Updraft blog: WordPress is incredibly easy to install, but if you want to move an already configured WordPress site to another server, it can be a headache.
There are several reasons why you may need to migrate your WordPress site. If you started development on a local server and are now ready to start the site, you will need to copy it to the live server. Similarly, if you work on client sites, you will often need to copy between sites from your server to the client’s server. Or if you are changing web hosting for any reason, you will also need to move your site to the new server.
Moving your WordPress site manually is an option, but it can be time-consuming and several steps must be completed to ensure a successful migration. If you make a mistake at any stage, you can easily end up with a site that looks cluttered or lacks content.
For a less stressful option, simply turn to one of the many WordPress migration plugins that are now available. These plugins take the hard work out of moving your WordPress site and ensure that all steps are completed correctly for a flawless migration with no data loss.
Updraft blog: There are various free and premium plugin options and these plugins can also be used to back up your site.
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1. WordPress duplicator
Updraft blog: Duplicator is my favorite migration plugin as I find it easy to use and rarely have problems with it. You can find a complete step-by-step guide on how to use it here.
Duplicator has an impressive 4.9 out of 5-star rating on the WordPress repository and has been downloaded and installed over 900,000 times
However, it takes a bit of technical knowledge to set it up and get it working properly, so if you prefer a more visual step-by-step interface to guide you through the whole process, you may be better off with a different plugin.
Duplicator requires you to manually enter details about your host and database and run various checks before building the site file. If you have a very large database of large files on your site, you may need to do some tinkering before the site will back up properly.
Duplicator is a free add-on, although there is also a pro version available. You will need the pro version of the plugin if you want to move a multisite installation of WordPress and it also has several additional features that make it more flexible and easy to use, including:
- Scheduled backups
- Integrated transfer to cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Amazon S3
- Multithreaded for better functionality with large websites and databases
- Creation of database integrated into the installer
- Connect to cPanel directly from the installer
- Additional developer support.
2. BackupBuddy
Updraft blog: BackupBuddy is a premium WordPress plugin that is very easy to use and has a lot of fans in the WordPress community. It has been around since 2010 and is used on around half a million WordPress sites.
As you may have guessed from the name, BackupBuddy was designed primarily as a WordPress backup service, but it works just as well for site migration. Built-in functionality allows you to easily change hosts or servers, change your domain, and automatically change URLs when migrating to a new domain.
The developer license also includes additional features including built-in WordPress migration functionality, WordPress cloning, and staging and deployment feature to easily update changes to existing sites from a staging environment.
One of the main benefits of choosing a premium plugin is the additional support and guidance you will receive. With a free plugin, if you’re having trouble, you’ll need to do some research and experiment yourself until you can solve your problem. With a premium plugin like Backup Buddy, you will be assured that the support and development team will guide you through any issues you may have.
Other features of the plugin include:
- Scheduled backups
- Easy restore from backup
- Cloud-based real-time backup with 1GB of included Backup Buddy Stash storage
- Restore individual files
- Database rollback
- Enhanced security features
BackupBuddy licenses start at $ 80 for one year of updates and support or $ 297 for updates and lifetime licenses for unlimited sites.
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3. All-in-one WP migration
Updraft blog: The All-in-One WP Migration plugin is specifically designed to allow easy export of your WordPress database, media files, plugins, and themes. There’s also a database search / replace feature that makes it easy to repair broken files and links after you’ve moved your site.
The plugin is designed to bypass webserver upload size restrictions of up to 512MB (5GB in the pro version) and is compatible with the most popular WordPress hosting providers such as Bluehost, WP Engine, and many more.
There is also a built-in ability to migrate WordPress to cloud services, including Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Amazon S3, and others.
Another useful feature that makes this plugin stand out from other options is that it is fully optimized for mobile devices, making it easy to backup and migrate WordPress if you need to do it when you are away from home or the office.
The plugin is currently used on over 300,000 sites and has a 4.8 out of 5-star rating in the WordPress repository.
The pro version of the plugin costs $ 59 for a lifetime license with unlimited updates.
4. UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin (UpdraftPlus Migrator)
Updraft blog: UpdraftPlus is designed to simplify backup and restore of WordPress sites. Sites can be easily restored and backed up to the cloud. To make use of the migration and cloning feature, you will need to upgrade to the premium version of the plugin or purchase the Updraft Plus Migrator plugin separately.
This plugin has over a million active installs and an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on the official WordPress repository.
A free and premium version of the plugin is available. The premium version allows you to backup some additional services in the cloud (Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Storage, SFTP, SCP, and WebDAV).
UpdraftPremium offers additional support and free updates for one year, along with 1GB of UpdraftVault cloud storage for backups. Other premium features include:
- Backup of additional files and databases
- Migrate and clone websites
- Advanced reporting features
- Automatic backup when updating core code, plugins, and WordPress themes.
- Send backups to multiple locations
- Restore backups from other plugins
- Multi-site support
- Database tools to remove old website mentions from the database
The premium plugin costs between $ 70 and $ 145, depending on the license you choose. The Migrator plugin is also available separately for $ 30 for one or two websites or $ 49 for multiple websites.
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5. WP Migrate DB
Updraft blog: WP Migrate DB works by exporting your WordPress database as a MySQL data dump, executing a search and replace function on URLs and file paths, and handling the serialized data before saving it as an SQL file. Then you will need to manually import this SQL file using a database management tool like phpMyAdmin
Because using this plugin is more technical and practical than other migration plugins, it is more suitable for developers and those who are comfortable working on the WordPress backend. It’s a good option for those who want more precise control over migration and backups, rather than just creating an exact clone of the original site.
There is also a pro version of the plugin available which has additional features like the ability to push and pull databases for staging and deployment, database backup before migration, the ability to pause and resume migration and filtering tables, post types, and other unnecessary data.
The professional add-on can be purchased for $ 89 for a personal license that supports up to 12 installations, up to $ 999 for an agency license with unlimited sites and users supported.
6. JetPack Backups (formerly VaultPress)
Updraft blog: VaultPress is a premium backup and migration plugin with a free version that supports basic backup and security scanning.
VaultPress is available by subscription starting at $ 3.50 per month or $ 39 per year for a personal license. Features include automated daily backups with unlimited storage, real-time security monitoring, brute force attack protection, and spam prevention.
You will also need the premium version of the plugin to use the 1-click migration and restore features. The interface allows you to easily browse different backup versions and migrate multiple versions of the site, including the database, theme, and plugins.
This is a good plug-in option if you want a combination of backup and migration functionality, along with superior security features.
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7. Migrate Guru
Updraft blog: Migrate Guru is the new kid on the block, which was released in August 2017. It was created by the BlogVault team (but works on any host) and claims to be the fastest plugin available to migrate your WordPress site, completing the migration. up to 80% faster than other plugins.
The plugin is completely free, with no “premium” version or paid plugins, and is suitable for any type of WordPress site up to 200GB in size.
Migrate Guru is also designed to be very easy to use, making it a case of simply clicking the migrate button once you have entered the details, without any time-consuming export and import processes.
There is a built-in instant migration for sites hosted on Bluehost, Siteground, Hostgator, GoDaddy, WPEngine, and Flywheel, and you can migrate to other hosts using cPanel or FTP.
Features include:
- One-click migration
- Compatible with any host
- Multi-site support
- Migration is processed on BlogVault servers so there is no risk to your live site and even very large sites can be migrated with no wait times
- No storage space required
- Real-time progress reports and email alerts.
In just a short period, Migrate Guru has accumulated over 1,000 downloads from the official WordPress repository and has been used to migrate over 400,000 sites. It’s worth a look, especially if you have a large site and have struggled with some of the other plugins or you just want a free and easy plugin that works well.
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In conclusion
Updraft blog: If you are looking for a free plugin to migrate your site and have no problem doing a little technical setup yourself, Duplicator still gets my vote for quick and easy WordPress site migrations.
If you prefer a more practical solution and don’t mind paying for premium support, BackupBuddy is a very popular option that has many satisfied customers.
For those who are also looking for an integrated security solution and don’t mind paying a monthly subscription fee, VaultPress is a good option.
Using a specialized WordPress host with built-in migration functionality, such as WP Engine, is also worth considering, especially if you are working on many client sites and need an environment for staging and deployment.
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