Perfect Plugin Doesn't Exist
Each plugin does something special, but I've never found a backup plugins that does everything perfectly. Here is a list of my top priorities in a backup:
- no license check or outbound server callbacks
- one click import / export
- incremental backups (only backup if detected changes)
- ability to store backup offsite
- automated scheduled backups at specific time of the day, week or month
- no outside server help (don't want anyone scanning files , reading / storing data)
My Favorite Plugins
- Softaculous Script (more of a manager)
- All-in-One WP Migration (local / remote)
- Migrate Guru (remote migration)
Here is a list of plugins I want to love:
- Updraft (license issues)
- if a version does not match with a premium plugin everything breaks, creates a real issue in the long run
- support on wordpress forums is heavily moderated / flagged
- Snapshot Pro (does not store local)
- must have active sub to use service because it stores data on their servers
Here is a list of plugins that do not make the cut just because other reasons:
- iThemes
- ManageWP
In a perfect world, a proper wordpress backup plugin would come with a one time charge, do incremental backups with choice of location (local, onedrive, pcloud, etc.), have scheduling and retention settings and do thinks in chunks so it'll never not work on overcrowded shared hosting servers that throttle resources. A big reason why many plugins do not work is exactly that reason… throttled server resources!