Best WordPress backup plugins: UpdraftPlus, BackWPup and VaultPress

Your WordPress site has been hacked. Or you accidentally made a wrong update. Or your hosting provider has a server crash. Without backup you lose everything. With a good backup you restore your site in minutes. Backups are your safety net. Yet half of all WordPress users have no backup strategy. Until things go wrong. Then it's too late. A good backup plugin makes automatic backups, stores them safely and lets you restore quickly. But which plugin should you choose? ## Why do you need a backup plugin? Your hosting provider makes backups right? That's often true, but those backups are not always reliable. Many hosts store backups on the same server as your website. In a server crash you lose both. Host backups also often have limitations. They only keep 7-14 days history. Older versions are gone. And restore can take days via support tickets. With your own backup plugin you have control. You decide how often backup is made, where it's stored and how you restore. ### What should a good backup plugin be able to do? **Automatic backups** - Daily, weekly or realtime. Without you having to think about it. **External storage** - Backups to Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3 or other cloud storage. Not on your own server. **Complete backups** - Database AND all files (uploads, themes, plugins). **Easy restore** - Restore your entire site or specific files with one click. **Incremental backups** - Only backing up changed files saves storage and time. **Database optimization** - Clean up spam, revisions and trash before backing up. **Migration support** - Use your backup to move to another host. ## Best WordPress backup plugins ### UpdraftPlus - popular and reliable UpdraftPlus is the most used WordPress backup plugin. More than 3 million active installations. And rightly so - it just works well. **Free version features:** **Multiple cloud storage** - Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, Rackspace, FTP and more. **Scheduled backups** - Set how often database and files are backed up. **Manual backups** - Make a backup before making major changes. **Site migration** - Move your site to another host with the Migrator addon. **Restore function** - Restore your site with a few clicks. **Premium version (from €70/year):** **Incremental backups** - Only backing up changed files saves enormously in time and storage. **Database encryption** - Encrypt sensitive data in your backups. **Multisite support** - For WordPress Multisite networks. **Priority support** - Direct help with problems. **For whom:** Everyone. The free version is perfect for small sites, premium for professionals and webshops. ### BackWPup - free and powerful BackWPup is a solid free backup plugin. It has slightly less polish than UpdraftPlus but does everything you need. **Features:** **Complete backups** - Database, plugins, themes, uploads - everything. **Scheduled backups** - Automatically daily, weekly or monthly. **Cloud storage** - Dropbox, Amazon S3, Rackspace, FTP, Sugarsync. **Database check** - Checks and repairs database tables before backup. **XML export** - Export your content as XML (useful for migration to other platforms). **Premium version (€75/year):** **Encryption** - Encrypt backups for extra security. **Google Drive** - Storage to Google Drive. **Restore service** - Have BackWPup restore your site if you can't figure it out yourself. **For whom:** Budget-conscious users who want a free solution without limitations. ### VaultPress (now Jetpack Backup) - realtime backups VaultPress was a standalone service from Automattic (makers of WordPress). It's now part of Jetpack Backup. **Features:** **Realtime backups** - Every change is backed up immediately. Not daily, but per event. **Activity log** - See exactly what changed and when. Useful in case of hacks. **One-click restore** - Restore your entire site or specific files with one click. **Security scanning** - Daily malware scans and security checks. **Jetpack infrastructure** - Backups are stored on Automattic's servers, not on your own hosting. **Price:** From €4.95/month (backup only) or €24.95/month (backup + security). **For whom:** Webshops and business sites that need realtime backup. Also useful for sites with many content updates. ### BlogVault - premium with focus on speed BlogVault is less known but very powerful. They focus on speed and minimal server load. **Features:** **Incremental backups** - Only changes are backed up, that's much faster. **Offsite storage** - Backups on BlogVault servers, not on your hosting. **90 days retention** - Older backups are kept for 90 days (most plugins do 30 days). **Staging site** - Test changes in a copy of your live site. **Malware scanning** - Daily security scans. **White label** - For agencies that want to offer the plugin under their own name. **Price:** From €7.40/month (€89/year) for one site. **For whom:** Professionals and agencies managing multiple client sites. ### Duplicator - focus on migration Duplicator is primarily a migration tool but also works excellently for backups. **Features:** **Site packages** - Create a complete package of your site (files + database). **Migration wizard** - Easily move your site to a new host or domain. **Scheduled backups (Pro)** - Automatic backups in the Pro version. **Cloud storage (Pro)** - Storage to Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, OneDrive. **Drag and drop restore** - Drag a backup package and restore automatically. **Price:** Free for basic migration, Pro from €49.50/year. **For whom:** Developers and agencies that often migrate sites. Also useful for staging to production workflows. ## Compare WordPress backup plugins | Plugin | Price | Automatic | Cloud storage | Realtime | Restore | Best for | |--------|-------|-----------|---------------|----------|---------|----------| | **UpdraftPlus** | Free / €70/yr | Yes | Yes (many options) | No | 1-click | General use | | **BackWPup** | Free / €75/yr | Yes | Yes | No | Manual | Budget users | | **Jetpack Backup** | €4.95/mo | Yes | Automatic | Yes | 1-click | Realtime backup | | **BlogVault** | €7.40/mo | Yes | Automatic | Yes | 1-click | Professionals | | **Duplicator** | Free / €49.50/yr | Pro only | Pro only | No | Import package | Migration | ## Backup strategy: how often to backup? **Daily** - For sites with daily content updates. Blogs, news sites, active webshops. **Weekly** - For sites with less frequent updates. Business websites, portfolios. **Realtime** - For webshops and membership sites where every transaction counts. **Before major changes** - Always make a manual backup before doing updates, theme changes or plugin installations. **Frequency differences:** - Database: Can be more often (daily or realtime) because it's small. - Files: Less often (weekly) because uploads don't change often. ## Where to store backups? **Not on your own server** - In a server crash or hack your backups are also gone. Always use external storage. **Cloud storage options:** **Google Drive** - 15GB free, then paid. Easy to use. **Dropbox** - 2GB free, premium from €9.99/month. Reliable. **Amazon S3** - Pay-as-you-go, often cheaper for large backups. Slightly more technical. **OneDrive** - If you already have Microsoft 365, easy choice. **FTP server** - Own VPS or external FTP. Cheap but requires configuration. **Best practice:** Use multiple locations. Backup to Google Drive AND Amazon S3 for example. Redundancy is security. ## Backup restore: how does it work? **Via plugin dashboard** - Most plugins have a restore function in WordPress admin. **Via FTP** - Upload backup files manually if your site is no longer accessible. **Via PHPMyAdmin** - Import database backup if only your database is corrupt. **Via hosting cPanel** - Some hosts let you upload backups via cPanel File Manager. **Test your backups** - Do a test restore on a staging site once per quarter. That way you know for sure your backup works. ## Backup security **Encryption** - Encrypt backups if they contain sensitive data (customer data, orders). **Authentication** - Use strong passwords for your cloud storage. **Retention policy** - Don't keep backups indefinitely. Cleaning up old backups saves storage and overview. **Limit access** - Not everyone with admin access needs to be able to make/restore backups. ## Common backup problems **Timeout errors** - Large sites cannot be backed up in one go. Use incremental backups or increase PHP max execution time. **Database too large** - Clean up spam comments, post revisions and transients before backing up. **Storage full** - Automatically delete old backups or buy more cloud storage. **Restore fails** - Check if all files are uploaded and database import was successful. Test on staging first. ## Backup tips for different site types **Webshops** - Realtime or daily backups. Every order must be saved. Jetpack Backup or BlogVault. **Blogs** - Weekly backups are sufficient. UpdraftPlus free version works fine. **Membership sites** - Daily backups, user data is important. Premium plugin with encryption. **Portfolio sites** - Monthly backups may be enough. BackWPup free. **Enterprise sites** - Jetpack Backup or BlogVault with realtime backup and priority support. For complete [WordPress security](/en/wordpress-security) backup is only one part. Also check our guide about [WordPress security](/en/wordpress/security) for more tips. ## Frequently asked questions **How often should I make a WordPress backup?** That depends on how often your site changes. With daily updates (blog, webshop): daily. With few changes (business site, portfolio): weekly. Always make a manual backup before major updates. For webshops with many orders, realtime backup is recommended. **Aren't hosting backups enough?** Hosting backups are a good extra, but not your only backup strategy. They're often on the same server (in a crash you lose both), have limited retention (7-30 days) and restore takes long via support. Your own backup plugin gives you control and immediate restore. **Which backup plugin is best for beginners?** UpdraftPlus is the best choice for beginners. The free version is excellent, the interface is clear and many tutorials are available. Backup to Google Drive or Dropbox is easy to set up. For advanced features you can upgrade to Premium later.