---
title: "Best Free WordPress Backup Plugins"
description: "Three free WordPress backup plugins that actually work — WPvivid, UpdraftPlus, and Duplicator. What each offers, how they compare, and which one to pick."
date: 2026-02-26
categories: ["wordpress"]
tags: ["wordpress","plugins"]
---

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I've had sites hacked. I've also had servers die. Both times, having backups meant I could restore in under an hour instead of starting from scratch. If you're running WordPress and not backing up automatically to an external location, you're gambling.

The good news: you don't need to pay for this. Three free plugins handle it well — WPvivid, UpdraftPlus, and Duplicator. I've used all of them. Here's what to know.

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## What a good backup plugin needs to do

Before getting into the plugins, here's what I actually care about:

- Back up to external storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, S3, FTP) — not just the same server
- Run on a schedule automatically
- Handle large sites (500+ posts, several GB) without choking
- Make restoring straightforward, even for non-technical users

All three plugins below cover these.

## 1. WPvivid Backup Plugin

<Picture src={imgWpvivid} alt="WPvivid Backup Plugin dashboard" />

[WPvivid](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpvivid-backuprestore/) is free and packs more into its free tier than you'd expect. Here's what it does:

- Backs up to Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, OneDrive, FTP/SFTP
- Full site migration — copy your site to a new domain or server in a few clicks
- Unlimited backup size and no cap on backup count
- Backup splitting for storage providers with size limits
- One-click restore

Site migration alone makes this worth installing. If you ever need to move a WordPress site to a new host or clone it to a staging environment, WPvivid handles it without needing a separate plugin.

## 2. UpdraftPlus

<Picture src={imgUpdraft} alt="UpdraftPlus Backup and Restoration plugin" />

[UpdraftPlus](https://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/) is used by over 3 million sites and has been around longer. The free version is reliable and covers the basics:

- Scheduled automatic backups
- Storage options: Dropbox, Google Drive, S3, Rackspace, FTP, email
- One-click restore from within WordPress
- No size limits
- Available in 16+ languages

The free version works well for most sites. If you need incremental backups, encryption, or multisite support, that's behind the paid plan.

## 3. Duplicator

[Duplicator](https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/) has over 1.5 million active installs. It started as a migration/cloning tool and later added backup functionality. The free version covers:

- Full site backups (files + database) or database-only
- One-click restore points before updates
- Site cloning for staging or testing environments
- Server-to-server migration with a standalone installer
- Drag-and-drop import
- WooCommerce and multisite support

The main limitation in the free version: cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, S3) and scheduled backups require the Pro plan, which starts at $49.50/year. If you're fine with manual backups stored locally or downloaded, the free tier is solid.

## How they compare

| Feature | WPvivid | UpdraftPlus | Duplicator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 700,000+ | 3,000,000+ | 1,500,000+ |
| Scheduled backups (free) | Yes | Yes | No (Pro only) |
| Cloud storage (free) | Dropbox, Google Drive, S3, OneDrive, FTP | Dropbox, Google Drive, S3, Rackspace, FTP, email | Local only (Pro for cloud) |
| Site migration (free) | Yes | No (paid add-on) | Yes |
| One-click restore | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Staging/cloning | Yes | No (paid) | Yes |
| WooCommerce support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Backup splitting | Yes | No | No |
| Incremental backups | No (paid) | No (paid) | No (paid) |

## Which one to install

For most people, **WPvivid** offers the best free feature set — scheduled backups to cloud storage plus site migration without paying a cent. **UpdraftPlus** is the safe, well-established choice if you want the largest community and widest language support. **Duplicator** is the strongest option if your main need is cloning and migrating sites between hosts.

If you're unsure, install WPvivid. If you specifically need to move a site to a new server, Duplicator handles that workflow cleanly. Either way, the important thing is to actually have one installed and running — backing up to external storage, not just local.