14 Best WordPress Migration Plugins in 2022 (Compared)

Is it time to part ways with your existing hosting provider? You can find that you’ve outgrown your host or that the customer service isn’t up to the mark. Other times, it’s a problem with performance or a lack of features. Whatever the issue, you may need to transfer to a different host at some point.

It will be important to move your website when you switch web hosts. While it is simple to set up a new WordPress site, it is more difficult to transfer an existing site to a different hosting provider.

The database, files, plugins, and theme must all be relocated. At the same time, you want to minimize downtime so that your users don’t have to deal with a broken website.

Above all, you want to keep your website’s SEO ranks intact.

To ensure that everything goes well, you’ll need a WordPress migration plugin to help you with the process. These plugins download and transfer all your site’s files, including tables, media files, and themes, and your full user database.

You can have problems duplicating the website to make it look and run exactly as it did before if you don’t have a quick migration tool.

Also Read :- 17 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (2022)

Why Should You Migrate Your WordPress Site?

Migrating a WordPress site can be a pain for some website owners. Because there are so many aspects to pay attention to during the process. Others say it is too dangerous, fearing they may damage the entire website.

Even if there are some risks, site transfer can be a painless process that brings many rewards if done right.

Some of the most typical reasons to migrate a WordPress website to a new server are as follows:

The plan that is within your budget

There are many hosting companies to select from. Hence, you might be able to locate one that provides greater value for money than the one your site is now using.

Improved customer service

Customer help is available 24 x 7. This ensures an increased uptime and better website performance.

More resources and features for hosting

Obtaining the required resources and tools is critical for your website’s future growth.

Improved Server security

As a webmaster, ensuring the data security of your website should be your first responsibility. Security is also important for safeguarding your site’s credibility and visitors’ privacy.

Is it possible to migrate my WordPress site to a different host?

Yes, you certainly can. All you have to do now is migrate the WordPress files and database from the old web host to the new one.

You can do so by manually migrating the WordPress files, utilizing your web host’s backup service, using a cloning plugin, or using an automatic migration tool.

Best WordPress Migration Plugins

There are hundreds of PHP cloning tools to pick from in the WordPress plugin directory. A clone plugin can be used to migrate a WordPress site. Make sure you have the WordPress migration plugin installed and activated on both your old and new hosting accounts before you begin the migrating process.

The following is a list of the top WordPress migration plugins:

Duplicator pro

Duplicator Pro is the most effective WordPress migration plugin available. It works well in a variety of migration scenarios and needs no technical skills.

It comes with a simple step-by-step wizard that will walk you through the process. To begin, you must construct a website migration package and download it to your computer. You also need to download an installer script.

After that, you execute the migration wizard and upload the installer script and package to the new location (new server or host). Duplicator unpacks and installs the contents of your package.

Finally, it allows you to adjust URLs. This ensures that everything works properly after unpacking.

Pros:

Transfer your WordPress site to a different host, domain, local server, or live site.

To transfer your website, use our simple step-by-step migration procedure.

You can use it to schedule backups and save them to cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox.

Connects to the cPanel hosting dashboard to create databases and users automatically.

WordPress multisite migration is supported.

Cons:

Beginners may need help in establishing a connection to the FTP server.

If you have a slow internet connection or a huge website, the upload procedure can be tedious.

Pricing:

Paid plans begin at $59 per year for three websites. There’s also a limited free version that’ll serve most small websites.

Also Read :- How to Backup Your WordPress With Jetpack 2022? [Ultimate Guide]

Updraftplus Premium

One of the greatest WordPress backup plugins is UpdraftPlus. Its premium edition includes a migration tool that makes it simple to move your website.

Pros:

The procedure is simple to follow. You can build a complete backup and import it to any location if you already use it as your backup plugin.

Back up your WordPress site to a remote place on a regular basis.

This plugin is compatible with WordPress multisite networks.

You can conserve server resources by using incremental backups.

Cons:

You’ll need to install WordPress on the destination to complete the migration.

Pricing:

The Migrator Addon is $30 and can be used with the free edition of UpdraftPlus. You can also buy UpdraftPlus Premium for $70.

Jetpack

JetPack is a huge WP plugin package that also includes a strong backup mechanism. Before, this functionality was known as VaultPress and was sold as a separate product.

It’s now part of JetPack Backups. It makes it simple to restore WordPress backups and migrate your site to new servers.

Pros:

The simplest method for creating WP backups and restoring them to a new location.

Backups that are incremental saves server resources.

Easy Migrations are a breeze with the 1-click site restore option.

You won’t have to manually re-upload backups throughout the migration, because everything is stored in the cloud.

Site security protections are included, ensuring the safety of your backups.

Cons:

You’ll need a JetPack subscription, which includes a slew of other goodies you may or may not use.

For beginners, the setup process is a little difficult. Two plugins, a JetPack subscription, and a WordPress.com account are required.

Pricing:

Starts at $39 per year.

All-in-one WP Migration

All-in-One WP Migration is a popular WordPress migration plugin with a wide range of capabilities. It is not a backup plugin, unlike some of the other plugins on the list. Instead, it focuses on website migrations.

Pros:

A vast number of WP hosting providers, operating systems, PHP versions, and other factors have been tested and supported.

Supports WordPress versions before 3.3.

By importing chunks of data, it gets around your host’s file size limitations.

Cons:

Import size is limited to 512 MB in the free version.

You’ll have to manually install WordPress on the new server.

A separate paid extension is required for multisite exporting.

Pricing:

The base plugin is free. But to remove the import size restriction, you’ll need the Unlimited extension. For $69, you may get a lifetime license for the Unlimited extension.

Migrate guru

Migrate Guru is a WordPress migration plugin. It was developed by the same team that brought you Blog Vault, a renowned WP backup solution. It is a company that specializes in moving websites to a new host or server.

Pros:

Almost all popular WordPress hosting providers are supported.

Simple migration wizard: Enter your destination host’s FTP or cPanel credentials, and the plugin will take care of the rest.

Updated URLs in your WordPress database are migrated, and serialized data is handled.

Large websites can be migrated without compromising server performance.

Cons:

Transfers from a localhost to a live website or from a live website to localhost are not supported.

Multisite migrations are not completely supported.

Pricing:

Also Read :- How to Backup Your WordPress Site Content Using BackupBuddy In 2022?

Backup Buddy

One of the most popular WordPress migration and backup plugins is BackupBuddy. It has a dedicated consumer base and has been around since 2010.

Pros:

Create backup schedules, select what to backup, and save them to cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, and others.

Using a comprehensive WordPress backup, you may easily transfer your website.

It can be used to quickly deploy a WordPress staging site to a live server.

Cons:

Doesn’t support multisite WordPress.

For beginners, the restore and migrate functions are not as simple to use as some of the other plugins on our list.

Pricing:

For a single site license, it starts from $80.

Migrate DB Pro

Migrate DB Pro is a powerful WordPress migration plugin. It was designed to help you migrate your WP database from one installation to another. It can also effortlessly transfer media files, themes, and plugins with the help of independent add-ons.

Pros:

It’s ideal for swiftly copying a WordPress database from one site to another. Its powerful capabilities make it a great choice for developers.

Before you replace your existing database with a new one, make a backup of it.

Any text in your database can be found and replaced.

Large websites and sophisticated hosting server infrastructures benefit greatly from this product.

Cons:

You need two addons for complete migrations, which are only available under a premium developer license.

For beginners, it may not be as simple to use as some of the other plugins on the list.

Pricing:

A single site starts at $99 and goes up from there. To use the media and file addons, you’ll need a developer license, which costs $199.

Bluehost Migrator

This plugin is for you if you’re migrating your WordPress site to Bluehost. It was created by Bluehost to assist users in migrating their websites to their hosting servers.

One of the greatest WordPress hosting companies is Bluehost. They’re also a WordPress hosting company that comes highly rated.

Pros:

It’s effective since it’s made for a specific scenario: migrating from another hosting company to Bluehost.

It’s quite simple to use. All you have to do is enter a token from your hosting control panel, and the plugin will handle the rest.

It automatically creates a temporary domain for the transferred site if you do not change the domain name. You’ll be able to alter the DNS to point to your domain name later.

Cons:

Transferring from a localhost to a live site is not possible.

WordPress multisite isn’t supported.

Pricing:

Free of charge

Siteground Migrator

This plugin is for you if you’re migrating your WordPress site to SiteGround. It was created by SiteGround. It assists users in migrating their websites to their hosting servers.

One of the greatest WordPress hosting companies is SiteGround. They’re also a WordPress hosting company that comes highly rated.

Note: If you don’t want to use the plugin, please contact SiteGround customer service. With their GrowBig and GoGeek plans, they provide one free website migration.

Pros:

It works well since it was designed for a specific scenario: moving from another hosting provider to SiteGround.

It’s quite simple to use. All you have to do is enter a token from your hosting control panel, and the plugin will handle the rest.

It automatically creates a temporary domain for the transferred site if you do not change the domain name. You’ll be able to alter the DNS to point to your domain name later.

Cons:

Transferring from a localhost to a live site is not possible.

WordPress multisite isn’t supported.

Pricing:

Free of charge

Super Backup & Clone

The Super Backup & Clone plugin is a different kind of WordPress migration plugin than others. This is a one-of-a-kind CodeCanyon plugin.

This plugin can aid with backups, cloning, and migrations, as its name suggests. It connects to Amazon S3, Google Drive, and Rackspace, among other cloud services. You can create snapshots of your website and restore those data at any time.

Backups can be scheduled, and you can even have them download automatically if you like. Custom migrations allow you to customize parameters based on the size of your site and the destination of the files.

Also, to the previous features, Super Backup & Clone has the multisite capability. This allows you to back up and migrate several network websites to different servers. This plugin streamlines the entire migration process. It also provides stunning reports and great system performance.

Pros:

Super Backup & Clone create “snapshots” of your files by downloading and saving your site files in many locations. Migrations rely on these snapshots.

Cloud connections ensure that all your folders are kept somewhere else. This improves file security.

History revisions are displayed on the dashboard in case you need to restore your site or migrate from a previous version.

Backups can be scheduled and automated to make the process go more smoothly.

Certain files and directories can be excluded from backups.

You have the option of selecting which tables from your database to backup.

Pricing:

The current pricing is $35, which includes six months of premium customer service. After that, you might choose to pay for more help.

VaultPress

VaultPress is a well-known name in the WordPress community. It is not only a valuable WordPress migration plugin but it was also created and is owned by Automattic.

VaultPress is a standalone plugin that is powered by the popular Jetpack plugin. As a result, adding Jetpack and having even more functionality beyond VaultPress is a superior option.

The first step in using VaultPress is to back up all your website’s files. It also defends against malware and hackers, with some features thrown in to warn you about possible damage.

Vaultpress is primarily a security and backup tool. But it also includes a useful function that allows you to quickly migrate your site from backups. A one-click button is used to do this.

You can expect to use automated backups, archives, and spam protection for comments besides the migration tools.

Pros:

It’s a high-end plugin with excellent customer service.

The plugin is bundled with the Jetpack plugin. Hence, you’ll have access to a comprehensive suite of social media, marketing, and other capabilities.

Backups can be automated and scheduled with VaultPress.

For all your backups, you have limitless storage capacity.

A 30-day archive is displayed.

A simple, intuitive migration button is included in the plugin. This button takes your backups and either restores them to your site or sends them to other servers.

It includes spam prevention to guard against the slew of comments and pingbacks that can flood your site.

With ongoing monitoring, the plugin keeps an eye on brute force attacks.

Security screening, ad revenue creation, and limitless video hosting are only a few of the features included in the Business plans.

Note: It is a great option for individuals who already have the Jetpack plugin installed. It’s also effective in safeguarding your website from all sides. The ability to migrate data is more of a bonus than anything else.

Pricing:

VaultPress offers only premium plans. The first plan is $39 per year, and the other business plans cost $99 and $299 per year.

Backup Guard

Many of the finest WordPress migration plugins are packaged with backup and security plugins, as you can see. The Backup Guard plugin, which manages backups, migrations, and file restoration, is no exception. Although it isn’t as well-known as some of the competition, the feature set is strong. Also, the simple interface appeals to a wide range of users.

Backup Guard offers both free and premium plugins, to begin with. You can back up your files, restore websites, and upload those things to Dropbox and a few other places using the free version.

It isn’t until you upgrade to Pro that you will be able to use the migration option.

But, it is also one of the more expensive migrations available options. As a result, you’re stuck with recurring monthly expenses. Although the price is higher, the features outweigh. All the plans come with an unlimited number of sites, backups, and restores. You can also move as much as you like and schedule backups for a later date. You may create several backup schedules and upload to or import from Dropbox, Amazon S3, and OneDrive.

Pros:

Backup Guard comes with a complete set of tools for migrations, security, backups, and restores.

The support is indeed amazing. Emergency help is accessible 24X7.

You have the option of specifying how many backups you want to keep on your server.

Backups, sites, and migrations are all unlimited on all plans.

When it comes to migrations and backups, multisite networks are supported.

You have control over which of your databases’ tables are backed up and used during migration.

When importing your backups, you won’t need an FTP client.

When a backup or migration is completed, an email notification is sent to the user.

Pricing:

Starts at $9.95 per month and goes up from there.

BlogVault

The finest WordPress migration plugin we’ve tried is BlogVault.

To begin, make a backup of your website before proceeding with the migration. BlogVault’s backups are hosted on their own servers. So they don’t affect your website’s performance. They have customized plans for WooCommerce-based ecommerce sites.

Staging sites are pre-installed, and you’ll be prompted to test your backup on staging after the process is finished. With the majority of the other migration plugins on this list, you’ll only find out about the migration process files after you’ve attempted to move your site. This feature eliminates a crucial point of failure in the process.

Simply select your host, enter your FTP credentials, and begin the migration process. It’s a piece of cake.

Pros:

With BlogVault, you receive the best WordPress backup solution, staging, easy site migrations, and more.

Some plans include security features, including a firewall, malware scanning, and malware eradication. Because of its white-label service, BlogVault is great for freelancers and agencies.

Pricing:

Plans start at $7.40 per month. Security screening and malware cleanup are included in higher-level programs.

WP Clone

WP Clone is a useful migration plugin that has one unique feature:

You won’t need to bother with your FTP application to complete your migration.

Instead, build a new WP installation in the area where you wish to clone your WordPress site.

Then simply install the WP Clone plugin on your new installation, and it will take care of the migration for you.

That sounds great, doesn’t it? But, there is one major disclaimer:

This method will fail on 10-20% of WordPress installations, according to the developers.

WP Clone isn’t higher on this list because of this. WP Clone is one of the simplest ways to move your site if you’re ready to take a minor risk. Before you begin, make sure you have a complete backup.

You should also use a different migration plugin if your site is really huge. Smaller sites (under 250MB) have a better chance of migrating with WP Clone.

A failure rate of 10-20% isn’t excessive. But, it’s something to bear in mind.

Pricing:

Free of charge

Which WordPress Migration Plugin Is Right For You?

Duplicator Pro, in our opinion, is the best WordPress migration plugin on the market. For small WordPress blogs and websites, even the free version works flawlessly.

WP Migrate DB Pro is an excellent option for migrating large websites. Especially if you have a complex hosting setup with many environments. Many websites use this plugin, but it is not our top pick because it is not as user-friendly for beginners.

So, not every migration plugin is suitable for every website. Finding one that connects to cloud storage is sometimes the best option. It’s sometimes preferable to choose one that has automated backups and security features.

Hence, we went over a lot of the top WordPress migration plugins, but here are our final thoughts:

Duplicator

If you want the greatest all-around migration plugin, choose this one.

We like Migrate Guru for moving huge websites.

WP Migrate DB

This one is for developers that need more than just a one-click migration option. You’ll have more control over the process this way. It could also be confusing for newcomers.

All-in-One WP Migration

This plugin is ideal for those who prefer a simple, lightweight interface.

UpdraftPlus

Consider this plugin if you want high-quality backups as well as a useful migration tool.

BackupBuddy

Choose this one if you want a more powerful set of tools.

Super Backup & Clone

One of the more affordable premium migration plugins.

VaultPress

If you use the Jetpack plugin, consider including this as a feature.

Backup Guard

This plugin has the best customer support and the most user-friendly interface.

Other methods used to Migrate WordPress Website

Migrating WordPress Site Manually

Manual migration involves moving the site’s files and database. It also needs editing the wp-config.php file. You can do so by using your hosting control panel’s File Manager or a File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

It takes advanced technical knowledge and a thorough understanding of databases. But, this approach is less likely to result in errors.

Create a backup of your WordPress files as well as your MySQL database.

To begin, save all the WordPress files to your PC. These files will be uploaded to your new hosting account later.

• Connect FileZilla to the server where your old website was hosted.
• Select all the WordPress files within the public HTML folder.
• Select Download with a right-click.

After you’ve downloaded your WP files, you’ll need to back up your WordPress database.

From your hosting control panel, go to the phpMyAdmin page.

Select the database where your WordPress files are stored and click Export.

To export your WordPress database file, select Quick approach and SQL as the format.

Transfer the WordPress files and MySQL database to your new hosting account.

The next step in the WordPress site migration process is to upload the files you downloaded to the new host.

You must first decompress the WordPress backup file because it is in ZIP format.

In the Remote Site column, connect FileZilla to your new hosting account and navigate to the public_html folder.

From the Local Site column, find the files you want to upload. Select upload from the context menu when you right-click on the files.

After that, upload the MySQL database to the host database.

• Navigate to MySQL Databases in your new hosting account’s control panel.
• Create a new database and write down the name, username, and password for it.
• Select your new database by returning to Databases -> phpMyAdmin.
• At the top of the page, select the Import tab.
• Select Choose File and upload the MySQL backup file you earlier downloaded.
• Leave everything else as it is and press the Go button.

Update wp-config.php to reflect your new database information.

In your new hosting account’s wp-config.php file. Give the credentials for your new MySQL database.

• Locate the wp-config.php file in the public_html folder using FileZilla.
• Select Edit from the context menu by right-clicking.
• Replace the following values with your new database information:
• DB NAME is the name of the database.
• DB USER is the administrator’s username.
• DB PASSWORD – the administrator’s password.
• DB HOST is the name of the database’s host. Localhost is the most common value, but it may change based on your hosting platform.
• Select the Save option. Click Yes when the popup window displays.

If you’re going to use a different domain name for your WP site, ensure sure it points to the right hosting platform.

Web Hosting Backup Service

To migrate WP files to the new server, this migration method uses the web hosting backup service.

Some hosting companies, such as Hostinger, create backups on a regular basis. You can migrate your WordPress site to the new server using those backups.

Many hosting providers use cPanel. So, follow these instructions to backup your WordPress site using this method.

From your cPanel, go to Files -> Backup Wizard.

Select Backup -> Full Backup from the backup wizard’s menu.

Your home directory, WordPress database, email forwarder setup, and email filter configuration are all covered by this backup option.

Set your desired backup location. For the purposes of this article, we’ll use Home Directory. If you wish to be notified when the backup process is finished, don’t forget to include your email address.

To begin the procedure, click Generate Backup.

You can restore the backup ZIP file to the new hosting account using the same manner as before.

From your new hosting account’s cPanel, go to Files -> Backup Wizard.

Select Restore -> Home Directory from the backup wizard’s menu.

Click upload after selecting the backup ZIP file you made.

Or, manually upload the ZIP file to the root folder of your new hosting provider to restore the backup data. This can be done using the control panel’s File Manager or an FTP client.

Make sure that all site files from the previous host’s public_html folder are migrated to the new host’s public_html folder.

NOTE: When migrating a WP site to a new host. The message “Cookies are blocked or not supported by your browser” is typical. If refreshing the browser doesn’t work, try deactivating any installed security or cache plugins one at a time.

Conclusion

The benefits of migrating a WordPress website to a new hosting provider are many. You can receive a more cost-effective plan, better customer service, more hosting resources and features, and improved server security.

There are various options available. Hence, think about your personal needs as well as the technical skills that will be required.

Here’s a quick rundown of the four different WordPress migration methods:

• Transfer is done manually. To transfer files and databases, use an FTP client or the File Manager in the host’s control panel.
• Using a WordPress migration plugin for cloning. With only a few clicks, you may export and import WordPress files.
• Using a migration tool that is automated. Submit a migration request to quickly migrate to Hostinger.
• Backup service for web hosting. Make use of the old host’s backups to transfer website files to the new server.

We hope this article helped you and made it simple for you to migrate your WordPress blog.