UpdraftPlus Review: What You Should Know Before Clicking ‘Install’

UpdraftPlus is a name that frequently surfaces when discussing backups in WordPress circles. 

We already know that backups are critical for websites. They are the bulwarks against server malfunctions, accidental deletions, malware attacks, and much more. But is UpdraftPlus the best choice for your website?

You should ask: Can it offer seamless automatic backups and easy restorations? Does it work for large sites? Where are the backups stored? Is it an affordable choice?

This Updraftplus review will answer all those questions, break down its features, weigh the pros and cons, and help you determine if UpdraftPlus is the best solution for safeguarding your website.

TL;DR: Your website is prone to crashes and data loss without a reliable backup. While UpdraftPlus is popular, it’s not without its flaws. Instead, choose BlogVault’s bulletproof backups and top-notch features to safeguard your site’s future—and your sanity.

Test site setup

To thoroughly evaluate UpdraftPlus, we set up two test sites: one medium-sized (890 MB) and one large-sized (10 GB). These sizes were chosen deliberately to assess how the plugin handles varying data loads. Here are more reasons why:

• Backups generally consume server resources, potentially causing strain. Testing sites of two different sizes will tell us a lot about how UpdraftPlus performs under different conditions.
• Storing backups on the server can consume substantial space, especially for large sites. Medium-sized sites are less likely to face immediate storage issues whereas it is the opposite for large sites.
• Restoration is an important and useful feature, restoring sites of different sizes will help us to evaluate UpdraftPlus’s dependability.

First impressions

Before diving into its technical nitty-gritty, we decided to get acquainted with UpdraftPlus: what features it includes; what are the different price tiers; and so on.

On the surface, UpdraftPlus seemed to have everything covered, ticking all our boxes. The plugin provides both automatic and on-demand backups, the latter being a solid feature. We also evaluated it against our criteria for trustworthy backups, such as smooth backups, offsite storage, and easy recoverability. These are critical aspects, and in our preliminary checks, UpdraftPlus met these requirements.

UpdraftPlus offers both free and paid versions. Yes, we know freebies are tempting, but trust us on this one—the paid options are like moving from basic cable to a full streaming service. You get ongoing updates, priority support, and all the premium features that elevate your backup game to a whole new level.

Upon activating the plugin on our sites, we headed to the settings page to explore its features. We noticed that UpdraftPlus is designed to be straightforward and user-friendly. The settings page provides clear options for configuring your backups, selecting storage destinations, and managing your backup schedule.

In the following sections, we will take a closer look at these features and see whether UpdraftPlus truly stands out as a good backup solution for you. 

Installation and configuration

We found that setting up UpdraftPlus for our WordPress website is straightforward. Configuring the backup settings is crucial to ensure your data is securely backed up at the right time. Let’s walk through the initial configuration together, covering key settings and options.

UpdraftPlus is available on the WordPress repository, so you can install it in much the same way as other plugins, from your WordPress dashboard. We went into Plugins > Add New. Using the search bar, it was easy enough to find UpdraftPlus. Clicked on Install Now, and once the installation was complete, we hit Activate.

Backups with UpdraftPlus

Creating backups with UpdraftPlus was a breeze, offering both ease and flexibility right out of the gate. It starts with the default setting of manual backups, but you can easily switch to automatic scheduling during the setup process.

While UpdraftPlus offers a convenient backup feature, it’s not without its flaws. Our testing revealed issues with larger sites, which potential users should be cautious of. Additionally, the inability to add detailed labels or descriptions to backups can make managing multiple backups clunky. 

For smaller to medium-sized websites, UpdraftPlus largely delivers on its promises, providing reliable and efficient backup capabilities. However, for users with more extensive backup needs, especially those managing larger sites, there is room for refinement. Overall, UpdraftPlus is a solid choice that should address these specific shortcomings to better serve a wider range of users.

Site size and backups

To see how UpdraftPlus truly performs, we created both automatic and on-demand backups for two sites: a medium-sized site (890 MB) and a large site (10 GB).

The backup process for this site was straightforward and efficient. We set up the schedule for automatic backups, and everything went smoothly. No issues or hiccups—just a seamless backup process that lived up to our expectations.

Our experience with the large site, however, was a different story. During the backup process, several alerts popped up, such as “A very large file was encountered” but there wasn’t any further explanation or even a suggested solution. While the backup was eventually completed successfully, these warnings were worrisome. UpdraftPlus claims it can handle sites up to 12 gigabytes, so the hiccup was unexpected and off-putting.

Flexibility in backup frequency

One of the standout features is the flexible backup frequency. Options range from every 2 hours to monthly, giving you the flexibility to choose what best fits your needs. 

In most cases—except WooCommerce or membership sites—a backup every 2 hours is overkill. Once a day is ideal for capturing changes effectively. Frequent backups can quickly consume storage space, especially if you’re using the free version where backups are stored on the same server as your website—which is the default with UpdraftPlus. This can significantly impact your site’s performance.

Conversely, for WooCommerce sites, as a matter of fact, 2 hours is not frequent enough. Changes to orders, customers, inventory, and so on happen on a minute-to-minute basis, therefore 2 hours without a backup can mean a loss of a great deal of data. 

Offsite storage options

UpdraftPlus offers various offsite storage options, including Dropbox, Amazon S3, and Google Drive. You also have the option to use the premium storage service, UpdraftPlus Vault. 

In the free version, you’re limited to one remote destination, but upgrading to the premium version allows you to use multiple storage options and includes 1GB of UpdraftPlus Vault storage. Need more space? You can purchase additional Vault storage, ranging from 5GB to 250GB. Just remember, after the first year, each storage location will require a separate subscription. We recommend planning these purchases while keeping your budget in mind.

A critical but often overlooked factor is that if you don’t choose an offsite storage provider—which let’s face it also costs money—you’re stuck with backups on the same server. Anything that befalls your server, and takes down your site, will also take down your backup. 

Partial backups 

UpdraftPlus doesn’t store everything in a single file. Instead, it segments your website into five components: database, plugins, themes, uploads, and other files. We found this segmentation useful when you want to partially restore or roll back specific elements rather than the entire site. Additionally, you can download these backups to your local device, offering another layer of security.

However partial backups are next to useless and inevitably fail when they are needed most. UpdraftPlus has fallen far short of our expectations as a result. It only backs up the wp-content folder and the database. If you have customizations in the wp-config or .htaccess files? You’ll need to spring for the premium version to back those up. 

When looking for backups later, we found they are stored under the Existing backups category and can be identified by their creation date and time. Unfortunately, you can’t rename the backups or include descriptions. This can make managing and identifying multiple backups—especially on-demand ones—somewhat cumbersome over time.

Restores with UpdraftPlus

Restoring your website after a crash or data loss is a critical aspect of any backup solution. 

While UpdraftPlus handles most restoration tasks competently, the challenges with large sites and the absence of detailed error messages leave much to be desired. For smaller to medium-sized sites, it’s a reliable option, but those with larger sites may need to look elsewhere or hope for improvements in future updates.

Moreover, the lack of detailed error reporting during the restoration process is a significant drawback. Ideally, the plugin should run integrity checks before initiating a restore and provide a detailed report if something goes wrong. This would save users from the trial-and-error approach we had to endure.

Partial restores

Restoring backups with UpdraftPlus was as straightforward as creating them. For a full site restoration, you simply select all the components. For a partial restoration, you choose only the components you need. This flexibility is especially valuable when you want to roll back plugins or restore a deleted page. 

However, when we used this feature, all the plugins were restored to a previous version, which was far from ideal. We had a few plugins that were updated due to vulnerabilities, so we had to go in and reapply those updates quickly.

Tip: With BlogVault, you can roll back a single plugin without affecting the others. 

Restore reliability

During our testing, restoring the medium-sized site (890 MB) was a breeze. The restoration process took about five minutes, and we didn’t face any issues post-restoration. While we appreciate that we didn’t need to stay on the restore page, the wp-admin dashboard was inaccessible during the process.

Like the backup, the restoration for the large-sized site (10 GB), did not go as we hoped. Two minutes into the restoration process, we encountered a “critical error” message with no explanation or guidance. We tried the restoration again, but the same issue occurred. This was disappointing, especially given UpdraftPlus’s claim to handle large sites up to 12 GB.

Other features of UpdraftPlus

Beyond its core functionalities, UpdraftPlus Premium offers a plethora of additional features that significantly enhance its utility as a backup solution. These tools and options provide greater control, security, and convenience. Here’s our take on these features:

Backup to multiple remote storage locations

UpdraftPlus Premium allows you to back up to multiple remote storage locations. This redundancy adds an extra layer of security, ensuring your data isn’t compromised if one storage point fails. We recommend opting for the Vault storage, and only then using a second cloud service for additional security. 

Cloud service providers are metered storage services, but they are a significantly safer choice when compared to backups on the same server. 

Cloning and migration

The cloning and migration feature allows you to effortlessly move your site to a new domain or host with minimal downtime—a lifesaver for anyone looking to switch servers or platforms without a hitch.

However, as with the backup and restore hiccups with larger sites, migrations also only worked for small to medium sites. Larger site migrations were fraught exercises, and often outright failed. 

Anonymization functions

With GDPR compliance being a priority, UpdraftPlus’s anonymization functions are a great plus point. This feature ensures user data within your backups is anonymized, keeping you compliant with data protection laws.

Ideally, though, you want to have any backups encrypted for safety reasons. If a storage service were to be hacked, an unencrypted backup would be like handing your site on a platter to a hacker. 

Incremental backups

The incremental backup feature is a game-changer. By saving only the changes made since the last backup, it conserves both time, CPU cycles, and storage space. This is particularly beneficial for dynamic sites that undergo frequent updates.

Any sites over a certain size will feel the pinch of backups if they are not incremental. In fact, in some of the other backup plugins we tested, we saw a perceptible dip in site performance during backups. 

Fast, personal support

One of the perks of the premium version is access to personalized priority support. Quick issue resolution means less downtime, providing peace of mind that your backups are in good hands. We were not able to test this out ourselves, but UpdraftPlus is known for its great support. 

Pre-update backups

Automatic pre-update backups add another layer of safety. Before making any significant changes—whether to themes, plugins, or the WordPress core—UpdraftPlus ensures you have a fallback point. The feature is available only in the Premium version of the plugin, so we were not able to test it out. 

The upside of UpdraftPlus

When it comes to backup solutions, UpdraftPlus brings several compelling features to the table that make it a standout. Let’s look at some of the features that caught our attention during our review.

Multiple storage options:  Having multiple backups of your site is crucial, but where you store those backups matters just as much. UpdraftPlus supports a variety of cloud storage solutions, including Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Rackspace, and more. This flexibility allows you to choose the storage option that best fits your needs, ensuring your data is securely stored in different locations.

Seamless partial restoration: The plugin can perform partial restorations. Whether you need to roll back a plugin or a page, UpdraftPlus makes it easy.

Intuitive interface: Navigating a new plugin can sometimes be daunting, but UpdraftPlus makes it simple—by making its interface very similar to your WP dashboard. Upon initial installation, get a short tutorial on how to navigate through your dashboard. Even if you skip it, you can easily access the tutorial later by clicking the Take Tour button at the bottom of the plugin. This ensures you always have guidance at your fingertips.

Staging on their server: If you decide to invest in the premium version, you’ll gain access to a staging feature that allows you to create a test site on UpdraftPlus’ servers instead of your own. This is a fantastic perk, as it minimizes the use of your server resources while still allowing you to test and tweak your site safely. However, for each staging site, you’ll need an UpdraftClone token. 

Flexible backup schedules: UpdraftPlus offers flexible backup scheduling options, ranging from every 2 hours to monthly. This range allows you to set a backup frequency that aligns with your website’s activity level and personal preference, ensuring you always have an up-to-date backup.

The drawbacks of UpdraftPlus

While UpdraftPlus offers some impressive features, it’s not without its pitfalls. In this section, we’ll walk you through the shortcomings of UpdraftPlus that you should note if you’re considering it as your backup solution.

Partial backups: An UpdraftPlus backup comprises the wp-content folder and the database, and even then it gives you the option of unchecking these as well. Partial backups are famous for failing at the time of restoration. There is just no excuse for not backing up all site files and the entire database each time. Even if you need a partial restore, it is perfectly possible to do it with a full backup. 

Default storage is the site server: Unless you spring for a cloud service provider or UpdraftVault, your backups are going to exist alongside your site—presumably in a site folder. It is going to be significantly useless as a backup if anything happens to the server. 

The free version is limited: Everyone raves about UpdraftPlus’s free backup and restoration capabilities, but that’s about all you get without upgrading to the premium version. The free tier provides basic backups, whereas alternatives like BlogVault offer a suite of features even in their basic plans. For instance, BlogVault includes an emergency connector for crashed sites and test restores, setting a higher standard for what you can expect from a free service.

Resource usage: UpdraftPlus stores your backups on your server, and this can consume significant amounts of server space. If something were to happen to your server, there go your backups. 

Inflexible backup management: Backups in UpdraftPlus are saved under the Existing Backups section and are marked by date and time. Unfortunately, there’s no way to rename them or add notes for easier identification. This lack of flexibility is inconvenient, especially when you need to take on-demand backups before updating plugins or themes.

Limited security: While UpdraftPlus focuses primarily on backups, it lacks extensive security features. BlogVault, for example, offers added protections such as malware scanning, automatic malware removal, and firewall options, providing a more comprehensive approach to site security.

Note: If UpdraftPlus’s limitations make you reconsider its use, explore alternatives like BlogVault. BlogVault excels by offering comprehensive backup solutions and addresses key areas where UpdraftPlus falls short. 

Pricing

UpdraftPlus offers a range of pricing plans to cater to various user needs, from individual bloggers to large enterprises. We looked at the first two tiers of UpdraftPlus Premium in greater detail. 

Updraft Premium Personal

Price: $70.00 per year

What’s included:

• 2 licenses
• All premium features
• 1 UpdraftClone token
• 1GB of UpdraftVault quota

Ideal for individual users or small websites, the Personal plan gives you access to essential premium features. You get one UpdraftClone token for staging, and a modest amount of Vault storage. However, this might be limited if you need more extensive backup, staging, and storage capabilities.

Updraft Premium Business

Price: $95.00 per year

What’s included:

• 10 licenses
• All premium features
• 2 UpdraftClone tokens
• 1GB of UpdraftVault quota

The Business plan is intended for small enterprises or agencies managing multiple sites. With a higher license count and an extra UpdraftClone token, it offers more flexibility and value. However, just like the Personal plan, the storage quota remains the same, which might be a limiting factor for larger data requirements. Also, ideally, you want to be able to create an individual staging site for every site you manage, so you can test updates for each one properly.

There is also the Updraft Premium Agency, Premium Enterprise, and Premium Gold plans. The key differences are the number of staging sites and the amount of storage space available with UpdraftVault. 

However, the plan does not scale equally with each site, and rather shares a combined bucket of resources. This is far from ideal. Consider someone managing several media sites, each of a really large size. The costs for this case would skyrocket. 

Overall value and recommendation

Add-ons: All premium plans include access to all available add-ons.

Support: Each plan comes with 1 year of free support.

Updates: 1 year of free updates for the add-ons with any premium plan.

Vault Storage: Except for the Gold plan, which offers 50GB, all plans provide 1GB of UpdraftVault storage.

The best alternative to UpdraftPlus: BlogVault

BlogVault is a robust alternative to UpdraftPlus. BlogVault offers a comprehensive range of features that UpdraftPlus lacks making it a superior option. 

Automatic backups: Every site should be backed up once a day—at the very least. High-traffic and WooCommerce stores need a higher frequency. However, taking backup manually daily is a recipe for boredom and eventual disaster. Therefore BlogVault takes automatic scheduled backups of your site every single day, without fail. 

Bulletproof backups: BlogVault ensures that your backups never fail. Each site backup is reliable and works flawlessly, guaranteeing that your data remains safe and secure. It consists of every file and database entry on your site. The only exceptions are temp and cache files. 

Encrypted backups: With BlogVault, your backups are stored as encrypted copies. This feature offers you peace of mind, knowing that your sensitive information is well-protected against potential threats.

100% reliable restores: One of the standout features of BlogVault is the ability to quickly and reliably restore your WordPress site from backups. This minimizes downtime and ensures that your site remains operational, providing a seamless user experience.

Unlimited offsite storage: BlogVault backups are always stored on BlogVault servers. None of the same site server malarkey, as with the other backup plugins. You can choose to use your own cloud service provider as well, but the backups will still be stored on BlogVault servers first. 

Emergency Connector: In the unfortunate event of a site crash, BlogVault is the only backup plugin that can restore your site. The Emergency Connector quickly restores your site without needing wp-admin access for immediate recovery and minimal downtime.

External dashboard: One of the most significant advantages of BlogVault is its external dashboard. If you get locked out of your admin dashboard or your site is experiencing downtime, you can still access and restore your backups via the external dashboard. This feature ensures that you can always get your site back online, no matter the circumstance.

Effortless staging: Creating staging sites with BlogVault is incredibly easy, thanks to its one-click staging feature. This allows you to test changes and updates on the latest version of your site without affecting your live site, ensuring that everything runs smoothly before deployment.

Test restores: BlogVault allows you to test your backups on a staging environment before restoring them to your live site. This ensures that the backup is functional and meets your needs, reducing the risk of any issues during the restore process.

Seamless site migrations: Migrating your WordPress site to a new domain or host is a breeze with BlogVault. The process is straightforward and takes away the risk of data loss or downtime. BlogVault is the only migration tool that works with zero downtime.

Live WooCommerce backups: For WooCommerce sites, real-time backups are a game-changer. BlogVault ensures that no transaction data is lost, providing an extra layer of security for your online store by backing up events as they occur on your site.

Multisite backup support: Managing and backing up complex site networks is simplified with a multisite backup support feature. For up to 5 subsites per BlogVault license, you can back up a multisite at a fifth of the cost of other backup plugins. 

Robust site security: BlogVault goes beyond backups by offering robust site security features. These include malware scanning, automated cleanup, and firewall options, all designed to secure your site without slowing it down.

24/7 site monitoring: Continuous monitoring of your site allows you to act quickly if any issues arise. BlogVault’s uptime monitoring helps you prevent potential problems before they escalate, ensuring your site’s smooth operation.

Detailed activity log: Keep track of all changes happening on your website with BlogVault’s detailed activity log. This feature allows you to monitor activities and maintain control over site modifications, providing an additional layer of oversight.

Criteria for a good backup solution

Choosing the right backup solution helps ensure your website’s data remains secure and accessible. With numerous options available, it’s essential to know what to look for. Here are key criteria to consider when evaluating a backup solution to keep your website safe and fully functional:

Reliability and consistency: The whole purpose is defeated if a backup fails or is incomplete. Automated, regular backups are essential to keep your data current without requiring constant manual intervention. Checking reviews can offer insights into the reliability of a backup plugin before making your choice.

Comprehensive data protection: Beyond just backing up your website’s files, a quality backup solution should cover your databases, settings, and other critical elements. This ensures you can fully restore your site to its previous state, rather than just patching parts of it. Comprehensive data protection is a must-have for any robust backup solution.

Ease of use: Having an intuitive interface is the key. This makes it easy for users of all technical levels to set up, manage, and restore backups. Complicated processes can lead to errors and discourage regular use. An easy-to-navigate dashboard ensures that you can efficiently manage your backups without a steep learning curve.

Speed and performance: Backups should be performed quickly and efficiently, without negatively impacting your website’s performance. Look for solutions offering incremental backups, which save only the changes made since the last backup. This minimizes server load and saves time, making the backup process seamless.

Secure storage: Security is paramount. The backup solution should store your data in encrypted formats and offer multiple storage options like cloud services, external servers, or local storage. This protects your data from unauthorized access and provides recovery options in different scenarios. Encryption and diverse storage options are critical for comprehensive data security.

Emergency recovery options: A dependable backup solution should include emergency recovery features, allowing you to restore your site quickly in the event of a crash or catastrophic failure. This minimizes downtime and ensures business continuity, helping you get back online swiftly.

Customer support: Quality customer support is essential. In case of issues, having access to knowledgeable and responsive support can make a significant difference in resolving problems efficiently. Responsive customer support ensures that you have help when you need it most.

Scalability: As your business or website grows, your backup needs will evolve. The solution should be scalable, allowing you to easily upgrade your plan and add more storage or features without significant hassle. Scalability ensures that your backup solution can grow with you.

Testing and validation: A good backup solution should allow you to test your backups regularly to ensure their integrity and validity. This helps you catch potential issues before they become major problems, ensuring that your backups are always reliable.

BlogVault meets all essential criteria for a top-notch backup solution. With a strong track record of reliability and security, it has become the trusted choice for countless website owners. With BlogVault, you can rest assured that your website remains protected and easily recoverable.

The verdict

While UpdraftPlus has its strengths, especially in its free offering, it also comes with notable drawbacks. Limitations in backup management, performance issues with large sites, and insufficient customer support in the free version could be deal-breakers for many users.

Given these challenges, alternatives like BlogVault offer a more comprehensive, reliable, and user-friendly solution. BlogVault excels in areas where UpdraftPlus falls short, providing superior data protection, seamless site migrations, and robust customer support.

Ultimately, the best backup solution for your WordPress site depends on your specific needs. Consider what features matter most to you and choose a solution that offers the peace of mind and reliability you need.

FAQs

Will the UpdraftPlus plugin slow down my website or cause it to crash?

It is unlikely. UpdraftPlus is designed to run efficiently in the background. However, storing backups on your server can consume significant space and resources, potentially affecting performance, especially on high-traffic sites. Incremental backups can help mitigate this issue.

How helpful is UpdraftPlus’s customer support in resolving issues?

Customer support varies depending on your plan. Free users are limited to community forums and documentation, which can be insufficient for complex issues. Premium users receive priority support, though response times and effectiveness have had mixed reviews.

Can I customize the backup settings to fit my specific needs?

Yes, UpdraftPlus offers customizable backup schedules and supports backing up files, databases, and other critical site elements. However, the free version has limitations compared to the premium plans, which offer more extensive customization options.

Will this plugin still be effective if my website grows significantly?

UpdraftPlus can handle larger sites, but there might be performance issues with very large backups. If you anticipate significant growth, you might want to consider alternatives like BlogVault, which is better equipped to handle extensive data.

Is UpdraftPlus free?

Yes, UpdraftPlus offers a free version with basic backup and restoration features. However, to access more advanced features and better support, you’ll need to opt for one of the premium plans.