Wordpress Archives - Rigorous Themes Wordpress, Productivity, Technology, Gadgets Thu, 28 Dec 2023 09:55:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cropped-icon-32x32.png Wordpress Archives - Rigorous Themes 32 32 AliDropship Review – Is AliDropship Legit? https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/alidropship-custom-store-review-is-alidropship-legit/ Tue, 03 Oct 2023 03:33:58 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=21768 AliDropship claims to help you build a profitable eCommerce dropshipping store. They even offer to build a custom store for you if you don’t know how or have the time to build one yourself.  However, is AliDropship legit? Can you really make money with AliDropship, and is it worth investing in one of their custom ...

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AliDropship claims to help you build a profitable eCommerce dropshipping store. They even offer to build a custom store for you if you don’t know how or have the time to build one yourself. 

However, is AliDropship legit? Can you really make money with AliDropship, and is it worth investing in one of their custom stores?

In this guide, I will review AliDropship and explain what it has to offer. You will find out whether it is worth using AliDropship, and whether you can really be profitable. 

Let us get into it. 

What Is AliDropship? 

What is Alidropship

AliDropship is a WordPress plugin for setting up a dropshipping store. As its name suggests, you will be using AliExpress as your product supplier and dropshipping AliExpress products to your customers. 

Using AliDropship, you can import products directly from AliExpress.

You will get access to a special list of profitable AliExpress products, and you will be able to fulfill orders automatically through the app. 

AliDropship also has website services for entrepreneurs who don’t have the time to build a website themselves.

With their custom store development service, you will get a ready-made custom dropshipping store. 

Also Read: AliDropship Vs Oberlo

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

Can Dropshipping Be Profitable With AliDropship? 

AliDropship dropshipping business

Yes, running an AliDropship dropshipping business can be profitable.

It’s more of a question of how profitable dropshipping is in general because what AliDropship does is make it easier and quicker to find and sell highly profitable products with your online store. 

Dropshipping business, when done right, can be very profitable, even if you are a complete beginner and do not have a lot of money to invest. 

To be profitable with dropshipping, it is essential to find the right products to dropship. Here are some things to consider when searching for a product to dropship on your online store: 

  • It has to allow you to add a profit margin of at least 20 percent. 

  • It needs to be evergreen, so you can sell it throughout the year. 

  • It can not be a fad, like fidget spinners. 

  • It should not be something that is likely to be returned, like clothing. 

  • It needs to be popular on AliExpress. 

There are some other things to look for as well, but those are the main ones.

If you pick the right product and you set up your online store correctly so you’ll get enough traffic and conversions, dropshipping can be very profitable. 

AliDropship increases the likelihood of you being profitable. It helps you find profitable products on AliExpress that you may not have found if you had searched yourself. 

It also helps you save time, allowing you to spend more time focusing on your business strategy.

Finally, if you are a newbie, you may benefit from an AliDropship custom store set up by experts. 

Another reason it is easier to be profitable when you use AliDropship is that you can earn a 12 percent cashback bonus on products you fulfill through AliExpress.

This 12 percent bonus can really help your bottom line. 

For example, if you are selling a product that is worth $100, that means you will save an additional $12 you can add to your total profits, in addition to whatever markup you put on the base price of the product!

Curious about learning how these online dropshipping stores become so profitable? Check out real-life success stories from entrepreneurs.

Explore: Best Print On Demand WordPress Plugins

Is AliDropship Legit? 

AliDropship is legit

Yes, AliDropship is legit. It has been around for a while, and it has helped many people set up dropshipping stores. 

In addition to the plugin, there are many other services that are legit. For example, you can get help with setting up your social media accounts. 

There is also hosting available for people who create dropshipping websites. Hosting is rather cheap and affordable.

AliDropship Review – Your Own AliExpress Dropshipping Business

AliDropship Wordpress plugin review

I’m going to briefly review the actual AliDropship plugin and help you understand what it does and why you might want it. 

The AliDropship WordPress plugin comes in two versions: The regular WordPress version and the WooCommerce version.

If you have a WooCommerce store, make sure to get the WooCommerce version, but otherwise, these two versions are mostly the same. 

The handy WordPress plugin comes with free themes you can use for your site. These themes are optimized for eCommerce conversions. 

The AliDropship plugin works in tandem with the AliDropship Chrome extension.

One of the best features of the plugin and extension is that you can import unlimited products directly from AliExpress. 

Just go to AliExpress and browse products. When you find a product you like, you can import it to your Alidropship store with just a few clicks. 

This allows you to save a lot of time.

You won’t have to waste time copying and pasting the titles and product descriptions anymore, nor will you have to download the images and then upload them to your site. 

Finding profitable products is easy with the plugin.

Use the built-in search functions to find products that other dropshippers don’t know about. 

When importing products, you can use the built-in image editor to make your imported product images more appealing and unique.

You can also add product variations and edit the product title, product descriptions, tags, etc. 

You won’t even have to manually change the price.

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

You can set your own price markup rules to apply across your entire site, so that when you import a product, a markup is automatically added. 

For example, you can set your markup to 30 percent.

Then, when you import a product that costs $20, the price on your store will automatically be set to $26. 

The tool will automatically sync the products on your store with the AliExpress listings you took them from.

Things like price, description, and availability can change, and it can be very hard to constantly monitor all the products on your site and update their data manually. 

Fortunately, the plugin will do that for you. 

Check Out: Best Print On Demand WooCommerce Plugins

Another thing that takes up a lot of time is fulfilling orders.

Most dropshippers manually copy their customer’s information and address and fill out the order form manually for the AliExpress supplier to fulfill. This can take time, especially when you are fulfilling many orders every day. 

The plugin lets you skip all that. Just click the Order button, and it will automatically fulfill orders – all you have to do is confirm the order on AliExpress. 

Not only is fulfilling orders quick, but tracking is automatic as well.

You won’t have to manually find the tracking code on AliExpress and email it to your customers; the plugin does that automatically for you. 

Marketing Services To Boost Your Online Store

AliDropship

The AliDropship plugin has excellent online marketing features built in. For example, you can import customer reviews from AliExpress. 

It is crucial to have customer reviews of each product on your site. It adds social proof, shows customers that previous customers were happy, and demonstrates that the product is popular. 

You can also run promotions to increase conversions and add an incentive for people to buy your products.

Promotions that only last for a short time create a sense of urgency and are perfect for boosting sales. 

There are several types of promotions you can run. For example, you can offer free shipping. 

Alternatively, you can give out coupon codes, so people can get 10 percent off. If you like, you can change that to a flat rate, like $2 off. 

The plugin also builds an email list for you. It will collect the email addresses of people who made a purchase from your store and of those who filled out their email address information but never completed their purchase. 

Cart abandonment, which is when people add products to their cart but do not complete the checkout process, is a real problem and can really eat into your profits.

The AliDropship plugin aims to resolve this issue by sending automated emails to those people to remind them to complete their purchases. 

This works because often, people abandon their carts not because they don’t want to buy your product but because they got busy or distracted.

At other times, their internet just wasn’t working well enough to complete their purchase, or they did not have their credit card on hand. 

Customers can complete their purchases using a variety of payment methods. Payment processors like Stripe, PayPal, and PayU are built into the plugin, letting you reach more people and get more conversions. 

Analytics For Marketing Strategy

AliDropship lets you connect with Google Analytics and allows you to view your sales, orders, traffic, and more from a single, intuitive dashboard.

You can also easily track your inventory to ensure you are only selling products that are still in stock. 

AliDropship – How Does It Work?

How does AliDropship work?

AliDropship is rather simple, actually.

It connects your online dropshipping store to AliExpress, so you can import unlimited products directly from AliExpress, with just a few clicks. 

Using this connection, it also allows you to fulfill orders from your online store on AliExpress. Gone are the days of manually copying and pasting your customer information into the AliExpress order form. 

Not only does that take up a lot of time – the more orders you have, the more time it will take – but the tool helps you avoid copy and paste errors that sometimes occur, which can cause a product to be sent to the wrong address. 

In addition, if you need help getting started and don’t have the time or knowledge to create your own Alidropship premium store, AliDropship will do it for you. 

The AliDropship custom store service works like this: You buy a package and send in a request for a custom store. 

Your AliDropship manager will contact you to get an idea of what your needs are and what kind of store you want.

You tell the AliDropship team what kind of store you want, how you would like your store to look, what type of products you want to sell, and so on. 

If you are unsure of whether this service is right for you, you can schedule a free consultation call before you make your purchase. 

Once you have purchased your package and told the AliDropship team what you want in your store, they will work on creating that store for you.

You don’t have to do anything; they will do all the work for you. 

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

Depending on the package you bought, you can have your store all set up within as little as 12 days. If you bought a more expensive package, it will take longer than that, as there are more things to set up. 

The AliDropship team will even set up social media pages for your site, though that will depend on the package you bought.

The basic package only includes a Facebook page, while other packages include Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube profiles/channels. 

AliDropship will take care of on-page SEO and get your site indexed on Google

Your site will be able to handle an unlimited number of orders per month.

Depending on which plan you buy, you will get 50-200 products ready to sell, listed on your site. 

You can always add more later yourself, but that’s a good start. 

How do the other services work? That’s pretty simple too – they work like the custom store setup. 

For example, if you choose to buy a social media setup assistance package, the AliDropship team will help you set up your social media profiles after discussing your needs and wishes with you. 

Hosting is easy to use as well. Hosting is optimized for AliDropship sites, and, depending on your plan, you can get perks like up to 80 email addresses.

All plans come with a free SSL certificate and free website setup on the hosting package is included. 

How To Set Up the AliDropship Plugin?

How to set up AliDropship?

Setting up the AliDropship plugin is fairly easy. First, make sure you meet the system requirements: You will need a Chrome browser, a domain name, hosting, and the WordPress CMS. 

Once you have your WordPress website set up, you will need to download the AliDropship plugin from the AliDropship website.

Once you have done that, go to your plugins section on WordPress and upload the plugin file from your computer. 

Once the plugin is installed, activate it by clicking the blue Activate Plugin button.

Then, go to Themes, which you can find under the Appearance category in your WordPress menu, and choose a theme (make sure to use one of the built-in WordPress themes). 

Then, go to your AliDropship plugin settings, so you can enter your license key. You will get this license key via email when you purchase the plugin. 

The license key is only good for one website, and you won’t be able to activate the AliDropship plugin without this key.

If you want to use your AliDropship plugin on a different website, you will have to reset the license key, which you can do by contacting AliDropship support. 

Once you do that, you can install the AliDropship plugin on the other website and insert the new license key to get it to work. 

If you are using the WooCommerce version of the plugin, the process is pretty much the same.

However, you will need to use a WooCommerce theme; you won’t be able to use the built-in AliDropship WordPress themes like with the regular plugin version. 

AliDropship Themes

AliDropship reviews

AliDropship has a variety of free and premium themes for both the regular plugin version and the WooCommerce version. 

As of now, there are seven free themes for the regular plugin version, along with four premium themes, which cost $67 each. 

For setting up the WooCommerce store, there are only three free themes. There are also seven premium themes, which cost between $59 to $69 each. 

Themes come in a variety of styles. You can get a minimalistic feel, for example, or you can choose a theme that is more focused on displaying products. 

Each theme is fully mobile responsive and provides quick loading speeds

AliDropship Coupon

While AliDropship usually costs $89 one time payment, they often have coupon codes that you can use to get a discount. Right now, using the coupon code VIP30, I got a discount of 30 percent. 

Instead of costing $89, it only cost $62.30. That means I saved $26.70. 

Using the coupon OLDFRIEND25, I was able to get a 25 percent discount on the final price of the AliDropship plugin. 

So, instead of costing $89, it only cost $66.75. That means I saved $22.25. 

Another coupon that is working is URGENT20. It gives you a discount of 20 percent, or $17.80 off the original price of $89. 

Another coupon that I found to be working is STARTER15. This coupon gave me 15 percent off. 

In other words, the final price was $75.65, for a total savings of $13.35. 

To summarize, here are some coupons that are working as of the time of this writing: 

  • VIP30: 30 percent off the plugin

  • OLDFRIENDS25: 25 percent off the plugin

  • URGENT20: 20 percent off the plugin

  • STARTER15: 15 percent off the plugin

Obviously, use the first coupon code if possible, as that will give you the most savings.

However, if that doesn’t work, try the 25 percent off coupon, and if that doesn’t work, try the 20 and 15 percent off coupons. 

Keep in mind that while these coupons are working as of the time of this writing, things can change. It is important to stay on the lookout for updated AliDropship coupons and pricing

You can head to RetailMeNot to see a list of current AliDropship coupon codes.

While the list gets updated regularly, some coupon codes may no longer be working, so make sure to try each coupon code while checking out on AliDropship. 

Another website to check for updated AliDropship coupons is Sociable Labs

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

Can You Get AliDropship Plugin For Free? 

While there are some pirated or nulled versions of the plugin that you can find on the dark corners of the web, I would not recommend doing that.

Instead, I would recommend buying the original Alidropship plugin version directly from AliDropship, on the AliDropship website.

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

No, it won’t be free, but you will avoid all the problems I will mention below. Also, you can get it at up to 30 percent off using the coupon codes I mentioned above. 

In addition, AliDropship has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you are not satisfied with the plugin and the AliDropship customer support team can not resolve your issues, they will give you a 100 percent refund. 

With the money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose by getting the paid version. If you don’t like it, you can always get your money back. 

So, why should you avoid the pirated or nulled versions of AliDropship floating around on the internet? Here are just some reasons not to download a pirated version: 

  • It’s illegal: In most places, it is illegal to use pirated software. That is because it violates copyright rules. Don’t do anything illegal. 

  • It is wrong: It is also morally wrong to use pirated software, as sharing and using pirated software ruins the livelihood of the hard-working people who made that software. 

  • You won’t get any updates: You won’t get any updates if you use pirated software. Nor will you get customer support. If you have a problem, you can’t message the Alidropship services team and ask them to help you. 

  • You might get an outdated version: The version you are downloading might be an old one that has bugs or security problems. 

  • You might get a virus: Often, sites that let you download pirated software have viruses and malware on them. Sometimes, these viruses or malware download automatically together with the pirated software, without you even knowing. They infect your computer and can steal your information. 

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

AliDropship Review – Wrap Up

AliDropship dropshipping plugin is legit, and the custom stores are a great way to get started with an online business. You can easily setup a turnkey premium dropshipping store, even if you have no technical expertise.

It does cost money, but with one time free lifelong personal support license; you pay once and can keep your store forever. 

You can also get a discount using one of the coupon codes (for the plugin, at least), and if you are not satisfied, you can always get your money back. 

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13 Best NitroPack Alternatives 2024 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-nitropack-alternatives/ Thu, 27 Oct 2022 09:21:20 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=86944 A slow-loading website means goodbye to site visitors or potential customers. NitroPack is a popular plugin that is commonly used to speed up websites by optimizing websites’ resources. The tool offers an all-in-one performance optimization service. This means that it does the job of several plugins such as caching, image optimization, et al. Despite its ...

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A slow-loading website means goodbye to site visitors or potential customers.

NitroPack is a popular plugin that is commonly used to speed up websites by optimizing websites’ resources. The tool offers an all-in-one performance optimization service. This means that it does the job of several plugins such as caching, image optimization, et al.

Despite its popularity, users often complain that NitroPack customer support is not the best in terms of response time.

Another challenge with NitroPack is that it is not so friendly with some third-party tools such as call tracking.

To make it easier for you, I have compiled a list of tools that can be used in place of NitroPack. If you have been using it for a while but looking for a better tool, stay on this article. I’ll show you some of the best NitroPack alternatives today.

What to consider before picking a tool?

Before I dive into the list, let’s take a quick look at what you should look for in a NitroPack alternative:

Caching

This is one of the key features of any performance optimization plugin. Caching creates a static version of your website so that it can be served to visitors faster. It’s a must-have feature if you want a fast-loading website.

Images and other media optimization

If you have a lot of images or other media on your website, it’s important to optimize them so that they don’t slow down your website. These images and other media should be optimized for the web and should be of a reasonable size and well-formatted.

Ability to integrate with various tools and platforms

Some tools and platforms are not compatible with other tools and platforms. It’s important to make sure that the performance optimization plugin you choose can integrate with the tools and platforms you’re using.

Ease of use

You don’t want to spend hours trying to figure out how to use a plugin. A performance optimization plugin should be easy to use so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time learning. Ideally, it should have a user-friendly interface plus additional resources such as video tutorials, documentation, and live chat support.

Pricing

Of course, you also have to consider the pricing of the plugin. Some plugins are free while others come with a price tag. It’s important to compare the features of the plugin against its price to see if it’s worth it.

Good customer support

If you encounter any problems with the plugin, you should be able to reach out to customer support and get help. A good performance optimization plugin should have a team of responsive customer support agents who can help you fix any issues you may have.

Now that you know what to look for, let’s get started.

Also Read: Ways To Speed Up Your Store For Kick-ass SEO

Best NitroPack Alternatives

1. WP Rocket

WP Rocket is one of the most popular NitroPack alternatives you’d find. It’s a premium plugin that comes with all the features you’d expect from a top-notch caching plugin.

Like NitroPack, WP Rocket features all the caching functions that are necessary for optimum performance.

Lazy loading is one such feature that sets WP Rocket apart from not just NitroPack, but a couple of other similar tools. This feature loads images as and when they come into view, rather than loading them all at once. This can improve the loading speed of your pages drastically.

WP Rocket also offers a host of other features like modification, GZIP compression, DNS prefetching, and more that can further help you speed up your website.

GZIP compression ensures that web pages are compressed on your server and then decompressed by the user’s browser before being displayed. This can help reduce the size of pages and improve loading times.

DNS prefetching helps resolve DNS queries faster by fetching domain names before a user tries to access them. This can be helpful in reducing load times, especially on pages with many external resources.

The best part about WP Rocket is that it doesn’t require any extra studying to configure and use it. The plugin takes care of everything once installed and activated.

The fact that it comes with features that you normally have to get extra plugins for makes it all the more desirable.

Explore: Best Cloudflare Alternatives

2. Perfmatters

Perfmatters is a lightweight performance plugin that’s easy to use and comes packed with features.

It takes a different approach from NitroPack to improve your website’s performance. Rather than caching your pages, Perfmatters lets you disable unnecessary features and scripts that are slowing down your site.

You can use the plugin to disable things like emojis, Gravatars, and RSS feeds. You can also use it to disable plugins on specific pages, limit post revisions, and more.

The plugin is designed to help you speed up your website by reducing HTTP requests and making other optimizations.

One of the best things about Perfmatters is that it’s very easy to use. The plugin has a simple interface and is straightforward to configure.

Perfmatters also offers a host of other features like asset optimization, database cleanup, and more that can help you speed up your website.

Asset optimization helps you optimize your CSS and JavaScript files for faster loading.

Database cleanup helps you remove unnecessary data from your database and improve its performance.

The best part about Perfmatters is that it’s extremely lightweight and doesn’t bloat your website with unnecessary features.

It’s also one of the most affordable NitroPack alternatives, making it a great choice for budget-conscious users.

Explore: Cloudflare vs Fastly

3. W3 Total Cache

W3 Total Cache is a popular WordPress performance plugin. It claims to improve your site’s performance by up to 10 times with its caching features. Other notable features include CDN integration, modification, and support for AMP pages.

Like NitroPack, W3 Total Cache is a great choice for users who are looking for an all-in-one caching solution. The plugin is easy to use and offers a wide range of features.

The best part about W3 Total Cache is that it’s available in both free and premium versions.

This makes it a great choice for users who are looking for a caching plugin with advanced features but don’t want to spend a lot of money.

The free version of the plugin offers all the basic features you need to get started with caching.

It also comes with a few advanced features like modification, CDN support, and more.

The premium version of the plugin adds a few more features like modification, object cache, and more.

4. Swift Performance

Swift Performance is a popular WordPress caching plugin that offers both free and premium versions.

The tool does not require any knowledge of coding to use, so it’s perfect for beginners.

It promises up to 80% performance improvement with its modification, compression, and cache preloading features.

Its key features include:

Intelligent Caching: Swift Performance will cache your pages and posts automatically and deliver super-fast loading times.

Browser Caching: This feature stores static files in the visitor’s browser so that they don’t have to be downloaded each time they visit your site.

Gzip Compression: gzip compresses files so that they take up less space and load faster.

Cache Preloading: This feature creates a cached version of your entire site so that visitors can access it immediately.

Database Optimization: Swift Performance will optimize your database so that it runs more efficiently.

Image Optimization: The plugin automatically optimizes images on your site for faster loading times.

CSS and JS Minification: This feature minifies CSS and JS files so that they take up less space and load faster.

Support: In my experience, Swift Performance offers more responsive support than NitroPack. They have a dedicated support forum where you can get help from developers and other users.

Before you submit a ticket, there’s a knowledge base section that might already have answers to your questions.

5. FlyingPress

FlyingPress is a powerful, all-in-one website migration and hosting service. It’s easy to use and makes it simple to keep your website running smoothly and efficiently.

The solution is robust and capable of handling any demand you may have.

Starters and professionals can use FlyingPress to move their websites to the cloud with just a few clicks.

It optimizes CSS, HTML, and JavaScript code for faster loading times.

Also, it uses inline Google fonts and CSS stylesheets to reduce the number of HTTP requests.

If you want, you can include a fallback font to display if the first one can’t be loaded.

The tool is also capable of cleaning up your database and optimizing your images.

It can even help you improve your website’s SEO.

Here are some of the other features that make FlyingPress stand out:

One-click website transfer: Unlike NitroPack, with FlyingPress, you can easily migrate your website to the cloud with just a few clicks. There’s no need to worry about technical details or complicated procedures.

Automatic website updates: FlyingPress automatically updates your website whenever you make changes to your content, ensuring that your visitors always have the latest version.

Enhanced security: FlyingPress uses the latest security technologies to protect your website from hackers and other online threats.

24/7 customer support: Their team of experts is available 24/7 to help you with any issues you may have.

6. 10Web Booster

10Web Booster is a powerful caching and performance optimization plugin for WordPress.

It speeds up your website by creating static HTML files from your dynamic WordPress posts and pages. 10Web Booster also minifies your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to reduce their size and improve loading speed.

On a feature-to-feature basis, these plugins are very similar: both offer caching, modification, gzip compression, browser caching, and more.

One of the key differences between NitroPack and 10Web Booster is that the former does only front-end optimization whereas the latter offers both front-end and back-end optimization.

The hosting level feature of 10Web Booster is another one of its most distinguishing features. It has a WordPress-optimized hosting environment that’s specifically designed to work well with the plugin, which can further improve performance.

10Web employs a sandbox environment to build and test your website before going live. This is a great way to check if the changes you’ve made actually improve performance or not.

You also get access to detailed performance reports that show you exactly what needs to be improved.

As easy as NitroPack is to use, 10Web Booster is even easier. It has a simple and straightforward interface that makes it a breeze to set up and use. Plus its almost complete automation eliminates the need for any manual intervention.

The tool has the ability to defer javascript and CSS execution. This means that your website’s content will load first, and then the scripts and stylesheets will load in the background.

This can help improve your website’s loading speed, as it eliminates render-blocking resources.

7. WP Fastest Cache

WP Fastest Cache is an apt replacement for NitroPack that is easy to use and configure. It has a simple and intuitive interface that makes it a great choice for beginners. Additionally, WP Fastest Cache is compatible with most WordPress themes and plugins.

As the name implies, its most obvious feature is fast caching. Like NitroPack, it caches static files and jettisons the need for the server to send requests for pages to load. This results in a significant reduction in loading times.

Additionally, WP Fastest Cache includes features like minification and gzip compression to further optimize your website’s performance.

Minification reduces the size of your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary characters and whitespace. gzip compression compresses these files before they are sent to the browser, further reducing loading times.

It also does lazy loading – a technique that delays the loading of images until they are visible on the screen.

8. LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress

LiteSpeed Cache is another all-in-one performance optimization solution like NitroPack for WordPress.

It’s a server-level caching solution that is compatible with a variety of WordPress hosting environments including shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers.

LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress comes with a number of features to help you speed up your website including page caching, object caching, database caching, and more.

It also has a number of features to help you optimize your website for performance including image optimization, CSS and JavaScript modification, and gzip compression.

Pages are automatically purged when conditions are met so that changes can take effect immediately. If you like, you can also schedule a URL purge for a specific time.

LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress is open-source software that is available free of charge.

9. Cache Enabler

The team at KeyCDN has developed Cache Enabler, a free WordPress caching plugin that utilizes the power of the web server’s Vary header to boost performance.

One of the unique features of Cache Enabler is its ability to cache multiple versions of a page, depending on the browser language.

This is ideal for sites that are available in multiple languages and need to serve content based on the user’s preferred language.

Cache Enabler also has a built-in HTML minifier, which can further reduce page load times when it reduces the size of the HTML code.

Unlike NitroPack, Cache Enabler allows you to specify cache expiration time in seconds, and you can also set up a content delivery network (CDN) with Cache Enabler to further improve performance.

It also works well with CDN Enabler which is a content delivery network (CDN) integration plugin for WordPress.

This will make it easier for you to manage your caching plugins and improve your website’s performance.

10. WP Super Minify

One of the best tools like NitroPack is WP Super Minify. This plugin helps you to minify and combine your CSS and JS files to improve your website’s loading speed.

It also provides options to exclude certain files from being minified, and you can choose to minify only certain types of files.

Another great feature of this plugin is that it can compress your HTML code to further improve your website’s loading speed. This is a great option if you want to improve your website’s performance without compromising on its design or functionality.

With this plugin, you can disable the compression of CSS and javascript if there are conflicts with your other plugins.

11. Smush

Smush is a free compression and optimization tool. It is one of the most popular WordPress plugins, with over a million active installs. Smush, compress, and optimize images without losing quality. It also lazy loads images to improve page load times.

Like NitroPack, the tool manages to keep the site’s quality the same after optimization. It uses lossless compression, meaning that images are compressed without losing quality. Smush also provides bulk optimization for all the images on a website in one go.

Smush is available as a free and premium version. The premium version offers additional features like auto-smushing of new images, Super-Smush (2x more compression), backup of original images, and more.

WP Smush Pro is the premium version of WP Smush that includes additional features like lossless compression, automatic image resizing, bulk smush, and more.

12. LazyLoad by WP Rocket

In a typical site, when a visitor first loads a page, they have to wait for all the content on that page to load before they can see anything. That can mean waiting for large images or other media files to download, as well as scripts, CSS stylesheets, and other assets.

LazyLoad by WP Rocket is a plugin that helps improve page loading speed by only loading content as it is needed. When a visitor first loads a page, only the content that is visible on the screen is loaded. As they scroll down, more content is loaded automatically.

This can help reduce server load and bandwidth usage, as well as improve page loading speed.

The tool is a lite alternative to NitroPack and is free to use.

One feature that it has that you won’t find on NitroPack is the ability to replace YouTube iframe with preview thumbnails.

13. WP-Optimize

WP-Optimize is a powerful caching and performance optimization plugin for WordPress. It is packed with features to help you speed up your website including optimizing your database, caching your pages and posts, and minifying your CSS and JavaScript files.

It has a free version that contains a lot of features considering that it doesn’t cost a penny. You can view performance reports, manage scheduled clean-ups, and enable caching with just a few clicks.

This tool combines database optimization, caching, minification, and other performance-enhancing features into one plugin, making it a great option for those who want to speed up their WordPress site without having to install multiple plugins.

Wrap Up

Websites are no longer static entities. They’re constantly evolving and growing, which means their performance needs to be monitored closely.

Whether you have a website that’s been around for a while or a new one, you must always look for ways to improve your website’s performance. The best way to do this is to find a tool that can help you do it efficiently.

My best pick is WP Rocket because it puts a lot of functionality at your fingertips and doesn’t require you to be a tech expert to get the most out of it.

That being said, any one of the alternatives on our list could be a great fit for your needs, so be sure to read through each option carefully before making your final decision.

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13 Best WPML Alternatives 2024 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-wpml-alternatives/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 09:14:17 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=51508 WPML is a popular WordPress Plugin used for creating multilingual websites. It lets you translate content into various languages and run them smoothly on your sites. With WPML, you can manage multiple language content within the same domain with just one WordPress installation. In this way, you’ll serve a diverse audience from one central place ...

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WPML is a popular WordPress Plugin used for creating multilingual websites. It lets you translate content into various languages and run them smoothly on your sites.

With WPML, you can manage multiple language content within the same domain with just one WordPress installation. In this way, you’ll serve a diverse audience from one central place without installing WordPress on different domains.

Whether it’s taxonomies, theme text, menus for custom post types, WPML can work them all. If you can’t translate content manually, the plugin will hook you up with professional translators.

It also integrates with eCommerce solutions to establish a multilingual store.

However, WPML isn’t without shortcomings. It does not come with a free version or an automatic translation feature. It sometimes makes the administration of your WordPress backend slow because it designs extra tables within the database.

Although its human translation is robust, translating content manually takes up much time. Also, in case you need to uninstall this plugin, there will be some duplicated posts or pages in the WordPress environment.

WPML works with most WordPress themes, but not all of them. It is also a heavy plugin.

That’s why we’ve prepared these alternatives in case WPML doesn’t fit your needs.

Keep reading to discover the right one for your needs.

Top WPML Alternatives

1. Polylang

Polylang is another translation plugin for WordPress. It helps you translate content from within your WordPress dashboard.

It offers a free version, and three paid pricing plans, including a Pro Plan with more features and Lingotek integration at $99, a Polylang for WooCommerce Plant at $99, and a Polylang Pro for WooCommerce at $139.

It also integrates with Lingotek Translation for more features and a powerful translation management system. This allows you to automatically translate websites with machine translation, unlike when using WPML. You also get your own translators, and you can outsource your translations to expert services.

To use these extra services, you’ll need to install Lingotek. Polylang has an intuitive translation interface where you curate content first before translating it.

Its free version enables you to translate taxonomies, widgets, and other basic strings. With third-party extensions, you can also translate page builder content, custom fields, and more.

Polylang lets you choose from three URL structures to create translated content that is SEO-friendly. In addition, you get to use a different domain name for every translated version.

It works with Yoast SEO, links automatically to relevant URLs for categories, menu items, and adds hreflang attributes. However, you have to subscribe to the Pro version to translate the base slug for taxonomies and custom post types.

2. TranslatePress

TranslatePress is a WordPress translation plugin you can use for free. It offers automatic translation and neat front-end editing. It is entirely self-hosted, which means it uses more traditional WordPress billing.

Its premium plan offers unlimited translated content or page views. It allows you to use all three translation styles. The manual translation is the default translation style, but you can enable automatic translation in Google Translate using the Google Translate API key.

With the automatic translation option, you can only translate strings that haven’t been translated manually. This helps to avoid overwriting the manual projects. You are allowed to edit translations manually.

Using the Translator Accounts add-on, you can create dedicated translator accounts to manage your website’s front-end translations.

TranslatePress doesn’t have direct integration with professional translation services. It has its own unique translation method, with an interface similar to that of the real-time WordPress customizer.

The interface allows you to post content, edit widgets, theme strings, and more. You can also pick content from the Hestia custom page feature. And you can translate everything on your web page, including menu items, taxonomies, page builder content, URL slugs, WooCommerce products, theme, and plugin strings, among others.

It’s also good to know that, like other plugins, TranslatePress creates SEO-friendly content using the SEO Pack Add-on. It also allows you to use subfolders for languages. It can automatically change the menu and widget links to create a crawlable version of your already translated site.

This plugin also gives you the option to force rewrite in-content links into their respective languages automatically, unlike in WPML, where you have to do it manually.

With the SEO Pack Add-on, you can translate the page title set with Yoast SEO and description. URL slugs, image alt text, and Facebook open graph tags.

The TranslatePress plugin is listed at WordPress.org as a free tool. It also has paid pricing plans including the developer pack at 199 Euros/year, Business Plan at 139 Euros/year, and Personal Plan at 79 Euros/year.

3. Weglot Translate

Weglot focuses on human and automatic translation which you’re allowed to order through its dashboard.

Weglot has an external cloud interface that helps you manage translations away from your WordPress dashboard. Its billing is SaaS-style too.

To translate content using Weglot is automatic. The plugin uses machine translation to make things easier. You’ll only need to edit the translations manually by outsourcing them to expert translators. It has two editing interfaces on its website. You don’t need to use the WordPress dashboard.

The standard editor-style interface lets you view the original and translated content side by side. You can filter it by URL or view all your site’s translations. Weglot will let you know whether a human reviewed each translation or not.

The visual editor is neat, and you can click on strings on the live version of your site. When you click to edit a string, you are able to manage the translation in a live preview.

Weglot is designed in such a way that if you’re working as a team, you and your team can install it and run your multilingual projects together.

Within a very short time, the plugin can translate and display millions of words and include a customizable language switcher to your front website. No more tedious zip file uploads and downloads.

It centralizes your translation management on one user-friendly dashboard, including content from other platforms like WooCommerce, WPForms, Yoast, and more, media files, widgets, and SEO metadata. In other words, you don’t have to switch between interfaces.

With Weglot, you can translate everything on the front end of your website. It comfortably picks any content for translation. The plugin uses subdirectories to exclusively create a crawlable version of your site. It is SEO friendly and rewrites internal URLs automatically to link to their respective languages.

After installing Weglot, it automatically adds a language switcher to your site. However, WPML may require that you add a custom code or get a developer’s help to add the language switcher to the WordPress theme.

Since it operates on SaaS billing, you have to keep using it to preserve the translated version of your website. This way, you won’t lose transactions and the plugin will export them if you instruct it to.

Weglot offers a free 10-day trial and four more pricing plans including a starter plan at 9.90 Euros/month, Business Plan at 19 Euros/month, Pro Plan at 49 Euros/month, and Advanced Plan at 199 Euros/month.

4. Xili-language

Xili-language is available in the WordPress plugin repository. It contains more configuration options with useful alert boxes in the settings to familiarize yourself with the platform.

The plugin creates a post’s translation with its own ID. All the posts appear in the posts list by default. Taxonomies and categories are easy to translate using an extra plugin known as Xili dictionary.

You can use the plugin’s settings, API, and hooks to personalize the theme’s behavior with ease. It’s not easy to achieve the same with WPML.

It is a developer-friendly platform with API and a list of hooks to use for theme behavior personalization.

Xili-language has extensive documentation to help you in the process.

Also Read: Is WordPress Good For Ecommerce?

5. Loco Translate

Loco Translate is another popular translation plugin that offers in-browser editing of your WordPress content. It comes with integration support and various automatic translation options.

Loco integrates with various translation APIs including Microsoft, DeepL, Yandex, and Google. It also supports various keyboard shortcuts to help you maneuver and work faster.

It has an in-built translation editor to help make translations. You can create new translations and update the old ones here.

With this plugin, it’s easy to extract translatable strings from the source code. Its free plan can translate up to 2000 words every month.

Unlike WPML, Loco Translate comes with built-in WordPress locale codes.

Check Out: Duda vs WordPress

6. MultilingualPress

With MultilingualPress, you can create unlimited connections between sites. For instance, If your main website is in English, you can instruct MultilingualPress to link it up with various separate multisite installs for German or Spanish.

Despite the multiple installs, you don’t need to switch sites in order to edit your translations. The MultilingualPress interface allows you to edit your translations from the original post editor, allowing you the convenience you need.

Doing your translation this way is beneficial, especially when you’ll want to deactivate the plugin. Your already translated content will remain intact, which is what most translation plugins don’t offer. You’ll only lose the interface, but not the translated versions of your sites.

To translate content, MultilingualPress creates separate installs for every language using the WordPress Multisite. After that, it will provide you with a lightweight user interface that connects all these sites.

In contrast to WPML, there’s no lockin effect in MultilingualPress. In other words, even after deactivating it, all multi sites using the plugin will still work separately without garbage output or data loss.

Multilingual is SEO-friendly because Google can index your fully translated site easily. This plugin supports more than 174 languages.

Even if each translation is on separate sites, your themes and plugin settings will be synced across all the sites that are translated. MultilingualPress has a feature that carries out the syncing.

Ideally, MultilingualPress offers much flexibility compared to other tools. It has a free plan and premium pricing which includes the Standard Plan at $99, Pro Plan at $299, and Agency Plan at $599. It also has a Custom Enterprise Solution that is quote-based.

7. Lingotek Translation

Lingotek Translation isn’t a standalone translation plugin. This tool works with Polylang to complement it by offering much-needed language skills.

Lingotek is a high-end cloud-based translation network offering three different types of translation capabilities, which is something I haven’t seen in WPML.

The first machine translation is free and can translate up to 100,000 characters. The second one is a community translation that helps you translate content using the text editor from Lingotek.

The third service is the option to use Lingotek’s professional translation services. This will ensure you have top-rated translation quality.

To work with the Lingotek plugin, you have to create an account. The plugin will then transfer all the content you have to its servers for translation. It has a progress bar through which you can visualize the progress.

Once it is done with translation, your content will be transferred back to your website. The rest will be easy. You’ll be able to create media, categories, menus, widgets, pages, posts, post tags, and menus and specify the language for all of them.

Lingotek also allows you to use a separate domain or subdomain for every language. To make it easy for your audience, you can include a language switcher as a widget or in the menu. Customize your admin area with any language you prefer.

Pricing this plugin is available at a quote.

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8. Transposh

Transposh has a translation engine that translates content automatically. It also has configuration screens with a clear and concise option to choose from.

Translations are available for every content. A link to the translated version appears in the form of a widget, which you can drag to your sidebar or widget area for display.

Translated content lives on the front end where you can carry out content editing. In the translation widget, there’s a checkbox that gives you the option to edit your content from the front end.

You can also translate and translate the menu, sidebars, and everything on your website automatically.

If you are looking for a plugin whose initial translation is automatic and editing is done on the front end, then Transposh is your tool.

Unlike WPML, Transposh allows website users to select already translated content directly from your website and add their own translation.

9. GTranslate

Translate relies on Google Translate’s automatic translation service. It translates your site into 104 languages, making your website accessible to up to 99% of internet users.

It includes both human and automated translations to help you carry out your translations with ease. After translation, it will hide the Google top frame as well as the suggestion that asks you if you need better translations.

GTranslate provides translation for posts, menus, tags, widgets, pages, categories, plugins, and themes. It also includes RTL support. Its floating language selector that lazyloads country flags is included too.

Menu items often carry country flags along so that WooCommerce shops are also fully translated.

The premium version of GTranslate ensures SEO. It helps to increase your site’s international reach. It also allows for manual editing of the translations while adding the in-context translation feature.

You’ll also get a subdirectory or subdomain URL structure, translate media, translate for AMP pages, and also Live Chat support.

What’s more, GTranslate displays the number of translations and translation traffic on your dashboard, a feature that’s lacking in WPML.

Translate has a 15-day free trial, a free version, and paid pricing which includes a Custom plan at $7.99, a Startup Plan at $17.99, a Business Plan at $27.99, and an Enterprise Plan at $37.99.

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10. WPGlobus

WP Globus lets you translate pages, tags, posts, widgets, menus, and categories manually. It has all the basic features you need to translate your site and manage your translations. It has a front-end language switcher and gives you the option to change the language on the interface from the top bar.

WPGlobus is part of a group of plugins that helps you turn your site into a multilingual, engaging website that reaches a broad audience base.

You can use it to add one or several languages to enable translating your content into various languages. It supports Yoast SEO and All-In-One SEO plugins to help you stay organized.

The plugin includes free addons that help you set featured images separately for every language. The addons integrate well with WPBakery Page Builder themes. They also impart multilingual editing capability to the tool’s visual editor widget.

To translate URLs, add language-specific keywords, translate WooCommerce, and more, you have to get premium add-ons.

Unlike WPML, which doesn’t have a free version, WPGlobus is always free with incredible features. But you can use paid addons to enjoy more features.

11. Google Website Translator

Google Website Translator is a free plugin supporting dynamic content translation into more than 100 languages. When you need to translate content, just choose the languages you want to offer and configure them in the translation drop-down. Your site visitors will start translating content into their preferred language.

With this plugin, you’ll be able to insert widgets in any sidebar or post. Your website visitors will interact with it to select their language by clicking the country flag or drop-down menu. In seconds, you’ll view content from your website in your preferred language.

You can exclude some parts of your site from translation if you want, something you can’t easily achieve with WPML. There are four options of widget styles available. Using the simple settings and inline editing, setup will be a breeze.

Once Google Website Translator is configured, you’ll be able to export your settings to other websites. This plugin doesn’t load external files, which makes it fast acting with no unnecessary CSS and JavaScript files.

12. Falang Multilanguage for WordPress?

Falang is an easy-to-set-up plugin that supports all the languages that WordPress supports (LTR and LTR). If you add a language in Falang, WordPress languages packages will automatically download and update.

This plugin is easy to use to translate your pages, posts, categories, menus, taxonomies, widgets, page builder content, custom fields, URL slugs, WooCommerce products, page title and description, theme and plugin strings, and more, whether linked from the WordPress interface or not.

The tool also lets you translate posts and terms permalinks, and additional plugins such as Yoast SEO, WooCommerce, and more.

It also integrates with Yandex for more enhanced translations. If your content is not translated, Falang will display the default language for the content. It has a configurable language switcher which you can include in the menu, sidebars, footer, or header.

With this plugin, you can translate your alt text, image captions, and various other media text translations without duplicating them. Its language code is directly in the URL and no extra database tables will be created, nor will there be content duplication.

While WPML is known to slow down a website when activated, activating Falang doesn’t impact your site speed or performance. Plus, the plugin is free to use.

13. Multilanguage by BestWebSoft

Multilanguage is another plugin that allows your website visitors to switch to their preferred languages and browse through content comfortably. It supports more than 80 languages and allows you to include new languages as you prefer.

Multilanguage has several language switch widgets for your visitors to select their convenient languages. You can also translate your site content manually if you want. The plugin will let you do this directly from your post editor.

Multilanguage has a simple and straightforward user interface that lets you work comfortably when translating your content. Its settings are simple, making it easier to set up than WPML.

Conclusion

Our winning WPML alternative is TranslatePress. It is an excellent option if your goal is simplicity and intuitiveness.

TranslatePress makes it effortless for you to manage all your translations. The best part is that the plugin works with all WordPress themes and plugins and you can work from a single interface.

With this plugin, you’ll be able to translate the whole website automatically, then manually refine your translations using its visual editor.

TranslatePress is a beginner-friendly plugin that helps you create multilingual sites without hassle. It is a great alternative to WPML and its free version will suffice and give you a fully functional multilingual site.

The post 13 Best WPML Alternatives 2024 appeared first on Rigorous Themes.

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10 Best LearnDash Alternatives in 2024 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-learndash-alternatives/ Fri, 04 Jun 2021 10:37:08 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=28678 LearnDash, no doubt, is an exceptional learning management system that has been around for the past nine years. So, it has gained a lot of ground over the years to win users with its easy-to-use platform. Plus, it can get you started in a snap if your only focus is learning management. But you’re here ...

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LearnDash, no doubt, is an exceptional learning management system that has been around for the past nine years.

So, it has gained a lot of ground over the years to win users with its easy-to-use platform. Plus, it can get you started in a snap if your only focus is learning management.

But you’re here because you’ve tried using LearnDash and discovered the LMS tool is limiting because of its lack of:

  • CRM integration
  • Functionality
  • eCommerce robustness
  • Design flexibility

Its increasing cost makes things even more difficult!

So, you’re in the market again to find the best LearnDash alternatives that can meet your business needs.

I’ve got good news for you!

There are LearnDash alternatives with affordable price packages; some even come free, like Google Classroom. There are also alternatives like Podia that offer unlimited access to students, bandwidth, etc.

If you’re looking for functionality and eCommerce robustness, alternatives like Thinkfic, TalentLMS, or Teachable can give you what you need.

So, no matter the feature you’re looking for, whether you run a small education firm or a large training center, we’ve got you covered.

This article will talk comprehensively about the ten best LearnDash alternatives you can use.

I’ll also briefly discuss some key factors to consider when choosing a learning management system or LearnDash alternative.

Are you ready?

Let’s jump right in!

Also Read: Best Android Game Development Courses On Udemy

Best LearnDash Alternatives

1. Teachable

Teachable is an online learning platform that enables professionals from any industry to share knowledge and produce courses for new learners.

So, you can build and sell your online courses—using the various tools on the platform to personalize and curate your content.

With Teachable, you can generate engaging multimedia courses and connect your existing websites under a custom domain name. All you need to do is add a link to the school’s page because it’s an online course builder, not a WordPress plugin like LearnDash.

So, you don’t need to add extra effort to set up your LMS—it’s super easy and fast. In other words, you don’t need a technical background to set it up. But it’s not the same thing for LearnDash. You need to spend some time and run the installation.

You can also add a team of lecturers to your dashboard and allot notable roles and permissions under their names.

Teachable also makes it possible for you to produce eye-catching, money-making sales pages thanks to its flexible editor. Plus, you can track insightful data like your sales and students’ data with teachable inbuilt wide-ranging dashboards.

Can you run one-on-one call sessions with your students?

Yes, you can! You can even use special task features in the tool’s dashboard to connect with new learners. That way, you’ll get honest feedback from your students and improve the experience based on those recommendations.

What about the payment system of Teachable?

The tool supports over 130 currencies from different countries, enabling a broader audience across the globe to process payments.

When it comes to security, you can rest assured that Teachable’s 2048-bit SSL certificate will protect your data. It runs 24/7 security monitoring for your data—with seamless hosting technology.

Teachable comes with three packages which include:

  • Valued at $29 per month is the basic package
  • The most popular package, Pro, goes for $99 per month
  • $249 per month is the price tag for its business package, which comes with more features

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2. Kajabi

Are you looking for a solution that will help you create, market, and sell short online courses or training programs without a line of code, broken integrations, or plugins?

Then, consider going with Kajabi, which is a professional online business platform that refers to its courses as digital products.

Kajabi may not be the option if you plan to build learning paths. The platform is perfect for businesses and training programs that want to sell short and straightforward eLearning products.

So, here’s what you should know.

This learning solution allows you to build your customizable storefront like an eCommerce platform. You can also integrate your business branding into your dashboard while producing and hosting your online courses.

If you want to launch marketing campaigns for your storefront, it’s possible. The only snag is you’d need to have a digital marketer on your team.

Also, you may need to jump on a crash course to effectively understand how to create and upload your course content on the platform.

But managing your uploaded courses is as simple as clicking a few buttons. You can even logically structure your content. Kajabi supports all types of video files, audio files, images, and documents.

With Kajabi, you can create quizzes for your online courses—whether it’s paragraph questions, multiple-response, or multiple-choice. However, it doesn’t support randomization or question banks, which are advanced features.

Kajabi has a more advanced payment system than LearnDash’s. The platform supports multiple currencies, order bumps, and automated expiring coupons.

Also, if you’re facing cart abandonment issues, Kajabi may be an excellent choice to consider. LearnDash, however, seems to fall short in this area. It doesn’t offer any solution covering cart abandonment issues.

Kajabi comes with a 14-day free trial and three different payment plans, namely:

  • Basic – $149 per month ($119 per month billed annually)
  • Growth – $199 per month ($159 per month billed annually)
  • Pro – $399 per month ($319 per month billed annually)

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3. Thinkific

If you’re looking for a learning management software that can help you produce, deliver, market, and sell online tutorials on your website, Thinkific is an option to consider.

Thinkific can make specific decisions about your online courses and tailor them down to your audience’s needs.

But that’s not all.

Thinkific allows you to integrate rich media content such as:

  • Images
  • Links
  • Surveys
  • Videos
  • Typeform
  • Google docs
  • Articulate
  • Captivate
  • Discussions
  • Quizzes
  • Downloads

You can also organize all your content using the Thinkific drag and drop builder feature—without coding.

Thinkific makes it possible for you to tailor your online learning platform with one click. So, you can create hidden and private courses and give access to specific students. If you want new students to join an ongoing online course on your platform, you can leverage the “Prerequisite lessons” feature.

Other features you stand to enjoy are:

  • Creating Evergreen or expiring content
  • Drip schedule online content
  • Multiple instructors, etc.

LearnDash, on the other hand, doesn’t have the “Private and hidden courses” feature.

One remarkable feature of this learning application is the total control you get over your data, content, and pricing. With Thinkific, you get complete flexibility and freedom to manage your online course business. So, whether it’s the site design, student information, etc., you own it 100 percent.

Thinkific provides seamless automation that lets you run your online learning business without stress. The tool helps you with student messaging, onboarding, certificate awarding, and many more—to give your students a first-class education while you tackle bigger goals.

Social proofing is available on the Thinkific platform. In other words, you can get course reviews from your online students for particular courses. But this feature isn’t available on the LearnDash platform.

Thinkific has four packages which include;

  • Free – With this package, you can test-drive Thinkific’s features
  • Basic – At $49 per month, this package offers Thinkific’s basic features—required to launch your online learning startup
  • Pro – The Pro package is the most popular, at $99 per month, and it comes with a plethora of tools that will enhance your students’ experience
  • Premier – If you want to build an education empire with advanced tools, this package is what you need, valued at $499 per month

Also Read: Code Academy Vs Udemy For Python

4. Podia

After seven years in the eLearning industry growing its market share, Podia is fast becoming a brand to reckon with.

The creators of Podia built the software with a creator mindset. This platform helps you to overcome any potential technical bottlenecks linked with producing and hosting digital content.

In other words, you can upload your eLearning courses in a wide range of formats such as:

  • eBooks
  • Checklists
  • Video
  • PDFs
  • Audio
  • Cheat Sheets

Another striking feature about Podia is the unlimited access it gives you. So, you don’t have to have to pay additional costs to enroll additional:

  • Students
  • Memberships
  • Bandwidth
  • Storage
  • Digital downloads
  • Hosting

Your subscription fee covers it all, unlike LearnDash that has certain restrictions on student enrollment, data usage, etc., based on the package you choose.

Despite Podia’s minimalist design, it supports a wide range of pre-designed content, except for AICC, Tin Can, or SCORM packages.

From a marketing and sales standpoint, Podia has the edge over LearnDash. For instance, Podia is the only eLearning platform that enables you to host your membership website with your products.

Most eLearning platforms host their membership sites and products separately, including LearnDash.

The only snag with Podia is its payment system that supports only Stripe, which is a blind spot they need to fix.

Overall, Podia is a superb all-inclusive LearnDash alternative.

Podia has a competitive pricing package that is comprised of:

  • Mover – $39 per month
  • Shaker – $79 per month
  • Earthquaker – $179 per month

Podia also comes with a 14-day free trial that requires no credit card.

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5. iSpring Market

Talk about functionality and simplicity? Then, the iSpring Market is the choice to consider. You can produce and start selling your courses in few minutes with this solution. So, you can easily upload your course content and design your storefront in a snap.

Because iSpring is a complete learning management system, it enables you to:

  • Create customized courses
  • Manage your lecturers
  • Complete the training process

So, you can allocate various assignments to different users, add them to specific groups, and monitor the overall data from sales to user-growth statistics.

One of the things that make iSpring Market a great LearnDash alternative is its ability to support all types of content. So, whether it’s a SCROM 1.2/2004 package, audio, video, etc., iSpring Market covers you.

iSpring Market can also help you with your sales and marketing strategy. With a few clicks on the iSpring Market dashboard, you can incentivize your students with freebies, discounts, or coupons.

It’s also possible to incorporate your brand into the tool’s platform by changing the color scheme, adding your logo, etc.

iSpring Market has three price packages—based on the students subscribing to your course.

So, here are its three price packages—based on the number of users and bandwidth:

  • 500 users/25GB – $77
  • 1000 users/50GB – $147
  • 2000 users/100GB – $277

Also Read: Best Chemistry Websites

6. LearnWorlds

Are you a small business, nonprofit, or entrepreneur that wants to build and sell online courses? There’s something for you: LearnWorlds.

This platform offers third-party marketing tools, a robust sales engine, and extensive analytics features. Also, it has a ton of features like a landing and sales page.

Other features include importing SCORM courses which is an international standard for eCourses.

How vital is SCORM?

Every learning management system recognizes your content when you publish it in the SCORM format. Plus, your students can save their progress as they go through your course. LearnDash, however, doesn’t come with this feature.

The interface of this platform has a lot going on at first glance, but if you focus on the analytics, the design will make a lot of sense. Another feature that makes LearnWorlds standout is its digital downloads—which is absent in LearnDash.

LearnWorlds is super easy to operate, and it supports you at every step. Plus, you don’t have to be a tech guru to understand its platform. In short, a newbie can navigate through the platform with ease.

LearnWorlds promotes a lot of engagement and interactivity. So, it emphasizes different learning styles and instructional design techniques.

Some of the features this LearnDash alternative provides are:

  • Online testing engines
  • Interactive video player
  • Interactive eBooks

This online learning engine lets you create custom digital certificates that can feature course name, date of issue, brand, logo, etc. The “interactive video” function is another exciting feature that allows you to engage different learning styles simultaneously.

In other words, you can include things like external links, questionnaires with feedback on your responses, text, navigation buttons, etc. Also, you can pause the video automatically if you want to give your students time to ponder on questions or assignments.

In summary, this feature allows you to engage kinetic, visual, verbal, and auditory learners.

With this tool’s interactive ebooks, your learners can choose to highlight essential or exciting areas to make annotations directly on the text.

When it comes to pricing, LearnWorlds has four plans:

  • Starter – $24
  • Pro Trainer – $79
  • Learning Center – $249
  • High volume & Corporate – you have to contact the company

Check Out: Best Sites Like Mathway

7. TalentLMS

TalentLMS is a stylish and straightforward cloud-based online course platform that helps to provide engaging content for your students or employees. This platform doesn’t stop at creating, delivering, and managing courses, however.

It also provides other valuable features like:

  • Blended learning
  • Course authoring
  • Web conferencing
  • Email communications
  • Content download and uploads
  • Custom branding/White-labeling
  • Integrations
  • Assessments and polling
  • Mobile responsiveness
  • Security
  • Progress tracking
  • Engagement and interactivity
  • Registration forms
  • Reporting and analytics
  • eCommerce selling

TalentLMS has a minimalistic design with a highly intuitive course authoring feature. Thus, the platform delivers all you need without overkilling it. This LMS allows you to create content from scratch or upload pre-existing content, making it stand out.

Also, it comes with instructional design elements like gamification—where students can earn achievement badges, points, unlock levels, etc., based on their progress.

You can also organize competitions and tests for students to compete for first place on leaderboards. In the long run, it makes your courses more attractive.

Interestingly, you don’t need coding or specialized knowledge to operate this LMS tool.

Another unique feature of this solution is its social/collaborative learning. Your students can use any device for interaction on discussion forums.

The cloud-based solution is compatible with CM15, SCORM, and xAPI. Plus, it offers API integrations that add extendibility—which LearnDash doesn’t possess.

If you plan to sell courses, you can do that easily by adding some of the integrations available:

  • Javascript (1000+ widgets, Google Analytics, Zendesk chat)
  • eCommerce (Shopify, Stripe, Paypal)
  • Zapier web apps (Mailchimp, Slack, Trello)
  • Video conferencing (zoom, BigBlueButton)

The class management feature is another value this solution offers, which LearnDash also lacks. The management feature helps to boosts the flexibility of your learning platform.

TalentLMS has a free option—limited to five users and ten courses. If you want more, you can opt for its other price plans: Small, Basic, Plus, and Premium.

Each of the plans cost $29, $99, $199, and $349 respectively.

Explore: Best Text Sheet Alternatives

8. Google Classroom

If you want to explore a free LMS that allows you to communicate with students and offer constructive feedback when necessary, Google Classroom is up to the task.

The solution lets you share assignments and classroom documents with ease. Since the solution delivers via the Chrome browser, it’s accessible from tablets, computers, and mobile phones, unlike LearnDash, which doesn’t support any of these devices.

With this feature, it’s easy to add links, attach files from Google Drive, upload YouTube videos, and create Google documents for managing announcements and assignments. On the students’ end, they can log in quickly, tune in and receive their assignments.

Another remarkable feature of this cloud-based solution is its ability to save and share documents online with an unlimited number of people.

The process of distributing an assignment is just a click away. Your students can quickly turn in projects in a few seconds. Plus, you can monitor submissions and offer feedback instantly.

What’s more, the tool has a clean interface that eases navigation and allows users to feel comfortable. It also allows learners to comment on a variety of online courses. With Google Classroom, it’s possible to create URLs with comments from online discussions.

It also has some snags like limited integration options and no automated updates or tests.

In summary, it’s an ideal option if you want an effective and free solution that eases remote studying and simplifies your students’ work evaluation.

9. Lessonly

Lessonly is a simple cloud-based solution that eases the process of building content. With its drag and drop function, you can add videos, SCORM-compliant content, documents, quizzes, etc.

Lessonly comes with data visualization, alongside an “import and export” feature, which LearnDash doesn’t offer. The feature allows users to measure their performance with its insights and show lessons completed or viewed. That way, your students can spot knowledge gaps and improve.

Other features of Lessonly include exporting lessons to bulk upload and PDF, custom branding, in-person training, etc.

That said, this LMS integrates solutions like Highspot, Slack, Zendesk, Chrome, Namely, BambooHR, and Okta.

Also, Lessonly comes with a cloud-based solution, which is ideal for big businesses with 25 users or more. The platform doesn’t put their prices out—so, you have to contact them for a quote.

But they offer two price packages: Pro and Pro+ Coaching.

The first plan (Pro) is for teams with 25 users, and it comes with the following features:

  • PDF export
  • Custom branding
  • Image library
  • User roles and permission
  • Events tracking
  • Single sign-on
  • SCORM-compliant content
  • Integrations
  • Quizzes and surveys
  • Chat support
  • Personal account manager
  • Single sign-on
  • Lesson builder
  • Smart groups

The Pro+ Coaching package comes with everything in the Pro plan alongside practice & coaching features (ticketing, practicing via chat, email, audio & screens) and certifications.

You can also get add-on features like integration with Salesforce, custom roles, advanced user management, tutorials, localization, preferred services, and cutting-edge custom branding.

10. Docebo

This cloud-based enterprise is currently one of the best eLearning solutions. It personalizes your users’ experience to produce more profound learning results.

This profound learning results combine with aspects such as:

  • Business objectives
  • Automated learning management
  • Facilitation of informal learning—helpful in the flow of work

The highly secure solution also delivers superb eLearning training programs and simplifies social learning to generate a culture of continuous learning.

Docebo allows document comparison, which is one thing LearnDash lacks.

With this tool’s functionality, you can grow your education business. It provides speedy delivery and simplifies content management.

Moreover, Docebo takes training to another level with its exciting gamification functionality. With this feature, you can capture and reveal hidden value in User-Generated knowledge.

The platform doesn’t need installation—which passes for fast and easy implementation. Also, you can set up and maintain Docebo with ease.

Furthermore, it permits smooth collaboration and distribution to your workforce regardless of their location.

Docebo comes with a free trial if you want to test its features and get a feel of its platform. However, if you want more, you’d have to contact customer support because there are no price tags on its website.

Two Things to Consider Before Choosing a Learning Management System

It gets tricky making the right choice, considering the abundance of LMS available online.

To make matters worse, most of the solutions offer several advanced features. So, you’d have to consider some factors that will guide you to make the right decision.

1. Know Your Learning Needs

What is your ultimate goal?

Answering this question gives you a picture of your users’ expectations at the end of the learning session.

For instance, if you opt for an LMS for an animation course, you should expect interactions between users and tutors. With that in mind, you’d have to consider a tool with functionalities like sharing comments, exchange sketches, uploading assignments, etc.

2. Content Compatibility

When it comes to your LMS; “Content is king.” So, it’s crucial to have the ideal type of content at the right place because it determines the effectiveness of your course.

When you know the type of content you want to put out, it will guide you to choosing the best LMS for your business needs.

In Conclusion

Now you’ve got it:

The 10 best LearnDash alternatives this year.

Every eLearning software we listed here is a popular option that can stand head to head with LearnDash.

However, Podia caught our attention the most because of its unlimited access to users, data, bandwidth, etc. It also has the most affordable monthly pricing on this list, except for Google Classrooms that offer a completely free solution, but at the expense of your data and privacy.

In the long run, it’s ideal you go for an option that best fits your eLearning needs.

The post 10 Best LearnDash Alternatives in 2024 appeared first on Rigorous Themes.

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iThemes Security vs Wordfence – Which Is Better? https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/ithemes-security-vs-wordfence/ Wed, 30 Dec 2020 10:34:41 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=12124 When you start a blog, online store, or small business site, you’ll need an initial investment for products or services including plugins, hosting, themes, and web development. While all these are enough to secure your site from the onset, you need to remember to protect the potential investment in the future. At its core, WordPress ...

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When you start a blog, online store, or small business site, you’ll need an initial investment for products or services including plugins, hosting, themes, and web development.

While all these are enough to secure your site from the onset, you need to remember to protect the potential investment in the future.

At its core, WordPress offers some security measures by default, but nothing compares to a reputable and strong security plugin on your site. Most top security plugins for WordPress offer firewalls, malware and file scans, active security monitoring, post-hack actions, brute force attack protection, and more.

iThemes Security and Wordfence are among the best WordPress security plugins that offer these and more advanced security features. Not only will your site have server-level safeguards, but they’ll work effectively without harming your site’s performance.

We pit iThemes Security vs Wordfence in this review to help you pick the best one for your site.

iThemes Security vs Wordfence: Overview & How They Work

iThemes Security

iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security) makes it easy to protect and secure your WordPress site with more than 30 offerings to prevent unwanted intruders and hacks.

The plugin focuses more on recognizing vulnerabilities in plugins, weak passwords, and obsolete software.

Plus, Wordfence eliminates the guesswork in WordPress security so you don’t have to struggle to use a security plugin. You can enjoy some basic security features with its free version, but it’s recommended that you upgrade to the Pro version to access more features including strong password enforcement, two-factor authentication, database backups, and more.

Wordfence

Wordfence Security pairs simplicity with robust and powerful protection tools including security incident recovery tools and login security features.

You can gain insight into hack attempts and overall traffic trends using this plugin, plus protect your WordPress site using its malware scanner and endpoint firewall.

The plugin also offers its Threat Defense Feed. This feature provides malicious IP addresses, the most recent malware signatures, and the newest firewall rules to better secure and protect your site. On top of that, the plugin has a suite of features that make it the most comprehensive security plugin available.

Wordfence vs iThemes Security: Features

iThemes Security

There are several features that make iThemes Security the better option of the two plugins including its file change detection, Google reCAPTCHA integration, Away Mode, and more. Here’s an overview of each of its features.

Brute Force Protection

With this feature, the iThemes Security plugin helps you limit the number of failed login attempts each user is allowed to use. If someone tries to guess your login details, they’ll get locked out after a few attempts.

404 Detection

The plugin will lock out any IP from bots that scan your site for vulnerabilities based on the limit you set. This happens because such bots generate lots of 404 errors, so if you set 10 errors in 5 minutes as the default, the plugin’s effect will kick in immediately afterward.

File Change Detection

The iThemes Security plugin will send you an email notification with any recent file changes in case someone gets into your site and modifies or removes files. This helps you know whether you’ve been hacked or not.

Strong Password Enforcement

If you want to set admins, editors, or users on your site that need strong passwords, you can use this feature in iThemes Security to enforce passwords and lock down WordPress.

Lock Out Bad Users

You can also keep out bad users from your site especially if they try to login and fail after several attempts or generate multiple 404 errors. This plugin will also lock them out if they’re on a bot blacklist.

Away Mode

With this iThemes Security feature, your WordPress dashboard can be rendered inaccessible during certain hours of the day when you’re inactive so that no one else can get in or modify your site.

Hide Login & Admin

iThemes Security also lets you change your default WordPress login URL so that attackers won’t know where to look. If you’re an agency, it also helps your clients remember their login links.

Email Notifications

These are alerts when someone is locked out after multiple failed login attempts or files on your site have been modified or removed.

Database Backups

You can schedule backups of your site’s database and get them sent to your email. Alternatively, you can use iTheme’s backup plugin, make complete backups, and send them to off-site storage platforms.

Two-Factor Authentication

iThemes Security offers 2FA so that users can enter a password and code sent to their mobile device. These details will help them log in to their accounts successfully and act as an added layer of security to verify the person that’s actually logging in and keep hackers out.

The plugin works with Authy, Google Authenticator, Toopher, and FreeOTP. Time-sensitive codes are sent via email addresses associated with each user account, and a set of one-time backup codes are also available that can be used to login in the event you lose your primary 2FA method.

Security Dashboard

With the iThemes Security plugin, you can monitor activity on your site including log entries as it pulls together related entries and displays them in a relevant way to you.

Security Grade Report

This report helps you see the security of your site and make recommended fixes to improve and upgrade the overall site security. The report contains the overall security grade, software and settings details, and action items to improve your security grade, so you can quickly view and resolve security issues.

Trusted Devices With Session Hijacking Protection

For unknown devices, you can add security measures for them together with session hijacking protection. This helps lock down your site and safeguard it from any compromises to logins from known users.

User Security Checks

The plugin offers user security checks to assess the site’s security and user accounts at a go. This helps you take action on them where necessary so that your site isn’t opened up to vulnerabilities that lead to hacks.

Malware Scanning

The iThemes Site Scanner powers the malware scan feature in the iThemes Security plugin. This function helps check for known malware, blacklist status, vulnerabilities, website errors, and outdated software. You can perform regular daily scans and get alerts via email in case anything is found.

Version Management

WordPress can get overwhelming, especially as your site grows and you aren’t up to speed with the different themes or plugins.

This can be a risk for your site because security vulnerabilities are associated with outdated software, but with version management, you can always update automatically to new WordPress themes and plugin versions plus increase security measures.

iThemes Security enables stricter security automatically when updates haven’t been installed for a month. You can also check for outdated installs on your hosting account.

Passwordless Logins

This is a new iThemes Security feature that lets you verify user identities without needing passwords to login. It’s a simple and safe procedure and increases the likelihood that people will secure their accounts. The feature sends you an email with a link that logs you into your site at the click of a button or a magic link.

iThemes Sync

With this feature, you can manage multiple sites remotely or from one place. It’s a secure way to release lockouts remotely and set Away Mode to shut off access to your site’s dashboard. You can also see the IP addresses for users who have been locked out.

Wordfence

Wordfence also has free and paid versions with powerful features for smaller or big sites. You can save tons of money from its developer tools, full firewall suite, monitoring tools, and more. Here’s a brief summary of each feature.

Endpoint Firewall

Wordfence runs at your server (the endpoint) to offer better protection than cloud firewalls that can be bypassed and have suffered previously from data leaks. The plugin’s firewall leverages user identity data in more than 85 percent of its firewall rules, making the firewall and scanner effective.

The web application firewall detects and blocks malicious traffic through deep integration with WordPress, and it doesn’t break end encryption so it won’t be bypassed or leak data.

This way, your site is protected against brute force attacks by enforcing strong passwords, limiting login attempts, and other security measures.

Security Scanner

Wordfence’s security scanner checks themes, core files, and plugins for any bad URLs, malware, malicious redirects, backdoors, SEO spam, and code injections. In addition, it compares your files with those in the WordPress.org repository, checks their integrity, and reports to you any changes it finds.

The plugin also checks your site for abandoned and closed plugins, known security vulnerabilities, and content safety checks to ensure your posts, files, or comments don’t have suspicious content or URLs.

Threat Defense Feed

With this feature, the plugin receives the most recent firewall rules, malicious IP addresses, and malware signatures to safeguard and protect your site. This way, you get unmatched access to data on how sites are compromised, the origin of the attacks, and any malicious code left behind.

Wordfence’s security developers and analysts are focused on security and constantly update you as they find new threats. For members with Premium accounts, data is updated in real time while Free users receive the information in 30 days from the community version of the feed.

Wordfence Central

Wordfence offers a way for you to manage security for multiple sites in its Wordfence Central platform. It’s a powerful and efficient way to manage everything in one place.

Leaked Password Protection

You can protect your site from attacks that leverage data stolen in breaches and block admin logins where known compromised passwords are being used to try to access your site. The admins will have to reset their passwords in order to login.

Live Traffic

With Wordfence, you can monitor hack attempts and visits in real time that aren’t displayed in other analytics packages like Google Analytics and other JavaScript loggers. The information you get includes IP addresses, origin, and time of day.

This way, you can watch hackers trying to break into your site as it happens, or watch visitors login in and out of your site in real time, see how Google crawls your site, how visitors use your site, and block rogue crawlers in real-time.

Advanced Manual Booking

With this Wordfence feature, you can block entire malicious networks efficiently and quickly, plus any robot or human activity that indicates any suspicious intent based on IP range and pattern matching. Wordfence does this by showing you block ranges of IP addresses, referring sites, specific browser and browser patterns, or a combination of any of them.

Country Blocking

Wordfence also lets you block any countries that engage in malicious activities to geographically protect your site. This helps stop attacks, end malicious activity, and prevent content theft. You can also block countries that create failed logins regularly or that generate a big number of 404 errors.

You can block countries by blocking access to your login form or the rest of your site, and see an updated list of country to IP mappings or Advanced Blocking options.

Repair Files

With this feature, you can recover from a hack through Wordfence’s source code verification feature that tells you what changed in plugin, core, or theme files and also helps to repair them. The feature is backed by Wordfence cloud servers and checks these files against what’s in the WordPress repository.

Once you get an alert to file changes, you can see how your files have changed, download the original file and compare it with the current one, and view and overwrite to repair the file using an original version.

Two-Factor Authentication

Like iThemes Security, Wordfence also offers 2FA to help stop brute force attacks with the most secure remote system authentication.

iThemes Security vs Wordfence: Pricing

iThemes Security

iThemes Security offers a Free and Pro version. The Pro version comes in three plans: Gold, Small Business, and Blogger.

  • The Gold plan costs $199 per year and secures unlimited sites with one year of ticketed support and one year of plugin updates.
  • The Small Business plan costs $127 per year and secures up to 10 sites with one year of ticketed support and plugin updates.
  • The Blogger plan costs $80 and offers security and protection for 1 site with one year of ticketed support and plugin updates.

Refer to the iThemes Security pricing page for more details.

Wordfence

Wordfence has free solutions with firewall blocks and brute force protection, but its Premium version starts from $99 per year for one site. If you have more than one site, here’s the breakdown of the costs per license:

  • 2-4 sites costs $89.10 with a 10 percent discount
  • 5-9 sites costs $84.15 with a 15 percent discount
  • 10-14 sites costs $79.20 with a 20 percent discount
  • 15 or more sites costs $74.25 with a 25 percent discount

Overall, it pays to get Wordfence, especially for multiple sites. The more you buy, the more you save. If you add more years, you can save more. Consult the Wordfence pricing page for more details.

Wordfence vs iThemes Security: Similarities & Differences

Plugin NameiThemes SecurityWordfence
Type of softwareWordPress security pluginWordPress security plugin
Unique featuresAway Mode
iThemes Sync
Versions Management
Passwordless login
Checks and repairs files
Spam protection
Native endpoint firewall
Threat Defense Feed
Two-factor authentication✔️✔️
Malware scanning✔️✔️
Brute force attack prevention✔️✔️
Security DashboardSecurity DashboardWordfence Central
File change detection✔️✔️
GeoIP Banning✔️✔️
SupportBlog
Documentation
WordPress Tutorials
Free WordPress Ebooks
Free Webinar Library
Free Upcoming Webinars
iThemes Training
Member panel
FAQs
Blog
Wordfence Central
Help
Learn
Mailing List
Podcast
Wordfence Weekly
PricingFree
Premium: Gold $199, Small Business $127, Blogger $80
Free solutions available
2-4 sites $89.10
5-9 sites $84.15
10-14 sites $79.20
15 or more sites $74.25
Affiliate program✔️✔️

iThemes Security vs Wordfence: Pros & Cons

iThemes Security

Pros

  • Free version available
  • Robust login security features
  • One-click installation
  • Advanced configurations available for developers
  • Offers brute force protection and two-factor authentication
  • Cell phone sign-in available
  • Easy to install
  • Less complex than other similar plugins
  • Suitable for newbies
  • Backs up the WordPress database regularly

Cons

  • No lifetime support, only updates
  • Only useful for defensive measures; can’t be relied on fully
  • Doesn’t fully protect the site, only offers partial protection from spam and malware cleaning

Wordfence

Pros

  • Free solutions available
  • Easy to install
  • Excellent malware scans
  • Offers security incident recovering tools
  • Threat defense feed with real-time updates
  • Powerful DNS-level web application firewall
  • Robust login security tools
  • Two-factor authentication available
  • View login and logging out for different users and clients
  • Real-time threat and spam protection
  • Scans all files including WordPress files
  • Brute force protection available
  • Doesn’t require an extra plugin to remove spam comments
  • Fast response from the customer service team
  • Native firewall
  • Checks and repairs files that have changed
  • Passwordless logins available

Cons

  • Premium plans are pricey
  • No pricing plans available for unlimited sites
  • Requires technical skills to configure
  • Malware scans may use lots of bandwidth as it scans the whole site
  • Community version users delayed by 30 days
  • Priority support only available for premium plan members

Wordfence vs iThemes Security: Which One Is Better?

When it comes to WordPress security, iThemes Security and Wordfence are among the biggest names especially for all in one solutions. Both plugins are active on millions of sites and maintain impressive user ratings and reviews, which makes them so popular.

Picking one from the two can be daunting, especially because of their similarity in features like malware scans, brute force protection, and more.

For the best value, iThemes Security is worth considering. However, we find that Wordfence is more effective because of its all-in-one approach to website security.

Apart from that, Wordfence offers a native firewall, malware scanner, and free solutions with these core features, which is why we recommend using Wordfence for your WordPress site’s security.

The post iThemes Security vs Wordfence – Which Is Better? appeared first on Rigorous Themes.

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UpdraftPlus vs BackWPup – Which Is Better? https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/updraftplus-vs-backwpup/ Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:29:43 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=10583 WordPress is the most popular CMS for building websites and at the same time, it is mostly targeted by hackers.  Yearly, thousands of WordPress websites are hacked and it is an unlucky situation for site owners that have put in so much work to build their websites.  You don’t have to be that person.  A ...

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WordPress is the most popular CMS for building websites and at the same time, it is mostly targeted by hackers. 

Yearly, thousands of WordPress websites are hacked and it is an unlucky situation for site owners that have put in so much work to build their websites. 

You don’t have to be that person. 

A WordPress backup plugin can save you from website errors, crashes, or even hacks. 

Though there are many good plugins available in the market today like BackupBuddy, Duplicator and others but today, I’ll be comparing UpdraftPlus against BackWPup. 

I’ll do a detailed comparison of the two discussing everything from features, integrations, security, performance and pricing. I am sure it will help you to pick the best. 

So follow me as I compare UpdraftPlus vs BackWPup.

What Is UpdraftPlus?

UpdraftPlus is a WordPress backup, restoration, and cloning plugin. Problems like user errors, bug updates, hack, and server crashes are the reasons behind UpdraftPlus development.

Paul Kehrer initially launched the UpdraftPlus plugin in 2010. The following year, UpdraftPlus’s current head developer, David Anderson, took up the project, made some improvements, and launched the first official version of the plugin, Updraft 0.1. 

Currently, it has over 3 million active installations on the WordPress plugin repository. 

To add to its functionality, the developers acquired other WordPress utility plugins including the WP-Optimize, Metaslider, and Easy Updates Manager. 

In addition, UpdraftPlus is currently maintained by over 15 persons from different countries and it is available for free and premium users. 

UpdraftPlus is trusted by top WordPress websites such as Cisco, P&G, Microsoft, Nasa, and NBA. In addition, Forbes, DreamHost, Torque, and GoDaddy are some top websites where the plugin has previously been featured. 

What Is BackWPup?

According to its developers, BackWPup is the perfect WordPress backup plugin. It is a portmanteau of the words “Back WordPress Up”. 

The plugin has recorded over 5 million downloads with over 600,000 active WordPress installations.

Launched by the Inspyde WordPress Agency in 2010, it has been around for over 10 years. Currently, Inspyde boasts of over 40 employees managing the plugin including WordPress developers, marketing experts, and supporters. 

BackWPup is available in two versions – free and pro. Resulting from its functionality, it is a certified official WordPress VIP partner and official WooCommerce expert. 

How To Install

UpdraftPlus

The mode of installing UpdraftPlus depends on whether you are installing the free or premium version. 

For the free version, you can install it via your WordPress dashboard. Simply navigate to the Add New option under Plugins and search for “UpdraftPlus”. Listed in the WordPress plugin directory is the free version, so you’ll find the plugin among the search results.

For the premium version, visit the UpdraftPlus official website, pay, and download the plugin as a zip file. Upload the zip file from the Add New > Upload option under Plugins. Afterwards, install and activate.

BackWPup

You can install BackWPup by either uploading it or directly from the WordPress plugin directory. 

Uploading is necessary if you’re starting with a paid version of the plugin. After paying and downloading the plugin on the official website, navigate to your WordPress dashboard, then select Add New > Upload under Plugins.  

Select the file from its saved location, click upload, then install and activate.

If you’re starting with the free version, navigate to Add New under Plugins then search for “BackWPup”. Click on the Install button and activate it afterwards. 

Verdict

Whether it is UpdraftPlus or BackWPup, the installation procedure is the same and not difficult. 

File Backup

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus supports unlimited backing up of WordPress and non-WordPress files. It can backup websites of up to 100GB size.

It features a native backup location, UpdraftVault, where you can save and manage your backups. For the free version, you can get up to 1 GB space, while for the premium plan, you can get more storage space.

It also supports incremental backups, manual, and automated backups. You can schedule backups within hour intervals, daily, monthly, or any specific time. 

Furthermore, UpdraftPlus automatically backs up your website when a plugin, theme, or WordPress version requires updates. 

BackWPup

With BackWPup, you have the flexibility to decide on how you want to backup your website files. You can run a complete backup of all your website files or select particular files to backup. 

You can back up the WordPress installation folder, plugins, content folders, themes, upload folders, etc.

If there’s a specific folder not identified by the plugin, you can define the location. Also, you can select files to exclude from backups by defining them. 

Also, you can back up the files to a specific folder on your server or to an external backup destination.

Verdict

UpdraftPlus has been proven to backup large sites and its proprietary cloud service gives it an edge over BackWPup. 

Database Backup

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus supports backing up of WordPress and external databases. Also, it supports multi-site backups. Just like in file backups, you can back up databases to the UpdraftVault storage and then run manual or automatic backups.

You can set automatic backups that can run hourly, daily, monthly, or at any specific time. You can quickly activate Backups by clicking on the “Backup Now” button.

By default, files and databases are selected so you’ll have to uncheck the box for files before selecting Backup Now. If there’s an error with the backup, you’ll get a log report and you can encrypt database backups. 

BackWPup

BackWPup supports complete database backups. Database backup is separated from file backup; hence, you get a dedicated panel for it.

From this panel, you can select the database tables to backup and the ones to leave out. The database backup file is stored in SQL file format and you can choose to compress it via GZip to reduce its size.

Before a backup is processed, the plugin scans the database tables for corrupt data and repairs them. Furthermore, the plugin also supports a multi-site network.

Verdict

Both plugins support database backups that are easy to perform. Hence, it’s a draw in this BackWPup vs UpdraftPlus comparison category. 

External Backup Destinations

UpdraftPlus

Apart from its proprietary cloud service, UpdraftVault, UpdraftPlus supports backup to several external destinations. Relatively, it has more external backup destinations than any other WordPress plugin.

External backup destinations supported on UpdraftPlus includes Amazon S3, DropBox, Google Drive, Rackspace, Google Cloud, OneDrive, DreamObjects, MS Azure, OpenStack Swift, WebDav servers, FTP, SFTP, and email.

One interesting feature here is that UpdraftPlus lets you backup to various external destinations in a single backup. That way, you can run a single backup on Google Drive, Amazon S3, OneDrive, etc, at the same time. This is possible with the UpdraftPlus More Storage add-on.

BackWPup

Since BackWPup doesn’t have a proprietary storage option, most large backups are made to external backup destinations. Unless you have sufficient space on your server, then you can back up using the FTP option. 

Supported external backup destinations on BackWPup include HiDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, SugarSync, Rackspace, and Email. These destinations are featured when you try to create a new job on BackWPup.

You can select multiple locations at once. Upon completion, the backup file is stored in each of the selected external backup locations.

Verdict

UpdraftPlus is the winner here with support for more external backup destinations than BackWPup.

Restoration

UpdraftPlus

You can restore your site backups directly from your WordPress control panel with UpdraftPlus. Moreover, it supports automatic restoration.

From the UpdraftPlus settings option, you’ll have a list of available backups. The most recent backups come first and you can identify backups by date.

All you have to do is click on the restore button behind the backup. You can click on the view log to see the backed up files on a particular backup.

Thankfully, UpdraftPlus features an Importer add-on. With this add-on, you can restore backups from other WordPress backup plugins such as InfiniteWP, BackupWordPress, and even BackWPup.

BackWPup

BackWPup supports complete automatic restore, but you can only restore backups made using the plugin. You can quickly access the restore feature from the BackWPup menu 

If the backup is stored on your server, you can access it from the Backups section. Hence, you should click on the restore link for your preferred backup. For backups to other destinations, you’ll have to download the backup zip file. 

You can install BackWPup as a standalone backup restoration app. This is beneficial in situations where your entire WordPress installation is not available. 

Verdict

UpdraftPlus wins in this comparison section. The main reason is that it supports restoring backups from other WordPress backup plugins. 

Security & Optimization

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus developers are more concerned about their security. The plugin utilizes encryption techniques to keep files and databases secure.

Thankfully, UpdraftPlus encrypts every database backup. Also, it encrypts files/databases while transferring them to any cloud storage like UpdraftVault and others.

Furthermore, when you perform a site clone with UpdraftPlus, the new website gets a free SSL certificate for secure browsing. Moreover, it processes cloned site files in a security-enhanced Linux environment.

Conversely, the UpdraftPlus team cannot access your data backup, not even those stored on UpdraftPlus.

BackWPup

BackWPup was prone to a security bypass vulnerability with high severity. Specifically, this was the version 3.4.1 and such vulnerability could escalate brute force attacks.

However, it is no more with the recent versions of the plugin. The most recent version of BackWPup gives you the option to encrypt files you back up. There are two encryption procedures featured i.e. symmetric and asymmetric procedures.

Both procedures make use of encryption keys and although the procedures are a bit complex, you can get around it by following instructions. 

Verdict

Encryption is the main security feature for both plugins but UpdraftPlus takes the upper hand for significant security features. 

Developer Features

UpdraftPlus

So far, UpdraftPlus hasn’t fallen short in any category but it will now. There are no features available for developers. Only in-house developers can contribute to the plugin.

A major reason could be that the plugin is closed source. When you purchase the plugin or agree to use the free version, you get a General Public License (GPL).

The most you get as a developer is the data encryption for backup and cloning procedures. However, as a developer, you can debug UpdraftPlus using Developer Tools and JavaScript console on browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

BackWPup

BackWPup might not have any major developer features but it is an open source plugin. The project is available on GitHub, so if you’re a developer, you can head over and add your contributions.

Aside from that, developers can add Amazon S3 services to the plugin’s default list programmatically. This involves using a filter hook with the specified label, region, and URL of the service.

Verdict

The winner in this BackWPup vs UpdraftPlus category is BackWPup.

Site Migration

UpdraftPlus

You can quickly migrate your WordPress site by using the UpdraftMigrator addon. This addon is included upon purchase, which depends entirely on your plan.

Using the UpdraftMigrator along with UpdraftPlus to migrate a website is easy. All you have to do is to install the plugin and add-on on both the old and new websites. Backup your files, database on the old website with UpdraftPlus, and import them on the new website with UpdraftMigrator.

You can migrate all files and databases or selected sections that you want to migrate. 

BackWPup

BackWPup doesn’t have any native support for WordPress site migration. The plugin’s capabilities are somewhat limited to backup and restore.

However, you can still migrate your WordPress website using the plugin. This will involve downloading, uploading, and installing. 

To go about this, you’ll first create a backup on the old website, download, and store it securely on your computer. Then, install BackWPup on the new website and select the backup file for upload before installing the backup. 

Verdict

Support for WordPress site migration with the UpdraftMigrator add-on gives UpdraftPlus the winning edge. 

Site Cloning

UpdraftPlus

Site cloning is possible with UpdraftPlus although it is not natively featured. Like in the case of site migration, you can perform a site clone with UpdraftPlus using an add-on, the UpdraftClone.

The UpdraftClone add-on is basically a site duplicator, it works like a copy and paste. When cloning with UpdraftClone, it is important to complete the cloning ASAP because the cloned data is temporary.

Aside from using the UpdraftClone add-on, you can also use the UpdraftMigrator to clone websites. This is ideal if you have admin access to the website you want to clone i.e you are the site owner.

BackWPup

Like in site migration, BackWPup has no support for site cloning. If you must clone a website, you’ll have to use the backup download and install method. Hence, you can only clone a website that you own.

However, you can clone your website by using the WordPress XML export option. That way, you can backup only files and databases that you can’t export as XML files.

This is particularly ideal if your site is one with lots of posts and pages. You could save space on the actual backup file.

Verdict

Once again, support for WordPress site cloning with the UpdraftClone add-on gives UpdraftPlus the edge.

Third-Party Integrations

UpdraftPlus

When it comes to UpdraftPlus’s third-party integrations, the external backup destinations are considered. 

As mentioned earlier, UpdraftPlus supports external backup to Amazon S3, DropBox, Google Drive, Rackspace, Google Cloud, OneDrive, DreamObjects, MS Azure, OpenStack Swift, WebDav servers, and email.

Furthermore, UpdraftPlus addons count as integrations as they increase the plugin’s functionality. This includes the previously mentioned Importer, UpdraftMigrator, UpdraftClone, and others including WP-Optimize, and UpdraftCentral.

Notably, with the Importer addon, UpdraftPlus somewhat integrates with other backup plugins as it can import their backups.

BackWPup

BackWPup seamlessly integrates with several external backup destinations, which include HiDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, SugarSync, Rackspace, and Email.

However, these are not the only integrations available. BackWPup also integrates with EasyCron. EasyCron is an online cron service that lets you manage cron jobs. Hence, you can automate your BackWPup backups and schedule jobs.

Verdict

UpdraftPlus wins as it supports more external backup destinations than BackWPup and it has more addons too.

Customer Support & Resources

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus users can get support from four main support channels. The first is the FAQ section with answers to several customer questions. There are over 150 answered questions in this section. 

Next is the UpdraftPlus WordPress forum. This forum is majorly for free version users and it allows them to interact with each other, share views, and get answers. 

Third, there are several UpdraftPlus support videos on YouTube. These tutorials will walk you through on how to use the plugin.

Finally, you can contact the support team directly by submitting a contact form, but this is only for premium users. 

BackWPup

BackWPup features a documentation page with support articles on different categories including getting started with the plugin, backups, restore, settings, troubleshooting, etc. 

To reach their support team, you can open a ticket on the plugin’s WordPress page if you are a free user. You won’t get any reply if you submit a support ticket from the plugin’s official website.

In addition, only paid users can directly contact the support team from the plugin’s official website. 

Verdict

There’s nothing much to separate both platforms in this category. However, I’ll give BackWPup the win as the documentation section is more organized and easy to sort than that of UpdraftPlus.

Pricing

UpdraftPlus

Other backup tools like BackupBuddy offer only paid plans but UpdraftPlus offers a free plan as well that offers some useful features. 

The paid pricing plans are categorized into two i.e. subscription plans and manual plans. 

The subscription plans include:

  • Personal Plan – $70 first payment and then $42 per year
  • Business Plan – $95 first payment and then $57 per year
  • Agency Plan – $145 first payment and then $87 per year
  • Enterprise Plan – $195 first payment and then $117 per year
  • Gold Plan – $399 per year

The manual plans include:

  • Personal Plan – $70 per year
  • Business Plan – $95 per year
  • Agency Plan – $145 per year
  • Enterprise Plan – $195 per year

BackWPup

BackWPup features a free plan and several premium plans. The paid plans include:

  • Standard Plan – $69 first payment and $39 per year
  • Business Plan – $119 first payment and $59 per year
  • Developer Plan – $199 first payment and $99 per year
  • Supreme Plan – $279 first payment and $149 per year
  • Agency Plan – $349 first payment and $199 per year

Note: Their pricing plans are flexible. Visit their pricing pages for fresh information.

Similarities & Differences

Similarities

  • BackWPup and UpdraftPlus are both WordPress backup and restoration plugins.
  • Both plugins support automatic restoration.
  • Both UpdraftPlus and BackWPup support external backup destinations.
  • Both support multi sites

Differences 

  • UpdraftPlus features a proprietary cloud service, unlike BackWPup. 
  • UpdraftPlus has more external backup destinations than BackWPup.
  • UpdraftPlus can import backups from other top WordPress backup plugins.
  • BackWPup is an open-source plugin while UpdraftPlus is closed source.
  • BackWPup does not natively support site cloning and migration meanwhile UpdraftPlus does.

Pros & Cons

UpdraftPlus

Pros

  • Free version
  • Multisite support
  • External backup locations
  • UpdraftVault storage
  • Site cloning and migration
  • Multiple add-ons
  • Import from other WordPress backup plugins

Cons

  • No developer features
  • No direct support for few users

BackWPup

Pros

  • Free version available
  • Multisite support
  • External backup locations
  • Support for XML export 

Cons

  • No proprietary storage option
  • No direct migration and cloning support

UpdraftPlus vs BackWPup – Which Is Better?

Based on this UpdraftPlus vs BackWPup comparison, UpdraftPlus is the better plugin.

Besides, UpdraftPlus beats BackWPup in various aspects and it has many useful features that BackWPup lacks. Also, with the help of add-ons like UpdraftMigrator and UpdraftClone, UpdraftPlus’s functionality increases.

Not to mention, BackWPup has experienced some critical security vulnerabilities in the past, while UpdraftPlus has staunch security measures in place.

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AliDropship vs Oberlo – Which Is Better? https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/alidropship-vs-oberlo/ Thu, 17 Sep 2020 13:59:27 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=10052 One of the profitable eCommerce business models is dropshipping. Apart from requiring very little or no capital, it also eliminates the hassles of fulfilling orders. However, several merchants encounter myriads of debacles when running their dropshipping stores.  Thankfully, AliDropship and Oberlo are two unique tools that eliminate the hassles associated with dropshipping.  In fact, they ...

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One of the profitable eCommerce business models is dropshipping.

Apart from requiring very little or no capital, it also eliminates the hassles of fulfilling orders.

However, several merchants encounter myriads of debacles when running their dropshipping stores. 

Thankfully, AliDropship and Oberlo are two unique tools that eliminate the hassles associated with dropshipping. 

In fact, they integrate with a popular online marketplace like AliExpress for product sourcing. Not to mention, they integrate with eCommerce platforms that enable you to sell the products. 

In this post, I will be comparing Oberlo vs AliDropship to help you find out which platform is better.

What Is AliDropship?

AliDropship is a dropshipping tool for merchants who are interested in dropshipping AliExpress products. You either use the plugin to connect to your existing store or get an AliExpress dropshipping store built for you from scratch. 

Not to mention, AliDropship lets you make up to 300% profit from selling AliExpress products. While you have access to drop ship products on AliExpress, this tool provides you with premium best-selling products to quickly know the right products to sell. 

AliDropship features two plugins. The first is the AliDropship plugin that can connect with any eCommerce store platform via WordPress. The second is the AliDropship Woo plugin explicitly built for WooCommerce

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

What Is Oberlo?

Oberlo is a dropshipping tool built for the Shopify eCommerce platform. With Oberlo, you can find and import dropshipped products into your store for sale. 

There are thousands of reliable product suppliers and manufacturers on Oberlo, including individuals and suppliers from online marketplaces like AliExpress. All it takes to find the right supplier is just a few clicks. 

Thankfully, Oberlo makes it easy to stay in touch with these suppliers. You can order product samples from them and automatically fulfill customer orders. 

As a global dropshipping tool, you can use Oberlo at any location. It also supports multiple languages, including French, German, English, and Spanish. 

Setup Process

AliDropship

The setup process for AliDropship depends on the option you signed up for. With the custom store ordering, it’s easy as you just pay and sit back while an online store is created for you. 

For the AliDropship plugin version, you have to download it from the website and install it via your WordPress dashboard. The same goes for the AliDropship Woo plugin, except you intend to install it via your WooCommerce dashboard. 

After installing, enter your AliDropship license key, and the plugin will be activated. 

Oberlo

With Oberlo, you need to have a Shopify store setup before signing up for an account. From your Oberlo settings, select the Connect Shopify store option. 

Enter your store URL in the displayed popup and click on connect. That’s it, and you’re ready to start importing and selling products. 

If you would like to purchase an existing store, you can do that via Exchange Marketplace. Besides, several Oberlo stores are listed for sale – simply contact the store owner and discuss the purchase terms. 

Verdict 

Setting up on AliDropship or Oberlo isn’t tricky. But, the AliDropship custom store setup requires nothing on your part, aside from payment.

Supported eCommerce Platforms

AliDropship

As mentioned earlier, two plugins are featured on AliDropship. While you can connect the AliDropship plugin with WordPress CMS, the AliDropship Woo Plugin is built for WooCommerce integration. That’s the only direct supported eCommerce platform. 

For product sourcing, AliDropship supports only AliExpress. 

Oberlo

Oberlo only supports Shopify. It is featured on the Shopify website as the official dropshipping tool for the eCommerce platform. 

As a result, if your eCommerce store is hosted on other platforms like WooCommerce, Magento, etc., you cannot use Oberlo.

Just like AliDropship, the official eCommerce marketplace for sourcing dropshipping products on Oberlo is AliExpress. 

Verdict 

Oberlo and AliDropship both have native support for a single eCommerce platform and support the AliExpress online marketplace. So, it’s a draw for this round. 

Worth Reading: AliDropship vs Shopify

Product Suppliers

AliDropship

Product suppliers on AliDropship are all suppliers on AliExpress. The platform features a “My Supplier” add-on that enables you to manage all product suppliers you work with.

With this add-on, you can sort through supplier lists using filters such as product category, seller rating, product count, gross profit, etc. 

There’s also the Import Supplier option that lets you work with particular suppliers. For instance, if you come across a product supplier on AliExpress, you can import them to your store using their store ID. 

Oberlo

AliExpress suppliers are the major suppliers you work with on Oberlo. However, the platform features a range of dropshipping products from thousands of suppliers, and some of them are individual suppliers and manufacturers.

If you want to import a particular supplier into your Oberlo dropshipping store, you can do so using the Oberlo Chrome Extension. With the installed extension, you will see the Oberlo icon as you browse AliExpress. 

Verdict 

In this AliDropship vs. Oberlo feature comparison, there’s nothing distinct between them since their product suppliers emanate from AliExpress. 

Product Import

AliDropship

AliExpress products can be imported on AliDropship easily from the Import section. You can select a particular product category, sub-category, or search for particular products using keywords. 

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

There are more filtering options to pick the right products such as shipping method, shipping from and to destinations, free shipping, etc. An import button is featured alongside each product, and with just a click, they get imported into your store.

AliDropship keeps an ‘Import History’ where you can view your previously imported products. 

Oberlo

You can import products on Oberlo from the Search Products page. On this page, products can be filtered by categories and marketplace. 

Below each product is an “Add to Import List” button. By clicking on it, the product gets added to your import list. All products you add to your import list can be viewed from your Import List page. 

Likewise, you can review your listed products, and if they meet your requirements, you can click the ‘Import to Store’ option. 

Verdict 

Product import on AliDropship and Oberlo is very similar, so it’s a draw. 

Product Editing

AliDropship

AliDropship features five product editing sections. The first is the General section where you can edit the product title, description, price, type, tags, etc. Text formatting options such as bold, italic, alignment, bullets, numbering, etc., are featured.

The next section is the Variant section where you can add other variations, the third section is the Supplier section, and here you can edit the product AliExpress store name, product URL, store URL, and more. 

From the fourth section (Update section), you can set how AliDropship should update products from AliExpress. This includes what happens when the price changes, a product is out of stock, or a product changes. 

The last section is the Gallery section where you can upload product images. 

Oberlo

Products on Oberlo can be edited from the import list from the products section after being imported. There are several editing tabs from the import list, including Product, Description, Variants, and Images.

You can edit the product title, type, and tag from the product section and fill in its product description. If there are other variations of a product, you can fill them in from the Variants tab and finally set product images from the Images tab.

Verdict 

Product editing is simple on both platforms, but AliDropship features more editing options. 

Bulk Editing

AliDropship

Bulk editing on AliDropship is limited to editing product variations. You can change product prices and quantity all at once. 

From your products page, simply choose the products you want to edit, click on the edit button, and select bulk edit. After setting the new edits, click on Apply, and all selected products will be updated.  

Oberlo

Bulk editing on Oberlo is supported for prices, and you can do this from your import list before sending the products to your store. 

From the import list, edit the product price and click on Change All Prices to apply the updated price to all the products. If you want to bulk edit other product details like tags, etc., you can do so directly from your Shopify store. 

Verdict 

Again, there’s nothing to separate Oberlo and AliDropship, as bulk editing is limited to prices and quantities. However, the Shopify bulk editing is a plus for Oberlo.

Review Importer

AliDropship

AliDropship has a Review Import feature that can be accessed under the Import section. There are settings to complete before importing. 

You have to set the number of stars for each review and the number of reviews to be imported for each product. Likewise, if you want reviews from a target audience, you can set the product categories and country. 

There are options to remove images from the reviews, import only reviews with images, select review time, and translate reviews to other languages.  

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

Oberlo

After importing products to your Oberlo store, you can import their reviews from the My Products dashboard. 

This dashboard features a list of all your products, with each one having an Import Reviews button. By clicking on this button, product reviews get imported in about a minute. 

Verdict

Review import is more detailed on AliDropship than Oberlo due to the import settings.

Image Editor

AliDropship

AliDropship has a built-in image editor for making changes to product images. This can only be accessed via the AliDropship Chrome extension or using the edit button on the Products Options dashboard. 

With this image editor, you can edit image size, add effects & lighting, crop, touch-up with brushes, erase, and add text and stickers. 

Oberlo 

Oberlo doesn’t have any image editor. You can only edit your images using other tools before uploading them if you must.  

Verdict

AliDropship is clearly the winner in this Oberlo vs AliDropship feature comparison category. 

Order Fulfillment

AliDropship

AliDropship supports manual and automated order fulfillment. You can set how orders will be fulfilled from the order fulfillment tab under settings. 

When customers pay for orders, they get set to the Orders dashboard. To fulfill, simply click on place order automatically. Then, you will be redirected to the AliExpress checkout page.

Afterward, you can proceed to make a payment. 

From the Orders dashboard, you can manage order tracking. Besides, tracking IDs are sent to customers after orders are confirmed.

Oberlo

Order fulfillment on Oberlo can be carried out from the Orders page. Hence, you can fulfill single orders or fulfill orders in bulk. 

For single orders, click on Order Product beside the product while selecting the products and click Place Order for bulk orders. Afterward, Oberlo will redirect you to the AliExpress cart to make payment. 

After payment is confirmed, the supplier will provide you with AliExpress tracking numbers, which you have to sync with Oberlo so that your customers can track their orders.

Verdict 

Order fulfillment on Oberlo and AliDropship follows the same process.

Shipping Options

AliDropship

Shipping options on AliDropship are different for the AliDropship plugin and the AliDropship Woo plugin. There are four shipping options featured on the AliDropship plugin. This includes Free Shipping, Super Savings Shipping, Standard Shipping, and Expedited Shipping. 

You can also set countries that you ship to and the default country you ship from. Other options to set include the delivery time and shipping cost. 

For the AliDropship Woo plugin, the shipping options available are the default WooCommerce shipping options. 

Oberlo

You can manage Oberlo shipping options from the Supplies tab under settings. 

The shipping methods featured on Oberlo are those featured on AliExpress including ePacket, Free Shipping, Super Savings Shipping, Standard Shipping, and Expedited Shipping. 

Interestingly, Oberlo will help you to pick the best shipping option for a product and customer if you set the shipping method to default. 

Verdict 

As both AliDropShip and Oberlo work with AliExpress, the available shipping options are the same.

Web Hosting

AliDropship

Web hosting is needed on AliDropship if you intend to order a custom store. You won’t need it if you have already hosted your WooCommerce store. 

There are various hosting plans on AliExpress, and depending on your plan, you can host up to 5, 10, or 30 dropshipping stores at a time.

Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

The web hosting plan comes with cPanel, free SSL, and a free random AliDropship sub-domain. You can change this domain to a custom one at any time by changing. 

Nevertheless, AliDropship recommends NameCheap and GoDaddy for purchasing domain names. 

Oberlo

Oberlo has no support for web hosting. You can only use the plugin with Shopify stores hosted on other servers. 

However, since the tool was built for Shopify, you can easily also use Shopify web hosting plans to host your dropshipping store before you connect with Oberlo. 

Verdict

With no web hosting plans, Oberlo loses out to AliDropship here. 

Analytics

AliDropship

From the AliDropship Reports section, you can get sales analytics. First, you have to set a time frame to generate the report summary. 

The report summary will provide you with insights on unique visitors, supplier cost, profit, orders, average order value, and conversion rate. 

You can also access a sales chart for a pictorial representation of these insights, and there is a Traffic Report section for more detailed insights on your store visitors. 

Oberlo

You can get analytical insights on your product sales directly from your Oberlo dashboard. 

A chart of product sales and costs is featured along with an Overview section that displays insights on sales, orders, costs, and earnings over a set time frame. 

Additionally, you can set up reporting to get reports of total sales, Oberlo sales, or both delivered to your email address. Reports can be generated and sent daily, weekly, or monthly. 

Verdict 

While Oberlo delivers only sales insights, AliDropship provides insights on sales and store visitors, so it wins for this round. 

Third-Party Integrations

AliDropship

AliDropship seamlessly integrates with the WordPress CMS as well as WooCommerce, the WordPress eCommerce plugin. It also has a chrome extension. 

Furthermore, AliDropship integrates with Google Analytics for more traffic insights. Through WooCommerce, you can integrate AliDropship with PayPal, Mondido, Pagadito, and Square. 

Oberlo

Aside from Shopify which Oberlo was built for, the platform doesn’t integrate with any other platform. However, I wouldn’t say you won’t be able to work with other apps if you opt for Oberlo. 

The platform works with Shopify that features an App Store with several third-party apps; more than 3,000 apps are available. Oberlo also has a Chrome Extension

Verdict 

Again, AliDropship beats Oberlo with more native third-party integration support. 

Customer Support & Resources

AliDropship

On the AliDropship website, there’s a Help Center with help articles on different topics about using the platform. 

There are many other resources including a forum, dropshipping insights, blog, FAQ page, marketing tips, profit calculator, guides, tests, etc. 

For direct support, you can send an inquiry using the contact form or the LiveChat. However, LiveChat is not available 24/7, and a response to the contact form may take time. 

Nevertheless, the best way to get support is through the Help Center. 

Oberlo

Oberlo features a LiveChat, but it can take up to a day to get a reply. The recommended medium of getting support on Oberlo is the Help Center. Users are advised to check out the help articles for answers before using the chat. 

Oberlo’s resources include a stats library, dropshipping hub, dropshipping course, blog, ebooks, and podcasts.

External resources include access to free stock photos, the Shopify academy, and YouTube tutorials. 

Verdict 

Both platforms provide help mainly via their help center, while direct support is slow. 

Pricing

AliDropship Pricing

The AliDropship plugin costs only $89.

However, you can order custom stores for a one-time fee. The pricing plans for a custom store include:

  • Basic Plan – $299
  • Advanced Plan – $499
  • Ultimate Plan – $899 
Special: Get Special Pricing for Alidropship

One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.

We earn a commission when you click this link and make a purchase.

Note: You can add a hosting plan at an extra $48 per year. To get premium best-selling AliExpress products, you should pay $39 per month. 

Oberlo 

There are three pricing plans featured on Oberlo including; 

  • Starter Plan – $0 per month 
  • Basic Plan – $29.90 per month 
  • Pro Plan – $79.90 per month 

Similarities & Differences

Similarities

  • Both AliDropship and Oberlo platforms source products from AliExpress
  • They both incorporate bulk edit options for product variations
  • Both Oberlo and AliDropship support review imports
  • Similar order fulfillment and shipping processes
  • Similar support and resources

Differences

  • AliDropship works with WooCommerce while Oberlo works with the Shopify eCommerce platform
  • Oberlo features a free plan, while AliDropship is a premium tool
  • Unlike Oberlo, AliDropship features a built-in image editor
  • AliDropship supports more third-party integrations than Oberlo
  • AliDropship has web hosting support, unlike Oberlo

Pros & Cons

AliDropship 

Pros

  • Easy to set up
  • Easy product import
  • Review importer
  • Image editor
  • Comprehensive insights and reports 
  • Web hosting
  • Useful resources

Cons

  • No free plan
  • Poor direct support 

Oberlo 

Pros 

  • Easy to set up
  • Easy product import
  • Review importer
  • Extensive insights and reports 

Cons 

  • Only for Shopify stores 
  • No image editor 
  • Poor direct support

AliDropship vs Oberlo – Which Is Better?

Based on the comparison above, I highly recommend AliDropship as the better platform. 

For instance, Oberlo is limited to Shopify, while AliExpress supports both Shopify and WordPress CMS. 

Also, Oberlo lacks some tools such as the image editor, detailed review importer, third-party integrations, etc., which you can get on AliDropship.

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8 Best Print On Demand WordPress Plugins https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-print-on-demand-wordpress-plugins/ Thu, 17 Sep 2020 08:45:49 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=10003 With a print on demand WordPress plugin, you can quickly get set up and start selling your physical or digital goods right away.  This not only saves you time and money, but it also allows you to focus on other core business activities such as marketing, business growth, and so on. Today. We’ve rounded up ...

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With a print on demand WordPress plugin, you can quickly get set up and start selling your physical or digital goods right away. 

This not only saves you time and money, but it also allows you to focus on other core business activities such as marketing, business growth, and so on.

Today. We’ve rounded up the best print on demand WordPress plugins you can install and set up on your site, and start selling instantly.

Best Print On Demand WordPress Plugins

1. Printful Integration for WooCommerce

Printful is a leading print on demand dropshipping platform that offers order fulfillment and shipping services on behalf of online store owners to their customers.

Printful also provides warehousing for clothing, accessories, home, and living items among other products.

Once your store is connected with Printful, your customers can easily view your product catalog to see what you’re selling.

When they make orders and complete their payments, Printful picks the orders, fulfills, and ships them right to the customers’ doorsteps.

The good thing about Printful is that there are no minimum order requirements, you get custom branding to fulfill and ship under your own brand using custom labels, pack-ins, and more.

It also uses the DTG printing process to create quality prints and automates with platforms like Ecwid, WooCommerce, Shopify, Squarespace, Etsy, and more.

With the Printful print on demand WordPress plugin, you can focus more on building your store while Printful manages all the other processes from order fulfillment to delivery.

There are more than 30,000 active stores using the Printful print on demand plugin for WordPress, and they’ve already made hundreds of millions in sales just from installing the plugin on their sites.

The plugin ensures you get control over your profits, free design templates, product personalization, warehousing and fulfillment services, automated tax settings, live shipping rates, stress-free shipping, and 24/7 support.

If you want sample orders, Printful ensures you get a 20 percent discount with free shipping to select destinations.

Special: Printful Offers Free Signup, No Monthly Fees & No Minimum

Printful helps you design and sell products online with ease. Try it today!

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

2. Printify For WooCommerce

Printify is one of the most popular print on demand platforms around. It offers over 250 different items that you can use to print custom designs.

You also get access to a catalog of more than 150 unique products, including accessories, apparel, home décor, and more. 

With the Print for WooCommerce plugin, you can quickly and easily set up with popular platforms like Etsy, Shopify, Wix, eBay, and more.

Once you set up with Printify, you can sync your store automatically to any of these and other platforms. Printify will handle all the order fulfillment, printing, and shipping straight to your customers, with your own custom labels.

Printify for WooCommerce plugin also allows you to access all the major print providers and filter them by location, price, and other variables all in one place.

A mockup generator is available to create custom printed products with your own designs.

To install Printify for WooCommerce:

  • Upload Printify to the /wp-content/plugins/directory
  • Activate the plugin from the Plugins menu in your WordPress dashboard.
  • Once the plugin is installed and activated, you can choose to enable shipping rate calculation in WooCommerce by going to the Settings, click Shipping, and select the Printify Shipping tab.

Note: The Printify for WooCommerce plugin only works with WooCommerce 2.1 and later versions.

Printify | Your Print-On-Demand Partner Of Choice

Give shape to your dropshipping dream. Printify gives you the liberty to create, design and sell your custom prints using 3000 plus products. What's more, it is absolutely free!

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

3. Invition Print & Ship

Invition was founded in 2009 with the purpose of importing products to sell in Europe as wholesalers.

The company distributed several high-quality screen protectors from popular brands and sold them to every large retailer and online store in countries in Western Europe, including the Netherlands.

Specifically, the company specializes in supplying the best smartphone screen protection for a wide range of models and became one of the market leaders in the Netherlands.

The Invition platform was developed after years of experience and learning a lot with the webshop. The platform can process all customers’ orders and can be connected via APIs to suppliers, customers, and other partners.

The Invition Print & Ship plugin is a ready-to-install plugin for WooCommerce stores. The plugin uses Invition’s order API such that when your customers place their orders and make payments, the orders are transferred automatically to Invition’s system for printing and shipping.

Once your order is shipped, the status of the order changes automatically, and customers receive emails with tracking codes and confirmation of the shipping.

Invition Print & Ship plugin also offers the Automatic Product Variations feature. With this feature, you can generate different variations of products for each brand and product type. For instance, if you’re creating smartphone cases, you can get variations based on brand, phone model, and type of case.

The plugin also renders product images automatically so that you have something like this:

Invition Print & Ship also syncs pricing and product stocks. Once a product is selected, the user will see the right price and stock levels so that you never sell anything that’s out of stock or at the wrong price. The plugin handles all that for you.

To start using Invition Print & Ship for WordPress, install the plugin, configure it through the configuration wizard, and start selling. You can use all the above features built into Invition Print & Ship to ease the selling process for you and your customers.

4. Print on Demand With Personalization by PrintTech

PrintTech is a company based in the USA that turns around products within 3 – 5 days and ships them in up to 5 days, sometimes less than that. The company ships products to any location in the USA, but it also offers international shipping.

If you’re tired of handling print on demand companies with long ship times, PrintTech, which has been in business for more than three decades will help you get your orders to your customers.

The Print on Demand With Personalization plugin allows you to link your WordPress eCommerce store and source products from different suppliers.

You don’t have to handle printing because PrintTech handles all that with different printing methods such as Direct to Garment (DTG), screen printing, full dye sublimation, and embroidery.

Plus, your customers’ orders are picked, packed, and fulfilled anywhere in the world. PrintTech has a wide range of pieces of apparel that your customers can order including coffee mugs, dish towels, tumblers, t-shirts, hoodies, Bible covers, cutting boards, pet products, pillows, wine glasses, and more.

The plugin integrates with Etsy, WooCommerce, Amazon, and other platforms so you can instantly add USA-based products to your shop, and sell with just a few clicks. The push-button integration makes the process seamless and easy for you and your customers.

There is no setup fee with this plugin. Simply install it to your WordPress site, and PrintTech will handle printing, packing, shipping, and even help you provide customer support. All you do is earn your profits.

5. ApparelCuts Spreadshirt for WordPress

Need to create a fully customized store on your WordPress site? ApparelCuts Spreadshirt for WordPress plugin allows you to sync your Spreadshirt shop with your WordPress database.

This way, you can customize every aspect of your store. The plugin allows you to create custom post types and taxonomies for your store’s resources. You can also use WordPress to enrich your store with your own content.

With the plugin, you can sort products and designs into groups, manage different designs together such as dark or light clothing, and add tags to designs.

Other tools available include the t-shirt designer Sketchomat, shipping costs calculator, a DeepLink generator, and PHP proxy to access Spreadshirt’s easy to use API through JavaScript. The plugin is easily customizable using a variety of Hooks and Filters in JavaScript and PHP.

Plus, the ApparelCuts Spreadshirt for WordPress plugin supports all the Spreadshirt countries and platforms, so you’ll need to have a Spreadshirt user account to install and start using the plugin.

However, it’s not an official Spreadshirt plugin, but open-source software. It’s also not been tested with the latest 3 major WordPress releases so you may encounter compatibility issues if you use it with the later WordPress versions.

To install ApparelCuts Spreadshirt for WordPress plugin, upload the plugin folder to the /wp-content/plugins/directory, and then activate it through the WordPress Plugins menu.

Once the plugin is activated, enter your API credentials and Shop ID on the Settings page, and then go to the \Synchronization\ page and click Start to set up instantly.

The premium version of the plugin offers features such as Plan promotions to show off your store on registered theme locations, premium icons, departments to group products based on types, feature voter to suggest features, early bird to get updates and bug fixes, priority support, and access to all resources from ApparelCuts.

6. Peecho

Peecho is a print on demand plugin for WordPress that allows you to order products and then sell them in premium print.

The open-source, print on demand WordPress plugin allows you to upload and order directly, sell in print, and add print on demand to your platform or app.

You can upload any file such as an image or PDF, and order high-quality print products like books and magazines, and have it delivered anywhere in the world. You can also turn your image or PDF into wall art, sell, and fulfill incoming print orders right from your site.

There are no minimum volumes, so you can place single orders if you want, and there are no signup or overhead costs, meaning it’s completely free to integrate with the Peecho WordPress plugin.

The products printed include hardcover books, prints, glossy magazines, lay-flat hardcover, Mohawk hardcover, foam boards, canvases, matte magazines, aluminum Dibonds, and aluminum Dibonds with plexiglass.

You can showcase your creativity on all these beautifully printed products, and ship worldwide to any location.

Peecho is easy to set up, handles processing to checkout, payments, on-demand printing, the shipping process, and customer support. All your customers’ orders are delivered to their doorsteps no matter where they live.

You need to sign up and create a Peecho account to use the plugin. Once you have an account, you can add a print button using the button-code Peecho gives you.

Add the HTML snippet to your Peecho WordPress plugin via Settings, and the Print button will be created. 

You can tweak the appearance of the button to style it to your liking by changing the button-code.

To make money when your website’s visitors buy a print, just set your price on top of the wholesale price once your publication has been uploaded.

7. Zakeke Print & Ship Extension

Zakeke is a product customizer plugin for WordPress and Shopify print on demand stores, designed by Invition. The plugin allows you to sell personalized items on your site and allow customers to design their own items.

The plugin offers a full product library, and customers can place orders automatically within the platform. Everything is set up for you so all you need do is sell phone cases.

The product customizer is responsive and works intuitively on mobile devices and computers. Your orders are placed in the fully automatic Zakeke system, which handles the processing of images while Invition prints them.

It’s quick and easy to set up the plugin. Simply connect Zakeke and your online store, key in your Invition API information, and start adding products directly from Invition.

Once the Zakeke Print & Ship plugin is set up, you can register for an account with Invition and an account with Zakeke.

Once the accounts are registered, you can pick the platform you have such as WooCommerce and Shopify, and see how to enable the Zakeke services.

To add products to Zakeke, go to Invition Print & Ship, click Create a product, and select Simple product. Pick the products you’d like to add and select Add as Zakeke products.

The products will be imported to your Zakeke account automatically but they’ll also be added to your WooCommerce store.

You can also download print images when you create a product using the plugin, and it will recognize that the product is a Zakeke and Invition product. The designs are automatically downloaded once your customers place their orders.

After the customers’ orders are received, the plugin adds an ‘extra order status’ to the orders, which you can change to Ready for production.

The plugin will check for orders with the status processing and change the status to Invition Print & Ship when it’s ready for fulfillment and shipping.

8. Key2Print

Key2Print is an innovative print on demand WordPress plugin for online stores that allows you to sell high quality printed products for different types of businesses.

You can use the application to access millions of product configurations that you can sell to customers at your own price.

The plugin works slightly differently from other print on demand products as your customers upload their own graphics to the items they want to be printed.

Key2Print offers access to more than 500 million product configurations up to 30 categories such as cards, flyers, posters, brochures and leaflets, tarpaulins, rollups, and countertops among others.

To use the plugin, download it in a ZIP file, install to WordPress, and activate it. You can see how Key2Print works through the demo version of the plugin and go to the API and activate the Set a Demo checkbox.

However, you can also access the plugin’s full functionality by registering as a reseller on the SaxoPrint website, and send a form with the customer ID you receive upon registration. Once your company is verified, you’ll get the API key. You can now configure your products and begin to sell.

When customers pick a product in any configuration, they can upload their own designs to the printed item, and place their orders. You, the seller, receives the order using the API, and it’ll be connected to the print house at Key2Print automatically.

The plugin is free to use so you don’t need to pay any startup fees, monthly or subscription fees, and there aren’t any hidden costs.

You also get access to expert services from an established European print house that delivers the best quality products and you control your profits.

Wrapping Up

With a print on demand WordPress plugin, all you need is to download, install, activate, and start selling. These eight print on demand plugins will help you elevate your online store to new heights. 

They also give you flexibility and control without investing risky amounts of stock prior to sale.

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10 Best Print On Demand WooCommerce Plugins https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-print-on-demand-woocommerce-plugins/ Wed, 16 Sep 2020 11:20:04 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=9958 WooCommerce is an eCommerce plugin from the WordPress CMS with up to 5 million installations. That makes it very popular among online merchants.  You can use WooCommerce for any eCommerce business, but in this post, our focus is on print on demand – an order fulfillment method where products are manufactured (printed) only when they ...

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WooCommerce is an eCommerce plugin from the WordPress CMS with up to 5 million installations. That makes it very popular among online merchants. 

You can use WooCommerce for any eCommerce business, but in this post, our focus is on print on demand – an order fulfillment method where products are manufactured (printed) only when they are ordered (demanded).

If you want to launch a print on demand business with WooCommerce, check out the ten best plugins you can use.

Best Print On Demand WooCommerce Plugins

1. Printful

Printful is a popular print on demand and dropshipping platform launched in 2013. Since its launch, the platform has fulfilled over 21 million product orders. 

Additionally, Printful has an in-house manufacturing facility, which is worth up to $27 million. Products are sourced from top brands such as Gildan, Bayside, Hanes, Next Level Apparel, etc. Likewise, the platform has fulfillment centers in Riga, Mexico, Charlotte, and Los Angeles. 

To use Printful on your WooCommerce store, simply install the plugin from your dashboard to connect your store.

Next, use the Printful Product Push Generator to select and publish products you want to sell on your store. Finally, set the price range for shipping and taxes, and you’re ready to start selling. 

There’s no limit to the number of products you can publish to your store, and Printful provides a platform to manage inventory.

There are about 258 different products on Printful. This includes t-shirts, bags, hats, phone cases, laptop cases, blankets, towels, etc. The selling prices of these products are to be set by you; so, you should simply add your margin to the base price. 

Printful had a couple of pricing plans earlier but very recently, they made the service free for all, that too with additional features.

So Printful is free. You only need to pay for the products, and shipping. Check out the pricing page for the latest on product and shipping costs.

Products are automatically forwarded to Printful for fulfillment after payment. The shipped packages do not carry any Printful branding as the platform is white-label. Besides, you can set up your brand labels, logos, and custom slips to use. 

Other services you can access on Printful include design services, store setup services, warehousing, etc.

With their collaboration with SiteGround, you can purchase hosting on the platform and get preinstalled WordPress, WooCommerce, and Printful apps – you just have to fill in your details. 

Likewise, you can use Printful conveniently from your mobile device because it has iOS and Android mobile apps. 

Special: Printful Offers Free Signup, No Monthly Fees & No Minimum

Printful helps you design and sell products online with ease. Try it today!

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

2. Printify  

Printify is a global print on demand platform with over 90 printing facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, and China. 

Products on Printify include men’s clothing, women’s clothing, kids’ clothing, hats, accessories, and home & living products.

With the Printify mockup generator, you can quickly create designs for products before publishing them to your store. 

If you use the Printify WooCommerce plugin, you can add warehousing products to your online store. Not to mention, Printify features flat product prices, although they vary depending on the product type. 

With their profit calculator, simply add your desired profit to generate the selling price for products. Monthly discounts are offered if your accumulated sales are from $1,000 and above. The higher the sales, the higher the discount. 

For shipping, the rates are calculated live on product pages. There’s a shipping rate calculator featured for calculating shipping rates for bulk orders.

With Printify, you are guaranteed on time product fulfillment. If products are not fulfilled within 10 days, you can request a refund. 

The pricing plans on Printify include:

  • Free plan – $0 per month 
  • Premium Plan – $29 per month 
  • Enterprise Plan – Custom pricing

Just like Printful, Printify collaborates with SiteGround to facilitate free WordPress, WooCommerce, and Printify installation once hosting is purchased. 

Other eCommerce services available on Printify include dropshipping, store setup services, and creative services. 

Printify | Your Print-On-Demand Partner Of Choice

Give shape to your dropshipping dream. Printify gives you the liberty to create, design and sell your custom prints using 3000 plus products. What's more, it is absolutely free!

We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

3. Scalable Press  

The Scalable Press platform has over 5,000 users and has fulfilled up to 9 million product orders. Thankfully, they have a WooCommerce plugin that facilitates print on demand.

Conversely, Scalable Press handles DTG printing, screen printing, sublimation printing, embroidery, etc.

They have several production centers, but they are all within the US. Nevertheless, Scalable Press also fulfills orders for customers outside the United States.  

Unlike other print on demand platforms, you can’t directly register to use Scalable Press. You have to request an account by contacting the sales team; hence, the platform isn’t open for everyone. Moreover, your application request might get rejected. 

If you get approved, there’s no upfront cost to pay. You only pay for the products and shipping. 

You can make use of their price estimator to determine product costs based on print type and quantity. Thankfully, you can get reduced pricing for high quantity orders. 

With Scalable Press, you have thousands of products to sell. Some of their products include shirts, hoodies, hats, backpacks, phone cases, beanies, etc. 

Nevertheless, fulfillment is relatively fast as a 72-hour production turnaround time is guaranteed for all orders. 

If you are a Scalable Press user already, you can immediately synchronize products into your online store after installing their WooCommerce plugin. New users will have to select and publish products. 

There’s no minimum limit for orders, and product packages are white-label, without Scalable Press’s branding. Although the company handles shipping, you can also use third-party shipping services like UPS, USPS, DHL, etc. 

Also, Scalable Press facilitates a tracking system that enables customers to follow up on their orders. 

4. CustomCat

Another best print on demand WooCommerce plugin on our list is by CustomCat.

CustomCat is a US-based print on demand service provider launched in 1999. With its WooCommerce plugin, you can sell and fulfill print on demand products. 

Connecting CustomCat to WooCommerce is very easy. After installing the plugin, you can connect your online store using the API and then set product permalinks and payment methods. 

Thankfully, CustomCat products are of good quality as they are produced with state of the art equipment. They handle embroidery, DTG printing, and dye sublimation.

With over 10,000 products printed daily, this company actively fulfills print on demand product orders. In fact, there are up to 500 different products on CustomCat. 

Products on CustomCat range from t-shirts, hoodies, hats to aprons, phone cases, etc. These products are sourced from top brands, including Adidas, Bella + Canvas, Gildan, Next Level, etc. 

Product base prices on CustomCat are determined by the printing method. The prices are never stable, they change from time to time, but you can always get the current price from the CustomCat pricing sheet. 

Product orders you get on your WooCommerce store are automatically sent to CustomCat to be fulfilled. You can also create manual orders by merely adding an order from the plugin dashboard.

The platform is relatively fast to fulfill orders. For instance, domestic shipping, within the US, is fulfilled within 2 – 3 business days. However, CustomCat can handle international shipping. 

Also, you don’t have to pay to use CustomCat as it is a free platform, but you have to pay for shipping; however, CustomCat’s shipping rates are flat.

The company uses UPS to ship goods worldwide, but only customers in some countries can track their orders.

5. Printrove  

Printrove is a leading print on demand company based in India. To use Printrove with WooCommerce, simply install their plugin, upload products, map the SKUs, and you can begin receiving orders. 

When you register on Printrove, you’re not charged for subscriptions, but you’re mandated to deposit Rs. 5000 – about $68 to migrate to the business plan. This money will be credited to your account, and you can use it to pay for orders. 

Unlike other best print on demand WooCommerce plugins, you need to upgrade to their business plan before utilizing Printrove’s WooCommerce plugin. 

Nevertheless, Printrove imprints custom designs on clothing, phone cases, coasters, notebooks, mugs, posters, etc. Product samples can be ordered for quality examination but you’ll have to pay for them.

Customer orders are automatically received by Printrove before they print, package, and ship the goods to their destination using your branding. Available branding options include pack-ins, neck labels, thank you notes, etc. 

You can upload and test your designs on Printrove products via the Printrove’s Merchant Panel. Also featured is a design library that allows you to manage your designs. 

There are specific designing guidelines to ensure that you upload quality designs. For example, only JPEG and PNG files are supported as they should have a minimum resolution of 3000 DPI. 

Printrove dispatches products for delivery within 48 hours after the orders are placed. The delivery time depends on the customers’ location, but it takes 3 to 5 working days on average. 

Products are shipped via FedEx, Delhivery, and India Speed Post. Despite being based in India, Printrove supports shipping to international locations but only through DHL. 

The company supports COD; hence, customers can pay for goods upon delivery, while the money will be credited into your bank account. 

6. Print Aura 

Over 150,000 online merchants currently use the Print Aura platform. It is easy to register, setup, and no signup fee is charged. 

With Print Aura, you get quality prints thanks to their Kornit printers. Products are printed in full CMYK colors, and it is direct to garment (DTG printing). 

However, you need to create a PrintAura account to use their WooCommerce plugin. Afterward, select products to sell, create their mockup images, and publish them on your store. 

There are over 100 different products on Print Aura; the platform is renowned for having huge product variety. Finding the right product isn’t difficult, as you can sort through the product catalog using filters such as categories, prices, colors, etc. 

Print Aura’s products include T-shirts, sweatshirts, polos, tank tops, hats, bags, phone cases, drinkware, wall art, and accessories.

When customers pay for orders, you get billed automatically. There are no minimum orders with Print Aura, and the company can handle large daily printing, up to 500 per day. 

Print Aura order fulfillment is automated. Products get printed and shipped within 3 to 5 days from the order date.

The shipping fee is relatively affordable at a minimum of $5.50. If you opt for rush processing, it takes 2 – 3 business days but attracts a higher shipping fee. 

Print Aura ships goods globally, although domestic delivery in the US is faster. The products are shipped with your brand as the platform is white-label. You can put your branding/logo on packing slips, neck labels, and return labels. 

You get a quality guarantee by selling Print Aura’s print on demand products. Products that come with any defects or errors will be replaced at no extra cost to you. 

7. Spreadshirt  

This is a print on demand platform that specializes majorly on clothing. To use the Spreadshirt WooCommerce plugin, you have to install the plugin from your WordPress dashboard and then connect using the Spreadshirt API.

Spreadshirt carries out digital print, direct to garment printing, thermo sublimation, laser transfer, flock printing, and flox printing. 

Products available on Spreadshirt include t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, photo gifts, aprons, etc. You can upload your designs, test them on products, and publish them on your WooCommerce store for sale. 

With this WooCommerce plugin, you only have to worry about publishing products to your store.

Customers are redirected to Spreadshirt checkout pages when they click on checkout, and so, payment and order processing is handled by Spreadshirt. 

You only pay for the product price on Spreadshirt. In fact, the number of print areas determines the cost of products on Spreadshirt. 

Spreadshirt delivers worldwide, but the three main countries they cover are the United States, Australia, and Canada. Shipping rates vary for international and domestic shipping, but they are calculated based on the order value. 

The company makes use of different delivery companies. Standard shipping takes 7 to 15 days to complete, while Premium shipping takes 6 to 9 days.

Domestic delivery takes just one day to be delivered after printing, while international delivery takes 1 – 3 business days with Express shipping. 

However, delivery to hard to reach destinations can take much longer, up to 5 days with Express delivery.

With the Spreadshirt fair return policy, you get a replacement or refund on defective orders. Also, it takes 7 days for returns to be processed. 

8. Shirtee Cloud 

Shirtee Cloud features a free WooCommerce plugin for importing their products into WooCommerce stores. The platform handles product storage (warehousing), packaging, and shipping. 

With the Shirtee Cloud plugin, you can send t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, mugs, caps, bags, etc. to your WooCommerce store. There are over 50 different product types in total. 

With their product generator, you can generate products you want to sell, import them from the cloud, and start selling. There’s no upfront cost. 

The Shirtee Cloud platform is an automatic one. Orders are instantly transferred upon payment, and shipping and tax costs are calculated live. 

Thankfully, Shirtee Cloud is a white-label print on demand shipping platform. You can reflect your brand on your products using leaflets and product labels.

 Shirtee Cloud products are printed using the latest printing technologies and new machines, so you get quality print results. 

Their products are sourced from Stanley/Stella and are all organic. Also, production is fast. Orders are printed and made ready for shipping within 2 to 5 working days irrespective of the order quantity.

The location of the customer determines the shipping duration. The lowest shipping duration featured on Shirtee Cloud is 2 – 3 days, while the highest is 8 – 12 days. 

As a Germany-based company, shipping within Germany and neighboring countries is faster with cheaper rates. Shipping companies used by Shirtee Cloud include DPD, DHL, GLS, UPS, and Deutsche Post. 

Not to mention, you can see the standard Shirtee Cloud shipping prices from your backend. That way, you have the flexibility to set the shipping prices that customers will see in your store. 

9. Cloudprinter

With Cloudprinter, you can submit your print jobs and get them printed and shipped to your location. With their WooCommerce plugin, you can do the same for anyone at any location. 

Basically, Cloudprinter operates a print network of over 150 print providers. So, you are likely to find an ideal print provider closest to your customers’ location.

With the high number of print providers, there’s also a high number of products you can sell, up to 5,000. 

There are more than 500 product templates available on Cloudprinter. Hence, You can make use of their product template instead of the standard WooCommerce product templates. 

However, you must own an account to utilize the Cloudprinter WooCommerce plugin. With just a few clicks, you can publish products, set shipping fees, and you’re ready to sell. 

Cloudprinter can be used for free, but there are paid plans available. Their pricing plans include: 

  • Starter Plan – $0
  • Business Plan – $199 per month
  • Enterprise Plan – $999 per month 

However, the free plan isn’t totally free as job fees are charged. The job fees include:

  • Starter Plan – $2.95 + 0.29 x product quantity 
  • Business Plan – $1.77 x 0.18
  • Enterprise Plan – Custom fees

The job fees are charged for every print order irrespective of the product quantity. Likewise, Cloudprinter’s smart routing algorithm utilizes information such as address, printing type, product price, and the set shipping method to get the best print provider for a customer’s job. 

Also, you can set custom shipping routes by selecting print providers based on your preferences. 

If there’s any change in product order status, you can get real-time status updates by email or Webbooks. 

10. Key2Print

Key2Print is another noteworthy print on demand WooCommerce plugin on our list. To use this plugin, you have to register on SaxoPrint’s (Key2Print printing partner) website and obtain a user ID. There are different links for registration in different countries. 

However, you can only use Key2Print if your business is incorporated, i.e, you own a VAT number. After filling and submitting the registration form with your user ID, your submission will be reviewed. 

If you are accepted, you can then download the plugin, install on your WooCommerce store, configure the settings, and start selling. 

Before installing the Key2Print plugin on your WooCommerce store, you can test it in demo mode to examine the features and know how they work. 

There are about 30 different product categories on Key2Print with a product count of up to 500 million. The major products available include business cards, posters, desk calendars, and flyers. 

Key2Print uses the base price + markup pricing system. You set how much percentage of profit you want to make from the base price as your markup and the selling price is generated. There’s no monthly fee, order fee, or hidden costs. The shipping cost is included in the base price.

Key2Print’s printing partner, SaxoPrint, handles all the printing tasks. The companies have a brilliant printing facility and can handle up to 4,000 daily orders. In fact, they’ve been around for about 20 years, so they’re well experienced. 

However, you can only use Key2Print if you are based in supported European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria. 

Wrap Up – What Is The Best Print On Demand WooCommerce Plugin?

Out of the 10 best print on demand WooCommerce plugins listed here, I would recommend Printful as the best plugin to use. Printful is renowned and easy to use with various products to sell, but most importantly, it is a free platform. 

Also, you have the flexibility to set your selling price, and you don’t pay for shipping. With Printful, you can do more than print on demand as the platform offers warehousing and inventory management services. 

The post 10 Best Print On Demand WooCommerce Plugins appeared first on Rigorous Themes.

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UpdraftPlus vs Duplicator – Which Is Better? https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/updraftplus-vs-duplicator/ Tue, 08 Sep 2020 09:39:40 +0000 https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/?p=9828 According to BuiltWith, WordPress CMS has the largest share in the CMS market. However, WordPress websites are usually targeted by hackers, and other cybercriminals who look to either infect their websites with malicious codes or take over their administration. If such happens to your website, you get to lose all the hard work and time ...

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According to BuiltWith, WordPress CMS has the largest share in the CMS market.

However, WordPress websites are usually targeted by hackers, and other cybercriminals who look to either infect their websites with malicious codes or take over their administration.

If such happens to your website, you get to lose all the hard work and time that you put in building your WordPress site.

Fortunately, a WordPress backup plugin can help you to quickly recover or restore your website whenever a compromise occurs.

In this post, I will place two popular WordPress backup plugins, i.e. UpdraftPlus and Duplicator in a tussle. In the end, I will show you the most reliable to use.

What Is UpdraftPlus?

UpdraftPlus is a popular WordPress plugin for site backup, restoration, and cloning. It is ideal for site owners that want to keep their site safe from errors, server crashes, hackers, and the likes.

At the moment, UpdraftPlus is used on over 3 million WordPress sites. Some of their popular users include NBA, Microsoft, Cisco, and P&G.

Thankfully, UpdraftPlus is supported by a team of experienced WordPress developers and experts.

What Is Duplicator?

Duplicator is a backup plugin developed by SnapCreek. Though there are several WordPress backup plugins available out there; however, Duplicator is a relatively easy-to-use tool.

Interestingly, the Duplicator backup plugin is the backup plugin of choice for more than 700,000 WordPress site owners.

Likewise, the plugin is available in two versions: Duplicator Pro and Duplicator Lite version. As you would presume, the Pro version is the paid version, while the Lite version is available for free with limited features.

Now that you have an overview of what both plugins are, let’s look at Duplicator vs Updraft by comparing their features side by side.

How To Install

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus has both free and premium versions, and the mode of installation for both is different. The free version can be installed from the WordPress plugin directory, which can be accessed from the ‘Add New’ menu under Plugins from your WordPress dashboard.

Simply search for “UpdraftPlus” and install the plugin before you activate it. For the premium version, you have to pay for the plugin via the UpdraftPlus shop, download, and then install it from your WordPress dashboard.

It’s a more lengthy process but still comfortable. Not to mention, you can install the free version and upgrade to a paid one.

Duplicator

The Duplicator plugin is available for download and installation in the WordPress plugin directory. From the ‘Add New Plugin’ section, you can search and install it, but this is only for the free version.

The paid version is available only on the SnapCreek website, and you can download it only after registering and paying for your preferred premium plan.

Afterward, you can navigate to your WordPress dashboard and install it from the ‘Add New plugin’ section. Then, you can activate it once the installation is done.

Verdict

The installation process for both the Duplicator and UpdraftPlus are the same and relatively easy to carry out.

Backup Features

UpdraftPlus

Site backup is one of the three major features of the UpdraftPlus plugin. In fact, UpdraftPlus can back up large sites as there is no limit to the number of files and databases you can back up.

It can backup a site with a size up to 100GB. If there’s any limit, it will only be set by the web host.

Additionally, UpdraftPlus is compatible with multi-sites. Also, you can carry out differential and incremental backups by scheduling the plugin to backup site files at intervals.

You can schedule backups daily, weekly, monthly, or at any specific time.

Likewise, UpdraftPlus can make auto backups before any core WordPress, theme, or plugin update.

Duplicator

Duplicator is a plugin for WordPress backup, so there are several backup features to explore. It supports large databases such as SQL files, and the backup files are packed in a single file for easier management.

While the Duplicator plugin can backup large sites, up to 100GB sites, you can set a backup limit based on your web host limit. Apart from backing up a standard WordPress website, you can backup multi-site websites with Duplicator.

Furthermore, there are tons of advanced options for customizing the backup. You can filter the intended backup data to backup specific files, directories, extensions, etc. and you can schedule backups at different times.

Verdict

In this UpdraftPlus vs Duplicator feature comparison category, UpdraftPlus takes the upper hand with support for differential and incremental backups.

External Backup Destinations

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus enables you to back up your site files to several external storage locations including Google drive. Other destinations include DropBox, Amazon S3, Rackspace, FTP, Email servers, DreamObjects, Openstack Swift, etc.

If you opt for a premium version of the plugin, you have additional external destinations to back up your files. Apart from the supported destinations in the free version, you can also back up to OneDrive, Azure, SFTP, WebDav, SCP, Google Cloud Storage, Backblaze, etc.

These external backup destinations can be set under the Settings tab from the UpdraftPlus dashboard.

Duplicator

There are external backup destinations supported on Duplicator. However, you can only connect to these external backup destinations to store your website files if you are a premium version user. There’s no such support on the free version.

You can backup to DropBox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon S3, cPanel, FTP, and SFTP. In fact, the supported external backup destinations on Duplicator are the major and most reliable ones out there.

Verdict

UpdraftPlus is the winner here as the plugin has many external backup destinations than Duplicator. Besides, Duplicator doesn’t allow backup to external destinations with the free version.

Security & Optimization Features

UpdraftPlus

When it comes to security, UpdraftPlus is a reliable WordPress backup plugin you can count on. The database backup you generate can be encrypted to keep them secure.

As you transfer backup data to external storage destinations, the data is encrypted during the transfer process to prevent leaks.

For optimization, UpdraftPlus logs all backup operations. As the backup is in progress, you will be notified of any warnings or errors encountered via the status panel from your WordPress dashboard.

You can debug the errors to discover fixes. Also, UpdraftPlus lets you manage your site’s SSL certificate.

Duplicator

The area of security is one where the Duplicator plugin lacks. There are fewer features to keep your website backup safe; besides, no data encryption is supported.

The most you get with the Duplicator as regards security and optimization are the email notifications. If there are any issues like errors or the likes with the site backup, you get notified by email immediately so you can take instant action.

Verdict

There’s no debate in this Duplicator vs Updraft comparison section. With database encryption, UpdraftPlus offers more security and optimization features than Duplicator.

Restoration Features

UpdraftPlus

Restoring site backups with the UpdraftPlus plugin is relatively easy. You can restore the backups manually or automatically from the UpdraftPlus admin dashboard.

From the admin dashboard, navigate to the settings section and click the restore button. A list of the available backups will be listed, and typically, you would want to install the latest one. With just one click, the restoration will commence.

You can carry out single file restoration from file backups. Just as the data files are encrypted during backup, they will be encrypted during the restoration process.

Duplicator

Duplicator is more focused on site migration – switching web host – than restoring backup files on the same host.

However, Duplicator requires an empty database to work so if you’re restoring, all the existing databases are erased. This can be done using the Overwrite Live Site option.

The only way to restore your website while maintaining previous databases is by creating a new and empty database, and not all web hosts support this. If yours does, then you can customize the backup data to overwrite after installing the backup file.

Verdict

Restoring site backups is more efficient and quickly done with UpdraftPlus.

Site Migration

UpdraftPlus

With UpdraftPlus, you can migrate your WordPress website to a new location. However, this can be done only with the UpdraftMigrator – a premium add-on that comes with the UpdraftPlus paid plans.

The UpdraftMigrator is simple to use. Apart from migrating websites, it can be used to clone WordPress sites as well.

If you intend to migrate a site, all the data in the new site location will be erased.

To migrate, simply upload your existing site backup to the UpdraftMigrator and install the UpdraftPlus plugin with the add-on on the new website. Activate the plugin, download the uploaded backup and then install/restore it.

While restoring, you can select specific content by ticking the boxes. This includes themes, media, plugins, etc.

Duplicator

As stated earlier, site migration is the second major feature of the Duplicator plugin. In fact, site migration with Duplicator requires a simple 2-step process – import and export.

On your existing website, you can backup your site data, while from the Data Tab under Tools, you can export it with one click. The exported file is saved as a .dup file.

Next, you can install and activate the Duplicator plugin on your new site. Again, from the Data tab under tools, you can import the site with one click. Click on the import button and select the .dup file from the saved location and install it afterward.

Verdict

In terms of site migration, both Duplicator and UpdraftPlus are reliable.

Site Cloning

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus might not have a specific feature for website cloning, but it can carry out such a task. Cloning involves duplicating a new website using the data of an already-existing website such that both sites appear the same.

To clone a site with UpdraftPlus, you should use the UpdraftClone, which comes with its premium version. However, UpdraftClone only supports the cloning of a single website, while the cloned data is usually hosted temporarily.

Apart from using the UpdraftClone add-on, you can use regular backup and installation to clone a website. However, for this method, you need to have admin access to the website you intend to clone.

Duplicator

Duplicator is a plugin for WordPress site backup, migration, and “cloning”. Interestingly, the Duplicator plugin allows you to clone single websites as well as multisite, themes, plugins, etc.

However, the Duplicator plugin works for cloning the traditional way. This implies that you have to create and download the backup file of your website (in .dub file format) and upload it to the database of your new web server.

However, before uploading, ensure that you created a new database. This is to ensure that the new installation does not wipe off the previous sites’ data.

Verdict

When it comes to site cloning, Duplicator is a better plugin compared to UpdraftPlus.

Developer Features

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus has no support for developers at the moment. Thankfully, UpdraftPlus incorporates few developer features including data encryption, SSL certificate management, and troubleshooting if any error is encountered

With the regular license (whether free or paid), the plugin is closed source. In fact, no contributions can be made by external developers, only by in-house developers. Hence, it is not surprising that the plugin doesn’t have any page on GitHub.

Duplicator

Just like UpdraftPlus, the Duplicator plugin has few developer features. SnapCreek made this plugin, not for developers, but for WordPress site owners to migrate or backup their websites.

For Developer features, you can consider a tool like Backupbuddy over Duplicator. It offers several Developer features like DB Mass Text Replacement, Serialized Data, and WordPress Cron.

Notwithstanding, some features would interest developers. For instance, the Duplicator Power tools incorporate features like installer branding, installer salt, key replacement, etc.

Also, there is a Duplicator development page on GitHub. You can join as a developer and add new contributions to improve Duplicator.

Verdict

Both platforms can easily pass as equals. None is better than the other when it comes to Developer features.

Third-Party Integrations

UpdraftPlus

Before now, we’ve looked at the external backup destinations supported by UpdraftPlus. Some of these include DropBox, Amazon S3, Google Drive, OneDrive, Azure, SFTP, WebDav, SCP, etc. All of these count as third-party integrations.

But, UpdraftPlus still supports more. In fact, it works with other backup plugins, including BackupWordPress and BackWPup.

Interestingly, UpdraftPlus seamlessly integrates with other Updraft tools such as UpdraftClone, UpdraftMigrator, UpdraftCentral, UpdraftVault, and WP Optimize. Thankfully, they can be managed from an account, and available for use as add-ons from the UpdraftPlus admin panel.

Duplicator

Unlike UpdraftPlus, Duplicator lacks when it comes to third-party integrations. Supported third-party integrations include DropBox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon S3, cPanel, FTP, and SFTP.

Hence, the Duplicator backup plugin has a relatively low score in this category. Not to mention the supported external backup destinations are only available for paid version users.

Duplicator might not have many third-party integrations, but its developer-friendly API enables users to connect the Duplicator plugin with other websites/platforms.

Verdict

With support for more external backup destinations, integration with other backup plugins, and seamless integration with other Updraft tools as add-ons, UpdraftPlus wins in this category.

Customer Support & Resources

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus provides enough support and helpful resources for its users. They have a support center that allows users to submit a support request via a contact form. However, this option is only available to premium users.

Nevertheless, there are other means of getting support including a WordPress forum, video tutorials on YouTube, and an FAQ page that doubles as a documentation page. Likewise, UpdraftPlus provides technical support, but this is limited to premium users.

For a quick search in the support center, the featured search option is enhanced by Google. UpdraftPlus also features a blog where news and updates are posted.

Duplicator

The Duplicator support team can be reached by submitting a support ticket. However, users can get self-support by making use of the available documentation page.

The documentation page contains user guide articles, quick start articles, general FAQs, and Technical FAQs in sections for easy navigation. To make the articles even more comfortable to comprehend, the majority of them include demonstration videos.

Additionally, there is a blog featured on the plugin site and other resources as well.

Verdict

With almost the same support channels, there is nothing much to differentiate Duplicator and UpdraftPlus in terms of customer support. However, Duplicator takes the upper hand as support is not open for all users.

Pricing

UpdraftPlus pricing

UpdraftPlus offers both free and premium plans unlike some of its competitors. This makes it available to all.

  • Free Plan – $0 per year
  • Personal Plan – $70 per year
  • Business Plan – $95 per year
  • Agency Plan – $145 per year
  • Enterprise Plan – $195 per year

Duplicator pricing

Like UpdraftPlus, Duplicator has free and paid plans, which include:

  • Free Plan – $0 per year
  • Personal Plan – $59 per year
  • Freelancer Plan – $79 per year
  • Business Plan – $129 per year
  • Gold Plan – $359 per year

Note: The costs for the premium plans vary from time to time.

Similarities & Differences

Similarities

  • Both UpdraftPlus and Duplicator are easy to install
  • Both UpdraftPlus and Duplicator are backup and site migration plugins
  • They both have a free version
  • Both support multi-site
  • Both Duplicator and UpdraftPlus support external backup destinations
  • They both use the contact form support method

Differences

  • Unlike UpdraftPlus, Duplicator has fewer external backup destinations.
  • UpdraftPlus free version supports external backup destinations, unlike Duplicator.
  • UpdraftPlus is more optimized for security compared to Duplicator.
  • Duplicator has fewer restoration features compared to UpdraftPlus.
  • Free and paid Duplicator users can reach their support team, while for UpdraftPlus, only premium users can contact their support team.
  • UpdraftPlus supports more third-party integrations than Duplicator.

Pros & Cons

UpdraftPlus

Pros

  • Easy to install
  • Free version
  • Multi-site support
  • External backup destinations
  • Third-party integrations

Cons

  • Contact form support only for paid users
  • Support for only a single website cloning
  • No developer features

Duplicator

Pros

  • Easy to install
  • Free version
  • Multi-site support
  • External backup destinations

Cons

  • No external backup destination supported for the free plan
  • Fewer security features
  • Less third-party integrations
  • No direct backup restoration

UpdraftPlus vs Duplicator – Which Is Better?

As you can see from our comparison, UpdraftPlus takes the upper hand and is the winner.

Unlike Duplicator that incorporates primary backup and site migration features, UpdraftPlus has more features for an all-round WordPress site backup, restoration, and cloning. Not to mention, UpdraftPlus is more secure thanks to its database encryption feature.

Additionally, UpdraftPlus supports more external storage location and third-party integrations. Hence, UpdraftPlus is a better WordPress backup plugin than Duplicator.

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