WordPress makes building and maintaining websites so easy, even your grandmother could do it. Well, maybe not that far. But still, the amazing blogging platform has transformed the way we craft unique pages for the Web. Everybody from The New York Times, CNN, Snoop Dogg, and other major powerhouses in the world of news, media, and entertainment use WordPress to host their domains. Because of this ease of use, one could build a professional looking site in little to no time. But what happens when you become dissatisfied with your current Web host and want to transfer everything over to a new host? WordPress makes it easy as well.
Think of the plugins available for WordPress as apps that make your blog or page run smoother and offer limitless options for customization and tons of additional features. Some of these plugins do wonders such as allow you to build a personal forum, web store, and enhance your site’s security features. But as mentioned, some of the most powerful plugins are those that allow you to have a full migration over to a more powerful, reliable, or cheaper host. Continue reading for the six best WordPress transfer plugins that make migrating your site easy and hassle free.
1. WordPress Move
As the name of this plugin implies, installing and using this feature will allow you to move your WordPress. Sounds easy enough, huh? Well, it is. Aside from transferring over all of your important data, this plugin also gives you the option to create a unique backup of your information. This allows you to have a hard copy for even more moving possibilities.
You’ll be able to change your domain within the plugin’s interface. From there, you go ahead and move all of your pages, posts, photos, and other media quickly and easily. And what makes this app even better is the fact that it’s free!
Keep in mind, with this plugin, and the others on this list, you should always back everything up before you begin the transfer. This will ensure nothing screwy happens on either end. Although you should be safe as over 80,000 users verify this WordPress transfer plugin for authenticity and ease of use.
2. WordPress Duplicator
More popular than the above WordPress Move plugin, Duplicator is also free. Users highly praise this as one of the best WordPress transfer plugins available, with almost a half a million downloads to date. It’s also the most highly rated of the options on this list, with a current score of 4.9 / 5. That’s what we call satisfaction.
Although this plugin does allow you to transfer your existing page over to another domain, there’s much more to offer under the hood. Developers are prone to using WordPress Duplicator to create backups that can run on their computer, without hosting it on the Web. This allows them to carefully craft, fine-tune, debug, and test everything that’s on their page.
The one caveat here is that Duplicator requires a bit of technical knowledge. This one is more for hardcore Web developers. Still, you should have no problem at all finding somebody who has the knowhow to assist you in the moving process. Think of it as calling a friend to help you lift your sofa to your new apartment.
3. WP Migrate DP Pro
This plugin is much easier to use, although it is still aimed at professional developers. With WP Migrate DP Pro, you’re able to transfer your site’s full database over to another domain with just the click of a button. This all happens right on the front page of your WordPress dashboard. What’s not to love?
A great feature of this plugin is the ability to transfer a database from your local system and replace it with your site’s current database. Swapping is so easy, developers truly make this app shine when making high level coding changes on their computer before putting them online. Again, ease of use is key here.
4. WP Clone by WP Academy
Another highly rated plugin, WP Clone has a current rating of 4.6 from many happy customers. This plugin gives you some real freedom when creating websites, transferring databases, moving your existing site to another host, and creating backups that you can save on your local storage for safe keeping.
This app is more geared towards users who wish to test and modify their sites offline before putting them back on the World Wide Web. For developers and migrants in kind, this plugin has a lot to offer.
5. All-in-One WordPress Migration
This is a fully featured plugin that gives you more freedom than some of the other options. With this download, you are given the option to transfer your entire page to another domain or host. However, one aspect that really sets All-in-One WordPress Migration apart is the ability to condense everything into a sub-directory on your existing page. That’s innovation for you!
As it stands, the plugins near 10,000 users have given the app the top rating possible on WordPress’ plugin download page. More and more people are jumping to All-in-One as it becomes more widely known.
6. BackupBuddy
Created for Web developers who build highly complicated sites for important clients, BackupBuddy allows you to transfer over the entire site with the click of a button. Most users are those who build sites locally or on their own domains. When everything is finished, the plugin then gives you an easy solution to migrate the entirety of the page to a live domain.
Another great feature about this app is the ability to think on its own two feet. You don’t have to worry about settings or configuration. BackupBuddy handles all of this on its own. However, this stellar app would be higher on the list if it were free. As it stands today, the price is $80 to run two sites.
In Summary
WordPress is a web developer’s dream come true, and all of these fantastic plugins bring the most out of the platform’s usability. Although some of these apps require a bit of high-tech knowledge, with a little work one can truly yield power over their site and any client’s pages. You may want to opt for some of the free apps first, but there is something to be said about paying for quality. Still, you won’t lose if you select any of these six cool WordPress transfer plugins.