14 of the Very Best WordPress Plugins in 2020

With more than 50,000 plugins, WordPress lets you add tons of additional functions like website security, analytics tool, landing pages, and much more. However, with so much choice at your hand, narrowing down the best WordPress plugins for your needs can be overwhelming.

Thankfully, you don’t need to look very far to find the best WordPress plugins. In this article, you’ll find 14 plugins we believe every WordPress users should be aware of in 2020.

1. WooCommerce

Powering more than 3,8 million ecommerce sites, WooCommerce is the best WordPress plugins for those who want to set up an online store.

The highlight of the plugin is undoubtedly its huge extension library, which makes the plugin highly versatile. You can add a currency converter to the checkout page, create a live chat, automate the sales tax, and many more! It is even compatible with any WordPress themes and plugins.

However, even without those extensions, the plugin already has the necessary tools to run an online store. Sort products into categories, show product ratings, set the preferred measurement units, and upload unlimited images.

It’s impossible to list all of WooCommerce’s features, so here are some of them:

• Various payment options, such as Stripe, PayPal, and Square.
• Extensions for various purposes like payments, shipping, and product management.
• Built-in analytics tool to monitor your website’s performance.
• Many product types. You can sell physical products, subscriptions, affiliate products, and so on.
• Feature-rich product management tool. It includes stock tracking, one-click refunds, and email templates.

WooCommerce is free to download and use. However, note that not all of its extensions are free. For example, you need to pay around $79 to $199 to use FedEx Shipping Method or $249 to $449 to use WooCommerce bookings.

2. Yoast SEO

Known as one of the best WordPress plugins for SEO purposes, Yoast is designed to help you publish higher-quality, search-optimized content.

The plugin operates via a unique traffic light-like indicator system that shows how your content will fare with search engines. Greenlight shows that your article is SEO-optimized, yellow indicates it needs more optimization, while red means that your content is badly-optimized.

These indicators are influenced by multiple factors, such as keyword density, focus keyword, meta description length, and keyphrase distribution. And luckily, Yoast will tell you everything you need to fix.

By using Yoast SEO, the plugin will:

• Analyze WordPress pages and posts and identify SEO weaknesses.
• Update page analysis results when the appropriate SEO changes are made.
• Build XML Sitemaps.
• Create SEO breadcrumbs on compatible WordPress themes.

Yoast can be used for free. However, since it is important to employ a stellar SEO plugin to keep your website ahead of the curve, you may want to use the premium version by paying $89/year for one site.

3. Ultimate Blocks

With the 5.0 update, WordPress has completely changed its default editor. The great thing about it is, that you can extend the editor’s functionality by using Gutenberg plugins. Ultimate Blocks is one of such plugins that comes up with more than 15 custom Gutenberg blocks.

Once you’ve activated the plugin, you will get following blocks in your Gutenberg editor:

• Content Blocks: Content Filter, Table of Contents, Tabbed Content, Content Toggle (Accordion), & Expand.
• Creative Blocks: Call to Action, Styled Box, Styled List, Countdown, Progress Bar, Image Slider, & Button.
• Social Blocks: Click to Tweet & Social Share.
• Other Blocks: Review (Schema-Enabled), Testimonial, Star Rating, Divider.

You can enable or disable individual blocks to keep your site faster. Ultimate Blocks is a free plugin. You can download it from the WordPress repository and use it straight away!

4. W3 Total Cache

A slow website has a dire effect on your business and sales. To prevent this, you need a reliable, fast caching plugin like W3 Total Cache.

Considered as one of the best WordPress plugins to increase site speed, W3 Total Cache will save your site’s static content into the visitors’ browsers. This way, your site will load quicker on subsequent visits since the browsers do not need to re-download all the files.

W3 Total Cache also implements Content Delivery Network (CDN) that allows the user’s browser to access your site using the nearest server. That way, web pages will load even quicker since the distance for the data to travel is shorter.

Overall, the plugin will improve your site’s performance by executing the following tasks:

• Cache most elements of a WordPress website, including pages, posts, feeds, and search result pages.
• Employ AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) to reduce the load time of your mobile site.
• Clear (purge) cached files via WP-CLI.
• Save up to 80% of your bandwidth by minifying and compressing your HTML, CSS, and Javascript files.

W3 Total Cache is free to use. That being said, you can also purchase the premium version for $99/year.

The paid version comes with a special fragment caching feature that will cache your site more efficiently. Moreover, you’ll also get an extension framework that allows third parties to contribute to your project without becoming a core developer.

5. Jetpack

Jetpack helps your website generate more traffic by combining security, performance, and website management tools. In other words, you can say that it is a one-stop solution to improve your site’s performance.

The free version of the plugin comes with 35 modules, each with its own function. There are modules for Google Analytics, custom CSS, infinite scroll, contact forms, and much more! In addition, it also comes with built-in SEO tools to improve your site’s ranking.

Take a look at some of Jetpack’s core features:

• Analyze your overall website performance with its built-in analytics tool.
• Protect your website using malware and code scanning.
• Provide social sharing, advanced commenting, and a stylish contact form to help you interact with visitors.
• Check your content for spelling, style, and grammatical errors.

The basic features of Jetpack are completely free. However, the premium version of this plugin offers a myriad of other features, such as daily automated backup, downtime monitoring, and unlimited static file hosting.

The premium version of this plugin starts from $39/year.

6. Keyy Two Factor Authentication

Having robust security measures is essential to run a website. For this purpose, we recommend using Keyy Two Factor Authentication plugin.

This security plugin enables you to use the popular Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) method, which works by verifying your identity through a smart device.

Once installed, you’ll be required to download the Keyy app on your smartphone. When you want to log in to your WordPress site, you can simply open the app, then use it to scan the code that appears on the screen. There’s no need to enter your username and password. Super easy, right?

To ensure that you’re the only one who can use the app, don’t forget to set a pin number or record your fingerprint.

Here are the core features of Keyy:

• Remove the need to enter a password.
• Create and stores a 2048-bit RSA digital key on a smart device.
• Provide one-click access so you can log in to all your websites at once.

The free version of Keyy Two Factor Authentication should be enough for most users. Nevertheless, there’s a premium version of this plugin that is available from $39 to $99/year.

The paid version comes with a lot more perks, such as premium support, advertisement-free admin page, and additional privilege to change user settings.

7. Broken Link Checker

As the name suggests, Broken Link Checker looks for links that point to web pages that no longer work. This is extremely important, as your site’s rank in the search engine will significantly drop if it includes too many missing or broken links.

Once activated, this free plugin will monitor your site for broken links and send the report via email and the WordPress dashboard. From there, you can edit or remove the links in question.

You may need to wait for a while to run an initial check (especially if you have a large website). To see its progress, open your dashboard and head over to Settings -> Link Checker.

Here are the key features of the Broken Link Checker:

• Monitor all the links on your website and make sure they all work.
• Notify you if there are any issues, both through email and the WordPress dashboard.
• Stop search engines from following broken links.

8. Contact Form 7

Contact forms are one of the most important tools to communicate with visitors and potential customers. With that in mind, we include Contact Form 7 on our best WordPress plugins list.

This simple plugin lets you customize the contact forms of your WordPress website. Tweak the style and add various form fields like queries, suggestions, and other messages.

Contact Form 7 also supports CAPTCHA, Akismet Anti Spam, and Ajax-powered submissions to make sure that the forms sent to your inbox remain spam free.

Here are the highlights of Contact Forms 7:

• Allow you to manage multiple WordPress contact forms.
• Customize your existing WordPress contact forms.
• Help prevent spam by using CAPTCHA and Akismet.

This plugin is available for free. Nevertheless, you may want to help the development of this useful software by making a donation through its official website.

9. Google Analytics Dashboard for WP (GADWP)

Given the competitive nature of online businesses, monitoring your site analytics is a must to stay ahead. The Google Analytics Dashboard for WP plugin will help shed light on your website’s performance, directly from your WordPress dashboard.

You’ll be presented with a stylish panel that includes real-time metrics to track traffic sources, the number of visitors, and the acquisition channels.

Furthermore, the plugin also offers detailed analytics reports, such as page views, bounce rates, and organic search stats. All the data you need to expand your market reach are there!

Let’s take a look at what the plugin has to offer:

• Real-time reports on the number of visitors, acquisition channels, and traffic sources.
• Track important website events, such as downloads, affiliate links, and emails.
• Detailed reports on organic search results, error stats, bounce rates, etc.
• Support Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages).

The Google Analytics Dashboard for WP is free to use. Furthermore, this plugin is also compatible with WooCommerce, so you can use it as your online store’s analytics tool.

10. Wordfence Security

Wordfence Security is a WordPress firewall and security scanner plugin, designed to protect your website from malware, malicious files, spam, and other online threats. With over 100 million downloads, it is arguably the most popular WordPress security plugin.

Wordfence arms itself with Threat Defense Feed, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that will identify and block malicious traffics. It also protects your site from brute force attacks by limiting login attempts and enforcing you to use strong passwords.

Upon activation, WordFence Security can:

• Recognize and block online threats, including malware, malicious traffic, and harmful content.
• Monitor your website via malware scanner, security firewall, and Live Traffic security tool.
• Check your website for possible security vulnerabilities.

Wordfence is free to use, but you can purchase the premium version for $99/year. The premium plan gives you extra security by implementing real-time IP blacklist and country-blocking option. What’s more, you will also get premium support from senior support engineers.

11. Imagify Image Optimizer

Large-size images are often the main culprit of slow websites. Therefore, it’s highly crucial to use Imagify Image Optimizer, a plugin responsible for keeping image sizes down.

This plugin scans and optimizes any images within the WordPress Media Library. It also gives three different levels of compression — Normal, Aggressive, and Ultra.

Normal compression alters the image algorithm without changing its quality. As a result, the image size is only reduced a bit.

Aggressive compression reduces a tiny bit of image quality, resulting in tinier image size. Meanwhile, Ultra compression strongly reduces both size and quality of the images.

Other than that, Imagify also has other awesome features:

• A bulk system that allows you to optimize multiple images at once.
• An online app where you can resize your images.

The free plan has a limit of 25MB per month. If you need more allowance, the plugin has several pricing plans that start from $4.99/month.

12. Sumo

Sumo is an email marketing plugin that is designed to increase your site’s conversion rates and sales.

Use this plugin to send bulk emails about product promotions, new launches, and company updates. This way, you can nurture good relationships with all your potential customers.

Installing and activating this plugin allow you to:

• Create email subscription popups.
• Add share buttons on your websites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
• Collect emails of potential customers to expand your market reach.

Sumo is available for free, but it also has a “Pro” version that costs $39/month. The premium version gives you bigger resources and additional features, such as advanced analytics tools, unlimited email quota, and advanced email integration.

13. UpdraftPlus

Finding a great backup plugin should be one of your highest priorities when running a website. That way, if something happens to your website, you’ll always have the important files at hand.

For that reason, we recommend using UpdraftPlus. The plugin helps you make automated daily, weekly, monthly, or even hourly backups. The process can be monitored directly from the WordPress dashboard.

You can also choose a variety of storage options, including Amazon S3, Google Drive, and Dropbox.

Here are the core features of UpdraftPlus:

• Provide a scheduled, automated backup.
• Allow you to save the backup files to various storage platforms.
• Easily backup and restore your site files with a single click.
• Offer a fast backup process and use fewer server resources.

You can use UpdraftPlus for free or purchase the premium version for $195 to $399/year. The premium one includes a year of expert support, database encryption for better security, and access to UpdraftPlus’ add-ons.

14. NextGEN Gallery

Modern website design demands smooth visuals that don’t ruin your content, and NextGEN Gallery can do that perfectly.

NextGEN Gallery will turn your gallery into a media management system with tons of perks  — thumbnail editing, photo effects, and the ability to create multiple albums.

This fantastic WordPress plugin offers three ready-to-use gallery styles: thumbnail, slideshow, or image browser.

To get a better understanding of this plugin’s functions, here are the basic features of NextGEN Gallery:

• Convert the default WordPress gallery into a powerful media management tool that can be used to arrange, add, or erase multiple photos.
• Provide three beautiful gallery designs for free, all with extensive customizations.
• Offer two album styles that are highly-customizable.

A pro version is available if you want to unlock the real power of this plugin. The price ranges from $99 to $499, and you’ll get more gallery options, Lightroom plugin, and premium support.

15. Migrate Guru

Migrate Guru offers a smooth and reliable way to move any WordPress site. The plugin will copy your site content to its server, and then automatically migrate those files to the new host.

Using this method, your servers will not be overloaded, thus reducing the risk of website crash. In fact, the plugin can migrate up to 200 GB of data without a hassle.

On top of that, Migrate Guru has a simple one-click migration. You only need to enter the new host details, hit the Migrate button, and the plugin will start the process with an astonishing speed of 1 GB per 30 minutes or less.

Let’s take a look at Migrate Guru’s other features:

• Copy your data to its servers, then erase it upon the completion.
• Alert you via email when the migration process is finished.
• Support all web hosts.
• Automatically rewrite all URLs.

Migrate Guru is completely free to use. In addition, you don’t need to download any add-ons to use this plugin. It works great right out of the box!

Conclusion

Given the wealth of plugins available, it’s understandable to be overwhelmed when choosing the best WordPress plugins.

Luckily, we have selected these 14 best WordPress plugins to help you out:

• WooCommerce — great plugin to start an ecommerce store.
• Yoast SEO — one of the best SEO plugin in WordPress with a traffic light code system.
• Ultimate Blocks  – a great tool to maximize the new WordPress editor.
• W3 Total Cache — caching plugin to speed up your site.
• Jetpack — an all-in-one tool to improve your site’s performance.
• Keyy Two Factor Authentication — enables you to log in to WordPress by using your smart device.
• Broken Link Checker — monitor broken links on your site.
• Contact Form 7 — great plugin to add and customize contact forms.
• Google Analytics Dashboard for WP — helps you monitor your site’s performance and integrates your site with the functions of Google Analytics.
• Wordfence Security — recognizes threats, monitors your site’s health and checks your site’s vulnerability.
• Imagify Image Optimizer — optimizes your site’s images with three different compression modes.
• Sumo — designed to boost your site’s conversion rates through email marketing and social media sharing.
• UpdraftPlus — easily create site backups and restore your site’s data with a single click.
• NextGEN Gallery — converts your default gallery to a fantastic media management system.
• Migrate Guru — free WordPress plugin to migrate WordPress sites.

Do you have any other plugin recommendations? Let us know in the comments section below!