6 Best Free WordPress Migration Plugins In 2020

Whether you’re migrating a WordPress website made for clients to them, or you’ve built a website on a local server and need to shift it, there are many reasons it could be an unavoidable step. However, doing it manually is risky, quite time consuming, and one wrong step could mess up all your hard work and leave you at step 0.

Luckily, many kind people have already considered this and come up with various WordPress migration plugins that are absolutely free.

Things to Note Before Choosing A WordPress Migration Plugin

Even if the features seem amazing, there are other things to note before choosing a WordPress migration plugin, and some of the key factors to keep in mind are as follows:

Functionality: As should be obvious, check out the features of the plugin and ensure that you will be able to do what you need. For instance, multisite migration might not be available on all plugins, check support for theme elements, etc.
Ongoing and Active Support: Check how often the plugin is updated and whether the developers are in touch with updates to WordPress and adding necessary features to the plugins. If there are known issues with the plugin, check whether these are noted by the developers and what steps are being taken by them to fix these. Also check whether you can make reports on crashes or issues.
Plugin Issues: Always check the reviews of the pulgins and see whether there are complaints or kown issues with the plugins which could impact your WordPress website migration. Any last-minute problems could severely affect your work otherwise. Ideally, you would be able to get your necessary plugins from third party marketplaces for plugins or repositories for plugins. However, if your ideal plugin is from an independent developer, you should still search for reviews on places other than their website, and be wary of plugins which don’t have independent verification.

Now, with these key points in mind, let us see which free WordPress migration plugins are the best in 2020. The options are presented in no particular order, so choose your favourite plugin according to the features!

Option 1: Migrate Guru

Released as recently as 2017, Migrate Guru boasts speed as one of its primary factors. The claim is that Migrate Guru could go up to 80% faster than any other WordPress migration plugin. Though new, it’s prevalent, and of course, it’s absolutely free.

It was developed by the well-known developers of the BlogVault WordPress backup plugin. Migrate Guru can be found in the WordPress repository.

Key Features of Migrate Guru:

One of the key reasons for its popularity is the simplicity in design, even amateurs or new users can use it without extensive training

No downtime during the migration required

Support for multisite migration and many web hosts (in fact, most web hosts) but only five site migrations per month, so it is useful for regular users but not heavy users

High data support, up to 200 GB, which is relatively higher than almost all of the other free options

Server usage is low, as Migrate Guru’s servers are used to migrate the websites

Migrations with network subsites are currently not available

Option 2: Duplicator

Duplicator is another popular WordPress migration plugin that allows standard migrations with ease, and it also allows cloning of your website to a new domain name or a staging version of the website. The free version is an excellent choice for small websites and is admittedly not equipped for large sites.

Duplicator uses its ‘Package’ creations, which carry the website elements to reinstall the website in the new server. These can also be used as backups.

The Pro version is priced per-site basis, starting at a low level for the first three sites.

Key Features of Duplicator:

It allows for Cloud backups and supports the usage of many different cloud technologies

It has manual backups available for either all or part of the website

Multisite migrations available and the Package system reduces manual migration load

It allows for automatic setup on the new server

Connection to cPanel from the installer

A key disadvantage is that an FTP client and some technical knowledge is required for using Duplicator

However, apart from limited migration and backup, many of Duplicator’s best features are available only in the Pro version. Given the smoothness of the migration, Duplicator is still high on the list of 2020’s best WordPress migration plugins.

Option 3: All-in-One WP Migration

Another well-known WordPress migration plugin is All-in-One WP Migration. All-in-One WP Migration has a particular specialty of being used for migration of the WordPress database.

A common complaint about WordPress migration is that the migration itself is not too difficult, but migrating the database is tedious and hard. Migrating media files, themes, plugins, etc. to your new server will be much easier with All-in-One WP Migration.

The premium version offers the option of shifting larger websites, and there are additional features that can be added, such as backup options. All-in-One WP Migration is available on the WordPress repository.

Key Features of All-in-One WP Migration

A serious advantage is the simple user experience, even for beginners or amateurs.

It is usable on mobile, and therefore website migration operations can be performed on-the-go

Compatible with all web hosting providers

It can also bypass upload restrictions due to the way it imports and exports data

It also has the advantage of being able to perform unlimited search and replace operations on the WordPress database

A major disadvantage is that backups from a server cannot be restored

The total website size limit is only 512 MB which is relatively low for those who perform a lot of site migrations

Despite the disadvantages, due to the simplicity and the ability to use it on a mobile, All-in-One WP Migration has become increasingly popular and will be on the list of WordPress migration plugins to look out for in 2020.

Option 4: WP Migrate DB

A lean option that will do exactly as it says on the tin is WP Migrate DB. It is a good option for the technically savvy who want to be able to do a smooth, error-free database migration with WordPress websites and want to be sure that there are no chances for data to get lost.

WP Migrate DB exports the database as a SQL file that will be saved on your computer.

Key Features of WP Migrate DB

The plugin can either be used to perform a migration process between servers or launch a website from a local environment to a live server

It has search and replace functions effective with file paths and URLs, and it can also handle serialized data

It can export the whole database of the website

It can handle serialized data

It is, however, more technical than many other plugins

For those who are prepared to handle manual migration of their websites and want security for their database, WP Migrate DB is by far a secure solution.

However, for features such as exclusion of data, email support or even the capacity to push/pull databases, the user would need to buy the premium version

Option 5: WPvivid Backup Plugin

WPvivid Backup Plugin is a plugin with many bells and whistles. Many WordPress plugins offer a bundle of features in one. This one offers backing up, restoration as well as the necessary migration facilities. Therefore, apart from migrating the website to a new domain, you may also conduct automatic backups, and store the data.

The best part is that all of these excellent functions are available on the free version. However, to migrate more than two websites, the premium version would be required. For those who have an extensive requirement, this would not be a suitable option.

Those who wish to migrate one website but have many functions and an easy-to-use plugin will find this very suitable.

Key Features of WPvivid Backup Plugin

It can move websites to new domains and hosts, as well as from the development environment to a server or domain, or even from one live server to another. Along with this, it also provides support for migration to a subdirectory, or migration from a backup

It allows restoration of a website from a backup

It allows auto website backup facility

It also offers support for various remote storage options as well as many page builder plugins

Another key advantage is that it allows for a lot of simplicity in user experience, particularly with the migration of websites

Key disadvantages of the plugin are that multisite WordPress website migrations are not supported at all, and incremental backups are not available on the free version. The premium version is relatively cheap for use for unlimited websites

Therefore, despite the many functions and how easy it is to use, WPvivid Backup Plugin has not yet become the top choice for WordPress website migration in 2020. However, it is very high in the list of choices and is recommended by many for personal use.

Option 6: Backup Guard

Backup Guard is another plugin which offers a many for one flavor. The Backup Guard plugin’s main functionality was to prepare backups, but the feature set also includes migrations and file restorations.

Although not quite as well-known as the other plugins on this list, its impressive features and ease of use should make it a fitting competitor on a list of the best WordPress migration plugins for 2020.

Even though there is a premium version Backup Guard plugin’s free version is excellent and rich with features. However, to take advantage of the migration feature, there is a recurring monthly expense.

For those who regularly build websites for clients or need to change servers or domains, the range of features may be worth the recurring monthly cost.

Key Features of Backup Guard

The free version’s key features are to allow backups of files and databases, restoration of websites and remote storage of websites, with limited support for remote storage sites

For the premium version, a key advantage is that the plans offer unlimited access rather than specific access to only a few websites

Moreover scheduled backups, even with multiple scheduling is allowed

Multisite migration facility is available, along with exclusions to the database during backups or migration

The user does not need to understand some highly technical areas, and an FTP client is not required

Pre-specification of the number of backups the server should keep is also possible

Despite the number of features, for those who want a simple, hassle-free migration of only a single website will not require so much. Therefore, the Backup Guard plugin is one of the options that are aimed at regular users.

Choose the Right Plugin For You

Choosing the right WordPress plugin for the migration of websites requires that the user be very clear about their needs. For instance, if you need fewer functions but the need to be able to migrate to many websites, you have some options. Still, if you need a plugin that has several functions, but you only need to transfer one website (perhaps your professional website). You would choose WPvivid Backup Plugin, for instance.

Apart from choosing the right plugin, you have to remember to keep being patient and thorough, have a checklist of necessary items, and give yourself extra time to finish everything.

Make sure to check out all the terms and conditions, ensure that you are using the right browser, system, and other tools, and then enjoy having a hassle-free experience of migrating your website with a free WordPress plugin.

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