Best WordPress Plugin For Website Migration

For those who are not aware, a plugin is essentially a software that adds new features to your WordPress website. They extend the functionality and capabilities of your website. So if you want to add more bells and whistles to your website, then you need plugins.

That being said, there are thousands of plugins out there and some of them are better than others. In this post, we will be talking about the best WordPress plugin for website migration. We will go over what it does and how it can help you.

Best WordPress Plugin For Website Migration

1. Duplicator (Currently Not Compatible With Kinsta)

Duplicator is by far one of the most popular plugins for migrating WordPress site files over to a new location. Some of the options included with the plugin involve copying, moving, and cloning, along with a traditional migration of an entire website. It’s truly a wonderful solution for backing up your files on a local machine, especially considering it only takes one click to select the items you want to download.

After that, Duplicator has several easy steps for moving all of those files onto a new server/host. You can even take a live site and pull it into a local environment for further development. Backups are also part of the equation, with manual and automated options for ensuring your files are always safe.

Along with features for staging, theme reuse, and the removal of messy importing/exporting, Duplicator stands as one of the best migration and backup plugins for all skill levels.

Many of the primary features are included in the free plugin, but you do have the option to upgrade for more functionality. For example, scheduled backups are included with the premium plan, along with cloud storage and email notifications. We also like the multisite migration options. Duplicator Pro has a personal license for $59. This gets you three site licenses. You can also pay more if you need support for more sites.

Finally, we have an in-depth tutorial on how to migrate your website using the Duplicator plugin. Feel free to read this guide for a quick and easy transition process.

Features That Make Duplicator a Great Choice:

• Duplicator has both free and premium versions, both of which are highly useful for different skill levels.
• You can do more than migrate with Duplicator. It offers features for moving and cloning as well.
• It’s one of the best plugins that can easily pull a live site down into a local environment.
• The WordPress transfer is done with just a few clicks. It’s by far the easiest migration tool out there.
• It depends on your version, but Duplicator includes both manual and scheduled backups to protect your site content.
• Site duplication is also possible, whether it be for a live site or one in development.
• There’s no need to worry about complicated import and export scripts. Your entire site is migrated with the click of a few buttons.
• The premium version has cloud storage on some of the most popular third-party options like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon S3.
• You can configure email notifications.
• Duplicator Pro provides incredible support for multisite migrations. Essentially, you can move an entire multisite network with a few clicks.

Who Should Consider This WordPress Migration Plugin?

Everyone should consider Duplicator since it’s one of the fastest and easiest plugins for moving or duplicating a WordPress website. As for specific individuals, we like Duplicator for those who want cloud storage or to move a multisite network without any trouble.

2. Migrate Guru

Migrate Guru has some advantages over the competition when it comes to multisite and the size of your files. The plugin manages to simplify the migration process, even if you have a large multisite network. In addition, sites with a size of up to 200 GB are transferable.

The plugin offers what it calls a true one-click integration. This makes it one of the faster solutions when it comes to moving sites to other servers. What’s more, is that all of the website transfers are managed on the Migrate Guru servers. This means you don’t have to worry about the transfer putting too much pressure on your site or even crashing it.

Migrate Guru doesn’t require any storage space or energy from your own server. It’s a neat, simple process, clearing out the worry that may come about if your site is too big or cluttered with files. There’s no need for add-ons, and it appears that just about every web host is able to support the Migrate Guru plugin.

The one stipulation is that Migrate Guru doesn’t have any features for backing up a site, which is often included with migration tools. Having said that, the entire Migrate Guru plugin is completely free without any upgrades or pro versions.

Features That Make Migrate Guru a Great Choice:

• Migrate Guru is free for all users.
• All of the migrations are completed on the Migrate Guru servers. This means that there’s minimal chance of your website crashing during the migration process.
• This is definitely one of the faster migration plugins, seeing as how you can clone a 1GB site in under 30 minutes.
• Migrate Guru is a true one-click migration plugin, meaning that all of your migrations only require you to click on the Migrate button.
• An automated search and replace feature is included with the plugin.
• Alerts are sent out as a migration is taking place. This is done to warn you if something is going wrong or simply to tell you how much longer the move is going to take.
• The plugin has support for over 5,000 hosts throughout the world. This is nice considering many hosts can’t work with some migration plugins.
• This is one of the easier migration tools for moving a full multisite network.

Who Should Consider This WordPress Migration Plugin?

Migrate Guru makes the most sense for those with large websites. The transfer process is faster with Migrate Guru and you’re never worrying about whether the migration will crash your website. Furthermore, no storage space is required, making it even easier on your own server.

It’s also a great choice for Kinsta users. Take a look at how to move your WordPress site to Kinsta with the help of Migrate Guru.

3. WP Migrate (Formerly WP Migrate DB)

WP Migrate, which re-branded from WP Migrate DB after the 2.3 version release, has a more complicated solution for migrating a site, but it’s a great option for those who want some more control over how the transfer goes. In short, WP Migrate does the trick for many advanced users.

The core plugin completes a MySQL data dump, which exports your website database. The plugin does most of the work for you by replacing file paths and URLs, and also managing serialized data. At the end of the process, you get an SQL file on your computer.

In order for the migration to take place, you need to utilize phpMyAdmin to get that SQL file imported to the right database. These steps ensure that developers have a nice method for moving local and live sites back and forth depending on their own needs.

Everything we’ve talked about so far is available in the free plugin. If you’d like, $139 gives you access to the premium plugin. This allows for four active sites and one user.

Upon upgrading, you not only get premium email support but a wide range of features that are essential for pulling databases and syncing media between two sites. Some of our favorite tools include the ability to exclude post types, migrate from a multisite to a single site, and options for pausing and canceling migrations.

Overall, the premium version gets you a far more user-friendly migration plugin with some cool features to make things easier.

Features That Make WP Migrate a Great Choice:

• It offers developers an ironclad way to download full databases and move them to other places.
• The free version is enough for most developers that want to download the files and migrate them to other servers.
• All of the file paths, URL paths, and serialized data is handled in the background. The plugin then delivers a completed SQL file for you to download.
• The pro version lets you pull or push databases.
• WP Migrate is considered one of the more secure migration plugins.
• You have the option to sync full media libraries between two websites. This, and most of the following features is included with the premium version.
• WP Migrate has a unique feature for moving a site from a multisite network to a single site. This can also be reversed.
• You have options for excluding certain post types.
• WP Migrate lets you choose which tables you want to migrate. Decide to move all of your tables over or select from the ones that are most important.

Who Should Consider This WordPress Migration Plugin?

Developers are the most likely to use the WP Migrate plugin. The reason for this is because you get far more flexibility when it comes to choosing specific migration items like tables. In addition, you can move a site from pretty much any environment to another. All of this is done with an SQL file download, which is typically a little complicated for beginners.

4. All-in-One WP Migration (Currently Not Compatible with Kinsta)

Next on the list is the All-in-One WP Migration plugin which boasts an impressive following, with millions of installations and thousands of great ratings and reviews. The whole point of the plugin is to take a download of your WordPress files without the need for any technical knowledge.

What’s interesting about All-in-One WP Migration is that it provides a drag and drop interface for uploading your site to a new location, making for a wonderful interface. Find and replace options are available during the export and it also fixes any problems with serialization.

The All-in-One WP Migration developers have done some great work when it comes to partnering with hosting companies. This way, you typically don’t have to think about whether or not conflicts or performance issues will occur.

What’s more is that the plugin does a great job of bypassing some of the upload size limitations on WordPress. It does this by migrating your site in chunks, keeping all of those chunks under 2MB. All-in-One WP Migration is opensource software, but a premium plugin is available for $69/lifetime.

The additional features in the premium version include options for excluding files, restoring backups, and working with WP CLI commands.

Features That Make All-in-One WP Migration a Great Choice:

• All-in-One WP Migration offers a free plugin with all of the basic features you need for downloading your website and uploading it to another location.
• No technical knowledge is required for you to complete the transfer. In fact, a simple drag and drop interface is included in the upload section.
• Unlimited find and replace and serialization solutions are provided.
• The plugin has a long list of hosting providers that the plugin works well with.
• You’re able to upload larger sites since the plugin uploads your site in chunks, surpassing the need to keep the entire file under a certain size.
• Larger sites have the option to upload to premium, which gets you customer support and options for excluding files and restoring backups.
• Dozens of extensions are available for linking to third-party cloud storage services. Some of them include OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive.

Who Should Consider This WordPress Migration Plugin?

All-in-One WP Migration works for beginners who want that clean, drag and drop interface. It’s also nice for everyone who just wants a simple process all the way through. You don’t have to worry about file size issues. You don’t have to worry about hosting problems. You don’t have to worry about a complicated file to upload.

5. UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus is primarily used as a backup tool. But can do way more: it has the capability to not only restore the files to a new location, but it simplifies the entire process. For instance, it only requires you to use a one-click button for backing up your site files. After that, a restore can be done either on the same site or elsewhere. And it’s all done with one button.

The reason UpdraftPlus may be appealing for migrations is because it completes one of the swiftest backups with the help of cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive.

Automatic backup schedules are possible with UpdraftPlus. This standard backup procedure is provided in the free version. Upgrading to the premium solution offers even more functionality such as incremental backups, duplicates, and quick migrations.

You also receive access to a larger list of cloud storage options like Azure and OneDrive. UpdraftPlus Premium is listed as $70 for two licenses. You can upgrade to 10 licenses for $95 and go up from there. Plugins for things like smoother migrations and multiple storage destinations are sold on the website.

Features That Make UpdraftPlus a Great Choice:

• UpdraftPlus creates a quick and secure backup for all of your websites. This is all done for free in the core plugin.
• The plugin does both backups and restores. The files can also be moved to other locations manually or by utilizing one of the one-click migration extensions on the website.
• UpdraftPlus has one of the longest lists of cloud integrations. Some of these include Rackspace Cloud, Openstack Swift, and Microsoft OneDrive.
• The free version of the plugin has automatic backups, which is often not the case with migration and backup plugins.
• Incremental backups are possible. You can backup and migrate multisite networks. You can move non-WordPress files to other servers.
• The Migration extension helps out with clones and moving files from local to live environments.

Who Should Consider This WordPress Migration Plugin?

Before anything else, UpdraftPlus is a backup plugin. However, if you’d like to pay for the Migrator extension it makes sense as an affordable way to get this done. Therefore, we recommend UpdraftPlus for those who want the best backups possible, with the option to migrate a website as well.

best wordpress migration plugin free

1. Migrate Guru

If you need to migrate your WordPress website between hosts and need a simple, easy to follow, and affordable solution, Migrate Guru is my top choice.

Powered by BlogVault, Migrate Guru uses its own servers and intelligent processes to move your site from one place to another. And to top it off, there are zero risks to your sites during the process because the plugin automatically rewrites URLs, bypasses import-export scripts, and even handles serialized data for you.

And if you want to clone a WordPress website, it can do that too.

Migrate Guru was built for large websites. And since it uses its own servers to complete the process, you never have to worry about live-site server import limits crashing your site and interrupting the migration.

Built to work with all the best web hosting companies on the market, Migrate Guru handles all the hard work and notifies you via email when it’s all done.

Here’s how it works:
Start by installing and activating the Migrate Guru plugin on your WordPress website. Next, you’ll be prompted to enter your email and agree to the BlogVault terms and conditions.

Next, choose the web hosting company you’ll be migrating your website too. If you don’t see your web host, select the cPanel or FTP option to complete the migration.

After you choose your web host, you’ll need to enter the following information:

• Destination Site URL
• Destination Server IP Address
• cPanel Username
• cPanel Password

You might need to fill out additional credentials. For example, if the destination website is password-protected, you’ll need to provide the username and password for it before you can move on.

All that’s left to do is click Migrate. From there, you’ll see a progress bar, so you can see how the migration process is going.

When your site has been migrated, you’ll see a success message and a button that links to the newly migrated site.

2. WPvivid Backup

WPvivid Backup is one of the only free all-in-one backup, migration, and restore plugins in the market. And with over 10,000 downloads, you can tell people want all three features in one plugin to make their lives easier.

When it comes to migrating a website, all you have to do is make a copy of your site (no matter how big it is) and transfer it over to the new host with a single click. You can even do this from a staging environment if you want, which is great for developers.

In addition, you can migrate a site to a subdirectory, from one domain to another, and much more. Lastly, you can choose what data to migrate: the entire site, the files, or just the database.

In addition to migration functionality, you can schedule automatic backups, enjoy one-click site restores, and even save copies of your website to offsite cloud storage locations such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Amazon S3, to name a few.

3. All-in-One Migration

All-in-One WP Migration exports your WordPress website (including the database, media files, plugins, and themes) to another location without needing any technical knowledge. All you have to do is drag and drop your site into its new location.

This WordPress migration plugin imports your site to its new location in chunks so you never have to worry about surpassing upload file size restrictions.

This also reduces the chances your site will crash during the migration process. All-in-One WP Migration does not require PHP extensions and works with PHP version 5.2 and higher. And unlike many migration plugin solutions, this plugin is 100% compatible with mobile devices.

4. Duplicator

Duplicator is a well-known migration plugin that comes in both a free and premium version. You can use it as a simple backup tool as well as a tool for cloning, copying, and moving a website from one location to another.

It handles serialized and base64 serialized replacements for you. And whether you want to move to another host or a new domain, Duplicator has you covered.

During the migration process, Duplicator creates a package that bundles your website’s plugins, themes, content, database, and WordPress files into a simple zip file.

This package is then what you use to migrate your site. And get this, WordPress is not required for installation since the package created for you holds all your site files.

Keep in mind that the free version of Duplicator has its limits. For example, if you want to schedule backups, save your website to cloud services like Dropbox, receive email notifications, or connect to cPanel directly from the installer, you’re going to need to invest in the pro version.

5. WP Staging

Just like Duplicator, WP Staging comes in both a free and premium version. And, as with all freemium solutions, WP Staging’s free version is limited.

That said, you are able to create an exact copy of your entire WordPress website for staging or development purposes in seconds. In fact, when you clone your website, you’ll find the copy in a subfolder of your main WordPress installation, including the database.

All data you copy and migrate belongs to you and stays on your server. There are no timeouts on huge websites and small hosting servers will do just fine.

If you want features such as pushing and pulling from a staging site or the ability to choose a separate database and select a custom directory for cloning, you’ll need to purchase the pro version of WP Staging.

Conclusion

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