BackWPUp v UpdraftPlus - why I now use the latter
I have posted this exact post elsewhere on WA but I think it is worthy of posting here in it's own thread in case anybody has the same problem.
I have had issues with BackWPUp not completing for the past few weeks so my last completed backup dates back to December. I left it for a while but since I have added hundreds of hours of content recently I thought it was worth another shot, in fact something that needed to be sorted out. That's when the site started crashing.
This was the error message I was getting when I tried to load my site:
"Already Installed
You appear to have already installed WordPress. To reinstall please clear your old database tables first."
This seemed to happen whenever I tried to run BackWPUp recently. I couldn't be sure if this was causing the problem so decided to try something else. I disabled BackWPUp and installed Updraft Plus.
UpdraftPlus seems to be easier and has a restore button
First of all I have to say that UpdraftPlus looks a LOT easier to use, it backs everything up with one click and backups can be directed to Dropbox, Google Drive etc.
Second, there is a "Restore" button which of course I haven't had to use yet, but it's good to know it's there.
I think it is also worthy of mention that UpdraftPlus is also rated as one of THE best apps on WordPress and has higher ratings than BackWPUp.
However the most important thing is that UpdraftPlus also failed, but actually showed me an onscreen message which told me exactly why I had been having problems. It was related to a setting in wp-config which was related to WordPress cron, which was set to 'True' and should have been set to 'False'
I know very little about using FTP but very simple instructions on where to find the line of code using something like Filezilla and how to delete it (or set it to 'False')
Since I did that the UpdraftPlus backup completed successfully and the site appears to be working fine. Of course with the problematic line of code removed BackWPUp would probably work now too, but I think it's worth sticking with UpdraftPlus now simply because of the inclusion of a Restore button. This is a glaring omission on BackWPUp in my opinion and I why I will now be sticking with UpdraftPlus unless it proves to be problematic.
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Well I just thought it worth mentioning that I moved my site from WA to a new host yesterday. I used UpdraftPlus to reinstall the site on the new host and everything went almost perfectly.
My images were not restored but that's because the new installation uses a different path to the original site (I don't fully understand these things) but the hosting company sorted that out for me, using my UpdraftPlus backup file, and the site is now running perfectly.
My site currently has about 150 pages and 700+ images so if it works for me then most of you should have no problems. As a result I can definitely recommend UpdraftPlus. Restoring is a breeze with the one-touch Restore button which BackWPUp doesn't even have.
Thanks for the heads up. I haven't had any problems with BackWPUp, but UpDraftsPlus sounds like an improvement when it comes to the ease of restoring a site. ~Jude
It's a LOT easier Jude. One click and you're done. Most people here don't know how to restore a site using BackWPup and the are no clear instructions that I have seen, but with Updraft Plus you don't have to worry about any of that.
It's much easier to use too, even guiding you through setup such as linking to dropbox for example.
Good to know, and thanks for the advice.
Have you tried backing up a Siterubix site with it?
We can't transfer a Siterubix site to new hosting because it is not a domain named site. The same applies to all free hosting sites on the web, for example, like Blogger. To transfer a site to a new host, it must have it's own domain name, not a name that is used in Siterubix or a free hosted site, which are not actual domains.
Just wondering whether you have tried to back up Siterubix using that plugin, and were you able to restore it?
~Jude
will bookmark this one for a bit later, seems a bit beyond me just now, will be hoping I do not have this sort of problem but will be able to refer back to this should it arise thank you so much
Are you sure you are not adding a space between the words 'Updraft' and 'Plus'? If you do it won't show. Failing that, just search for "Wordpress Backup" and choose it from the list that appears.
Hey Terea. Here's a link http://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/ and the Premium (paid) version is available at http://updraftplus.com/updraftplus-full-feature-list/ :) Rich.
Sorry, I should have done that really but I always download plugins direct from my WP dashboard and didn't want to confuse anybody.
No probs. I do too, but so many plugins have similar names that I'm always grateful if I can look at the external download page, so I can match to it at the WP dashboard. :D R.
@Rich, as always Rich, thanks for the information you so graciously provide when I get stuck. You are like my personal, high class tow truck! I do know you service other customers, but it feel like I am special. Is that not the impression high quality services give? Like you are their only concern!
Strange Terea, I just tried searching for it again via the "Add new" (plugin) function and found it no problem. Try searching for wordpress backup and choose it from the list.
Gary, I had just finished updating my plugins and, in all my wisdom, did not realize I was searching installed plugins. Regular way (add) worked fine after I went back to the plugin page.
P.S. That was easy and the UpdraftPlus is fascinatingly clear and easy to work with, thanks again.
Thanks Gary, this was very interesting. I like the idea of a restore button. I think I will change to a higher ranked backup!
Wow Gary, this is one of the best plugin comparison reviews I've come across, I'm glad you re-posted (missed it the first time)... You have a talent for reviewing no doubt. Thank you for a community minded & easy to read posting. I'm off to see how the other reviewers compare on the front pg of that search pg thingy...
Well to be fair I am only relating my own issues in case it happens to anybody else. this wasn't really intended to be a review in it's own right.
The problem I had appears to have been caused by setting in the line of code, rather than by BackWPUp itself.
I generally advocate using whatever is advised by the experts here on WA but in this case, when I found myself looking for a different plugin so that I could back up my site, three things became apparent:
1. UpdraftPlus has a very high rating on Wordpress
2. It has a Restore button
3. It actually told me why the backup I was trying to do would not complete and what to do about it to correct the issue.
It is also the highest ranking backup plugin on rankwp.com, ranked in the top 50 from over 30,000 which is no mean feat, and rates an average of 5 stars with users who have voted so I felt that was enough to make it worthy of consideration.
the reason it was such a good review Gary, is precisely because you didn't intend it to be ~ cheers
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I've been having a tough time with BackWPup lately. It worked fine on previous sites, but not for my latest. I am glad I came across this blog!