Best WordPress Migration Plugins to Move Your Website Smoothly

WordPress hosts about  65.2% of all websites using a Content Management System on the internet. So, chances are you already use a WordPress site or are thinking of switching to one. If that is the case, then you need to use a reliable WordPress Plugin to make the transition as smooth as possible with minimal downtime, if any. 

You can easily migrate to and from a WordPress site on your own without the help of a technician with the right tools. This blog post will review some of the best WordPress migration plugins to help you make that transition. 

What Is a WordPress Migration Plugin and When Do You Need One?

A WordPress migration, simply put, is the process of moving a WordPress server to another hosting service with as little downtime as possible while preserving your site’s customizations and SEO rankings. 

A complete and effective migration would involve the migration of the two main components of a website; files and database. 

A WordPress migration plugin is a tool that helps you move your website from one host to another or from WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress.org. Migration plugins are essential for a smooth transition, as they automate the process of moving your website’s themes, media files, code files, plugins, posts, comments, tags, pages, etc., from one place to another.

A WordPress site is generally reliable and efficient and can be customized to suit your business needs. However, there are a few cases in which a move might be necessary for you, such as:

Moving to a Different Hosting Provider 

You might want to move your site from WordPress if it no longer serves your needs. For example, a small business might want to make a transition from WordPress.org to a more specialized hosting service for your business or industry.

Moving a Site From a Multisite Network

You might need a WordPress plugin if you have been hosting your site on a multisite network and trying to keep every site separate and with its unique dashboard. 

You Want to Join a Multisite Network 

If keeping things organized in a single place is your jam, or you handle different websites for different clients, then moving to a multisite network might be necessary for you. Using a multisite network allows for easy site monitoring from a single dashboard. 

This is particularly beneficial to businesses that run multiple sites and want to create a network of subdomains or subdirectories. 

Remotely Hosted Site

If you’re moving your WordPress site to a remotely hosted site, you’ll need to use a migration plugin to upload your files and database. The plugin will automatically transfer your website’s files, database, and settings to the new host.

Review of the Best WordPress Migration Plugins Based on Our Research 

Duplicator Pro

Best Migration Plugin Overall 

Duplicator Pro is undoubtedly the most powerful plugin available for WordPress. The tool allows users to migrate, copy, move or clone a site from one location to another seamlessly. Duplicator Pro can also function as a backup tool for your websites, preventing data loss in case of migration.

Features

Zero Downtime: You can move, migrate or clone a site without downtime.

Live site to Local Host: You can use Duplicator Pro to clone a live site to localhost for development.

Backup: It provides backup for parts of a WordPress site or the entire site. The tool allows for scheduled backups and backups into the cloud. 

Pre-Bundled Site: Duplicator Pro allows you to bundle a site to migrate to many locations over and over again.

Pros 

• Seamless migration of a full WordPress site 
• Scheduled backup 
• Zero downtime 
• Drag and drop interface 
• Simple migration of a multisite network
• Email notifications.

Cons 

• Requires technical knowledge 

Pricing 

• Gold – $549
• Business – $149 
• Freelancer – $89 
• Personal – $69 

Backup Buddy 

Most Popular Migration Plugin

Backup Buddy is a highly trusted backup and restoration tool for WordPress that allows developers to save files in an easily downloadable format. The tool is like a security system for your WordPress site: it backs up your entire WordPress installation —files, themes, media files, plugins, and other settings. 

Features 

Downloadable Zip File: You can get a Zip file of your backups of everything on your site to share via any medium of your choice.

Custom Backup: You can choose what parts of your WordPress site you want to back up and restore.

Import Buddy: A restoration tool that restores your WordPress site to a previous backup if something goes wrong. 

Data Rollback: You can use this feature when you accidentally delete something off your site permanently. 

Pros

• Multiple remote storage locations 
• Instant email notifications 
• Quick and Simple
• Rollback of accidental tampering 
• Security scans and monitoring 
• Scheduled backups. 

Cons 

• Slow support 
• Does not support backup encryption 
• Incompatible with some website hosts  
• Does not support multisite networks. 

Pricing 

• Basic – $80 per year 
• Plus – $120 per year 
• Agency – $199 per year 
• Plugin Suite – $499 per year

All-in-One

Best Migration Plugin for Ease of Use

All-in-one is a WordPress migration plugin built with the non-technical user in mind. It comes with a whole suite of user-friendly features that allow you to migrate your WordPress site with little or no technical knowledge or experience and zero downtime. All-in-one is also mobile device compatible. 

Features 

Mobile Compatible: All-in-one is compatible with mobile devices and supports all operating systems. 

Disability Friendly: The tool is accessible for people with disabilities as it is WCAG 2/ AA Level compliant. 

Wide Range of Hosting Providers: The tool supports a wide range of hosting platforms, including Awardspace, big domain, domain.my, among many others. 

Pros 

• Adaptive web hosting 
• Mobile compatible
• Accessible to people with disabilities 
• Free version
• Integration with over 14 cloud storage providers 
• Supports multiple languages. 

Cons

• You have to pay for extensions for optimal performance.  

Pricing

• Free 
• Paid Extensions 

Unlimited – $69

Multisite – $199

Direct – $129  

UpdraftPlus

Most Flexible Migration Plugin 

Updraft plus is one of the most flexible migration plugins available for WordPress. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to conduct backups and restore your site easily. The tool is a complete general-purpose plugin with advanced features such as scheduled backups, incremental backups, data encryption, and an importer that allows you to restore backups from other plugins. 

Features

Importer: UpdraftPlus allows you to restore backups from another plugin as some plugins can only backup without restoring/migrating 

Remote Cloud Storage: UpdraftPlus allows remote cloud storage to a wide range of storage providers such as dropbox, google one, google drive, amazon S3, Rackspace, Azure, etc. 

Search/Replace Tool: Arbitrary search/replace allows you to get long-proven migration with no extra clicks. 

Pros

• Free version 
• Has more storage options than most tools 
• Automatic scheduled backup and incremental backup 
• Multisite compatibility 
• Easy duplication and restoration 
• Wide customization features.

Cons

• No one-time license 
• Some sites may take a while to back up and restore. 

Pricing 

• Migrator – $30 
• Migrator Pro – $49 
• Updraft Premium – $71

Migrate Guru 

Best Free Migration Plugin

Migrate Guru is a highly functional free WordPress Migration plugin. It is fast and simplifies complex WordPress migration. Migrate Guru is built for large sites, so you can move or clone sites as large as 200GB. The tool does not require add-ons to move multisite networks or sites with serialized data. 

Features 

Compatibility: Compatible with any web hosting platform, although it doesn’t support local host migrations. 

Timely Alerts: You can get real-time and email alerts about the status of your website migration. 

Support Large Sites: Migrate Guru can support the migration sites as large as 200GB and does not overload your site as it clones on its server. 

Pros 

• Free 
• Supports large sites
• Supports any web hosting platform 
• Does not require add-ons for optimal performance 
• Does not use up storage space. 

Cons 

• Does not support local hosting migration 
• Does not support multisite network subdivisions. 

Pricing 

• Free

JetPack 

Best Migration Plugin for Ecommerce sites

Jetpack is a reliable WordPress backup and restoration plugin with a solid infrastructure. Jetpack ensures that your site’s data is safe. The platform supports WordPress migration to e-commerce sites, especially WooCommerce. 

Features 

E-commerce Migration: You can save your customer orders and other data by using Jetpack to back up your e-commerce sites and migrate.

Spam Protection: Jetpack features automated malware scanning, one-click fixes, and protection from spam comments and forms. 

Super Fast: Jetpack is one of the fastest plugins available as it back ups in an incredibly short time, making the migration process easier and quicker. 

Pros 

• Mobile app
• No developer required 
• Allows to restore even if your site offline
• Easy to use 
• Ecommerce backups (Woocommerce)
• Complete list of all site changes 
• Affordable 
• You can restore from any point. 

Cons 

• Does not really protect privacy in that it shares a lot of details about your articles with Wordpress.org
• Too many features can make it difficult to navigate. 

Pricing 

• 10GB of Backup Storage: $9.95/month (billed yearly)
• ITB of Backup Storage: $29.95/month (billed yearly)

50% discount applies in the first year of billing to all plans.

Buyer’s Guide on the Best WordPress Migration Plugins

When choosing a WordPress migration plugin, you should consider the following factors:

The Complexity of the Migration Process

Some plugins offer a simple, one-click migration process, while others require more manual steps. If you will not be enlisting the services of a developer, then it is usually advisable to go for a plugin that is easy to use, and you can work yourself.

The Size of Your WordPress Site

Some plugins are better suited for small sites, while others can handle larger sites. Some plugins have a storage limit that will crash your entire backup and restoration process if you exceed the storage limit provided. 

Your Hosting Environment

Some plugins work better with specific hosting environments such as shared hosting, VPS hosting, or dedicated servers. On the other hand, some plugins work with any hosting environment. You must check if the plugin is compatible with the web host you want to migrate to. 

The Features Offered by the Plugin

Some plugins offer additional features such as database backups, staging environments, scheduled backups, incremental backups, and malware scanning, among others. Before choosing a plugin, you should see what features are most important to you.

The Price of the Plugin

Some plugins are free, while others charge a monthly or one-time fee. If you would be doing a lot of migrations, it might make more financial sense to get a tool with a one-time license. 

Frequently Asked Questions on the Best WordPress Plugin

Final Thoughts 

WordPress hosts a disproportionate amount of websites on the internet. It is a reasonably reliable content management system. However, as a website owner or website designer, you might have reasons to want to move your site to a different hosting platform. 

While there are many WordPress plugins, they do not function in the same way. For example, JetPack is compatible with the large e-commerce platform Woocommerce, so if you are trying to migrate to the dedicated e-commerce site, this would be your best bet. Duplicator Pro supports local hosting giving it an edge over Migrate Guru, which doesn’t. 

If you have a limited budget, a free tool like Migrate Guru comes in handy. If you need a tool that can restore a site cloned using a different plugin, you might want to consider Updraft Plus. 

Whatever plugin you choose, make sure it is compatible with your business tools for a seamless migration process.