Migrating your WordPress website to new host is challenging because you cannot take the chances to make mistakes. Due to migration failure, you can lose data, suffer downtime, broken web pages, and more. But don’t worry there are several WP migration plugins available in the market that aid you to workout your WordPress migration with the ease.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best WordPress migration plugins available on the market today and explore their features and benefits, so you can choose the one that’s right for you.
Whether you’re a blogger, an e-commerce site owner, or a business owner, these migration plugins can save you time, effort, and headaches during the migration process. Nevertheless, testing every plugin is not ideal if you are short on time.
Hence, we have created a list of the top hosting migration plugins for your WordPress website. We have also listed the features of each of the following plugins to help make a better purchasing decision. So, let’s dive in and find out which one is the best fit for your needs.
Importance of WordPress Hosting Migration Plugins
The use of plugins for migrating your WordPress holds immense importance. Primarily, migrating your website will be less of a pain in the neck. Let us learn about why choosing plugins for your website migration is important:
- Ease of Use: WordPress migration plugins typically offer a simple and user-friendly interface that allows you to easily migrate your website from one location to another.
- Time Saving: Following the manual process of migrating your website can take forever, especially if you have a large website. Using this plugin can automates sum up the process of moving your website files, database, settings within a few clicks.
- Comprehensive Migration: A good migration plugin will migrate all of your website content, including posts, pages, images, comments, and more. This ensures that your website remains intact and fully functional after the migration process is complete.
- Minimizes Errors: A migration plugin can help minimize the chances of errors during the migration process. Since the plugin automates most of the migration process, there are fewer chances of mistakes compared to a manual migration.
- Cost-Effective: Most WordPress migration plugins are affordable and offer good value for the money. You can save a significant amount of money by using a migration plugin instead of hiring a developer or migration specialist to do the job for you.
Things To Consider While Migrating WordPress to a New Hosting
Regardless of the reason for migration, it is essential to conduct the process correctly. In case something goes astray, you can suffer loss of data, traffic or revenue. Often, this issue can take from weeks to months to solve. Therefore, we have listed a few of the things that you can consider when selecting a plugin for WordPress migration hosting.
Backing up all the data of your website is essential. Therefore, your first step should be to download a local copy of your data. You can also save the data on a cloud server. By having a backup, you can always restore the data in case of an error.
You must have a backup plan in case a mishap occurs. Website migrations are never easy. Therefore, you should prepare yourself for data loss, SEO rank drop, or any other interruptions.
You often have the option to also change your domain name with a new hosting. Although you can keep using the previous domain name, transferring it can make things easier. By switching your registrars for domain name, your customer support and charge will also switch.
When using plugins for migration, they may be unable to transfer images, plugins, multimedia files. Therefore, make certain that you have separately downloaded them for uploading to your new hosting.
Your website’s data and authority are of utmost importance. Hence, it is crucial to identify and discard any broken links along with fixing any errors that may hinder your website’s working.
Migrating a WordPress website to a new hosting provider or server can potentially create database connection errors if the migration is not done properly. Fixing the Establishing database connection errors are time and effort consuming. To avoid this, update the necessary configuration files with the correct database connection details.
Best WordPress Migration Plugins
Without wasting any time, here are some of the best WordPress migration plugins. The following plugins are designed to facilitate your website transfer from one web host to another. Let us take a look at them.
1. Duplicator
One of the most admired plugins designed for migration is Duplicator. If you have been doing your research about moving websites, this plugin is hard to miss. The reason is its user-friendly quality. Whether you are looking for a speedy backup free of hassle or a quick website migration, Duplicator has got you covered.
It not only helps in migrating your website from one web server to another. But it also assists in moving your websites to a local environment from a live server for your website development. Further, it only takes a few clicks to move all your website files, settings and databases to another server.
As a consequence of its user-friendly interface and painless step-by-step process, Duplicator is designed to make migration easy.
Key Features:
- Depending on your skills, you can choose between the free and pro version.
- The free version enables you to directly install and add it to your dashboard. Whereas the pro version requires you to first download a zip file for installing the plugin.
- Editing your live website gives an invitation to errors. By creating a staging, Duplicator enables you to easily move your website to a local server from a live site. You can alter your website and publish the same changes to your live site.
- Other than migrating your website, it allows cloning and moving your website.
- Depending on the version you use, this plugin enables backups that are done either manually or scheduled. Thus, helping you save the content of your website.
- With premium, you get the option to upload your website’s backup on the cloud using third parties such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Amazon S3.
- In the process of creating backups or migrating, if your plugin faces issues it offers notifications via email to let you know. You can also configure these notifications.
Usage:
The duplicator plugin allows moving and cloning your WordPress website with ease and hence is designed for everyone to use. For specific reasons, this plugin is for individuals who are looking for numerous cloud storage options. You can use this plugin to migrate a network of multiple sites effortlessly.
2. WP Migrate
If you are looking for more control over the transfer, Delicious Brains has just the right offer for you. Earlier known as WP Migrate DB is a feature-full and efficient plugin that is specially designed for WordPress migration.
This option will be your friend if you are an advanced user, a developer or a server admin. Where its free version enables you to migrate the database, you can put its pro version to us for full site migration.
Key Features:
- WP Migrate is a bulletproof solution for developers as it allows them to download and migrate their entire databases,
- If you wish to download your website’s files and move them to the new location, you will only require the free version.
- You will have to upgrade your plugin for pulling and pushing databases between a live site and a local server.
- The premium version of this plugin allows you to sync the entire library of media from one site to another.
- WP Migrate aids in exporting the old website’s database. You can replace the path of your website files and redirect URLs.
- You can also regulate serialized data. After the completion, you will have a file downloaded in an SQL format.
- Next, you have phpMyAdmin to import the SQL file to your new location database. Doing so allows the developers the ability to move the website easily between a live and local server.
- The migration feature of this plugin enables developers to move to a single site from a multisite and vice versa. This is also a premium feature.
- You have the option to select the tables you want to migrate with the help of this plugin. Hence, you can leave out the tables you do not want on your new website.
- A plethora of add-ons awaits you with this plugin. Instead of using an FTP client, you can use add-ons for media files. You can migrate plugins or WordPress themes from one site to another without using an FTP.
Usage:
As we mentioned, WP Migrate is for much-advanced users and developers who know more about databases. If you are looking for more control and flexibility, then this plugin is for you. Next, if you are looking for migrating a website in real-time with the functionality to start and stop.
3. UpdraftPlus
Primarily, UpdraftPlus serves the purpose of a backup tool. However, it is not limited in its capabilities. You can restore your website files to a remote storage, PC, or new server using this plugin to simplify the operation. You will only have to click one button to create a backup of all the website files. Hence, making it an outstanding plugin for not only premium but also free users.
Further, what makes this hosting migration plugin special is its potential to not simply restore your website’s older version. You can make use of this backup as a copy to create a completely different WordPress installation.
Key Features:
- The core plugin allows speedy and reliable backup for your website for free.
- From backing up your files to restoring them, this plugin allows you to migrate files manually or with the help of extensions for migrations.
- With the assistance of UpdraftPlus, you can move your website to a live site from localhost.
- Further, if you own a premium version, you can migrate an ample number of websites from one server to another.
- The numerous cloud integration capability makes it a great solution. You can use Microsoft OneDrive, Rackspace Cloud, or OpenStack Swift for cloud storage.
- Unlike most plugins for migrating and backing up your website data, the free version of UpdraftPlus offers an auto-backup feature.
- You can do incremental backups with this plugin. It is possible to move and back up the data from your multisite networks with its help.
- Using its assistance, you can also move files that are not related to WordPress to another server.
- The automated cleansing for your database is also a highlighted feature of this WordPress hosting migration plugin. When you make a move to a new domain, you often see multiple references in the database section. Thus, this feature makes it easy.
Usage:
The UpdraftPlus plugin is ideally made for backups but if you want to clone your website, this plugin is the way to go. However, you can employ its premium version for migration. For individuals looking for a cloud storage option, this is the best suitable solution.
4. All-in-One WP Migration
Bringing a list of top-class features is this next plugin for WordPress hosting migration. All-in-One WP Migration specializes in migration and offers features to give you the best website migration experience.
Key Features:
- You can evade the 2MB limit for uploading your files and database with the assistance of this plugin.
- Its user-friendly interface provides option to drag and drop your website to a new server. It offers ease of downloading all your website files without being an advanced user to export your website.
- Next, this migration plugin helps fix serialization issues and delivers options for finding and replacing when exporting.
- You will receive a free plugin with All-in-One WP Migration. It will consist of multiple essential features for exporting and importing your website.
- It features multiple extensions for migrating multisite. You can also link third parties to your website for cloud storage, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
- This plugin offers compatibility with multiple hosting providers.
- If your website is larger, you can upgrade to the premium version. Thus, you can make use of customer support. With the option to restore backups, you can include the required files.
Usage:
If you are a beginner, you can effectively employ this migration plugin given its user-friendly interface with a drag-and-drop option. All-in-One WP migration plugin offers a straightforward process to make migration easier and effortless. Further, if you are looking for no upload limitations, it is ideal option. The plugin also offers extensions, custom uploads, and theme folders.
5. BackupBuddy
With over half a million installations on websites, BackupBuddy is designed by iThemes. This migration plugin is a great tool for backing up your website, restoring data and conducting migration. This solution is packed with multiple features.
Primarily, their purpose is to back up and secure your files. Additionally, if in future you happen to delete the files, experience user issues, or get hacked, you can make use of BackupBuddy to restore your previous website files.
Key Features:
- Firstly, the customer support of this is superior as it is the only premium plugin designed for migration and backup. You can subscribe annually or choose memberships for a lifetime.
- Using this plugin offers you the functionality to push and pull the content from a live to a staging site conversely.
- What makes it user-friendly is how it simplifies tasks. Therefore, it features a single button to make a clone of your website.
- You can create a temporary local site for developing your WordPress website and later move it to a live server.
- You will receive its ImportBuddy tool that offers the auto feature for changing URLs and file paths. It also handles changing the permalinks, configuration files and posts.
- BackupBuddy offers the automated option to switch to a new address with a new domain. Thus, you do not have to worry about replacing your old URL.
- Apart from functionality for migration, this plugin also delivers serialized data for website protection, backups, as well as scans for malware.
- The backup feature enables you to restore and migrate website files to a new server. Additionally, you will receive the notification through emails, remote storage and scheduled backups.
Usage:
BackupBuddy is a perfect solution designed for securing your website and migrating sites and offering tools for backup. Cutting down your plugin need, also makes your WordPress website more secure. Further, you can continue the migration of files whenever you need.
6. BlogVault
In terms of migrating websites and creating backups, BlogVault comes as a great solution. It is one of the best WP migration plugins and helps complete the process quickly. Running for almost ten years, this plugin has completed more than a million migrations.
Key Features:
- BlogVault WordPress migration plugin works well with more than ten thousand hosting services leaving no space for migration failure. Hence, live server for your website will not suffer any downtime.
- Generally, when switching to a new URL, you must ensure that the URLs for your pages, posts, images and more have the same address. Thus, BlogVault offers an automated feature for this functionality.
- This plugin enables you to move sites as big as 330GB and more without much hassle. Additionally, it offers support for multisite and huge WooCommerce sites.
- It is user-friendly and simplifies the migration process. It requires no technical knowledge as its process has three steps along with easy instructions.
- A unique feature of this plugin is it allows offline restoration.
Usage:
If you are looking for support for multisite, then BlogVault is ideal. You can easily migrate huge sites from one hosting to another. Further, if you are looking for offline support for storage and migrations, this migration plugin is a great solution. Further, it offers daily backups.
VaultPress
For seamless migration, VaultPress is one of the most powerful WordPress migration plugins with a backup feature. This plugin comes integrated with Jetpack. Previously found separately, today you can find it accompanied by the Jetpack plugin.
Key Features:
- It offers high-end customer support as it is a premium plugin.
- The Jetpack integration offers you a series of tools for marketing, social media sites and several more.
- The backup needs storage and with VaultPress you get as much space as you want for storage.
- The plugin is user-friendly and delivers backup options such as scheduled and automated backups.
- In case of attacks, VaultPress constantly monitors your website for forced entries. Further, it protect your WordPress website from getting hacked.
- The tools along with the plugin also alert you about possible damage.
Usage:
If you already own the Jetpack plugin, you can make efficient use of VaultPress. It offers overall protection to your website if you are looking for high-end security features. In addition, you also get functionality for migrating your website.
Conclusion
Migrating your website from one host to another is a challenging and daunting task. Making mistakes in this process can harm your website and lead to downtime and data loss.
Therefore, to assist you, there are WP migration plugins available to facilitate seamless migration and backup of your WordPress website. With the assistance of this article, you now know about all the top plugins such as Duplicator, UpdraftPlus, WP Migrate, BackupBuddy, VaultPress, and more.
The WordPress theme bundle, coupled with premium Elementor themes, offers a seamless website design and customization experience. These themes are meticulously crafted to work harmoniously with the Elementor page builder, providing users with a powerful toolkit for creating stunning websites. When combined with WordPress migration plugins, the process of transferring an existing website to this dynamic platform becomes effortless. These plugins streamline the migration process, ensuring that content, media, and functionality are seamlessly transitioned to the new environment. This synergy between the theme bundle and migration plugins empowers users to swiftly and effectively upgrade their websites while maintaining a high standard of design and functionality.
