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For a small, conventional WordPress site, start with a free self-service migration. Pay for managed help or professional labor when the site is large, revenue-critical, multisite, heavily customized, or when an outage would cost more than the service.
Free tools can move a complete site, but they do not remove the owner’s responsibility for backup integrity, compatibility checks, URL and database updates, DNS changes, testing, redirects, and rollback. Paid options buy reduced hands-on work, automation, and a clearer recovery process.
First, define what is being migrated
“WordPress migration” can describe two different operations. Choosing the wrong one is the most common way to arrive at a site that looks familiar but is missing important functionality.
Full-site migration
A full-site move transfers the site’s files and database. Depending on the tool and destination, that includes the WordPress installation, posts, pages, comments, media, plugins, themes, settings, and other database records. It is the appropriate target when you want the destination to behave like the existing site.
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Content-only import
A content-only import brings pages, posts, comments, categories, tags, and media into an existing WordPress installation. The destination’s theme and plugins remain in place. WordPress.com documents this as a separate path from a full-site migration, so confirm the scope before starting.
Ask one practical question before paying anyone or installing a plugin: Will the destination receive the files, database, plugins, and theme, or only my content? Also confirm how users, custom post types, scheduled content, forms, ecommerce data, and redirects will be handled for your particular stack.
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Free self-service migration options
WordPress.com self-service migration
WordPress.com describes a self-service full-site migration that moves content, media, plugins, and the theme. Its support guidance says a typical migration usually finishes in under 15 minutes, while large sites take longer. That is an indication for ordinary cases, not a performance guarantee: image-heavy sites, slow hosts, large databases, and plugin conflicts can extend the process.
The same platform also offers content-only import. Use it when you intentionally want the destination’s existing theme and plugins, rather than reproducing the source installation.
Duplicator’s free WordPress.org plugin
The free Duplicator plugin packages a WordPress site’s files and database into a backup that can be installed at another location, including an empty destination site. Its WordPress.org listing describes migration, transfer, cloning, and backup use cases and says you can create a full backup or package the entire site for installation elsewhere in a few steps.
A package is not a completed migration. You still need working access to hosting files and a database tool, a destination that meets WordPress and plugin requirements, and a plan for replacing the old URLs, changing DNS, testing the live path, and restoring service if something fails.
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A safe free-migration procedure
- Inventory the source. Record the WordPress version, active theme, plugins, PHP and database versions if your host exposes them, scheduled jobs, forms, payment connections, email settings, redirects, and any integrations. Note which plugins are essential and which can be removed before the move.
- Freeze avoidable change. Choose a low-traffic window. Tell editors to stop publishing while the final copy is made, or prepare a short content-freeze period so new orders, comments, and form submissions are not lost.
- Make independent backups. Keep a copy of the database and a copy of the files outside the source host. A migration package is useful, but a second backup gives you a recovery option if the package is incomplete or overwritten.
- Prepare the destination. Create the hosting account, database, SFTP or file access, and HTTPS certificate. Check that the destination supports the versions and resources required by the site’s theme and plugins. Do not point production DNS at an untested installation.
- Build the package or export. With a full-site tool, package the files and database. With a content-only route, export and import the supported content types and media. Keep the original site online until the destination has passed testing.
- Install on the destination. Follow the selected tool’s installer or import workflow. Use the destination database credentials and verify that all expected files, uploads, plugins, and themes are present rather than assuming a successful upload means a successful install.
- Update site addresses. Replace the old site URL with the destination URL where required, then check serialized settings and plugin-specific configuration. Avoid a blind database search-and-replace that can corrupt serialized data; use a migration tool or a method that understands WordPress data structures.
- Test privately. Use a temporary domain, hosts-file override, staging address, or the destination’s preview method. Test the home page, representative posts and pages, images, navigation, search, logins, password resets, forms, email delivery, checkout or payment flows, uploads, scheduled publishing, and administrator actions.
- Prepare the cutover. Lowering DNS time-to-live ahead of time can shorten propagation, but resolvers may still cache records. Confirm the final database backup, list the exact DNS records to change, and document how to reverse them.
- Switch and verify. Change DNS only after the destination is ready. Check the site from more than one network, verify HTTPS and canonical URLs, monitor forms and transactions, and keep the old site available until the agreed rollback window has passed.
What paid migration options add
Assisted migration from WordPress.com
WordPress.com offers assisted migration to a paid destination. Its support documentation says the team can migrate content, media, plugins, and themes while the live site remains unaffected, and that assisted migrations typically take 2–3 business days. The request process accepts secure site access or a link to a backup file.
Its hosting information also says free migration assistance is available from many hosts, and that white-glove migration is included at no additional migration charge on Business and Commerce plans. “Free” here refers to the assistance attached to those plans; the hosting plan itself is still a paid service.
This route is useful when you can provide the required access and want another party to handle the transfer and much of the troubleshooting without taking the current site offline. You should still supply an accurate inventory, retain your own backup, and test the finished site because no managed process removes the need for business-level verification.
Premium migration software
Paid plugin tiers are designed for owners who migrate repeatedly or need operational features beyond a one-time package. Duplicator’s Pro listing adds scheduled backups, cloud-storage integrations, multisite support, and staging features beyond the free plugin.
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Professional migration labor
Professional services are the highest-touch option. A 2026 Duplicator cost guide reports $200–$1,000 for professional migration services depending on complexity. Treat that range as an indicative vendor-published figure, not a universal quote. A multisite, high-traffic store, membership database, unusual server configuration, or strict zero-downtime requirement can change the price substantially.
Free versus paid: the practical differences
| Decision factor | Free self-service | Paid software or managed service |
|---|---|---|
| Cash outlay | Usually no separate migration fee; the destination hosting still costs money. | May include a premium plugin, a paid hosting plan, or professional labor. |
| Scope | A full-site tool can move files and the database; content-only import is narrower. | Managed transfer can cover the full installation, while premium tools add expanded automation and staging. |
| Technical effort | You handle backups, access, URL updates, testing, DNS, and rollback. | A provider or premium workflow removes some manual work, but you still approve scope and test the result. |
| Typical timing | Ordinary self-service moves can be quick; large sites take longer. WordPress.com cites under 15 minutes for a typical self-service migration. | WordPress.com says assisted migrations typically take 2–3 business days and are designed to leave the live site unaffected. |
| Recovery and repeatability | Depends on the quality and location of your backups and documentation. | Pro tooling can add scheduled and cloud backups; professionals can provide a documented runbook and rollback assistance. |
| Best fit | Small, standard sites with an owner who is comfortable managing hosting and DNS. | Complex, multisite, commerce, high-traffic, or downtime-sensitive sites. |
How to choose for your site
Choose free self-service when all of these are true
- The site is small or conventional, with a manageable database and no unusual server dependencies.
- You can obtain reliable file and database backups and verify that they can be restored.
- You have access to the destination’s files, database, DNS, and HTTPS settings.
- You can create a private test copy and spend time checking forms, logins, media, redirects, and integrations.
- A short maintenance window or a rollback to the old host is acceptable.
Choose paid software when the process is repeatable or operationally demanding
- You migrate more than once and need scheduled backups or cloud-storage copies.
- You need staging to test changes before touching production.
- The site is a WordPress multisite network.
- Several people need a consistent, documented workflow rather than an ad hoc package.
Choose managed or professional help when failure is expensive
- The site generates revenue through orders, subscriptions, bookings, or leads.
- It is large, multisite, heavily customized, or dependent on proprietary integrations.
- You cannot safely access or restore the database and files yourself.
- Downtime, lost submissions, duplicate orders, or SEO errors would cost more than the service fee.
- You need an accountable cutover plan, communication during the move, and help with rollback.
Budget the complete cost, not just the migration fee
A free plugin does not make the project cost-free. Include the destination hosting, domain or DNS work, temporary staging resources, staff time, testing, and any premium extensions needed to reproduce the old site. The cited 2026 Duplicator guide places hosting at roughly $3–$30 per month, depending on the hosting arrangement, and gives $69.30 per year as an example of a paid Duplicator plan. Both figures are examples from that guide, not promises of current pricing for every customer or region.
For a paid service, compare the quoted labor with the financial impact of an outage and the value of your own time. Ask whether the quote covers database cleanup, URL replacement, DNS changes, SSL, redirects, testing, email and forms, ecommerce verification, and a defined rollback period. A low quote that excludes those tasks may leave you with the riskiest work.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common failure points and recovery actions
The destination loads but looks incomplete
Check whether you performed a content-only import instead of a full-site move. Confirm that the uploads directory, active theme, required plugins, and database tables were transferred. Reinstalling a theme alone will not restore its settings if the relevant database data is missing.
Images or links still point to the old domain
Review the WordPress site and home URLs, attachment paths, menu links, widgets, custom fields, and plugin settings. Use a serialization-aware replacement method and then inspect representative pages. Keep the old domain available until redirects and canonical URLs are verified.
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Forms, email, or payments fail
Test these separately from page rendering. Confirm that API keys, webhook URLs, SMTP or mail settings, scheduled tasks, and payment-provider callbacks were carried across. Do not assume that a successful login proves transactional features work.
DNS appears inconsistent
Propagation and caching can cause different users to reach different servers for a period of time. Verify the authoritative records, certificate coverage, and destination logs before declaring success. If the new site is defective, reverse the DNS change using the documented rollback plan and preserve any new submissions before retrying.
The migration package will not install
Check available disk space, upload and execution limits, PHP or database compatibility, file permissions, and whether the package is complete. If the source is too large for a browser-based installer, ask the host or provider about server-side transfer methods rather than repeatedly uploading a partial archive.
Questions to ask a paid provider
- Is this a full-site migration or a content-only import?
- Which files, database tables, media, plugins, themes, users, and custom data are included?
- Will the current site stay online during preparation and cutover?
- Who performs URL replacement, redirects, DNS, SSL, and email testing?
- How are orders, form submissions, comments, and other data created during the migration window reconciled?
- What backup is retained, where is it stored, and for how long?
- What exactly is the rollback trigger, and who executes it?
- What is excluded from the quote, and are there regional taxes or recurring hosting or software charges?
- What handoff documentation will you receive after completion?
A decision you can defend
Use a free full-site tool when the site is straightforward and you can personally own the backup, testing, DNS, and rollback work. Use content-only import only when you deliberately want to keep the destination’s theme and plugins. Choose premium software when scheduled backups, cloud storage, staging, or multisite support justify an ongoing plan. Choose managed assistance or professional labor when complexity or outage risk makes a failed DIY move more expensive than the quoted service.
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