WP Staging Free vs WP Staging Pro

WP Staging Free gets you started. Pro completes the workflow.

Create staging sites for free. Upgrade when you need to push changes back to production, automate and store backups remotely, migrate sites, work with Multisite, bring production sites into Desktop, or use deterministic workflows with AI and the WP Staging CLI.

Upgrade to WP Staging Pro Explore the workflows Ask a pre-sales question
184,930+
active installations
5.8M
downloads
2,300+
five-star reviews
4.8 / 5
average rating

Installation estimate from wp-rankings.com. Reviews and rating from the WordPress.org plugin directory.

What does Pro unlock?

Six workflows the free plugin stops short of. Each card opens the section that covers it in full.

Test Deploy

Create staging sites, test safely, then push approved changes back to production.

Backup Recover

Automate backups, store them remotely, and keep a reliable recovery path ready.

Clone Migrate

Move complete WordPress sites between servers, domains, and hosting providers.

Production Local

Pull real production websites into WP Staging Desktop and work locally.

Manual Automated

Use deterministic WP Staging CLI commands for scripts, automation, and AI agents.

Single Site Multisite

Handle advanced WordPress Multisite cloning, backup, restore, and migration workflows.

Explore every Pro feature ↓

Backup software only matters on the day it has to work.

WP STAGING is built, tested and supported for that day. The same engineers who write the restore code answer the tickets about it, and every release is verified against the PHP versions real hosts actually run.

How releases are tested ↗ Changelog ↗ Service status ↗ Secure coding practices ↗

Built for production sites, not demos

100%
unit-tested codebase
full coverage, not a sample
1000s
automated tests per release
suite must pass before shipping
7.0 - 8.5
PHP versions verified
every release, every version
E2E
complete workflows tested
Playwright and Codeception
Public
changelog and service status
both on the record
Direct
support from the engineers
no first-line script

Start with the job you need done

Each card jumps to the part of the page that covers it.

Technical documentation ↗

Get a broken site back online

Restore from a recent backup, even when WordPress will not load at all.

Backup and restore →

Test an update before customers see it

Try it on a staging copy, then publish only the parts you chose.

Staging and push to live →

Move a site to a different host

Pull the whole site across with a connection key, no archives in between.

Remote Sync →

Look after a multisite network

Back up the network or one subsite, and rehearse changes on a clone first.

Multisite →

Debug a client site on your own machine

Turn a production backup into a running local site and work on it there.

WP Staging Desktop →

Give an AI agent a sandbox it can break

Build and rebuild a disposable copy of the real site from one command.

CLI and AI agents →

The five workflows you will actually use

Every screenshot below shows the real shipped product, not a mockup or an imaginary feature list.

Compare plans

Backup and restore

Scheduled backups: Business and above

Back up on a schedule and restore when it matters

Creating a backup is one step. Having a recent recovery point ready when production fails is another.

A white screen on a client site is a business-critical emergency. Scheduled backups help keep a recent recovery point available, so you can restore the site instead of rebuilding it manually.

What it does

  • Scheduled backups with retention rules
  • Manual backups before anything risky, on every paid plan
  • Restore onto the same site or a different one
Backup docs Restore docs

Screens from the product

Scheduling, backup scope, cloud targets and exclusion rules.

Backup schedule settings
Schedule backup times
Full site backup selection
Select what to back up
Cloud storage targets for backups
Send backups to cloud storage
Advanced backup exclusion rules
Exclude what you do not need

Recovery when you cannot log in

Developer and Agency

WP Staging Restore is a standalone script that runs without a working WordPress admin. It installs WordPress from scratch and restores a backup into it, with nothing on the server to start from.

Read the restore docs

Staging and push to live

Push only the changes you actually want live

You already tested the change on staging. Why repeat the same work manually on production?

Move files and database tables from staging to production one selection at a time, so live orders and comments stay where they are.

Business plan and above
Selecting database tables to push
Pick the database tables
Selecting files and folders to push
Pick the files and folders
Confirming the push to the live site
Confirm before anything moves

Selective data push

Choose what goes live and keep the production data that must not be overwritten.

Plugin updates tested first

New staging sites can update their outdated plugins on their own, so the site is ready to test right away.

Hooks for developers

Actions and filters cover exclusions, search-replace rules and what happens after a push.

  • Activate or deactivate specific plugins on the live site after a push
  • Replace custom strings in the database
  • Exclude post types or files from the push
  • Keep chosen live data from being overwritten
  • Run your own action on production once the push finishes
Actions and filters
Automatic plugin updates on a new staging site
Update plugins automatically on a new staging site

Why this matters

The riskiest moment in WordPress maintenance is the update you applied straight to production. This turns it into a test you already ran.

Choose your plan

Migration

Move the complete site to another server, domain or host

Need to move the site instead of just cloning it on the same server?

Back up the site where it lives now, restore that backup where it should live next. The restore rewrites URLs, paths and the database prefix for the destination, so the site comes up under its new address instead of pointing back at the old one.

All paid plans

Host to host

The backup file is self-contained, so the destination does not have to run the same stack as the source.

Domain change included

Content, options and serialised data are rewritten to the new domain during the restore.

Even onto an empty server

WP Staging Restore installs WordPress first and restores into it, with nothing on the target to start from. Developer and Agency.

Backup and restore docs Move it without files in between

Remote Sync

Remote Sync: move a site between servers without files in between

Still moving WordPress sites through export, download, upload, and import steps?

Start on the destination site, paste a connection key, and pull the source site across. The two servers talk to each other directly, so nothing is exported to your machine and nothing is uploaded again.

Developer and Agency

Pull, not push

You start from the site that receives the data.

Engineered for real production sites

Sized for the databases and upload folders real sites actually have.

Move the complete site without archive juggling

One connection key replaces the export, the upload and the import.

Remote Sync docs Choose Developer
Remote Sync connection key screen
The Remote Sync connection key workflow

Multisite

Back up, clone and split a whole network

Back up the entire network or one subsite, clone the network for testing, and convert a subsite into a standalone install.

Developer and Agency
Backing up an entire multisite network
Back up the whole network
Backing up a single network site
Back up one subsite
Backing up the main network site
Back up the main site
Cloning an entire multisite network
Clone the entire network

Why this matters

On a network, one bad change affects every site on it. Isolated testing and a restore you have already rehearsed are what keep that from becoming an outage.

What customers report when it mattered

Both reviews are public on WordPress.org and link to the original thread.

Rated 5 out of 5 Verified review

“Alaa and the team at wp staging has been amazing in helping me clean up my mess, and bringing back my staging site which I thought I had lost… Amazing plugin, amazing support.”

Em (emilia09cooper) recovered a staging site they thought was lost Read it on WordPress.org ↗
Rated 5 out of 5 Verified review

“I had had no experience with staging my website… creating the staging site, backing up both live and staging sites, then moving the staging site over to the live site… when I had a problem the support team went to work immediately and solved that problem.”

johnottomagee first staging site, then a full push to live Read it on WordPress.org ↗
Compare plans More customer reviews ↗

Working with clients and teams

Handing a site over, and keeping a staging copy from behaving like production.

Collaboration

Send a login link instead of a password

Generate a temporary login link for a staging site and send it to a client or a colleague. Works even when the staging site cannot send email.

All paid plans
Sharing a login link to a staging site
Generate a temporary login link

Access

Sync user accounts from live to staging

Copy user data across in one click so a password change on the live site does not lock you out of the staging copy.

All paid plans
Confirming a user account sync
Confirm the user sync

Access

Decide who can see the staging site

Limit access to the staging site by user role, so unfinished work stays in front of the people who should see it.

All paid plans
Staging access permissions by user role
Access permissions by role

Access

Temporary logins for the live site too

The same idea applied to production: hand a developer, a designer or a support agent a login link to the live site that expires on its own, with no password to share and no account to remember to delete.

Read about magic login links
Developer and Agency

Safety and maintenance

A staging site that cannot email your customers

A clone of a live shop still holds real customers, real orders and real subscriptions. These settings stop it from acting on any of them.

All paid plans

No outgoing email

Nobody gets a test order confirmation, and your sending domain keeps its reputation.

Setting that disables email sending on a staging site
Disable email sending

No WooCommerce side effects

Turning off Action Scheduler stops the clone renewing subscriptions or charging cards.

Setting that disables background jobs on a staging site
Disable background jobs

A separate admin account

Give someone admin rights on the staging copy without handing over your own credentials.

Creating a new admin account for a staging site
Create a new admin account

Fix a staging site you moved

Update the hostname, paths and database credentials when the staging site no longer lives where it was created.

Editing the stored data of a staging site
Edit the staging site data

Forgotten staging sites get flagged

A reminder every two weeks to review or delete old staging sites, because an abandoned clone is an unpatched copy of your site.

Reminder email setting for old staging sites
Reminder emails

One licence, three ways to work

WP Staging Pro works inside WordPress. WP Staging Desktop and WP Staging CLI run on your machine, while backup files and connected workflows move sites between them.

Every paid plan

WP Staging Pro

Inside WordPress

Backups and staging sites, from the dashboard you already use. Push to live and scheduled backups from the Business plan up.

See the plugin features
backup file
Free app

WP Staging Desktop

On your machine

Turns that backup into a running local site in Docker. Developer and Agency pull straight from production instead.

See what Desktop does
same local site
Developer and Agency

WP Staging CLI

In your terminal

Scripts the same environments, extracts from backups, and hands an AI coding agent a sandbox it can break.

See what the CLI does

local Desktop and CLI work remains isolated from production connected workflows need Developer or Agency

Bring production local. Then choose how you want to work.

Work manually, automate repeatable tasks, or use your preferred AI coding agent, without giving that agent access to the client's production website.

A backup file is a portable copy of a WordPress site. Desktop turns that file into a running local site with its database, its plugins and its content, in a Docker environment it sets up for you.

Free app, no account needed
  1. Production Site
  2. WP STAGING / Remote Sync
  3. WP Staging Desktop
  4. Local WordPress Site
  5. Human development and/or AI-assisted development

Your AI agent never needs access to the client's production website.

AI is optional

The whole workflow is human-operable. Pull the site down, open it, change it, test it, and push the approved changes back, without an agent involved at any point. Desktop is a development environment first.

And it is your choice of agent

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or whatever you already run locally works against the local copy, because it is an ordinary WordPress install on your own disk. WP STAGING is AI-compatible infrastructure, not an AI dependency.

How the local copy gets there

  1. 1

    Back up the live site

    The plugin creates a portable backup file.

  2. 2

    Download it

    Save the file to your computer.

  3. 3

    Restore it in Desktop

    Add a site, choose restore from backup, pick the file.

  4. 4

    Open the local site

    One click takes you into its WordPress admin.

What the local site gives you

The WP Staging Desktop sites list, showing several local WordPress sites
Every local site in one list
A restored local site in WP Staging Desktop with one-click access to its WordPress admin
One click into wp-admin, already logged in
Switching a site between PHP versions in WP Staging Desktop
Change the PHP version and reload
Choosing which parts of a production site to pull into the local copy
Developer and Agency: pull straight from production

The free version is a complete tool, not a trial

  • Create blank WordPress sites and multisite networks locally
  • Switch the PHP and WordPress version per site to test compatibility
  • Restore a downloaded backup into a local site
  • Runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, on top of Docker
Developer and Agency

Connected workflows skip the download

  • Restore straight from a remote backup URL
  • Pull a production site into a local environment
Choose Developer
Compare Developer and Agency Learn about WP Staging Desktop
Download the free app
  • macOS
  • Windows
  • Linux

Requires Docker Desktop or Docker Engine.

Let AI reason. Let WP STAGING execute.

WP Staging CLI gives an AI coding agent deterministic operations for the infrastructure half of WordPress work: create a local environment, restore a production backup into it, extract single files or whole directories, throw it away and rebuild it. The agent decides what should happen. The CLI is what makes it happen the same way every time, instead of the agent improvising a migration, a database import or a backup extraction from scratch in every project.

Claude, Codex and the other AI coding agents are good at WordPress work and bad at guessing what a live site contains. The CLI builds a local copy of the real site that an AI coding agent can inspect, change, break and rebuild while changes remain inside an isolated local environment.

Developer and Agency

Terminal

$ wpstaging add https://client.local --php=8.3 --wp=6.6
$ wpstaging restore https://client.local --from=backup.wpstg
$ wpstaging extract --only-plugins backup.wpstg

Create an environment, restore a production backup into it, or pull single files out of a backup.

Why agents work better with it

  • Named operations with defined outcomes, so the agent calls a command instead of inventing a procedure
  • The agent reads the real database and the real plugin set, not a guess
  • One command rebuilds the environment, so a failed experiment can be discarded and repeated from the same source
  • Changes stay inside the local environment unless you deliberately start another connected workflow
  • Same commands on macOS, Windows and Linux
Creating a local copy of a WordPress site
Start the local copy from inside WordPress

The same workflow helps developers too

Reproduce a client bug

Restore their backup locally and debug it with your own tools.

Test against a PHP version

Spin the same site up on a different PHP or WordPress release.

Recover without a working site

Restore or extract a backup with no WordPress installation to run it from.

Script the repetitive parts

Put the same setup in every project without writing Compose files.

Choose Developer See everything the CLI does

What each plan unlocks

Find the sentence that sounds like your own work, then check the detail below it.

Agency

“I need the professional workflow across a larger portfolio with priority support.”

Developer

“I manage client sites and need migrations, local development, Remote Sync, CLI, and AI-assisted workflows.”

Business

“I want the complete protection workflow with staging, scheduled backups, and Push to Live.”

Personal

“I want a safe place to test changes and create backups for my own site.”

Capability Agency Developer Business Personal
Sites covered99 sites25 sites3 sites1 site
All paid plans
Staging sites and manual backupsIncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Backup browser and single-file extractionIncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Login links for staging sitesIncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Business plan and above
Scheduled backups and cloud storageIncludedIncludedIncludedNot included
Push staging to liveIncludedIncludedIncludedNot included
Developer and Agency
Remote Sync between serversIncludedIncludedNot includedNot included
Connected WP Staging Desktop workflowsIncludedIncludedNot includedNot included
WP Staging CLI and AI agent workflowsIncludedIncludedNot includedNot included
WP Staging Restore, the standalone recovery toolIncludedIncludedNot includedNot included
Multisite backup and cloningIncludedIncludedNot includedNot included
Multi-file and whole-directory extractionIncludedIncludedNot includedNot included
Temporary logins for the live siteIncludedIncludedNot includedNot included
SupportPriorityStandardStandardBasic

An investment that quickly pays for itself

At an hourly rate of €60, saving just two hours on two projects covers the annual cost of the Developer plan.
The greater value is not only the time saved. A dependable staging, backup and recovery workflow can help prevent failed deployments, emergency repair work and avoidable downtime.

During the payment process you will see the price in Euro currency.
USD prices are calculated based on the current exchange rate and may fluctuate slightly.

Agency

For agencies and teams who need faster priority support and multiple support contacts. Covers up to 99 client sites.

€ 74.91

€ 41.58 / month

€ 499/year, billed yearly

Choose Agency
  • Remote Sync (move sites between servers)
  • Connected Desktop workflows
  • Docker-based local sites with WP Staging Desktop
  • WP Staging CLI, backup extraction and AI agent workflows
  • Up to 99 sites
  • Priority support (3 support contacts, 12-hour weekday response)
  • Backup Browser
  • Selective extraction
  • Staging site creation and management
  • Scheduled backups
  • Push staging to live
  • Multisite support
  • Magic Login Links
  • WooCommerce support
  • Remote storage providers (Drive, S3, Dropbox, SFTP, more)
  • WP Staging Restore
Our Most Popular Plan
Developer

For professionals and freelancers who need Remote Sync, connected Desktop workflows and advanced restore tools. Covers up to 25 client sites.

€ 33.29

€ 19.91 / month

€ 239/year, billed yearly

Choose Developer
  • Remote Sync (move sites between servers)
  • Connected Desktop workflows
  • Docker-based local sites with WP Staging Desktop
  • WP Staging CLI, backup extraction and AI agent workflows
  • Up to 25 sites
  • Standard support (1 support contact)
  • Backup Browser
  • Selective extraction
  • Staging site creation and management
  • Scheduled backups
  • Push staging to live
  • Multisite support
  • Magic Login Links
  • WooCommerce support
  • Remote storage providers (Drive, S3, Dropbox, SFTP, more)
  • WP Staging Restore
Business

For small businesses that need a staging solution and scheduled backups to keep sites safe and up to date. Covers up to 3 sites.

€ 23.16

€ 11.58 / month

€ 139/year, billed yearly

Choose Business
  • 3 business sites
  • Staging site creation and management
  • Scheduled backups
  • Push staging to live
  • Remote storage providers (Drive, S3, Dropbox, SFTP, more)
  • Backup Browser
  • Single-file extraction
  • Standard support (1 support contact)

Need advanced professional workflows?

Developer and Agency add Remote Sync, connected Desktop workflows, CLI and AI tooling, multisite, and standalone recovery.

Personal

For personal site owners who want a quick test site and essential backup features. Covers 1 site.

€ 14.99

€ 7.41 / month

€ 89/year, billed yearly

Choose Personal
  • 1 personal site
  • Staging site creation
  • Manual backups
  • Backup Browser
  • Single-file extraction
  • Basic support

Need scheduled workflows?

Business adds scheduled backups, remote storage and push to live.

Prices shown exclude VAT. EU customers are charged VAT at their country's rate during checkout. Businesses with a valid EU VAT ID are exempt.

LIFETIME

Building a site for a client or prefer a one-time payment?
Get all WP Staging Pro features with lifetime updates and three years of premium support.

View Lifetime Pricing

Need additional support contacts for your organization? Contact us

Choose the plan for your workflow

Developer is the line where Remote Sync, multisite, the connected Desktop workflows, the CLI and WP Staging Restore switch on. Business is the line where scheduled backups and push to live switch on.

Covered by our 14-day refund policy. Eligibility conditions apply.

Choose Developer Ask a pre-sales question

Why professionals rely on WP STAGING

  • Restores that finish on large, messy, real-world sites
  • A staging workflow short enough that people actually use it
  • Actions and filters when the defaults are not enough
  • Support answered by the people who build it
Technical documentation Read the tutorials

Questions people ask before buying

The rest are in the FAQ archive.

View all FAQs

Can I restore if my site is already down?

Yes. WP Staging Restore runs without a working WordPress admin, and can install WordPress onto an empty server first. It comes with the Developer and Agency plans.

Read the restore docs

Do I need a licence to use WP Staging Desktop?

No. Desktop is free and needs no account. A Developer or Agency licence adds restoring from a remote URL and pulling a production site.

Go to WP Staging Desktop

Which plan do I need for the CLI?

Developer or Agency. Both also include Remote Sync and the connected Desktop workflows.

Go to the CLI page

Can I change how a push behaves?

Yes. Actions and filters cover exclusions, search-replace rules and what runs after a push finishes.

Read about actions and filters

My hosting provider already gives me backups and staging. Why do I need WP Staging Pro?

Host backups usually live on the same account they protect and restore the whole server-side snapshot, and host staging rarely lets you publish only the files and tables you approved. WP Staging Pro keeps the backup where you choose, including your own cloud storage, restores onto any host, and pushes a reviewed selection back to production. It also behaves the same on every host, so moving a client does not change the workflow.

I already use another backup plugin. Why would I need WP Staging Pro?

Backing up is one part of the job. The same licence also creates the staging site, pushes the approved changes back to production, migrates the site to another server, and restores it, including when WordPress will not load at all. One tool across those steps means one recovery path to rehearse rather than several that meet only in an emergency.

Read the restore docs

Why not just repeat my staging changes manually on production?

Because the second run is a different run. Repeating the steps by hand on the live site is where the untested variation happens, usually under time pressure. Push to live moves the exact files and database tables you selected on staging, and leaves the live data you did not select, such as orders and comments, in place. It comes with the Business plan and above.

Can I use WP Staging Desktop without AI?

Yes. Desktop is an ordinary local development app: create sites, restore a backup into one, switch the PHP or WordPress version, open wp-admin. Nothing in it requires an AI agent, and the full production-to-local workflow can be run by hand from start to finish.

Can I use AI without giving it access to my client's production website?

Yes, and that is the point of pulling the site down first. The agent works against the local copy on your machine, which holds the real database and the real plugin set. Production is not part of that loop, and nothing reaches the live site until you deliberately push or deploy.

Why does an AI agent need WP Staging CLI instead of just doing the migration itself?

It does not need it, but without it the agent reinvents the infrastructure every time: database export and import, URL and serialised-data rewriting, file layout, PHP version, backup extraction. The CLI turns those into named commands with defined outcomes that behave the same in every project, so the agent spends its reasoning on your actual task instead of on the plumbing.

Go to the CLI page

Pick the plan that matches the work you do

Every plan includes backups and staging. Business adds scheduled backups and push to live. Developer and Agency add Remote Sync, multisite, connected WP Staging Desktop workflows, WP Staging CLI and standalone recovery.

Upgrade to WP Staging Pro Ask a pre-sales question