Behind every WordPress site that runs smoothly is a quiet set of plugins doing the work you never see. They fine-tune speed, handle forms, back up content, and keep the site secure. And the best of them do this without demanding constant attention.
Surprisingly, you don’t even need to pay to use many of the most reliable tools.
In this guide, we’ve grouped our pick of the best free WordPress plugins by category. So, you can easily find exactly what you need, from SEO, caching, and forms to ecommerce, analytics, security, backups, and more.
We believe the best plugins don’t shout about features. They stay stable, keep up with updates, and do their work in the background while you get on with yours.
Comparison of the best free WordPress plugins
Each one of our selected plugins is actively maintained, highly rated, used by thousands, and proven to work across common site types, such as blogs, shops, portfolios, and business pages.
These are some of the best free WordPress plugins for reliability and speed. Add only what you need, keep them updated, and you’ll have a WordPress setup that’s quick to maintain and built to last.
Best free SEO plugin for WordPress
Search visibility is where most sites begin and often stumble. A good SEO plugin handles the technical work that keeps your content readable by both people and search engines.
Rank Math
Rank Math aims for power without clutter. From a modern, lightweight dashboard, you can optimise for multiple keywords, manage redirects, and connect Google Analytics.
Its setup wizard covers the basics in minutes, and many features that other plugins charge for are already included.
Pros
- Excellent schema control and on-page analysis
- Integrates smoothly with Search Console and Analytics
Cons
- Interface depth may overwhelm first-time users
Free vs paid
The free plugin is generous, including redirects, 404 tracking, and keyword optimisation. Pro plans unlock deeper schema types, local SEO modules, and more detailed analytics dashboards.
Best free cache plugin for WordPress
Caching keeps your site quick. Instead of generating every page from scratch, these plugins store ready-to-serve copies so WordPress can respond instantly. You visitors enjoy shorter load times and smoother performance, and you get better Core Web Vitals.
WP Super Cache
Built by Automattic (the team behind WordPress.com), WP Super Cache converts dynamic pages into static HTML, reducing the load on your server and ensuring response times are steady.
Setup is minimal. You simply install, activate, switch to “Simple” mode, and get an instant boost. Making it arguably the best free cache plugin for WordPress right now.
Pros
- Simple “set and forget” static HTML caching
- Maintained by Automattic
Cons
- Fewer advanced tuning options for developers
Free vs paid
WP Super Cache is completely free. There’s no premium tier.
Best free calendar plugin for WordPress
When you’re managing events, bookings, or content schedules, a calendar plugin keeps everything visible and organised. But you also want something that combines flexibility with simplicity, letting you add or update events without needing a manual.
The Events Calendar
The Events Calendar has been the standard for years. It gives you a clean monthly or list view that fits neatly into any site and supports recurring events, categories, and venues.
Adding new events is as easy as publishing a post, and visitors can search or filter by date, category, or location.
Pros
- Professional calendar layout straight out of the box
- Supports categories, venues, and organisers
- Integrates smoothly with most page builders
Cons
- Recurring events and ticket sales need add-ons
Free vs paid
The free version handles event listings, categories, maps, and basic widgets. Paid add-ons extend it with recurring events, ticketing, RSVPs, and advanced filtering.
Best free contact form plugin for WordPress
A contact form is one of the few features every website needs. From a quick enquiry box to a detailed multi-page form, the best plugins make it easy to build and style the form, and to then manage submissions.
WPForms Lite
WPForms Lite gets the balance right between simplicity and power. It uses a drag-and-drop builder, so you can add text fields, dropdowns, checkboxes, and email notifications in minutes.
Starter templates cover contact, subscription, and feedback forms, while spam protection and reCAPTCHA keep inbox clutter to a minimum.
Pros
- Drag-and-drop builder for quick form creation
- Spam filtering and reCAPTCHA included
- Template library for common form types
Cons
- No conditional logic or file uploads in the free plan
Free vs paid
The free plan covers basic contact forms, templates, and anti-spam features. Upgrading unlocks conditional logic, file uploads, payment fields, and integrations with marketing tools like Mailchimp or PayPal.
Best free ecommerce plugin for WordPress
Turning a WordPress site into an online shop doesn’t mean having to switch to a new platform. You just need the right plugin. The best free ecommerce plugins for WordPress can handle product listings, payments, and checkout flows with minimal setup, so you can start selling almost. But they do depend on a solid foundation.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is that foundation. It adds product pages, carts, and secure checkout right inside your dashboard. You can sell physical or digital items, track stock, and accept major payment methods through built-in gateways like PayPal and Stripe.
The plugin integrates smoothly with most modern themes, and its setup wizard guides you through essentials like shipping and taxes in minutes.
Pros
- Complete store system for physical and digital products
- Built-in payment gateways and shipping options
- Integrates cleanly with most WordPress themes
Cons
- Many advanced features rely on paid extensions
- Setup can feel heavy on lower-end hosting
Free vs Paid
The base plugin is free and covers essential store functionality. Paid extensions add features like subscriptions, advanced shipping zones, product bundles, and one-click upsells.
Best free affiliate plugin for WordPress
Affiliate marketing is still one of the easiest ways to monetise a site, but tracking links manually is a headache. The best affiliate plugins tidy that up.
Pretty Links
Pretty Links simplifies affiliate link management by letting you shorten, track, and group URLs under your own domain. It does this so well, it is often ranked the best free affiliate plugin for WordPress. It replaces unwieldy affiliate codes with clean links (like yourdomain.com/product) and shows click statistics inside WordPress.
You can set expiry dates, apply redirects, and organise campaigns by tags.
Pros
- Shortens and tracks affiliate URLs under your own domain
- Click statistics built into WordPress dashboard
Cons
- Bulk import and automation need the paid version
Free vs paid
The free version covers essential cloaking, redirects, and reporting. Premium plans add automation, keyword replacement, and advanced analytics.
Best free analytics plugin for WordPress
Knowing who visits your site and how they interact with it is essential for growth. Analytics plugins bring that data into your dashboard, turning complex traffic reports into something readable.
Site Kit by Google
Site Kit combines multiple Google tools – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, and PageSpeed Insights – into one plugin. You can see traffic, search queries, and other performance data in one unified view.
Setup is straightforward through your Google account, and the dashboard surfaces the metrics most WordPress users need.
Pros
- Combines Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, and PageSpeed data
- Fast setup using your Google account
Cons
- Dashboard can load slowly on large sites
- Requires ongoing Google authentication
Free vs paid
Site Kit is entirely free. All integrations and reports are included without premium tiers, as they rely on your existing Google accounts.
Best free anti-spam plugin for WordPress
Spam comments and bot sign-ups clutter your site, slow it down, and can expose weak spots. A good anti-spam plugin handles the dirty work automatically, filtering junk before it ever hits your dashboard.
Akismet Spam Protection
Built by Automattic, Akismet continues to top the list as the best free anti-spam plugin for WordPress. It quietly checks comments and form submissions against its global spam database. Suspicious entries are automatically filtered into a review queue, saving you from moderating piles of junk.
Pros
- Filters comment and form spam automatically
- Extremely accurate thanks to global spam database
Cons
- Requires API key setup
- Free licence restricted to personal use
Free vs paid
Akismet’s free tier is for personal or non-commercial sites. Paid subscriptions unlock commercial-use licensing, priority support, and advanced spam statistics.
Best free backup plugin for WordPress
A reliable backup is like an insurance policy. If an update breaks your layout or a plugin conflict takes your site down, a good backup plugin lets you restore everything in minutes.
UpdraftPlus
The best free backup plugin for WordPress for small and midsize sites, UpdraftPlus automates backups, stores them in the cloud, and makes restoring a site as easy as clicking “Restore.”
You can back up databases, plugins, themes, and uploads separately or together, on your own schedule.
Pros
- Scheduled or manual backups to cloud storage
- Easy one-click restore
- Supports multiple destinations (Google Drive, Dropbox, email)
Cons
- Interface feels cluttered with upsell notices
Free vs Paid
The free plan includes scheduled and manual backups to Dropbox, Google Drive, or email. Premium adds incremental backups, multisite support, and automatic migration tools.
Best free security plugin for WordPress
Website security protects data and ensures uptime. A strong security plugin keeps threats out before they can cause damage and wreck customer trust.
Wordfence Security
Wordfence is one of the most trusted security plugins available. It adds a web application firewall, malware scanner, and live-traffic monitor directly to your dashboard. It blocks brute-force logins, flags suspicious IPs, and alerts you to unusual file changes.
Pros
- Firewall, malware scan, and login protection in one
- Clear, actionable alerts for security events
- Supported by frequent rule updates
Cons
- Firewall updates delayed on the free version
- Can use more server resources on large sites
Free vs paid
The free version includes malware scanning, spam blocking, and login limits. Premium adds real-time threat updates, two-factor authentication, and country blocking.
Best free migration plugin for WordPress
Moving a WordPress site to a new host or staging area can be stressful. But the right plugin will handle all the technical work for you.
All-in-One WP Migration
All-in-One WP Migration exports your entire WordPress site into a single downloadable file. That’s your database, media, themes, and plugins all ready to move. You can then import it to another installation in just a few clicks. In addition to being fast, it is self-contained, and requires no external tools.
Pros
- Quick export/import for full sites
- Ideal for migrations or local testing
- No setup beyond install and click
Cons
- Free plan capped at 512 MB per import
- Cloud storage integrations are paid add-ons
Free vs paid
The free version suits smaller sites. Premium and extensions lift file-size limits and add cloud backup support for Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Best free image optimisation plugin for WordPress
Large images can slow your site. An image-optimisation plugin reduces file sizes to keep pages fast without sacrificing quality.
Smush
Smush compresses and resizes images as you upload them, and can bulk-optimise your existing media library. It also adds lazy loading, so off-screen images load only when needed. Together, these features improve site speed and Core Web Vitals.
Pros
- One-click bulk image optimization
- Lazy loading built in
Cons
- Free tier limits batch optimisation to 50 images
- WebP conversion requires Pro
Free vs paid
The free version includes lossless compression and lazy loading. Pro removes batch limits, adds WebP conversion, and enables CDN image delivery.
Best free page builder plugin for WordPress
Building and editing pages doesn’t have to mean coding. A good page builder lets you design layouts visually and publish instantly.
Elementor
Elementor replaces the standard WordPress editor with a live, drag-and-drop interface. You can create custom layouts, insert widgets, and preview designs on desktop, tablet, or mobile in real time.
Pros
- Real-time visual editing
- Large widget and template library
- Built-in responsive controls
Cons
- Can feel heavy on low-end hosting
Free vs paid
The free version includes full page-building capability with global fonts and colours. Paid upgrades add motion effects, theme builder, and marketing integrations.
Best free redirect plugin for WordPress
When pages move or URLs change, redirects prevent visitors and search engines from landing on broken links. With the right plugin, you don’t need to worry about this, or your SEO taking a knock.
Redirection
Redirection is the simplest way to manage 301 redirects inside WordPress. It logs 404 errors, lets you create custom redirect rules, and helps tidy up site structure after content updates.
Pros
- Fast setup, no coding required
- 404 logging for quick fixes
Cons
- Manual entry for bulk redirects
- No import/export without tools
Free vs paid
Completely free and actively maintained by WordPress contributors.
Best free table plugin for WordPress
Price lists, specifications, and comparison charts look cleaner in a table. Even better for you if they are easy to build and maintain.
TablePress
TablePress adds an Excel-style editor inside WordPress so you can create and edit tables without HTML. Tables can include sorting, pagination, and search functions, and can be inserted anywhere using shortcodes.
Pros
- Clean, responsive tables without coding
- Supports import/export from CSV or Excel
- Optional sorting and search functions
Cons
- Advanced styling requires custom CSS
Free vs paid
The free version covers nearly everything. The Pro upgrade adds responsive breakpoints, cell highlighting, and advanced filtering.
Best free cookie-consent plugin for WordPress
Data-privacy laws require websites to collect consent before setting cookies. With a cookie-banner plugin, you can meet those rules easily.
Cookie Notice & Compliance
Cookie Notice adds a lightweight GDPR and CCPA banner to your site. You can customise text, colours, and buttons, and integrate with consent-management platforms if needed.
Pros• Quick setup with editable text and design• Supports multiple consent frameworks• No tracking scripts of its own
Cons• Limited analytics or audit features in free version
Free vs paid
The free version covers essential GDPR/CCPA compliance. Paid upgrade adds consent logs, proof of compliance, and advanced customisation.
That rounds off our list of the best free WordPress plugins across every core feature, from SEO to security and beyond.
How to choose free WordPress plugins
With more than 60 000 plugins in the directory, it’s easy to grab the first one that looks promising. But even among the best WordPress plugins, not every option fits every site. If you pick the wrong plugin, you could find your site slowing down or be faced with overlapping features and conflicts. And if a plugin isn’t updated regularly, you could also end up with new security risks.
1. Check the basics before installing
Always start with the basics:
- Active installations and reviews – high install counts and recent positive feedback show a plugin is trusted
- Last updated date – plugins untouched for a year or more are a red flag
- Developer reputation – recognised names or teams with other well-maintained plugins in their portfolio are always good
If you’re not sure how to add or activate a plugin, we’ve covered every method in our step-by-step guide:
How to install a plugin in WordPress
2. Limit overlap
Two plugins trying to do the same job often create conflicts or duplicate scripts. If you install a new SEO tool, disable the old one before testing. Keep one plugin per function whenever possible. That means one cache, one form builder, one backup solution.
3. Watch for performance impact
Even reputable plugins can weigh your site down. After installing something new, test your load speed with tools like PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. If your site slows noticeably, look for a lighter alternative or adjust settings to reduce requests.
4. Prioritise security and updates
A plugin that isn’t updated regularly can become a vulnerability. Choose ones with an active changelog and recent support replies. Set up automatic updates for trusted plugins and remove any you no longer use. Simply deactivating a plugin doesn’t mean you’re risk-free.
5. Keep backups before major changes
Before adding or updating plugins, take a full backup of your site. If something goes wrong, you can roll back in minutes.
At Fasthosts, our Hosting for WordPress plans come pre-optimised for plugin performance. You get instant setup, automatic updates, and secure UK-based servers that keep your site fast no matter how many visitors you attract.