Duplicator
WordPress migration and backup plugin that packages a site into an archive plus standalone installer; Pro adds scheduling, cloud storage and staging.
86
UpdraftPlus
Freemium WordPress backup, restore and migration plugin with scheduled backups to Google Drive, Dropbox, S3 and FTP, plus a Premium tier for agencies.
Free installs4M+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~130KLikely 65K–260K
Vendor claims4M+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.8/58,710 reviews
Price from$70/yrFreemium
Last updated26 Oct 2026Version 1.26.14
Overview
UpdraftPlus is a backup, restore and migration plugin from TeamUpdraft, first released in 2011 and now one of the most widely installed plugins in the WordPress.org directory. It splits each backup into separate archives for the database, plugins, themes, uploads and other content, which makes it easy to restore just one part of a site.
The free version is unusually complete. You can schedule backups every few hours, daily, weekly or monthly, keep a set number of old copies, and send them to Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3 or a generic S3-compatible service, Rackspace, FTP, OpenStack Swift or email. Restores run from the dashboard with a component picker, and since version 1.23.8 basic migration is free too: you restore a backup on the new site and the built-in search-and-replace rewrites URLs.
What Premium adds
- Incremental backups and automatic backups before updates
- More destinations, including OneDrive, SFTP/SCP, WebDAV, Azure, Google Cloud, Backblaze and pCloud, plus sending to several locations at once
- Database encryption, anonymised backups and settings lock
- Direct site-to-site migration, selective migration and multisite support
- WP-CLI commands, fixed-time scheduling and advanced retention rules
- 1GB of UpdraftVault storage and access to UpdraftClone test sites
UpdraftVault is TeamUpdraft’s own storage service and can also be bought on its own by free users. UpdraftCentral, a separate plugin, lets you manage backups and updates across many sites from one dashboard.
Limitations
Restoring requires a working WordPress install with UpdraftPlus active; there is no standalone restore tool for a site that will not load. There is no real-time backup, no white-label option and no built-in staging-and-push workflow: UpdraftClone creates temporary cloud copies paid for with tokens, and pushing changes back is a manual selective restore. Multisite and WP-CLI also need Premium.
Who it suits: most single-site owners can run the free version indefinitely, while freelancers and agencies get good value from Premium because even the larger licences are inexpensive per site.
Best for: Site owners who want reliable scheduled off-site backups for free, and agencies wanting low per-site Premium costs.
UpdraftPlus is the default recommendation for free WordPress backups because scheduling, remote storage and restores all work without paying. Premium is worth it for incremental backups, more destinations and multisite, but anyone needing staging, real-time backups or recovery of a completely broken site should look at tools built for that.
Pros
- Free version schedules backups to Google Drive, Dropbox, S3 and FTP
- Separate archives let you restore only plugins, themes, uploads or the database
- Basic migration with search-and-replace is free since 1.23.8
- Premium licences are cheap per site, with unlimited sites from $195/year
- Incremental backups, encryption and WP-CLI available in Premium
- Optional own storage (UpdraftVault) and free self-hosted UpdraftCentral dashboard
Cons
- No standalone restorer for a site that cannot load WordPress
- OneDrive, SFTP and Backblaze destinations require Premium
- No real-time backups and no white-label option
- Staging relies on token-based UpdraftClone with no push-to-live
- Multisite networks need Premium
Key features
What UpdraftPlus highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Scheduled backups from 2-hourly to monthly
- Google Drive, Dropbox and Amazon S3
- Generic S3-compatible, FTP and Rackspace
- Separate database and file archives
- Restore chosen components from dashboard
- Free migration with search and replace
- Keep a set number of backups
- Basic email backup reports
- Works with UpdraftVault storage
- Translated into 40+ languages
Pro / paid adds From $70/yr
- Incremental backups
- Automatic backup before updates
- OneDrive, SFTP, WebDAV, Backblaze, pCloud
- Send backups to multiple destinations
- Database encryption
- Direct site-to-site migration
- WordPress multisite support
- WP-CLI commands
- Advanced retention and fixed-time schedules
- 1GB UpdraftVault storage included
- UpdraftClone test sites
- UpdraftCentral management on Gold plan
Feature checklist
20 of 23 features we track in Backup & Migration, feature score 83/100
Backups 5/6
Scheduled backups Key
Automatic backups on a schedule (daily, weekly and so on).
Free schedules from every 2 hours to monthly; fixed start times need Premium.
Included
Incremental backups Key
Only backs up what changed since the last backup, saving time and space.
Incremental backups are a Premium-only feature.
Paid version Personal
Real-time backups
Backs up changes as they happen, useful for stores with constant orders.
No real-time or continuous backup mode; backups run manually or on schedules.
Not included
Choose what to back up
Database-only or files-only backups, include/exclude folders and tables.
Pick database and/or plugins, themes, uploads with exclusions; extra directories need Premium.
Included
Built-in cloud storage
Backups stored on the vendor's own cloud, no separate storage account needed.
UpdraftVault is a paid storage subscription from $35/yr; Premium includes 1GB.
Via add-on
Encrypted backups
Encrypts backup archives or the database export.
Database encryption is listed as a Premium feature.
Paid version Personal
Storage destinations 6/6
Google Drive
Send backups to Google Drive.
Google Drive is a free destination; subfolders require Premium.
Included
Dropbox
Send backups to Dropbox.
Dropbox is a free destination.
Included
Amazon S3
Send backups to Amazon S3.
Amazon S3 is a free destination; enhanced S3 options are Premium.
Included
S3-compatible storage
Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces and other S3-compatible services.
Free supports generic S3-compatible storage; native Backblaze needs Premium.
Included
Microsoft OneDrive
Send backups to OneDrive.
Microsoft OneDrive is a Premium-only destination.
Paid version Personal
FTP / SFTP
Send backups to your own server over FTP or SFTP.
FTP is free; SFTP and SCP require Premium.
Included
Restore & migration 5/6
One-click restore Key
Restore a backup from the WordPress dashboard.
Restore from the dashboard and choose which components to restore.
Included
Restore when the site is down
Restore from outside WordPress (vendor dashboard or standalone installer) if the site won't load.
Restores need WordPress running with UpdraftPlus installed; no standalone restorer.
Not included
Site migration / cloning Key
Move or clone a site to a new host or domain.
Free migration via backup and restore; direct site-to-site needs Premium.
Included
URL search & replace
Rewrites URLs and paths in the database during migration.
Built-in search-and-replace updates URLs during migration in free and Premium.
Included
Staging sites
Create a staging copy to test changes, then push them live.
Premium includes UpdraftClone tokens for temporary cloud clones; no automatic push-to-live.
Partial Personal
Multisite support
Back up and restore WordPress multisite networks.
Multisite and multi-network compatibility is Premium-only.
Paid version Personal
Management 4/5
Retention rules
Keep a set number of backups or delete old ones automatically.
Keep a set number of backups free; age-based rules need Premium.
Included
Backup notifications
Email reports when backups succeed or fail.
Free sends a basic email report; detailed reports with checksums are Premium.
Included
Multi-site dashboard
Manage backups for many sites from one dashboard.
UpdraftCentral is a separate plugin, free self-hosted; Gold plan includes central management.
Via add-on
WP-CLI commands
Run backups and restores from the command line.
WP-CLI support is listed as Premium-only.
Paid version Personal
White label
Rebrand the plugin for client sites.
No rebranding option; Premium can only lock the settings from other admins.
Not included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Personal
$70per year2 sites
All Premium features, 1GB UpdraftVault storage, basic staging allowance; 14-day money-back.
Business
$95per year10 sites
Same features as Personal with more sites and a larger staging allowance.
Agency
$145per year35 sites
Advanced staging allowance; 1GB UpdraftVault.
Enterprise
$195per yearUnlimited
Unlimited sites; 1GB UpdraftVault.
Gold
$399per yearUnlimited
Adds 50GB UpdraftVault storage and UpdraftCentral central management.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use UpdraftPlus?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
4M+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
4M+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~130K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: The vendor figure (4M+) is within WordPress.org's rounding of the free installs, so it says nothing about paid sites. About 4.5M free installs x 2.8% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when most features are free, lower for very large free bases) gives 130K. Likely range: 65K to 260K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
1,490,263 downloads last week, 172.6M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 1.26.14 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 26 Oct 2026 (8 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 3.9+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 40 of 49 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 22 May 2012 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2011 (source, 5 Oct 2026) Version 0.1 released August 2011. |
|---|---|
| Refund policy | 14-day money-back (source, 5 Oct 2026) |
UpdraftPlus compared
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FAQ
Is UpdraftPlus free?
Yes. UpdraftPlus has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $70/yr.
How many sites use UpdraftPlus?
WordPress.org reports 4M+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 4M+ sites in total. We estimate around 130K sites run the paid version.
Does UpdraftPlus have scheduled backups?
Yes: included. Free schedules from every 2 hours to monthly; fixed start times need Premium.
Does UpdraftPlus have incremental backups?
Yes: paid version (Personal). Incremental backups are a Premium-only feature.
Does UpdraftPlus have one-click restore?
Yes: included. Restore from the dashboard and choose which components to restore.
Does UpdraftPlus have site migration / cloning?
Yes: included. Free migration via backup and restore; direct site-to-site needs Premium.
Is the free version of UpdraftPlus enough?
For many single sites, yes. It includes scheduled backups, remote storage on Google Drive, Dropbox, S3 and FTP, one-click restores and basic migration. Premium adds incremental backups, more destinations, encryption, multisite and WP-CLI.
Can I migrate a site with free UpdraftPlus?
Yes. Since version 1.23.8 you can restore a backup from one site onto another and the search-and-replace engine updates the URLs. Direct site-to-site transfer and selective migration still need Premium.
What is UpdraftVault?
It is TeamUpdraft's own cloud storage for UpdraftPlus backups. Premium includes 1GB, and both free and Premium users can buy larger quotas starting at 5GB for $35 per year.
Can UpdraftPlus restore a site that will not load?
Not directly. You need a working WordPress install with UpdraftPlus to upload and restore the backup sets, so a broken site usually means reinstalling WordPress first.
Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.