Today most businesses have gone online. Having the right hosting provider is of utmost importance if you wish to have more visitors convert to sales.
Not all hosting companies offer the same service or features. Sometimes after a given period of time, you may find that there is no much growth happening or the customer service offered by them is not satisfying. Or, it could be that they are slow and don’t have updated features.
No matter what the problem is, a decision has to be made. If you have to move to new web host or a new server, then be it.
However, it is not that easy to move from one hosting company to another. We are here to tell you about some of the best migration WordPress plugins available to shift your WordPress site too.
The plugins that we will be discussing here are quick in downloading and transferring your WordPress website files from themes, media files, and tables to a new user database.
If your migration tool is slow, then you may face a problem while trying to clone a WordPress site.
This means your WordPress website will not be able to run and appear the way it did before the migration.
The best migration plugins for WordPress files are ones that provide great interfaces, tools for moving and backing up all the files, and migration buttons that require only one click.
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How to know there will be no performance problems when using the Migration Plugin?
WordPress plugins do have their downside. Some of them do not work with other themes or plugins.
And some hinder the hosting server’s performance. So instead of helping your WordPress site, you land up doing the opposite.
It is not necessary that all the plugins that we have mentioned below for migrating your WordPress site files would work for you.
You will have to first make sure that these plugins will be compatible with the hosting provider.
Best Plugins to Clone a WordPress Site
1. Duplicator
This one is popularly used to migrate WordPress files from one site to another location or clone WordPress site. It is one of the best when it comes to the removal of messy exporting/importing, theme reuses and staging site.
This WordPress plugin not only makes migration of the whole WordPress website possible, but you can migrate WordPress websites in the traditional manner too.
You are also allowed to clone, copy, and move the files to a different web host. This is a great way of having your files backed up on the local machine. It just takes a click for you to select all the items that you wish to download.
There are various simple steps the Duplicator plugin uses to move files from one server to new server/host.
A site that is live and running can also be taken and shifted to another environment where it can be developed further.
The best part is the backups that can be done manually or automatically based on which option you select. This ensures the safety of your files in the long run.
New features can be added to the Duplicator by upgrading it. So along with its primary features, you can add new ones to have better functionality.
Say, for example, the premium plan has scheduled backups, email notifications, cloud storage, and the amazing option to migrate to multiple sites.
Duplicator Pro’s personal license that costs $59 covers licenses for three sites. You can add more site licenses on paying more.
Read below to get in-depth information on how you can use this Duplicator WordPress plugin to get your website migrated to another web host. As you read, you will find the transition process easy and quick.
Best Features that make the Duplicator Standout
- For different skill levels, Duplicator has premium and free versions that are very useful. Both these versions are good.
- You can not only migrate your WordPress site using the Duplicator but also move and clone a WordPress site.
- A live site can be pulled in a local server environment easily using the Duplicator.
- A few clicks and the transfer of the WordPress site are all done. You will find this plugin as one of the easiest tools for migrating your WordPress site.
- It definitely does depend on the version you own. Duplicator offers WordPress backup solution that can be done manually, or by scheduling them, so your content on your WordPress site is protected.
- You can get your WordPress site duplicated even if it is live and is running or still in the development phase.
- The export and import of files are simple and quick. You don’t need big formulas to get this done. Just a few clicks on a button, and your whole WordPress site will get migrated quickly.
- Duplicator’s premium version offers cloud storage on Amazon S3, Google Drive, and Dropbox. These are very famous 3rd party options.
- Email notifications can be configured too.
- Multisite migrations are beautifully supported by Duplicator Pro. With just a few clicks, you are able to transfer the whole multisite network.
Who can Benefit from this Migration Plugin of WordPress Sites?
Since Duplicator plugin is among the easiest and fastest plugins used for moving or duplicating WordPress sites, it should be considered by all.
If you ask us to be specific, then this is really good for those individuals who would like to have a multisite network moved hassle-free and who would want to use cloud storage.
2. Migrate Guru
For large multisite networks, this plugin is the best. It makes the entire migration process simple.
Also, sites that are around 200 GB in size can be transferred using Migrate Guru. This plugin definitely has certain advantages as compared to other plugins.
Integration with just one click is truly supported by Migrate Guru. Because of this, it is considered one of the fastest in migrating sites to different servers.
Apart from this, what is to be noted is that all the site migrations are handled on the servers of Migrate Guru.
Therefore there is nothing you need to worry about when it comes to transferring your files. There will be no risk of your site crashing or even having to bear a lot of pressure.
You are not required to have storage space from your server when you use Migrate Guru. Add-ons are not compulsory.
This plugin is supported by all web hosts. The transferring process is simple, even if the site is huge or has too many files cluttered.
The one drawback of this plugin is that it doesn’t have a feature offered by most plugins. A site backup is not supported by Migrate Guru.
But you need to also know that the Migrate Guru has no pro versions or updates and is a free WordPress plugin.
The Best Features that make Migrate Guru Standout
- Its users can use it for free. They do not have to pay anything for it.
- Servers of Migrate Guru are used to complete all the migrations. This lowers the risk of your site getting crashed while it is being migrated.
- Cloning of 1GB site can be done within thirty minutes using the Migrate Guru plugin. This makes it the quickest migration plugins.
- It truly helps migration with one click. By this, we mean that you can do all the migrations by just clicking the one button required to migrate your site.
- You will find the replace and automated search feature available in this plugin.
- Once the migration starts, the plugin sends out alerts so that you know how much time it will take to complete. Sometimes these alerts are sent to alert you if anything is not happening the right way.
- Almost 5k hosts support this plugin in the entire world. Consider this good news, as most hosts cannot work well with certain migration plugins.
- If you wish to move your multisite network totally to a new host, then this is amongst the easiest migration tools you could come across with.
Who would Benefit from Using this Plugin?
People having large websites will find the Migrate Guru great. There is no risk to your site of crashing while transferring from one host to another, and the transfer happens quickly. Also, you do not need to have storage space.
3. WP Migrate DB
This plugin’s solution is more complicated. However, it offers more control to the user transferring the site to another host.
It helps them manage how the transfer happens. WP Migrate DB in short is beneficial to advanced WordPress users.
This plugin completes a DB data dump that helps export the WordPress database. Most of the job is done by this plugin.
It replaces URLs and file paths and manages serialized data also on your behalf. You will get an SQL file by the end of the entire process on your desktop.
The SQL file can be imported to the new database if you use phpMyAdmin. Without this, migration will not take place.
With these steps in place, developers can move a live site and local sites forward and backward in a proper manner and based on their requirements.
This all mentioned above is part of the free plugin. The premium plugin costs $139 that allows one user and the usage of 4 active sites.
You also get email support that is premium, along with many other features that are necessary for getting databases and syncing media in between 2 sites.
A few of the tools of this plugin that we love are cancelling and pausing migrations, migrate to a single site from a multisite, and eliminate post types.
In short, this premium version lets your migration process be more user-friendly and provides some great features that simplify things.
Best Features that Help WP Migrate DB to Standout
- Full databases can be downloaded by developers in an ironclad way and can be shifted to another place.
- Most developers should be satisfied with the free version of this plugin for downloading and migrating files to other hosts.
- The URL and file paths and serialized data are handled nicely in the background. Once the process is complete, the plugin gives you an SQL file. You can download this file.
- You can push or pull databases using this plugin’s Pro version.
- This plugin is supposed to be the most secure plugins for migration amongst many.
- It gives you a choice to sync media libraries fully between 2 websites. You will find this in the premium version along with the below-mentioned features.
- A unique of WP Migrate DB is of moving a multisite website to a single site or vice-versa.
- Elimination of few post types is also possible.
- You can choose the table you wish to migrate when using this plugin. You may move the selected few tables or all the tables to the other hosting server.
Who would Benefit from this Plugin?
Most developers will use this plugin. This is because it lets you choose what you wish to migrate. It is flexible.
Also, you can transfer one site to another host irrespective of the environment.
And, all this is made possible by providing an SQL file that the developer can download. This may be a little tricky for beginners, though.
Bonus Plugins to Clone a WordPress Website
4. All-in-One WP Migration
Many people have installed this plugin, and it has received great reviews and ratings, crossing thousands.
This All-in-One plugin lets you download the WordPress site with no requirement of technical knowledge.
The most striking feature of this plugin is that it lets you upload your website into a new host using the drag and drop interface.
This interface is wonderful. Any serialization issues are fixed by it. Also, while exporting, the replace and find options are available.
Developers of the All-in-One WP Migration done well in terms of integrating with hosting companies. You will not have to bother about performance issues because of this partnering.
Apart from this, this plugin migrates big files by migrating them in chunks. All of these chunks are kept below 2MB.
A lifetime premium version of this plugin can be bought for $69. This version has additional features that help to restore backup files, excluding files, and work with WP CLI commands.
Best Features that make All-in-One WP Migration Standout
- This free plugin has all the basic features needed to download your site and upload it elsewhere.
- The user need not to have any technical knowledge for completing the migration. Actually, the simple drag and drop interface in the upload section makes the process very easy.
- A lot of serialization and replace and find options are offered.
- Many hosting providers are compatible with this plugin.
- Larger websites can be uploaded as this plugin breaks the large site into chunks. Hence there is no need to have just one size file. These larger sites can be uploaded to premium. In doing so, you get customer support apart from options that let you restore backups and exclude files.
- This plugin lets you link to many 3rd cloud storage services. A few of these are Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Benefits
The All-in-One WP Migration is great for starters who prefer the smooth interface to drag and drop files. People who prefer a completely simple process would love it.
There will no issues with file sizes or the uploading of a complicated file. Even hosting problems will not have to be bothered about.
5. UpdraftPlus
This plugin is normally considered a tool for backups. However, it can do more than that.
It can simplify the whole process apart from restoring files from one location to another.
You can backup your website files by just clicking the button once. The restore, too, can be done anywhere using this one click.
What makes this migration plugin more appealing is that it does the backups very swiftly like no other plugin. It uses cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox for this.
You can backup automatically using UpdraftPlus. Its free version provides this feature.
When you upgrade to its premium version, you get more functionality. You can have incremental backups, quick migrations, and duplicates.
You also get hold of larger cloud storage services like OneDrive and Azure.
You can buy this premium version for $70 that includes two licenses. If you wish to have added ten licenses, then you will have to pay $95.
You can buy plugins offering multiple storage sites and smoother migrations on their website.
Best Features that make UpdraftPlus Standout
- The backup offered by this plugin is secure and quick irrespective of the websites. You do not have to pay for this.
- You can restore and do backups with it. Migrations of files can be done manually from one location to another or by using the one-click migration extensions on the site.
- It has the biggest list of reference cloud integrations. A few of these are Microsoft OneDrive, Openstack Swift, and Rackspace Cloud.
- Backups can be done automatically using the plugin’s free version.
- You can have incremental backups too. WordPress multisite networks can be migrated and a backup taken of them. Also, files that are not of WordPress can be migrated to other hosts.
- The extension for migration helps in cloning and getting files moved from a local to a live site environment.
Please remember this plugin is for backups. But if you would want to use it as a migration extension, then you would have to pay for it. And it would make sense to do so as it is affordable.
Hence we would suggest UpdraftPlus to all those who would like to have good backups and are wanting to migrate their website as well. You can also check our article on 3 Secure Web Browser To Protect Your Data And Privacy.