Duplicator
WordPress migration and backup plugin that packages a site into an archive plus standalone installer; Pro adds scheduling, cloud storage and staging.
86
Migrate Guru
Free WordPress migration and cloning plugin from the BlogVault team that moves sites up to 200 GB via its own servers, with automatic search-replace.
Free installs200K+WordPress.org, active
Rating4.9/51,644 reviews
Price fromFreeFree
Last updated28 Aug 2026Version 6.72
Overview
Migrate Guru is a free migration and cloning plugin built by the team behind BlogVault. It is listed here because it is often considered alongside backup plugins, but it is not a backup tool: it does not create scheduled backups, keep restore points or restore a broken site. Its single job is moving a WordPress site from one host or domain to another.
You install the plugin on both the source and destination sites and paste a migration key from the destination. Migrate Guru then copies the source site to BlogVault’s servers and pushes it to the new host. Because the processing happens off your server, it can handle large sites (up to 200 GB) without timeouts or extra load, and a 1 GB site typically moves in under 30 minutes. The temporary copy is deleted after the move.
Key capabilities
- Automatic search-and-replace that handles serialized data.
- Multisite network migrations with no add-ons.
- Works with thousands of hosts; FTP or cPanel details are an optional fallback.
- Live progress plus email alerts when a migration finishes or fails.
- Completely free, with no paid tier or upsell for larger sites.
Limitations
There is no backup scheduling, storage, retention or restore. It cannot migrate to or from localhost, and moving a multisite subsite to a separate domain is not supported. WordPress must already be installed at the destination, and each user is limited to a few migrations per month. Your site data passes through the vendor’s servers, which some organisations will want to review.
Choose Migrate Guru when you need a reliable one-off move or clone of a large site, then pair it with a real backup plugin or service for ongoing protection.
Best for: Anyone who needs a free, dependable one-off migration or clone of a large WordPress site to a new host or domain.
Migrate Guru is one of the simplest ways to move a large WordPress site, and it is completely free. Because it has no backup, scheduling or restore features, it complements a backup plugin rather than replacing one.
Pros
- Completely free, with no upsells for large sites
- Handles sites up to 200 GB by processing on vendor servers
- Automatic search-replace that handles serialized data
- Supports multisite network migrations
- Email alerts on migration progress and completion
Cons
- Not a backup plugin: no scheduled backups or restores
- No localhost migrations
- Can't move a multisite subsite to its own domain
- Monthly migration limit per user
- Site data is copied through third-party servers
Key features
What Migrate Guru highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- One-click site migration and cloning
- Sites up to 200 GB supported
- Processing runs on vendor servers
- Automatic serialized-data search-replace
- Multisite network migration
- Works with thousands of web hosts
- Optional FTP/cPanel fallback method
- Real-time and email migration alerts
- Temporary copy deleted after migration
- No add-ons or paid tier
Feature checklist
4 of 23 features we track in Backup & Migration, feature score 13/100
Backups 0/6
Scheduled backups Key
Automatic backups on a schedule (daily, weekly and so on).
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
Incremental backups Key
Only backs up what changed since the last backup, saving time and space.
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
Real-time backups
Backs up changes as they happen, useful for stores with constant orders.
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
Choose what to back up
Database-only or files-only backups, include/exclude folders and tables.
Migrates the whole site; no selective backups.
Not included
Built-in cloud storage
Backups stored on the vendor's own cloud, no separate storage account needed.
Uses vendor servers only as a temporary copy during migration, deleted afterwards.
Not included
Encrypted backups
Encrypts backup archives or the database export.
No backup archives are created, so there is nothing to encrypt.
Not included
Storage destinations 0/6
Google Drive
Send backups to Google Drive.
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
Dropbox
Send backups to Dropbox.
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
Amazon S3
Send backups to Amazon S3.
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
S3-compatible storage
Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces and other S3-compatible services.
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
Microsoft OneDrive
Send backups to OneDrive.
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
FTP / SFTP
Send backups to your own server over FTP or SFTP.
FTP/cPanel details are only an optional migration method, not a backup destination.
Not included
Restore & migration 3/6
One-click restore Key
Restore a backup from the WordPress dashboard.
No restore function; migration only.
Not included
Restore when the site is down
Restore from outside WordPress (vendor dashboard or standalone installer) if the site won't load.
No restore function; migration only.
Not included
Site migration / cloning Key
Move or clone a site to a new host or domain.
Free one-click migration or cloning of sites up to 200 GB to a new host or domain.
Included
URL search & replace
Rewrites URLs and paths in the database during migration.
Automatic search-replace that handles serialized data.
Included
Staging sites
Create a staging copy to test changes, then push them live.
Can clone to another location, but no staging with push-to-live.
Not included
Multisite support
Back up and restore WordPress multisite networks.
Migrates multisite networks, but not subsites to separate domains; no backups.
Partial
Management 1/5
Retention rules
Keep a set number of backups or delete old ones automatically.
Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Not included
Backup notifications
Email reports when backups succeed or fail.
Email alerts on migration status, not on backups.
Partial
Multi-site dashboard
Manage backups for many sites from one dashboard.
No central dashboard for multiple sites.
Not included
WP-CLI commands
Run backups and restores from the command line.
No WP-CLI commands documented; migrations run from the WordPress admin.
Not included
White label
Rebrand the plugin for client sites.
No white-label option in the free plugin.
Not included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
FreelifetimeUnlimited
Fully free; no paid edition. Limited to a few migrations per user per month.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Migrate Guru?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
200K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
—
The vendor does not publish a total.
Estimated Pro / paid installs
n/a
There is no paid version.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
10,343 downloads last week, 2.8M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 6.72 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 28 Aug 2026 (67 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 4.0+, PHP 7.0+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 7 of 7 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 8 Aug 2017 |
Migrate Guru compared
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FAQ
Is Migrate Guru free?
Yes. Migrate Guru has a free version on WordPress.org.
How many sites use Migrate Guru?
WordPress.org reports 200K+ active installations of the free version.
Does Migrate Guru have scheduled backups?
No: not included. Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Does Migrate Guru have incremental backups?
No: not included. Migration-only plugin with no backup feature.
Does Migrate Guru have one-click restore?
No: not included. No restore function; migration only.
Does Migrate Guru have site migration / cloning?
Yes: included. Free one-click migration or cloning of sites up to 200 GB to a new host or domain.
Is Migrate Guru a backup plugin?
No. It only migrates or clones sites. It has no scheduled backups, stored restore points or restore function, so use it alongside a backup plugin.
Is Migrate Guru really free?
Yes. There is no paid version, even for large sites, although each user is limited to a few migrations per month.
How big a site can it migrate?
Sites up to about 200 GB are supported. The vendor says a 1 GB site usually migrates in under 30 minutes.
Does it support multisite and localhost?
It can migrate whole multisite networks, but not a subsite to its own domain. Migrations to or from localhost are not supported.
Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.