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WordPress Importer

By WordPress.org

Site Administration & Utilities / Site Migration & Cloning

WordPress Importer Review - In-Depth Analysis

Easily import posts, pages, comments, and custom fields from a WordPress export file.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.59/10

User Rating

3.1/5 (based on 324+ reviews)

Active Installations

2,000,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

The WordPress Importer allows you to import various content types from a WordPress export file. You can import posts, pages, and other custom post types, along with comments and their metadata. It also supports importing custom fields, categories, tags, and terms from custom taxonomies.

This plugin can handle authors as well, making it a comprehensive solution for migrating content. Additional filters are available to enable or block specific features, such as user creation and attachment fetching.

For detailed instructions, refer to the documentation on Importing Content.

Comparing to Alternatives

WordPress Importer is a basic tool for migrating posts and images between WordPress installations. Compared to other import plugins, it offers simplicity but lacks advanced features.

Top alternatives

FastDup – Fastest WordPress Migration & Duplicator ( WPS: 6.76)
Import WP – Export and Import CSV and XML files to WordPress ( WPS: 6.66)
WP All Import ( WPS: 6.77)

Strengths

Simple and straightforward to use for basic post and image imports
Lightweight and fast, avoiding database clutter
Completely free with no hidden costs

Weaknesses

Limited export capabilities
Does not support importing orders or complex data
Can be unreliable with large imports
Potential conflicts with some hosting environments

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback highlights a mix of appreciation for simplicity and frustration over limitations and bugs.

Positive highlights

"Managed to export all posts and images easily" - mrkenobi
"Helpful for creating imports of products, images, and customers" - Klaus Kullmann
"Posts were fully imported despite some layout issues" - Maxim

Common complaints

Plugin can be buggy and unreliable
Limited export functionality
Not suitable for large imports
Does not import orders

Weaknesses

Requires manual work and technical knowledge for complex imports
May conflict with certain hosting providers

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users needing a free, simple solution for importing posts and images between WordPress sites, especially for small to medium-sized sites.

Not ideal for

Those requiring advanced import features, large-scale migrations, or importing complex data like orders or custom fields.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers basic import functionality for posts and images without any cost or premium upsells.

Final Verdict

WordPress Importer is a straightforward and free tool suitable for simple import tasks involving posts and images. It is lightweight and easy to use but lacks advanced features and can be unreliable with larger imports.

Users with basic import needs on small sites will find it useful, but those needing more robust or complex import capabilities should consider alternative plugins.

Other Notable Features

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

WordPress import

content migration

import posts

FAQ

If your exported file is very large, the import script may run into your host’s configured memory limit for PHP.

A message like “Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 8388608 bytes exhausted” indicates that the script can’t successfully import your XML file under the current PHP memory limit. If you have access to the php.ini file, you can manually increase the limit; if you do not (your WordPress installation is hosted on a shared server, for instance), you might have to break your exported XML file into several smaller pieces and run the import script one at a time.

For those with shared hosting, the best alternative may be to consult hosting support to determine the safest approach for running the import. A host may be willing to temporarily lift the memory limit and/or run the process directly from their end.

— Support Article: Importing Content