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BackupBuddy Review: Is This Plugin Best for Taking Website Backups?

Last Updated on October 19th, 2023

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Looking for a reliable way to backup your WordPress site? In this post, we take a close look at BackupBuddy, its features, and how it can help you easily back up your website.

We’re all aware of how important backups are, they prevent us from damage from malicious threats on the web. They said that prevention is better than cure. That is indeed correct.

However, finding the right tool as a solution can be a little difficult as there’s a huge selection of products that you can find on the market. Depending on your needs and your preferences, it is surely not an easy task. Fret not, as we are going to introduce one of the best and reliable plugins when it comes to backups.

This plugin is ideal for beginners as it is known to have a sleek yet user-friendly interface. If you’re curious about the wonders of this plugin, we’re going through the overview of the product, how much it costs, its key features, pros and cons, up to the installation and setup process to help you better understand how the whole plugin works. 

BackupBuddy WordPress Plugin Overview

BackupBuddy

For different problems, there are always different solutions to solve them. From the creators of KadenceWP, Restrict Content Pro, iThemes Security Pro, iThemes created another essential tool you need to create awesome and safe WordPress Websites.

Since 2010, this plugin has already protected 1 million WordPress sites and continues its service up to the present time. BackupBuddy, as the name implies, is a WordPress backup plugin and can serve as a companion on your way to protect your website from different threats on the web.

This plugin is a solid backup strategy for WordPress as it covers the important backup elements on a single plugin which are, website backup, schedule automatic backups, restore your website, and lastly, store WordPress backups on the cloud. You can also customize your backup contents to help you organize your backups. You can also receive email notifications for the things that are urgent and need attention so you’re aware of something’s going on with your backups. 

Unfortunately, BackupBuddy is not free but it comes in with a selection of pricing options for their subscription-based plan. You can consider getting the plugin depending on the budget and features you need. Here is the following pricing option for the BackupBuddy:

Blogger – $80 per year. It includes backup for 1 site and 1GB of BackupBuddy Stash storage space.

Freelancer – $127 per year. It includes backup for 10 sites and 1GB of BackupBuddy Stash storage space

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Gold – $199 per year. It includes backup for unlimited sites and 5GB of BackupBuddy Stash storage space.

If the free 1GB storage space and 5GB for the Gold members is not enough, BackupBuddy also offers a variety of pricing options for the BackupBuddy Stash Storage Space:

  • 1GB – free
  • 5GB – $35 per year
  • 10GB – $60 per year
  • 25GB – $97 per year

They also offer bigger storage space, if the following still doesn’t suit your needs. For that instance, you can contact their sales team here for the prices. 

Key Features

  • Easy and Straightforward Setup for Complete Backups

Some of the backup software and plugins that are available on the market provide a complex interface that might not be suited for first-time users. If you belong to that group or you’re someone that is easily overwhelmed by the number of options on common backup software, then fret not as this plugin comes up with a very easy-to-understand yet intuitive interface that will make your backup process smoother and faster. If you’re using WordPress, just simply install the plugin right through your dashboard, and with the click of a button, you can now backup your WordPress easily. 

  • Perform Quick Malware Scans

Malware is a threat to every website owner and user. It includes viruses, ransomware, and spyware that may cause extensive damage to your data and system and the worst part, permanently shut down your websites. This is where malware scanners do their part. The good thing about BackupBuddy is, it is equipped with a malware scanner so you don’t need to worry about viruses on your website as it always performs quick malware scans. 

  • Backups Can Be Stored On Clouds

Local backups are great but cloud backups are even better as it provides the best protection available and much more reliable compared to a local backup file. In addition to that, cloud backups allow you to easily restore lost data at any time or location. With the BackupBuddy plugin, you can store your files whenever, wherever you are. It offers different storage locations from its very own BackupBuddy Stash, BackupBuddy Deployment, Amazon S3, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and sFTP. You can even use each location at the same time. 

  • Restore and Migrate Websites

An effective backup plugin creates a functional restoration process in the quick and efficient way possible. If you’re looking specifically for that kind, the BackupBuddy plugin has it as its key feature. You can overwrite existing files and databases, you can also have the option to choose between files or databases to be restored, and with the absolute minimal amount of downtime, you can easily restore your website. However, if you want to transfer your website to a new domain, you can do that easily as BackupBuddy comes with a user-friendly migration wizard called ImportBuddy. If you already have a backup, upload it together with ImportBuddy to the new server, then run the ImportBuddy script to have your website migrated. 

  • Set Automatic Scheduled Backups

As a go-getter person, you need to fit all of your schedules in a day. You have a website that you monitor and you can’t constantly monitor it 24/7 and get your backups every single time. In order for you to do that, you need an automatic scheduled backup which is mostly one of the BackupBuddy WordPress features. Websites are recommended to be backed up every single time possible. If your website is active, it would be tedious to manually back up your files to keep up with the changes. You can choose between every other day, once daily, every six hours, monthly, and yearly you want to backup your websites. By installing this plugin, it helps you maximize your time while keeping you efficient. 

Every product and service offered in the market is always corporated with its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of BackupBuddy’s pros and cons that you need to keep in mind. 

Pros 

  • Without compromising its easy to use interface and performance, BackupBuddy offers a sleek and intuitive user interface that even beginners can get the gist of. There are also on-screen prompts that serve as a guide to make your experience even better. 
  • If you’re looking for lifetime features and services, then BackupBuddy provides them too. 
  • This plugin is compatible with most of the PHP hosting providers.

Cons

  • BackupBuddy doesn’t provide a money-back guarantee, nor a free trial period where you can fully make use of its features and decide whether this plugin is the one you’re looking for or not. Make sure that you carefully read the terms and conditions before purchasing it. 
  • It can be a hefty investment once you decide to use it.
  • You cannot rely much on their support as the ticketed support is only available thru email.
  • The restoration feature is quite complicated even for the techy users. 

After going through the pros and cons, we can now proceed with the Installation and Setup process. 

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BackupBuddy Installation & Setup

Purchase the BackupBuddy plugin on their website and install it on the website that you plan to create backups. 

Now, proceed by going to the WordPress Dashboard by logging in then go to the Plugins, then select Add New. You can now upload the zip file downloaded a while ago and install the plugin. After installing the plugin successfully, activate the plugin. 

BackupBuddy - Upload plugin

Upon activation, you’ll be redirected to the plugins page. From there, look for the BackupBuddy on the left side of the panel. By clicking on the “Option” tab, a Quick Setup Wizard will appear on the screen. This setup wizard will let you configure the settings on your backups and give you options such as how you want your backups to be saved. This part is optional but we recommend you set it up for your own convenience. To do that, enter the following details like your email address and password to create an account for backup restoration. 

BackupBuddy- Quick setup wizard

As you can see on the Quick Setup Wizard, there is an option asking where you want to send your backup files. The following options to choose from are the BackupBuddy Stash, a local directory copy, your Dropbox, or the Amazon S3 servers. Choose where you want to save your backup files and upon selecting, just fill in other fields to complete the form and you’re now good. If you’re not sure or you don’t have any idea where to place your backup files, you can select BackupBuddy Stash as it is also recommended on the list. Now, complete your setup by entering your iThemes username and password to backup your data.

For the frequency, this is where you can set how often you want your website to be backed up. You can see the options and choose by clicking on the dropdown. You can choose the Active Blogger, Starter, or any options from the list that fits your needs. Once done, click the Save Settings button and you can now start using your plugin depending on your preferences. 

Now that’s everything’s set, we can now proceed with the main function of this plugin which is to backup your data. 

Backup your files and data

After you’ve completed the Quick Setup Wizard, you’ll be redirected to the backups window. If not, simply click on the BackupBuddy which can be easily seen on the left side of the WordPress dashboard, and select Backups. You can now proceed by clicking on the Create Backup tab. Upon clicking, it will show different backup profiles you can choose to backup your data like Complete Backup, Database Only, Themes Only, Plugins Only, and Media Only. Select the option that best fits your needs. 

BackupBuddy - Create backup

Let’s now go through the different backup profiles so you can fully understand each one of them and you can decide carefully on what data you should back up. Upon selection, it will display a box that further shows the details and information on a certain backup profile.

BackupBuddy - Backup profiles

The first one is Complete Backup. As the name implies, it simply means that every data on your website altogether will be backed up in a single go. 

The next one is Database Only. This one backup the database only. There are two options under the Database section which are the database tables and global default. Choose between the options that will fit your needs. If you want a few more advanced options, click on the minicircle icon beside each option to see more. 

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Next is the Themes Only. Obviously, it will only backup data that are related to the themes. Choose between the themes directory or global exclusion defaults or not to backup your themes. 

Plugins Only is simply backing up the plugins that are installed on your website. For this one, you can tweak the boxes by checking, if these options are needed on your backup process. For the advanced settings, there are two options where you can perform an integrity check on backup files, and what backup mode you select.

And lastly, Media Only. This is where you can backup all of the media files on your website like images, audio, and video. You can also change the media exclusion defaults as well as select the media directory.

If you want to create your own custom backup profile, choose what backup profile you need then, click on the Create New Profile button with a + sign.

Now that we have a full understanding of how each profile backup works, we can now proceed with the other features this plugin has. 

Automatic Backup Schedules

We are all aware of how crucial manual backups are especially if you’re handling multiple websites. As much as possible, you need to backup your websites on a regular basis so you’re equipped and ready for the worst-case scenarios such as data corruption, and hard drive failure. By backing up regularly, you update the backups as well as you can save the important files and updates from your website. To alleviate the dilemma of manually backup files and data, BackupBuddy provides an Automatic Backup Schedule that you can use to save your time and make your work more efficient. 

BackupBuddy - Schedules

As a busy person, you can now allot the time to schedule these backups by proceeding to the BackupBuddy on the dashboard then click on the Schedules. It will display a list of currently active schedules, and if you wish to add a new schedule, just go over the Add Schedule tab. Insert the details needed on the field such as the title of the schedule, what backup profile, an interval which you can choose from a variety of options that will surely provide what you needed, the destinations, and lastly, the run time. After filling out everything, click on the Add Schedule button to start your Automatic Backup Schedule.

Backup Restoration

Are you dealing with some issues and errors on your website? If you regularly backup your website on a daily basis, then restoring your website will be an easy task with the BackupBuddy plugin. To restore a backup, simply go to the BackupBuddy on the left side along with the WordPress dashboard and select Backups

BackupBuddy - Restore backup

From there, you’ll see three different tabs. Choose on the Restore Backup tab. After that, it will display a list of backups you have. Select the backup you wish to restore and it will start the restoration process upon clicking on the Restore button. This will overwrite your recent database. 

Verdict

There are a lot of options that you can choose from when it comes to backing up your files. It can be saved in your local directory, a web host, or it can be an off-site backup or by the use of cloud backups. Whatever backup storage or process it is, we’re all dealing with the same dilemma from malware attacks, data corruption, or a hard drive failure.

To protect our websites from these kinds of threats, we can see how important backups are. It helps us to prevent the damage you can take from losing data and information. The BackupBuddy plugin helps you by providing a solution based on your needs. It has a wide range of options and features that can help you protect from data corruption. With a sleek and intuitive interface, and together with the on-screen help available, even beginners will find it very easy to use.

If you want to start investing on your website, BackupBuddy also has a variety of payment options that will help you allocate your money to the right places. With these features, you can consider getting and trying yourself out to test what this plugin can do.

Try BackUpBuddy

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