best wordpress migration plugins for large site
| | |

Best WordPress Site Migration Plugins in 2022

Are you shifting out of your existing home and moving into a bigger home? The most important aspect of this movement is to hire a quality transport agency that ensures your valuable items are not lost or broken. The same happens when you plan to change your host company and move your website to a different host company. This is where the WordPress migration plugin comes into the picture when you need to change the host company of your website. This article introduces you to this concept by picking the best WordPress plugins for site migration in 2021.

So how does a WordPress migration plugin works? Why is it the most talked-about phrase when it comes to shifting a website? What are the different types of site transfer plugins available in the market today? Well, just sit back and get your cup of coffee as we give you a comprehensive overview.

Site migration WordPress Plugins

Choosing the best WordPress Migration Plugins

The ideal WP transfer plugin offers a plethora of features and capabilities that help to fulfill the need of your business.

Some of the principal features of a WP transfer plugin are listed below:

  • Easy-to-use dashboard
  • One-click transfer solutions
  • High performance
  • Compatibility

Decoding a WordPress Migration

Most simply, a WordPress migration is a process of shifting a WordPress install from one server to another without disturbing the functionality. If you have been postponing the idea to migrate thinking about the complex process, this post is highly recommended for you! So, why does the need to migrate arise? Well, the reasons can be many, but we have listed the most popular ones below:

  • The size & the scope of the website has increased manifolds
  • Moving to a better hosting provider with faster loading time
  • Moving a site from a subdomain to the main directory
  • Directing a local WordPress site to a live server
  • The current service is not worth the charges

Why WordPress is most preferred to migrate a site? 

Maybe you started with other content management systems like Joomla or Drupal and now as your solution has outgrown, you are opting for a change. Every CMS platform has its pros and cons but WP has remained ahead of the pack.

Few key reasons to have WordPress are:

Community is flourishing: For over a decade, the WP community has come a long way. With a vast forum, you can get answers to almost everything. From accessibility concerns to fixing issues, updates, and more, you always have assistance. 

SEO compatible: With a bounty of popular SEO plugins that enhances SEO efforts, WP is one of the favorite CMS platforms for SEO professionals. Be it a newbie or a seasoned techie, managing SEO activities in a WP platform is a seamless task. 

Ecommerce integration: Till a couple of years ago, thinking of a website for selling products was a nightmare. We either had to rely on Yahoo templates or hire an expensive designer to figure out the complexities of integrating the shopping cart. WP empowers us to integrate eCommerce systems seamlessly without much assistance. 

It’s free: You don’t require a license fee to use WP CMS solutions. This is one primary reason why countless SBUs, individuals, have trusted this platform. The majority of the WordPress plugins are free or have a strong premium version available. In comparison, most of the other CMS platforms are paid. 

Content marketing: Not only for the technical souls but WP is the preferred choice for publishers and marketing teams as well. It comes with in-built publishing tools that include preview, scheduling, revisions, and much more. Additionally, it offers multiple roles including admin, super admin, author, contributor, and more that help the entire team to work effectively.

Best WordPress Plugins for Site Migration in 2021

#1. Duplicator

One of the best site migration plugins, Duplicator supports large websites with ultimate ease. Following a step-by-wizard that helps you to guide the migration process, to date, it has over one million active installations on WordPress.org. It offers migration, cloning of website, full & partial backup, and a lot more. For small & medium websites, the free version works well, and the paid version (Duplicator Pro) starts from $59/year for 3 websites.

Pros:

  • You can migrate to a new host, local server, domain name, or site live.
  • Connects with cPanel hosting dashboard
  • Supports WordPress multisite transfer

Cons:

  • Assistance needed to set the FTP server
  • A tedious process if loading a large website with low internet bandwidth

#2. UpdraftPlus Premium

Primarily used as a backup tool, it has a one-click button for backing up site files. Updating to the premium versions gives access to duplicates, incremental backups, and swift transfers. It’s the combo deal of getting a superior transfer service alongside a backup tool is the USP of UpdraftPlus premium. In the free edition, you can buy the add-on migration at $30 or you can buy the premium version at $70

Pros: 

  • Schedule & store WordPress backup.
  • The free version has automatic backups.
  • Longest list of cloud integrations

Cons: 

  • Transfer service is available only with a premium version.
  • Have to install WordPress on the destination to run a transfer.
  • It is known as a backup tool, migration is an extra service.

#3. JetPack

Jetpack is one of the most popular WordPress website migration plugins in today’s date. Moreover, you also get the VaultPress. So that you can save your time and money, both by getting the all-important plugins in one place. Also, with this get a massive suite of multiple plugins technology that comes with a host of useful features. The annual pricing starts from $39/year

Pros:

  • 1-click site reinstallation for quick transfer
  • Uses sidebar customizations and custom CSS editing
  • Implements an incremental backup process to maintain server resources

Cons:

  • You need to buy the Jetpack subscription which has other features with no use 
  • Complex procedure for beginners

#4. All-in-One WP Migration

It can export every possible thing from your website that can be exported – in the easiest way! Markedly, All-in-one WP migration’s core features are compatible to export everything you need. Be it plugins, database media files, or even themes. Right from WordPress version 3.3, this feature is available on all versions and this is done without using any PHP extensions. Important to realize that, this is one of the best free WordPress site migration plugins available on our list. 

Pros:

  • Drag-&drop transfer process
  • Seamless transfer of large websites
  • Free for people without any technical knowledge

Cons:

  • Premium extension for cloud storage & multisite transfer
  • Manually install WordPress at a new location
  • Import size in fee version is 512MB

#5. Migrate Guru

Migrate Guru simplifies the entire transfer process even if you have a huge multisite network. Which makes it quite popular. When it comes to moving sites to multiple servers, its one-click integration provides a faster solution. Further, the chances of the website crashing are minimal as the transfers are completed on the Migrate Guru servers. 

Pros:

  • You can clone a 1GB site within 30 minutes – fast performance
  • Automated ‘search & replace’ feature available
  • It’s free

Cons:

  • Doesn’t supports localhost to live website or live to localhost transfers
  • Limitations on supporting multisite migrations

#6. BackupBuddy

Since 2010, BackupBuddy is one of the most popular WordPress website transfer & backup plugins. It offers an easy and flawless migration of your website with an opportunity of staging your website too. This allows you to push or pull content in between staging and live sites. With a premium plan starting at $80, you get 1 GB of cloud storage. 

Pros:

  • Get full services with a premium account
  • A higher level of security & quality
  • Provides transfer and backup solutions at one go

Cons:

  • No multisite WP transfer
  • Not easy to manage for starters
  • Pricing is on a higher side


#7. Super Backup & Clone

As the name speaks it all, it offers backup, cloning, & transfer services. It provides customized transfer services that help you to get the best out of it and also allows transferring a single website into multisite and vice versa. This ‘combo’ package is suitable for people looking to get these services through multiple plugins. This is one of the best budgeted WP migration plugins on the list as the plan starts from $35 for a single website. 

Pros:

  • Assists in backup, cloning and
  • Linked to 3rd-party cloud services
  • It can take snapshots of your file

Cons:

  • It is only sold on CodeCanyon
  • The premium customer support is only for six months

#8. Migrate DB Pro

Migrate DB Pro is a potent website transfer plugin that specializes in moving WP databases from one install to another. As a premium WP plugin, it allows syncing the database directly between two sites, which avoids the tedious task of uploading and downloading. This ‘push or pull’ accessibility showcases it as a formidable tool for migrating websites.  The starting plan is at $99/year. 

Pros:

  • Recommended by highest echelons in the WP sphere
  • Offers additional support in the premium version
  • Keeps an updated version in your hard drive

Cons:

  • Cannot export the database of your current site in the free version
  • The developer license is quite expensive – $199/year

#9. Backup Guard

Another combo offering in the list – Backup Guard offers transfer and backups and file restoration. The features are quite notable and the simple interface adds value for the starters. While the free version offers backups and restoration, the premium version offers site transfer services.  Starting at $9.95/month, it’s the most expensive WP migration plugin on our list. However, with a bounty of services, the price is justified.

Pros:

  • A complete suite of tools 
  • Unlimited backups, transfer & restoration available 
  • No need for an FTP client

Cons:

  • Most of the features are in the premium version
  • Most expensive on the list 

#10. Fantasktic

Highly recommended for enterprises and big business houses, Fantasktic is a trusted option that helps customers to build, update and migrate WP websites. The company started as a bug fixing organization in 2013; today it hosts a wide range of WP support services. One of the best WP migration plugins on our list, the premium plan starts from $99/year

Pros:

  • Solutions dedicated to WP transfer
  • Can also migrate a non-WP site to a self-hosted WP setup
  • Includes bug fixes post-transfer 

Cons:

  • Size limitation
  • Not suitable for SBUs and entrepreneurs 

Quick Comparison: WordPress Migration Plugins

S. No.NAMEVERSIONUSPPRICE
1DuplicatorFreemiumBundled Services$59/year for 3 websites
2UpdraftPlus PremiumFreemiumCloud Integration$70/year
3JetPackPaidMassive Suite$39/year
4All-in-One WP MigrationFreePreferred ChoiceFree
5Migrate GuruFree1-Click IntegrationFree
6BackupBuddyPaidBundled Services$80/year
7Super Backup & ClonePaidCombo Package$35/6 months
8Migrate DB ProFreemiumExpert’s Choice$99/year
9Backup GuardPaidBundled Services$9.95/month
10FantaskticPaidComplex Solutions$99/year

Wrapping up…

Our Top 3 Pick:

Now that we have an in-depth overview of some of the world’s best WordPress Migration Plugins, moving to a new host company will be a bit easy for you.  Based on your personalized needs and pricing structure, you can select the appropriate one from this list. We have picked the top 3 WordPress migration plugins from the list above based on various criteria. 

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *