wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “local backup”
wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →
For “local backup”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 6 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.
wp.org search ranks on
Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.
We add
A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
WPvivid Backup for MainWP shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #1 2 
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 
JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate 200K+ · 4.5★ (1056)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 
Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135)
wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP 20K+ · 4.5★ (102)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 
Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid 40K+ · 4.8★ (442) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16 
Prime Mover – Backup and Migration 10K+ · 5.0★ (141)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Backup, Restore and Migrate your sites with XCloner 10K+ · 4.2★ (129)
wp.org #17 ↑2 18 
Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 
Everest Backup – WordPress Cloud Backup, Migration, Restore & Cloning Plugin 3K+ · 4.4★ (45)
wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too high 21 
Backup Bolt – Lightweight Backup, Fast WordPress Backup to ZIP 800+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 WPvivid Backup for MainWP 10K+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #13 9 too high 23 
WebToffee WP Backup and Migration 5K+ · 4.5★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
Trinity Backup – Backup, Migrate, Restore, Clone & Schedule Backups 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too high Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.