UpdraftPlus is the first name most people think of for WordPress backups. It runs on millions of sites, and its free version can send backups to remote storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox or S3. Flux Backup focuses on a narrower question: what happens when an update breaks the site? This post compares the two and says plainly where Flux Backup falls short.
The short answer
- UpdraftPlus free gives scheduled backups, remote storage and selective restore. Backups before updates, incremental backups and encryption are in Premium.
- Flux Backup backs up the database and the package being updated before every plugin or theme update, automatically. Scheduled full backups, quota management and selective restore are included.
- Key difference: Flux Backup keeps backups on the same server. If the server is lost, so are the backups.
- In practice: Flux Backup for the moment of an update, plus an off-site copy from your host or UpdraftPlus.
Comparison table
| UpdraftPlus | Flux Backup | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic backup before updates | Premium. | Included: manual, bulk and automatic updates. |
| Scheduled backups | Free: from every 2 hours to monthly. | Daily or weekly, at night. |
| Remote storage | Free: Dropbox, Google Drive, S3, FTP and e-mail. More in Premium. | None; backups stay on the server in a folder closed to the web. |
| Selective restore | Yes: plugins, themes, database. | Yes: the database, one plugin or theme folder, or both. |
| Quota and retention | Number of backups to keep. | Quota bar, storage history chart, space per type; locked backups are never deleted. |
| Incremental backups and encryption | Premium. | Not available. |
| Migration / cloning | Manual in free, direct in Premium. | Not available. |
The risky moment: updates
Host backups are daily at best, and restoring one rolls back everything, including today’s donations and orders. The thing that breaks sites most often is a plugin update. Flux Backup protects exactly that moment: it backs up the database and the package right before the update. If something goes wrong you can roll back only that plugin, or only the database. In UpdraftPlus this is a Premium feature.
Always see the cost
Disk quota on shared hosting is limited. Flux Backup shows space used against the quota, a storage history for 30, 90 or 180 days and a breakdown by backup type. When the quota fills, the oldest unlocked backup goes first; lock an important one and no rule will delete it. Work runs in steps of about 20 seconds continued by WP-Cron, so nothing needs installing on the server.
When UpdraftPlus is the better choice
- The backup must live off the server. Every site needs this. If your host does not keep off-site copies, send one to Google Drive or Dropbox with free UpdraftPlus.
- You are moving the site to another server. UpdraftPlus’ migration tools are made for it.
- A large site needs incremental or encrypted backups. These are in UpdraftPlus Premium, not in Flux Backup.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run both?
Yes. Flux Backup can handle the local pre-update backups and UpdraftPlus the scheduled copies sent off-site. Turn scheduled full backups on in only one of them.
Can backups be downloaded from the web?
No. They sit in a folder under wp-content that is closed to the web, with random file names, and downloads are admin-only.
Bottom line
UpdraftPlus is a strong, free tool for off-site backups and migration. If you want automatic pre-update backups, selective restore and quota control, Flux Backup includes them. The safest setup is to pair Flux Backup with UpdraftPlus or with your host’s off-site backup.
Sources
- UpdraftPlus on wordpress.org (free and Premium features)
