybe you want to back up your posts and pages, but not your media library. The ability to select specific components gives you more control and can save storage space.
Now that we’ve covered what to look for in an automatic backup plugin, let’s dive into some of the top contenders in the market. We’ll explore a range of options to suit different needs and budgets.
When it comes to automatic backups, Duplicator stands head and shoulders above the rest. It’s not just a backup plugin; it’s a complete site management toolkit.
Duplicator creates what we call a “package” — a custom backup that can include your database, files, themes, plugins, and media files. To include or exclude any data, use the beginner-friendly checkboxes. There are also file and database table filters if you want more advanced customization.
One of Duplicator’s standout features is its scheduled backups. You can set it to automatically create backups hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly, ensuring your site is always protected.
These backups can be stored locally on your server. Duplicator also supports all of these third-party cloud storage locations:
You can create as many backup schedules as you need. This way, each part of your site is backed up at the right time.
With other plugins, restoring a site often involves multiple steps – uploading files, importing databases, and troubleshooting along the way. Duplicator Pro simplifies this to one click.
Plus, it can restore your site without even opening the dashboard. You can set a backup as the disaster recovery point and Duplicator will give you a recovery URL. Paste this into a web browser to immediately get your site back online.
Duplicator is a great automatic backup plugin, but it isn’t just for backups. It’s also a powerful tool for cloning or migrating your site! With every backup archive, you’ll get an installer.php file that makes migrations easy.
Duplicator has a free version with basic backup and migration functionality. To automatically back up your WordPress website, upgrade to Duplicator Pro starting at $49.50 per year.
Duplicator Pro is the best WordPress automatic backup plugin because it supports monthly, weekly, hourly, and daily backups. You can also use it for migrations and cloning, making it a flexible maintenance tool.
UpdraftPlus is another popular WordPress backup plugin. It’s known for its user-friendly interface.
At its core, UpdraftPlus offers a straightforward approach to WordPress backups. It allows you to easily schedule automatic backups and store them in a variety of locations.
You can use UpdraftPlus to create different backup schedules for your files and database. This granular control can be useful if you’re looking to optimize storage space or focus on the most critical parts of your site.
The plugin also shines when it comes to restoration. With UpdraftPlus, you can restore your entire site or just specific parts of it. This can be a lifesaver if, for example, a plugin update goes wrong and you only need to roll back that specific problem.
There is a free version of UpdraftPlus. The premium version costs $70 a year.
UpdraftPlus is well-suited for WordPress beginners looking for a straightforward automatic backup solution.
Jetpack Backup (or VaultPress) is part of the Jetpack suite of WordPress tools, developed by Automattic.
Instead of scheduling backups at set intervals, Jetpack backs up your site in real time, capturing every change as it happens. Even if your site faces downtime, you’ll have an up-to-the-minute backup to restore from.
Another standout feature is its off-site storage. All backups are stored on WordPress.com servers, which means your backups are safe even if your site experiences issues. This can be helpful in disaster recovery scenarios.
Jetpack Backup also offers a user-friendly interface for restorations. You can browse through your backup history and restore your site to any point in time with just a few clicks.
Jetpack Backup costs $4.95 monthly. You can also bundle it with other Jetpack tools.
Jetpack Backup is perfect for website owners who want real-time backups that are stored in the cloud. It’s especially useful if you’re already using other Jetpack tools.
BlogVault is a premium WordPress backup service. It has a bunch of advanced features including off-site backups, performance monitoring, and one-click staging.
Once you link your site, BlogVault will automatically back it up. You can set up a custom sync time so that BlogVault creates backups when you want it to.
Unlike other plugins, BlogVault provides an independent control panel. This makes it easy to manage your backups even if your WordPress site is down or inaccessible.
BlogVault excels in creating efficient, incremental backups. It only backs up changes made since the last backup, which saves storage space and reduces the load on your server. This is particularly beneficial for larger sites or those that update frequently.
BlogVault costs at least $149 per year.
Automatic backups are just one small part of BlogVault. Its performance and security tools make it a powerful tool for WordPress site management.
Solid Backups used to be known as BackupBuddy. It’s one of the oldest and best-reviewed WordPress backup plugins.
The plugin offers flexible scheduling options. You can set up hourly, daily, twice daily, every other day, bi-weekly, weekly, or monthly backups. You’ll be able to customize this schedule right when you install Solid Backups.
With Solid Backups, you’ll get 1GB of free cloud storage in Solid Stash. It also supports multiple storage locations including Dropbox, OneDrive, and Amazon S3.
For one site, Solid Backups costs $99 per year.
Solid Backups is a reliable backup plugin. Its main selling points are selective restores and custom cloud storage.
If you’re looking for a free backup plugin, BackWPup might be for you. It can automatically back up your site hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly.
You can save your backups to your server, send them via email, or store them on various cloud services. BackWPup can also create separate backups for your database and files.
BackWPup offers a unique feature: database optimization. By scheduling database checks and repairs, you’ll improve your site’s performance over time.
BackWPup is a free WordPress plugin. There is also a premium version available starting at $69 yearly.
Although BackWPup is a free plugin, it lets you back up your website automatically. However, it may take some time to learn how to use it.
Another backup plugin with automatic scheduling is Total Upkeep. Even with the free version, you can set and forget daily backups.
Total Upkeep can automate not just backups, but also WordPress updates. Additionally, it creates a backup before updates are applied, giving you a safety net in case anything goes wrong during the update process.
The plugin also includes a site health monitor, which checks for potential issues. If it notices any errors, you’ll get an email with a link to auto-restore your website.
There is a free version of Total Upkeep. However, the premium plan only costs $2.50 per month.
Total Upkeep automates backups and updates which can be a real time-saver for site owners.
WPvivid is not just a backup plugin; it’s a complete site management tool. It can help you move your site, create staging environments, and of course, keep your data safe.
With WPvivid, you can create automatic backup schedules that run every month, fortnight, week, day, or 12 hours. For each schedule, specify what data you want backed up.
WPvivid is a free WordPress backup plugin. Premium plans start at $49 yearly.
Along with automated backups, WPvivid has useful features like image optimization, incremental backups, and auto-migrations.
WP Database Backup started out as a database backup plugin, but it can now back up your entire WordPress site. Once installed, it’ll automatically create a full backup.
With this plugin, you can schedule backups to run every day, week, or month. This takes one maintenance task off your list.
WP Database Backup can also search and replace text in your database backups. You might need this feature if you move to a new domain name.
WP Database Backup is free. To upgrade, premium plans start at $149 a year.
WP Database Backup can be a good choice if you need to set up automatic database backups for free.
It’s worth noting that many WordPress hosting providers now offer built-in automatic backups (or as an add-on service). This can be an attractive option if you don’t want to install another plugin.
However, there are some potential drawbacks to consider:
Even if you use your host’s backup solution, it’s often a good idea to have a secondary backup method in place. This way, failed hosting backups won’t cause data loss.
Now that you’ve found a backup plugin, I want to give you some tips for setting up your automatic backups. Following these guidelines will help ensure your WordPress site is always protected and recoverable.
One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to backup frequency. Consider these factors:
Remember, it’s better to err on the side of caution. You can always reduce frequency if you find you’re creating unnecessary backups.
While full-site backups are ideal, they’re not always necessary or practical. Consider these elements:
For more details, read our guide on WordPress backup files!
A backup is usable if it can be restored. Regular testing is crucial.
Once you pick a backup plugin, test it on a staging site. Many hosts or plugins offer this as a built-in feature. It allows you to experiment without affecting your live site.
Try restoring just the database, specific files, or the entire site. After a test restore, check that all content, settings, and functionality are intact.
Keep clear notes on how to perform a restoration. You’ll thank yourself during a real emergency!
Automatic backups can be stored in different locations, depending on your chosen plugin and settings. Common storage options include your local server, cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox, or remote FTP servers.
The best backup and migration plugin for WordPress is Duplicator Pro. It offers effective and easy-to-use features like automatic backups, one-click restores, and drag-and-drop migrations.
The best WordPress automatic backup plugin is Duplicator. You can use it to schedule backups at any time. Each schedule can be customized to back up specific data to a specific storage location.
To create an automatic backup schedule in WordPress, install and activate Duplicator Pro. Then, create a backup template, where you’ll choose exactly what data you want backed up.
If you’d like to store backups in the cloud, connect Duplicator to that storage service. Next, add a new backup schedule.
Name the schedule and choose the package template you just built.
Store the backup on your local server or select the third-party cloud storage provider you connected earlier.
Customize when you want the backup to run. Duplicator has tons of flexibility, so your site can be backed up at any time.
Lastly, enable the schedule and save it. Repeat this process until you have automatic backups for everything on your website.
We’ve explored many automatic backup tools, from comprehensive plugins like Duplicator Pro to built-in hosting options. Each has its strengths, and the best choice for you depends on your specific needs, technical comfort level, and budget!
While you’re here, I think you’ll like these extra WordPress guides:
Ready to secure your WordPress site with automated backups? Try Duplicator Pro today!
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