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BackUpWordPress

By Tom Willmot

Security & Privacy / Site Migration & Cloning

BackUpWordPress Review - In-Depth Analysis

Automated backups for your WordPress site made easy. BackupWordPress offers simple, scheduled backups of your database and files.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.86/10

User Rating

4.7/5 (based on 1374+ reviews)

Active Installations

90,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

4 / 10 (Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

BackupWordPress was created by our friends at Human Made but is now under new ownership. We are committed to open source and WordPress and will provide free support for the many BackupWordPress fans.

We will make occasional updates to the free software. Please send us any patches you would like to see released. However, we will no longer be selling or supporting the paid add-ons for backups to Dropbox and Google Drive. It is a good idea to backup to cloud storage to protect against server-wide risks.

BackupWordPress will back up your entire site including your database and all your files on a schedule that suits you. Try it now to see how easy it is!

This plugin requires PHP version 5.3.2 or later.

Features include super simple usage, works in low memory environments, manage multiple schedules, and options to email backup files. It also allows excluding files and folders from backups and provides good support.

Comparing to Alternatives

BackUpWordPress is a straightforward backup plugin ideal for simple WordPress sites. When compared to other popular backup plugins, it offers a no-frills approach with basic backup and restore functionality.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and easy to use interface suitable for beginners.
Lightweight and does not consume many server resources.
Reliable full site backups including files and database.
Free to use with no hidden costs.
Good for small and uncomplicated websites.

Weaknesses

Lacks advanced features like cloud storage integration.
No recent updates leading to compatibility issues with newer PHP versions.
Fails silently on PHP 8.4 and above without admin notifications.
No official pro or premium version with extended features.

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback highlights the plugin's simplicity and reliability on older PHP versions but also raises concerns about recent compatibility and maintenance issues.

Positive highlights

"Verwende das kostenfreie Plugin seit vielen Jahren und bin sehr zufrieden Einfach zu bedienen und praktisch in der Anwendung" – Kollmannsberger
"This is my favorite plugin for backups, doing everything needed for a full backup and simple restore 100% of the site." – david
"Faz backups completos de 100% do site. Restaura tudo de forma rápida e fácil." – LawrenceR2
"also genau so wie es sein muss. top" – reneewelz

Common complaints

Plugin has not been updated for over a year causing compatibility problems.
Fails silently on PHP 8.4 and newer versions without notifying the user.
Scheduled backups sometimes do not run as expected.
Lack of support or feedback when issues occur.

Weaknesses

Obsolete code using deprecated PHP features causing errors.
No admin notifications on backup failures leading to unnoticed issues.
Limited functionality compared to more modern backup plugins.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users with small, simple WordPress sites running PHP 7.4 or below who want a lightweight, easy-to-use backup solution without advanced features.

Not ideal for

Users running PHP 8.2 or higher, those needing cloud backup integration, or requiring advanced backup scheduling and migration features should consider alternative plugins.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers complete site backups including files and database, simple restore functionality, and scheduled backups suitable for basic needs.

Final Verdict

BackUpWordPress is a reliable and straightforward backup plugin that works well for users on older PHP versions and simple sites. Its ease of use and lightweight design make it a good choice for beginners and small websites.

However, the lack of recent updates and compatibility issues with PHP 8.4+ limit its suitability for modern environments. Users requiring advanced features or running newer PHP versions should consider more actively maintained alternatives.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free BackUpWordPress plugin.

automated backups

wordpress backup

database backup

Screenshots

FAQ

Backups are stored on your server in /wp-content/backups, you can change the directory.

Important: By default BackUpWordPress backs up everything in your site root as well as your database, this includes any non WordPress folders that happen to be in your site root. This does mean that your backup directory can get quite large.

The issue is that your wp-cron.php is not returning a 200 response when hit with a HTTP request originating from your own server, it could be several things. In most cases, it’s an issue with the server / site.

There are some things you can test to confirm this is the issue.

 * Are scheduled posts working? (They use wp-cron as well.)   * Are you hosted on Heart Internet? (wp-cron may not be supported by Heart Internet, see below for work-around.)   * If you click manual backup, does it work?   * Try adding `define( 'ALTERNATE_WP_CRON', true );` to your `wp-config.php`. Do automatic backups work?   * Is your site private (i.e. is it behind some kind of authentication, maintenance plugin, .htaccess)? If so, wp-cron won't work until you remove it. If you are and you temporarily remove the authentication, do backups start working?