Jetpack WordPress Review: Features, Performance, and Value

Jetpack WordPress review

Jetpack’s promise of an all-in-one solution often draws the spotlight in the crowded arena of WordPress backup plugins. But how does it measure up against similar plugins? Is it user-friendly enough for you if you’re not technically inclined?

Installing a plugin only to face slower load times, hidden premium features, or unfulfilled security promises can be a real nightmare. Such pitfalls can disrupt your workflow and website performance.

Jetpack is praised for its comprehensive suite, offering everything from backups to security and performance tweaks. But is it as good as it sounds? This article will give you a clear and honest picture of what you can expect from Our Jetpack WordPress Review.

TL;DR: Jetpack’s popularity doesn’t make it perfect, as it comes with limitations that can leave your site vulnerable. Without reliable and hassle-free backups, your website is at risk. For dependable backups and advanced features that guarantee your site’s safety, consider BlogVault instead.

Overview 

Jetpack Plugin Install

Jetpack claims to be a powerhouse plugin for WordPress, aiming to beef up your site’s security, performance, and user engagement. But does it deliver?

Backups

Backup Features

First off, backups. They are branded as VaultPress, this is a premium feature and is not included in Jetpack’s freebies. Setting them up involves configuring your server’s SFTP details, a process that isn’t very intuitive and can be a bit of a headache. The initial backup is Manual, so that adds an extra step to your setup process.

Once that hurdle is cleared, Jetpack automates daily incremental backups every 24 hours. While scheduled backups are off the table, these automatic increments offer some consolation. Jetpack claims to back up your full site, but actually leaves out core WordPress files, citing they are freely available to download. This is still partial backups however and are not recommended. Think of changes made to the .htaccess file and losing those with any restore.

You can access backups by date, with retention periods ranging from 7 days to a full year. Additionally, you can restore a fully crashed site through an external dashboard, which can be a lifesaver during catastrophic failures.

Storage is another limitation; you’re restricted to VaultPress cloud storage which is great because your backups are stored offsite. If anything were to happen to your server, your backups would not be affected. 

However, you must note that you will have a storage limit based on the plan you opt for. They range from 10GB to 1TB. Once you reach the limit, you will have to wait for the older backups to expire to take new backups. If you’re up for the extra effort, you can manually download the backups and store your backups offsite. 

Security and performance

Security features are a mixed bag. Automatic malware and vulnerability scans are behind a paywall, but brute force attack protection and spam blocking via Akismet Anti-Spam come free. Downtime monitoring ensures you’re instantly alerted if your site goes down, keeping you in the loop at all times.

On the performance front, there is Jetpack Boost claims to rival top-tier performance plugins, without needing developer input. Its SEO tools are designed to enhance site visibility, while the AI Assistant steps in for content creation and management. 

Other features

Other features include migrations which are handled seamlessly, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal fuss. Managing multiple sites is straightforward with Jetpack’s tools, and a mobile app ensures you can oversee your site on the go. Additionally, social media integration makes automated content sharing a breeze.

Test site setup

To objectively assess Jetpack’s performance, we set up a test WordPress site, approximately 3.25GB in size. This media-rich site included a diverse array of posts, high-resolution images, and several plugins. 

The aim was to create a challenging environment to thoroughly evaluate Jetpack’s capabilities. From load times to backup and restore functions, this setup provided a robust platform to test all Jetpack features under real-world conditions.

Note: While setting up Jetpack, you might encounter the dreaded “An error occurred. Please try again” message. This usually stems from connectivity issues within the plugin. Strategically troubleshooting this error can often resolve the problem and get you back on track.

Backups with Jetpack

JetPack Backups

VaultPress, Jetpack’s paid backup feature, came with its own set of quirks. We faced a bumpy start to our tests with the first three backups failing. The root cause? Missing server details. This wasn’t an obvious fix. According to troubleshooting documents, entering the site’s server information would get things on track. The process could easily confuse users.

You cannot schedule your backups with Jetpack. The initial manual backup of our 3.25GB site took exactly 10 minutes. We can live with 10 minutes, because while it isn’t lightning fast, it isn’t the neverending status bar that inches towards the 100% at an excruciating pace. Plus, Jetpack uses incremental backups, so subsequent backups are even faster.

Automatic backups take place every 24 hours. This is adequate for most sites, except for e-commerce sites needing more frequent updates. 

Jetpack doesn’t back up WordPress core files, which is a glaring downside for us. Your ENTIRE site needs to be backed up for efficient restores. 

Backup retention periods vary based on your plan: 7 days, 30 days, 120 days, or 1 year. If you hit your retention limit, you cannot delete old backups to free up space. You have to either adjust your backup retention span or wait till the old backups are automatically deleted. Note that this puts your site at great risk.

Restores with Jetpack

Jetpack restore

Restoring your site with Jetpack is refreshingly efficient. We got our entire test site restored and running in about 6 minutes. The restore process was straightforward—no hiccups, no head-scratching moments. This was unlike the backup setup, which can be a confusing affair.

Jetpack offers a partial restore capability that allows you to cherry-pick specific parts of your site to restore. However, partial backups can be problematic when you need to perform a complete site restore—and you’ll run into this issue if any of the core WordPress files on your site have been modified. 

Partial restore with Jetpack

Depending on your backup retention plan, you can easily select a date and restore your site to that day’s backup. This flexibility ensures that you can recover exactly what you need without the hassle of a full site restoration.

Jetpack VaultPress storage

Jetpack employs cloud storage through its VaultPress service. VaultPress securely stores your backups offsite. Jetpack offers a range of plans that can store backups for 7 days, 30 days, 120 days, or 1 year, depending on your needs.

Jetpack vaultpress storage

These backups are accessible via Jetpack’s external dashboard. This ensures you can manage and restore from anywhere without hassle.

Note that Jetpack only stores backups in its secure cloud storage and does not offer you any other storage option. To store copies of your backups in multiple locations, you have to manually download them from the Dashboard and store them offsite.

Jetpack automatically handles your storage based on your plan’s retention span to make backup management simple. But, once you hit your retention limit, you can’t delete old backups to free up space. Instead, you’ll have to adjust your retention span according to your plan or wait until your old backups are automatically deleted.

VaultPress ensures your backups are not only offsite but also well-protected. You can buy more storage if you need it. Storage comes in increments of 10GB, 100GB, or even a whopping 1TB. You can tailor it to your plan as per your specific requirements.

Additional features offered

Jetpack Scan

Jetpack Scan is your site’s 24/7 protection suite, but only if you’re willing to pay for the premium subscription. This feature promises round-the-clock security and constantly looks out for malware and vulnerabilities.

The scan covers many areas. Plugins, themes, files in WordPress directories, etc. are all scanned. If it detects any threats, it immediately notifies you via email, WP Admin, and the WordPress.com dashboard. This ensures you’re always in the loop when it comes to site security.

Jetpack Scan’s Web Application Firewall (WAF) can track and block malicious requests. Its WAF rules are continually updated by security experts to protect your site against the latest cyber threats.

We tested Jetpack’s security features for a series of articles covering WordPress security plugins. Long story short: Jetpack’s malware scanner cannot detect all hacks, and even its vulnerability scanner fell way short.

Jetpack’s protection also has other limitations. Jetpack Scan doesn’t clean up hacked sites. You have to manually handle the cleanup or restore from a previous, clean backup. It’s also worth noting that Jetpack Scan does not support WordPress multisite. 

If you’re investing in a premium plugin, it should truly benefit you. Unlike Jetpack, MalCare will clean your site of all malware with a subscription. This ensures thorough and effortless protection.

Jetpack Boost

Jetpack Performance features

Jetpack’s site performance features are available for free. They can enhance your site’s speed and user experience. It also provides a quick report assessing both mobile and desktop performance scores. This report offers insights to help improve page speed and boost search rankings. Jetpack also aims to reduce bounce rates and enhance SEO by targeting faster load times. This makes your site more attractive to both visitors and search engines.

Jetpack’s caching capability is one of its standout features. By caching your site, it cuts down on load times, ensuring consistently fast page loads by storing snapshots. It identifies which images need optimization, resizes them automatically, and converts them to efficient formats like WebP. Plus, it offers lazy loading, meaning images only load when they come into the viewport, drastically reducing initial load times.

The plugin also defers JavaScript to make your pages load faster. For CSS, Jetpack includes features to remove unused code, significantly speeding up page rendering. These optimizations collectively ensure your site is fast, providing a satisfying user experience.

Consider Airlift as an alternative, if Jetpack’s performance features aren’t enough for your needs. Airlift offers extra tools for further optimizing your site’s speed and performance. It enhances your site to ensure it runs as efficiently as possible.

Jetpack migration

Jetpack makes site migration simple with its built-in capabilities. You do not need any extra plugins or manual tinkering. Jetpack’s migration tools let you transfer your WordPress site to a new host or domain. The process is straightforward and user-friendly.

Jetpack also checks to ensure everything goes smoothly. The plugin also offers troubleshooting steps for any errors that may pop up.

Jetpack update management

Jetpack simplifies plugin updates by allowing you to track them in the Activity Log section. You can view all the plugins that need updating and keep tabs on all site activities. With Jetpack, you can choose which plugins—including Jetpack itself—to auto-update. This frees you from the constant need to track and manually execute updates.

But, note that this update management is only for plugins. We found no features for managing WordPress or theme updates, so you’ll have to handle those separately. Jetpack makes plugin maintenance easier, but it doesn’t cover everything.

The upsides of Jetpack

Basic performance optimization: Jetpack includes tools to enhance site speed and SEO, boosting performance and visibility. The plugin also offers 24/7 downtime monitoring, providing immediate alerts if your site experiences any issues.

User-friendly management: The Jetpack mobile app makes site management convenient with an external dashboard, allowing you to manage your site on the go. Jetpack also supports seamless site migration, simplifying the process of moving your WordPress site to a new host or domain.

Content creation support: If you need help with content creation, the AI assistant integrated into Jetpack can help.

The downsides of Jetpack

Complex initial setup: Initial setup can be confusing, particularly for less tech-savvy users. The need to enter server details can be cumbersome and not intuitive.

Storage and backup limitations: Jetpack is limited to VaultPress cloud storage and does not provide other remote options. Backup scheduling is not available; automatic backups occur every 24 hours. Once the retention limit is reached, current backups cannot be deleted to free up space.

Multisite restrictions: Jetpack does not support multisites, which can be a significant limitation for users managing multiple WordPress sites.

Should you invest in the premium version?

The decision to invest in Jetpack’s premium version hinges on your specific needs and resources. Investing in Jetpack’s premium add-ons can be highly beneficial if you require robust security, advanced performance enhancements, and comprehensive site management features. 

However, if budget is a concern or your site’s needs are minimal and already addressed by existing plugins or methods, sticking with the free version or alternative solutions might be the best route. Evaluate your site’s specific needs, compare the costs and potential benefits, and make an informed decision that best fits your goals and resources.

Pricing

Jetpacks Pricing
Jetpacks Bundles

Jetpack offers a range of pricing plans, with significant first-year discounts of up to 50%, all billed yearly. Additionally, it provides a 14-day money-back guarantee, giving you a risk-free trial period. While costs are typically billed annually, you might see them broken down into monthly amounts for easier comparison.

Jetpack’s plans cater to various needs, from security to content creation and SEO. Bundles provide more features compared to purchasing individual services, offering a comprehensive solution for your WordPress site.

The best alternative to Jetpack—BlogVault

BlogVault stands out as an exceptional and robust alternative to Jetpack. It addresses many of Jetpack’s shortcomings and offers comprehensive backup solutions, enhanced security measures, performance boosts, and efficient site management. Here’s why BlogVault makes a superior option:

Bulletproof backups: BlogVault provides backups that work perfectly every time, ensuring your data is always safe and secure.

Top-tier data security: BlogVault stores encrypted copies of your entire backups in secure locations off-site. This ensures enterprise-grade data security and peace of mind.

Rapid restores: BlogVault helps you quickly and reliably restore your WordPress site from backups. This minimizes downtime and ensures continuity.

Effortless staging: Create staging sites easily in one click with BlogVault. Use them to test changes and updates before deploying them to your live site.

Test restores: You can test your backups on a staging site to ensure everything works flawlessly before applying them on your live site.

Seamless site migrations: BlogVault helps you migrate your WordPress site to a new domain or host with its seamless migration tool.

Live WooCommerce backups: BlogVault’s real-time backups benefit WooCommerce sites while ensuring no transaction data is lost.

Multisite backup support: BlogVault’s special support for WordPress multisite makes it easier to manage and back up complex site networks.

Robust site security: Secure your site without slowing it down, with features like malware scanning, automatic cleanup, and firewall options.

24/7 site monitoring: Monitor your site 24/7 so you can act quickly if something goes wrong, avoiding potential issues before they escalate.

Detailed activity log: Keep track of all changes happening to your website, allowing you to monitor activities and maintain control over site modifications.

Emergency connector: In the event of a site crash, BlogVault’s emergency connector allows you to quickly restore your site without needing admin access, which is invaluable for immediate recovery.

External dashboard: If you’re locked out of your admin dashboard and your site is experiencing downtime, you can always get it back online by accessing your backups on BlogVault’s external dashboard.

BlogVault delivers a seamless, integrated experience that addresses many of the limitations found in Jetpack. This makes it a compelling alternative for those seeking enhanced site management, comprehensive security, and effortless backups.

Jetpack WordPress Review: The Verdict

While Jetpack has its strengths, especially in its free offerings, it also presents significant drawbacks that may make you pause before installing it. Jetpack provides a powerful suite of features for enhancing WordPress sites. 

However, relying on premium plans for essential functions may not be suitable for everyone, particularly those with budget constraints or simpler site needs.

Alternatives like BlogVault, UpdraftPlus, and BackWPup offer robust security and efficient management features that address many of Jetpack’s limitations. For users seeking a reliable and user-friendly backup solution, BlogVault may provide better value, while UpdraftPlus is known for its flexible scheduling options and comprehensive backup capabilities. Meanwhile, BackWPup stands out for its ease of use and free version.

Ultimately, the choice between Jetpack and its alternatives should hinge on specific requirements, budget considerations, and your preference for integrated versus specialized tools. Evaluating these factors will help ensure you select the best option for your WordPress site.

FAQs

Is the Jetpack plugin good?

Jetpack offers a comprehensive suite of features aimed at enhancing security, performance, and user engagement on WordPress sites. It includes automated backups, security scanning, performance optimization, and more. While it’s highly versatile and integrates well with WordPress, some users find the reliance on premium plans for essential features a drawback. Therefore, its effectiveness can depend on your specific needs and budget.

Is it worth paying for Jetpack?

Paying for Jetpack can be worthwhile if you need advanced features such as real-time backups, malware scanning, and enhanced security measures. However, if your site has simpler needs or if you have budget constraints, you might find that the free version or alternatives like BlogVault offer better value. Evaluating your site’s specific requirements is essential to determine if the premium plan justifies the cost.

Is Jetpack for WordPress free?

Jetpack offers a free version that includes basic features such as site stats, downtime monitoring, and brute force attack protection. However, more advanced features like automated backups, security scanning, and enhanced SEO tools require a premium subscription.

Is there an alternative to Jetpack?

Yes, there are several alternatives to Jetpack. One noteworthy alternative is BlogVault, which provides robust backup solutions, enhanced security features, seamless site migrations, and efficient site management tools. BlogVault addresses many of Jetpack’s limitations, making it a compelling option for users seeking comprehensive site protection and management.

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