UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid: A Thorough Backup Plugin Comparison

Navigating the world of WordPress backup plugins can often feel like sailing through turbulent waters—one wrong choice, and you could end up with a plugin that’s more of an anchor than a lifeline. 

With a sea of options available, zeroing in on the right choice can be overwhelming. Within this vast ocean, two names frequently rise to the surface when you look up backup plugins: UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid. But which one is truly the right fit for your website?

Whichever plugin you choose, it must be reliable. If the plugin were to fail during a crucial restore, your website could be down in the dumps in seconds leading to significant headaches and potential chaos.

This is where we hop in. In this article, we bring clarity to the confusion with a comprehensive comparison of UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid. We will dissect their features, evaluate their usability, test their reliability, and consider their cost-effectiveness. 

By the time you finish reading, you’ll have the insights needed to confidently choose the backup plugin that best fits your WordPress website.

TL;DR: UpdraftPlus is a solid free option for a WordPress backup plugin but it falls short of delivering some advanced features you need. For a more robust solution, consider BlogVault. It ensures your site has perfect backups and allows for seamless restoration in just a few clicks.

Features	UpdraftPlus	WPvivid	BlogVault
On-demand backups
Scheduled backups
Complete and partial backups
Complete and partial restores
Restore fully crashed sites from an external dashboard
Migration
Cloud storage
Staging

UpdraftPlus at a glance

UpdraftPlus is a widely-used WordPress backup plugin, designed to simplify the often tedious processes of backing up and restoring your site. It splits your backups into five distinct parts—Files, Databases, Themes, Plugins, and Others. 

The default backup frequency is Manual. However, you can switch to automatic and choose a schedule that ranges from two-hour intervals to monthly backups. But note that backups as frequent as two hours can bog down your site’s performance unless you’re running a high-traffic e-commerce site.

What sets UpdraftPlus apart is that it includes site restoration in its free version—an absolute lifesaver if you’re on a budget. The plugin supports multiple cloud storage options, giving you the flexibility to store your backups wherever you deem safest. It even offers basic migration features, though you’ll need an additional plugin, and you’re limited to selecting just one remote storage location in the free version.

But hold on, it’s not all rosy. UpdraftPlus has glaring limitations. The backups are not of the full site; it will not backup critical core site files. It lacks incremental backups and can hoard significant server space, possibly throttling your site’s speed. Moreover, managing multiple websites can become a tedious task since you must log into each admin panel individually. To streamline this, you’ll need yet another extra plugin.

While UpdraftPlus boasts an impressive suite of free features, understanding its limitations is crucial for making an informed choice. For those in need of advanced functionalities, a solid alternative like BlogVault offers expansive features even in their basic plans.

WPvivid at a glance

One of WPvivid’s standout features is its comprehensive backup scheduling options, allowing you to easily tailor backup times to fit your specific needs. This flexibility sets it apart in ensuring your backups are created exactly when you want them. 

You can schedule backups at intervals ranging from every 12 hours to monthly. While the options are flexible, we recommend taking daily complete backups of your site to ensure comprehensive protection.

WPvivid excels in creating comprehensive full backups, capturing everything from files to databases. Additionally, it provides both manual and scheduled backup options. You can initiate a backup whenever needed or set it to run automatically at specified intervals. Configuration is straightforward and user-friendly, requiring fewer steps than UpdraftPlus—a big plus for those who dread complicated setups.

Restoration with WPvivid is as seamless as it is with UpdraftPlus. What sets WPvivid apart is its site staging feature, which UpdraftPlus lacks. This allows you to create a staging environment where you can test backup restores before applying them to your live site, ensuring everything works perfectly.

In addition to that, staging sites are invaluable for testing updates and changes before pushing them live. WPvivid also excels in migration, making it easy to move your WordPress sites between different domains or hosting environments effortlessly.

WPvivid caters to a wide spectrum of WordPress users. It is suitable for individual bloggers, small business owners, web developers, and large enterprises. The plugin accommodates various technical skill levels, making it accessible to everyone. Even first-time users will find navigating through the plugin quite intuitive.

WPvivid supports a range of cloud storage services and also allows for custom remote storage and local storage options. It also automatically deletes old backups. While this helps manage storage space effectively and allows users to specify how many backups to retain, old backups also have value, so this feature is a mixed blessing.

While WPvivid offers a comprehensive solution by combining backups, restoration, staging, and migration into one plugin, it does have its limitations. In the free version, you can only restore backups created by WPvivid, which limits its flexibility. It also lacks incremental backups and stores backups on your local server, which can impact website performance. 

Multisite support is only available in the premium version, making it less ideal for users managing multiple sites on a single WordPress installation. Additionally, the level of support available to free users is somewhat limited compared to those with the premium version.

Test site setup

To objectively assess the performance of UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid, we prepared two test WordPress sites, one sizing up to 800MB and the other 3.25GB. This setup allowed us to gauge the plugins’ performance, consistently measuring their strengths and weaknesses across different size scales.

We’ve gathered some insights by evaluating their functionalities, from backup speeds to restoration efficiency. Our hands-on approach offers a clear, real-world picture of how these plugins perform when the rubber meets the road.

UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid backups

Verdict: Both UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid provide reliable scheduled and on-demand backups. UpdraftPlus offers more granular scheduling and quicker backups, but no full site backups in the free version. WPvivid has full site backups but lacks incremental backups, which puts a lot of strain on site resources each time a backup is taken. 

UpdraftPlus backup performance

Navigating through UpdraftPlus was a breeze, thanks to its easy-to-use user interface. Switching the backup frequency from manual to automatic was effortless, and it lets you tailor schedules for files and databases that range from every two hours to every month. 

But here’s the kicker: UpdraftPlus doesn’t do full backups. This isn’t spelled out on the dashboard but becomes clear when you realize it only backs up the wp-content folder. Core file backups? Those are locked behind a paywall. We consider this as a critical flaw. A complete backup needs to cover the entire site to ensure reliable restoration; anything less, and you’re skating on thin ice.

UpdraftPlus’s performance varies with site size. Backing up an 800MB site took about a minute, and it was quick and painless. But for a bulkier 3.25GB site, the process stretched to four minutes, spiking CPU usage and noticeably dragging down site performance. This resource drain is a direct consequence of the plugin relying on your server for backups.

Thankfully, regular backups get easier, as UpdraftPlus uses incremental backups after the initial full backup—provided you’ve selected all necessary components right from the get-go.

Despite these issues, the backup process itself was smooth. The scheduled backups range from 2 hours to monthly. The two-hour option will be an overkill if you’re not running an e-commerce site, as frequent two-hour backups can waste server resources.

If you’re looking for a detailed review of UpdraftPlus, we’ve created one that dives deeper into its features, pros, and cons.

WPvivid backup performance

WPvivid’s user interface is quite similar to UpdraftPlus. Scheduling backups in WPvivid is straightforward within the Schedule tab, offering options ranging from every 12 hours to monthly. 

However, the absence of more frequent backup intervals poses a challenge, especially for e-commerce sites. In such environments, waiting for 12 hours to back up orders and product data can be detrimental in the case of a site crash.

Moreover, WPvivid stores backups on the site’s server, just like UpdraftPlus. This means it also has the same resource drain problems while backing up your site. To add to that, incremental backups are a premium-only feature. So if you are a free version user, you might quickly run out of storage space, and patience.

Our testing revealed that a manual backup for an 800MB site took around two minutes and proceeded smoothly without any hitches. For a larger site of 3.25GB, the backup process extended to about three minutes—an impressive feat considering the size involved.

WPvivid also offers cloud storage options such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, and Microsoft OneDrive, giving you flexibility in how and where you want to store your backups.

UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid restores

Verdict: UpdraftPlus is better for quicker, smaller site restores and partial restores, while WPvivid excels in seamless, one-go restorations. However, both plugins fall short of fully restoring crashed sites without dashboard access.

UpdraftPlus restore performance

Restoring your website should be as stress-free as clicking a button. However, UpdraftPlus has some hurdles. It may fail to restore your site if you don’t delete old folders—an unnerving task you have to perform manually through a notification that appears at the top of your screen. It would have been far better if this was automatically handled.

The free version of UpdraftPlus can only restore backup files created by the plugin itself. Unusually, you can restore backups created by other plugins, but you have to opt for its premium version. While importing a backup created by another plugin can be useful, it’s generally wiser to stick with the plugin you’re already using for consistent results.

Additionally, note that, unlike a premium plugin like BlogVault, you cannot restore a fully crashed site with UpdraftPlus. In our tests, restoring a smaller site (800MB) was quick, taking less than a minute. A larger site (3.25GB) took about two minutes, but the results were inconsistent. Larger site restores failed midway. Only a few attempts were successful, highlighting the plugin’s struggle with media-rich sites loaded with content. It’s clear that handling larger sites is a challenge for many plugins, and UpdraftPlus is no exception.

With BlogVault you can backup and restore sites of any size without worrying about them failing.

On a positive note, UpdraftPlus can handle partial restores to some extent. But if you need to restore a core file, you’re out of luck—those aren’t included in the free backups.

Choosing the right plugin for restoration is about finding the balance between convenience and thoroughness. While UpdraftPlus offers some robust features, its quirks and limitations make it essential to weigh whether it meets your specific needs, especially when larger, content-heavy sites are involved.

WPvivid restore performance

WPvivid demonstrates commendable capability in the restoration process, swiftly bringing back a small site in under two minutes. This speed is quite impressive for less complex websites. However, when it comes to larger, more intricate sites, WPvivid shows some limitations. 

In our tests, restoring a heavy site took about five minutes. While this isn’t faster than UpdraftPlus, WPvivid did manage to restore everything—files, content, and databases—in one go without the need for multiple attempts.

However, there’s a twist—both WPvivid and UpdraftPlus offer premium versions that allow you to restore backups created by other plugins. This feature is particularly useful for users migrating from another backup solution or those who need to integrate various backups into a unified system.

While both plugins offer this functionality, you should consider other aspects such as speed, ease of use, and additional features that allow you to restore a completely crashed site which neither of the plugins offer.

So, whether you’re dealing with a blog or a sprawling e-commerce site, WPvivid demonstrates solid capacity for restoration. Tapping into its full capabilities, however, might require an upgrade to the premium version. Regardless, it stands out as a strong contender in the backup and restoration arena.

With BlogVault you can not only restore a fully crashed site through an external dashboard but also recover your website from a complete crash with the help of our Emergency connector feature.

UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid storage

Verdict: WPvivid offers more flexibility than UpdraftPlus. UpdraftPlus restricts free users to one remote destination, while WPvivid provides multiple choices for free. Additionally, WPvivid manages storage automatically by deleting old backups. For those seeking diverse and efficient backup storage solutions, WPvivid is the better choice.

UpdraftPlus storage options

By default, UpdraftPlus backups are stored along the site; which is useless in times of necessity, especially if you have no access to wp-admin. 

However, UpdraftPlus does offer a bunch of options to store your backups offsite. In its free version, you can store your backups in remote locations like Dropbox, Amazon S3, and Google Drive—but here’s the catch: you can only add one remote destination unless you opt for the premium version.

The premium upgrade changes the game, allowing for multiple storage destinations and even throwing in 1GB of UpdraftPlus Vault storage. This opens doors to using a combination of offsite storage options, providing a more versatile backup strategy. Should you require more storage, the UpdraftPlus Vault offers options ranging from 5GB to a whopping 250GB of backup space.

However, there’s another catch—after the first year, each storage location is charged separately, making off-site storage a potentially costly affair over time. So you should weigh your long-term storage needs carefully before opting for one.

WPvivid storage options

Like UpdraftPlus, WPvivid also stores site backups on your site’s server. As each backup is a full site one, you can imagine how this takes up more and more space on your server. 

Then again, WPvivid supports storage destinations like Google Drive, Dropbox, pCloud, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, and Wasabi. If you upgrade to the premium version, there are additional options including WebDav, S3 Compatible Storage, Backblaze, and Shared Drive. This makes WPvivid a powerhouse for those who need a wide range of storage choices to store multiple backups.

WPvivid also offers automatic storage management, with features to delete old backups and free up space. This is particularly useful so that you don’t have to sacrifice your safety net because you are running out of space. You can configure multiple storage destinations, ensuring backups are securely stored in more than one location for added peace of mind. This redundancy is critical for ultimate data protection.

UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid migrations

Verdict: WPvivid simplifies migration with an automatic key-based process, though it requires installation on both sites. UpdraftPlus offers basic migration but involves more steps. For ease and simplicity, WPvivid is the better choice.

UpdraftPlus migrations

UpdraftPlus offers basic migration features in its free version, making it accessible yet limited. For a smoother transition, you’ll need the premium version, but it includes extra steps.

The process requires installing the plugin on both your source and destination sites. You then select the same remote backup location on the destination site to view your existing backups. Use these backups to recreate your site. 

Premium users can customize their migrations to suit specific needs, providing greater flexibility and control. You’ll receive a key to link your sites. 

WPvivid migrations

Migrating with WPvivid is smooth with the help of an automatic option to simplify the process. To get started, generate a key on your destination site and paste it into the dashboard of your current site. This connects the two, allowing for seamless migration. 

You can also customize what to migrate—choose to transfer just your files, just your database, or both, depending on your needs.

Despite these potential hurdles, WPvivid’s flexibility in allowing either automatic or manual migration—down to the specific elements you want to transfer—makes it a robust choice for site migration, accommodating various levels of user expertise and specific migration requirements.

Other features

Staging

UpdraftPlus offers no staging feature in its free version, putting a limitation on those who need to test changes safely. To access staging capabilities, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium version and install an additional plugin called UpdraftClone. However, your staging site will be hosted on your local server, which will strain and consume your storage space. This, in turn, will lead to dips in your site’s performance.

WPvivid offers a straightforward solution for creating a staging site, all within the same plugin—no need for additional installations. You have two main options: generate a staging site directly through the plugin or set up a fresh WordPress install.

Creating a fresh install involves setting up a completely new and separate WordPress site within a subfolder of your main website’s directory. This independent installation can be used for testing, development, or creating a dedicated section of your website.

However, the staging site will be hosted on your local server, which can compromise the overall performance of your main site. Plus, the staging site is accessible to everyone and can cause SEO issues if it is indexed by search engines.

With BlogVault, you can create your staging site with a single click—no extra plugins required. Since it’s hosted on BlogVault’s servers and not yours, your site’s performance and resources remain unaffected.

Update management

UpdraftPlus offers a robust approach to update management by creating pre-update backups. Before applying any updates to plugins, themes, or the WordPress core, you can configure UpdraftPlus to back up your site automatically. 

This safety net ensures that if an update goes awry, you can swiftly revert to a previous state. To enhance this feature, Easy Updates Manager integrates within the UpdraftPlus suite, offering better management of WordPress, plugins, and theme updates.

WPvivid’s Pro version also automatically backs up the current versions of plugins, themes, and WordPress before any updates. Unfortunately, this advanced feature is not available in the free version.

Pricing

UpdraftPlus sticks to a traditional yearly subscription model, with notable jumps in features and licenses as you climb through the tiers. This can be a good solution if you’re eyeing comprehensive features and don’t mind the annual commitment.

WPvivid, however, throws a twist into the mix by offering both annual and one-time payment options. This flexibility can be a game-changer, especially if you’re looking for long-term solutions without the burden of recurring costs.

Best alternative: BlogVault

If you are looking for an all-in-one solution that takes backup, restoration, and beyond to the next level, BlogVault is the answer. 

BlogVault ensures your data is continually protected through daily automatic backups. It also has real-time backup options for WooCommerce and similar sites, ensuring no data is lost. Moreover, with incremental backups, it only saves the changes made since the last backup, which reduces server load considerably.

You never need to worry about storage space, because with BlogVault you get unlimited offsite storage. While you can save your backups to Dropbox or other cloud storage solutions, you don’t need to if you don’t want to add that extra expense. 

Restoration is a breeze with BlogVault—you can restore your site with a single click, minimizing downtime and hassle. BlogVault has a record of a 100% restore rate for sites as big as 100 GB. 

Manage updates without stress, with an integrated staging environment, hosted on BlogVault servers, which allows you to test changes safely before going live. This is in addition to safe updates that back up your site automatically before updates. 

You can also effortlessly migrate your site to a new host or server with BlogVault’s robust migration tool, which supports over 5,000 hosts. 

All these features can be easily managed from one centralized and intuitive dashboard, which saves you time and effort.

Critical features to look for in a backup plugin

• Your backup plugin should let you set up automatic, regular backups at specified intervals to ensure your data is consistently safeguarded without constant manual checks.
• For fast-paced, dynamic sites such as WooCommerce stores, your plugin should support real-time backups. They capture every change instantly, mitigating any data loss between regular backups.
• Your plugin should create full site backups of all data, including files, databases, and system settings. 
• Always opt for incremental backups, which only saves changes since the last backup, saving significantly on site resources.
• Need a quick snapshot of your site’s data before making a change? Your plugin should allow on-demand backups to secure your data immediately when needed.
• Integration with cloud storage services like Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, and FTP/SFTP servers ensures your backups are safely stored offsite, adding an extra layer of protection.
• External user dashboard is essential for restoring and managing backups independently of your site. In a similar vein, your backup plugin should also be able to handle full site restorations if a crash occurs.
• You should be able to partially restore specific files, databases, or settings without touching the rest of your site.
• Before restoring a backup, test restores in a staging environment to confirm their integrity and functionality before they go live. 
• Your site backups should be encrypted during transfer and at rest.

While not all plugins offer these comprehensive features—sometimes not even in their premium versions—BlogVault delivers everything you need. From real-time backups to robust security measures, BlogVault excels in providing a reliable, all-in-one solution for both everyday and critical backup scenarios, ensuring that your site is always secure and recoverable. 

For peace of mind and a secure, efficient backup solution, BlogVault is unmatched, making it the ultimate choice.

Parting thoughts

Choosing between UpdraftPlus and WPvivid comes down to your specific needs. Both are free backup plugins that offer essential features,UpdraftPlus excels in scheduling flexibility and restoration, while WPvivid offers features like staging environments and cloud storage options, which are good for site management. Neither are ideal for large site backup management though.

However, for ultimate data protection, we highly recommend investing in a premium plugin like BlogVault. It streamlines everything from backup to restoration, ensuring your site remains secure with minimal effort.

Ultimately, the best backup solution depends on your needs, budget, and functionality requirements. With these insights, you can make an informed decision to keep your site’s data secure and easily recoverable.

FAQs

What are the key differences between UpdraftPlus and WPvivid in terms of backup features?

UpdraftPlus boasts granular scheduling and a broad scope of cloud storage options. WPvivid, however, packs features like staging environments and versatile restores, setting it apart for more advanced needs.

What is UpdraftPlus used for?

UpdraftPlus is a WordPress plugin used for creating and restoring backups of your website. It allows for scheduled and on-demand backups of your site’s files, databases, plugins, and themes. The premium version offers additional features, including incremental backups, extended remote storage options, and website cloning and migration.

Which plugin offers better cloud storage integration, UpdraftPlus or WPvivid?

WPvivid offers robust cloud storage and has more options in the free version. UpdraftPlus too excels in cloud storage integration with varied options including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon S3, but note that you get to upload your backups to only one remote location with the free version. 

How does the scheduling flexibility compare between UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid?

UpdraftPlus offers fine-tuned scheduling, from every two hours to monthly. The two-hour schedule can be useful for e-commerce sites, even though it is not ideal. WPvivid provides flexibility but is limited to 12-hour minimum intervals, which might not be sufficient for high-traffic sites.

Are there any unique features offered by WPvivid that are not available in UpdraftPlus?

Yes, WPvivid stands out with its built-in staging environments and comprehensive manual migration options, features not present in the free version of UpdraftPlus.

How user-friendly are the interfaces of UpdraftPlus vs WPvivid for beginners?

Both UpdraftPlus and WPvivid offer intuitive, beginner-friendly interfaces. However, UpdraftPlus might require additional steps for setting up certain features, while WPvivid simplifies the process with a more streamlined setup.