Which WordPress plugins do you always install?

Review
1

Hey everyone, just curious about your go-to plugins for WordPress. What do you install on almost every site you build and why? It’d be great to hear your recommendations and any experiences you’ve had with them. Let’s compare notes!

2

Here’s my list:

  • Wordfence: For security, obviously.
  • UpdraftPlus/BackWPUp: Backups are crucial.
  • WPCode: Handy for custom snippets.
  • ACF: Makes life so much easier.
  • WP Migrate: Moving sites is a breeze with it.
  • WPForms/Gravity Forms: Because, surprisingly, WordPress lacks a good default form setup.
  • Redirection: For dealing with broken links.

Any others I should be adding?

3

@Laurel
The Luda reference in your list made my day. :joy:

4

Teal said:
@Laurel
The Luda reference in your list made my day. :joy:

Haha, I had to! ‘When I move, you move’ just fits so perfectly for WP Migrate!

5

Laurel said:

Teal said:
@Laurel
The Luda reference in your list made my day. :joy:

Haha, I had to! ‘When I move, you move’ just fits so perfectly for WP Migrate!

Are you secretly a rapper too? :sweat_smile:

6

@Vance
If only! Just a big fan of clever references. :blush:

7

@Laurel
Quick question: are all these plugins free?

8

Nori said:
@Laurel
Quick question: are all these plugins free?

Most have free versions, but Gravity Forms is paid. Starts at $59 a year.

9

Laurel said:

Nori said:
@Laurel
Quick question: are all these plugins free?

Most have free versions, but Gravity Forms is paid. Starts at $59 a year.

Gravity Forms doesn’t have a free option, unfortunately.

10

Laurel said:

Nori said:
@Laurel
Quick question: are all these plugins free?

Most have free versions, but Gravity Forms is paid. Starts at $59 a year.

If you’re looking for free alternatives, try Forminator. It’s quite solid.

11

@Hollis
Fluent Forms is another decent option.

12

Dane said:
@Hollis
Fluent Forms is another decent option.

True, but Fluent Forms’ free version lacks a repeater field, which I needed.

13

@Laurel
FYI, WordPress is testing a form block. It’s on GitHub if you’re curious.

14

Riley said:
@Laurel
FYI, WordPress is testing a form block. It’s on GitHub if you’re curious.

It’s been part of the Gutenberg plugin for ages. I wouldn’t count on it making it to the core anytime soon.

15

For me, these are must-haves:

  • The SEO Framework: Great for SEO.
  • WebP Express: Serves images in next-gen format.
  • Autoptimize: Minifies output.
  • Cache Enabler: Enables static caching.

Best part? They’re all free!

16

@Tatum
I second The SEO Framework and WebP Express! Gonna check out the other two.

17

Added ASE to my stack recently. It’s replaced several plugins for me.

18

Shannon said:
Added ASE to my stack recently. It’s replaced several plugins for me.

Couldn’t some of these features be handled with a simple functions.php snippet?

19

Dakota said:

Shannon said:
Added ASE to my stack recently. It’s replaced several plugins for me.

Couldn’t some of these features be handled with a simple functions.php snippet?

Possibly, but ASE has a nice UI and covers a lot of ground. Makes life easier.

20

Here’s what I usually install:

  • ASE
  • Elementor Pro
  • ACF
  • Solid Security
  • Rank Math SEO