Duplicator
Package a whole site into a portable archive + installer. The developer's favorite for cloning and moving WordPress, plus backups.
- Last release
- May 22, 2026 v1.5.16.1
- WP.org rating
- 4.9
Duplicator's signature move is bundling an entire WordPress site — files and database — into a single archive plus a lightweight installer.php, so you can drop it on any host and rebuild the site in a few clicks. That makes it a favorite for developers cloning sites, moving between hosts, or spinning up staging copies. The free version handles manual backups and migrations this way; Pro layers on scheduled automatic backups, direct cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, S3), one-click restore, and multisite support. It carries one of the highest user ratings of any backup plugin on WordPress.org. Owned by Awesome Motive (Syed Balkhi).
Pros
- The archive-plus-installer model is the cleanest way to clone or relocate a whole site
- Excellent for developer workflows: staging, host migrations, local-to-live
- One of the highest WordPress.org ratings in the category (near 5 stars)
- Free version is genuinely capable for manual backup and migration
Cons
- Scheduled backups and cloud storage are Pro-only — the free tier is manual
- Renewals are billed at full price after a discounted first year
- The installer-based restore is powerful but less beginner-friendly than a one-click UI
- Very large sites can strain the packaging step on constrained shared hosting
Pick Duplicator when migration and cloning are the point — moving hosts, building staging copies, or handing a packaged site to a client. Developers and agencies get the most from it. Upgrade to Pro when you also want scheduled, automatic backups to the cloud.
Avoid if you just want set-and-forget scheduled backups with the least friction — UpdraftPlus or BackWPup start automating in the free tier, whereas Duplicator's free version is manual. Also heavy for a simple one-click move, where All-in-One WP Migration is simpler.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Duplicator free?
- Yes — the free version packages your site into an archive plus installer for manual backups and migrations, which covers a lot of real use. Duplicator Pro (from around $69/year, higher on renewal) adds scheduled automatic backups, direct cloud storage, one-click restore, and multisite support.
- What is Duplicator best at?
- Cloning and moving sites. Its archive-plus-installer approach lets you rebuild an entire WordPress install on any host in a few clicks, which is why developers and agencies reach for it when migrating hosts, creating staging copies, or deploying local work to live.
- Duplicator vs UpdraftPlus — which should I use?
- UpdraftPlus is backup-first: scheduled backups to remote storage, automated in a friendly UI, with migration as an add-on. Duplicator is migration-first: the packaged archive and installer make cloning and host moves its strength, with scheduled cloud backups arriving in Pro. Choose UpdraftPlus for hands-off recurring backups, Duplicator when moving or cloning sites is the job.
- Who owns Duplicator?
- Duplicator is part of Awesome Motive, Syed Balkhi's company, which also owns WPForms, All in One SEO, and MonsterInsights. It has been actively developed and maintained under that umbrella.
| Product | Category | Price | Lighthouse |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Backup | Free, Pro from $69 | — |
| | Backup | Free, Pro from $70 | 96 |
| | Backup | Free, Pro from $69 | — |
-
BackWPup
Scheduled WordPress backups to cloud storage — Dropbox, S3, FTP — with cloud destinations in the free tier.
-
AI Engine
Most-featured AI plugin for WordPress. Chatbots, content generation, image generation, MCP server endpoints, multi-provider.
-
All-In-One Security (AIOS)
The most-installed free WordPress firewall and hardening plugin. Genuinely capable free tier from the UpdraftPlus team.
-
Elementor
The page builder behemoth. Drag-and-drop visual editing, free core, Pro adds widgets and theme builder.
Performance testing
Lighthouse scoring methodology lands soon. Until then, treat the score as provisional.
Vulnerability tracking
Open and recently closed CVE counts pulled from Patchstack and Wordfence Intelligence on every build. Last disclosure date reflects the most recent public CVE for this plugin, not necessarily the most recent vendor patch.