TOP 30 BEST FREE WORDPRESS PLUGINS

30 Best Free WordPress Plugins That Will Supercharge Your Website

Find a list of the 30 best free WordPress plugins you can use to optimise, secure or edit your website with with a list of features and best usages.

If you’re looking to optimize and enhance your WordPress website, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we have compiled a list of the 30 best free WordPress plugins that cater to various aspects of website management, from SEO to security. We’ve also included descriptions, best use cases, features, and download links for each plugin. This way you can make an informative choice to what plugin you should use when building or editing your website.

All of these plugins are free or use a free version so thy can also be found in the WordPress repository if searched by name.

1. Yoast SEO

30 best free wordpress plugins yoast seo

Yoast SEO is one of the most popular SEO plugins for WordPress, with over 5 million active installations. It offers a comprehensive set of tools to help improve your website’s search engine ranking and on-page optimization.

Best used for: Search engine optimization (SEO)

Features:

  • Keyword optimization
  • Readability analysis
  • Technical SEO improvements
  • XML sitemaps
  • Breadcrumbs control
  • Content analysis
  • Social media integration

Download Link: Yoast SEO

2. Akismet Anti-Spam

akismet 30 best free wordpress plugins

Akismet is an essential plugin that checks your website’s comments and contact form submissions against a global database to prevent spam.

Best used for: Spam protection

Features:

  • Automatically filters spam comments
  • Status history for each comment
  • Discard feature to save disk space
  • Moderate and review comments

Download Link: Akismet Anti-Spam

3. Jetpack

30 best free wordpress plugins jetpack

Jetpack is a powerful plugin that offers various features, including security, performance optimization, and traffic growth tools.

Best used for: Site management and optimization

Features:

  • Site stats and analytics
  • Downtime monitoring
  • Brute force attack protection
  • Lazy loading images
  • Content delivery network (CDN)
  • Social sharing

Download Link: Jetpack

4. Elementor Page Builder

30 best free wordpress plugins elementor

Elementor is a powerful and user-friendly drag-and-drop page builder plugin for WordPress, allowing you to create stunning and responsive web pages without any coding knowledge.

Best used for: Page design and layout

Features:

  • Drag-and-drop page builder
  • Responsive design
  • Over 300 pre-designed templates
  • Widgets for various elements
  • Inline text editing
  • Undo and redo history
  • Custom CSS

Download Link: Elementor Page Builder

5. Wordfence Security

wordfence 30 best free wordpress plugins

Wordfence Security is an all-in-one security plugin that helps protect your WordPress website from hacks, malware, and other security threats.

Best used for: Security and firewall protection

Features:

  • Firewall protection
  • Malware scanning
  • Real-time threat defence
  • Login security
  • Security incident recovery tools
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Country blocking

Download Link: Wordfence Security

6. WP Super Cache

Description: WP Super Cache is a fast and reliable caching plugin that generates static HTML files from your dynamic WordPress site, significantly reducing page load times and improving site performance.

Best used for: Page caching and performance optimization

Features:

  • Static HTML file generation
  • Page compression and dynamic caching
  • Cache preloading
  • Content delivery network (CDN) support
  • Browser caching

Download Link: WP Super Cache

7. Contact Form 7

contact form 7 30 best free wordpress plugins

Contact Form 7 is a popular and versatile plugin that allows you to create and manage multiple contact forms on your WordPress website with ease.

Best used for: Contact forms and user inquiries

Features:

  • Create and manage multiple contact forms
  • Customize form fields
  • AJAX form submission
  • CAPTCHA support
  • Akismet spam filtering
  • File attachment support

Download Link: Contact Form 7

8. Smush Image Optimization

30 best free wordpress plugins smush image optimization

Smush is an award-winning image optimization plugin that compresses, resizes, and optimizes your images, improving your website’s loading speed and performance.

Best used for: Image optimization and compression

Features:

  • Lossless image compression
  • Bulk image optimization
  • Lazy loading
  • Image resizing
  • WebP conversion
  • CDN support

Download Link: Smush Image Optimization

9. UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin

30 best free wordpress plugins updraft plus

Description: UpdraftPlus is a reliable and easy-to-use backup plugin that allows you to schedule and manage backups of your WordPress website, ensuring the safety of your data.

Best used for: Site backups and data protection

Features:

  • Complete website backup
  • Scheduled backups
  • Incremental backups
  • Backup to cloud storage
  • Backup encryption
  • Site duplication and migration

Download Link: UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin

10. W3 Total Cache

30 best free wordpress plugins w3 total cache

W3 Total Cache is a comprehensive caching plugin that enhances your website’s performance by leveraging features like CDN integration, minification, and browser caching.

Best used for: Website performance optimization

Features:

  • Page caching
  • Minification of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • Database caching
  • Object caching
  • Browser caching
  • Content delivery network (CDN) integration
  • Mobile device support

Download Link: W3 Total Cache

11. Really Simple SSL

30 best free wordpress plugins really simple ssl

Description: Really Simple SSL is a user-friendly plugin that helps you quickly and easily enable SSL on your WordPress website for a secure browsing experience.

Best used for: SSL management and site security

Features:

  • Automatic SSL detection
  • Redirects HTTP to HTTPS
  • Mixed content fixing
  • Security headers
  • .htaccess redirect
  • Certificate expiration check

Download Link: Really Simple SSL

12. Google Analytics Dashboard for WP (GADWP)

30 best free wordpress plugins google analytics

GADWP is a powerful plugin that allows you to easily integrate Google Analytics with your WordPress website, providing detailed statistics and insights about your site’s traffic and performance.

Best used for: Site analytics and traffic insights

Features:

  • Real-time statistics
  • Traffic source tracking
  • Page and post performance
  • Device and browser tracking
  • Customizable dashboard widget
  • Google Analytics tracking code integration

Download Link: Google Analytics Dashboard for WP (GADWP)

13. Redirection

redirection 30 best free wordpress plugins

Redirection is a popular plugin that helps you manage 301 redirects, track 404 errors, and improve your website’s overall user experience and SEO.

Best used for: URL redirection and error tracking

Features:

  • Create and manage 301 redirects
  • Monitor 404 errors
  • Import and export redirects
  • Regular expression support
  • Conditional redirects
  • Redirect logs

Download Link: Redirection

14. All in One SEO Pack

30 best free wordpress plugins aioseo

All in One SEO Pack is a comprehensive and easy-to-use plugin that helps you optimize your WordPress website for search engines.

Best used for: Search engine optimization (SEO)

Features:

  • XML sitemap support
  • Google AMP support
  • Google Analytics integration
  • Schema.org markup
  • Advanced canonical URLs
  • Meta tag generation
  • SEO settings import and export

Download Link: All in One SEO Pack

15. Mailchimp for WordPress

mailchimp 30 best free wordpress plugins

Mailchimp for WordPress is an easy-to-use plugin that allows you to integrate your Mailchimp account with your WordPress website, helping you grow your email list and manage your subscribers.

Best used for: Email marketing and subscriber management

Features:

  • Mailchimp integration
  • Customizable sign-up forms
  • AJAX form submission
  • Form styling options
  • GDPR compliance features
  • Integration with other plugins

Download Link: Mailchimp for WordPress

16. Broken Link Checker

30 best free wordpress plugins broken link checker

Broken Link Checker is a useful plugin that scans your WordPress site for broken links and images, helping you fix them to improve your site’s user experience and SEO.

Best used for: Link management and website maintenance

Features:

  • Scans for broken links and images
  • Email notifications for broken links
  • Dashboard widget
  • Filters and search functionality
  • Prevents search engines from following broken links

Download Link: Broken Link Checker

17. Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons

30 best free wordpress plugins social media share

This plugin allows you to easily add customizable social media share buttons and icons to your WordPress site, encouraging visitors to share your content on various social media platforms.

Best used for: Social sharing and increasing website traffic

Features:

  • Customizable social share buttons
  • Over 200 social media platforms supported
  • Multiple icon design options
  • Floating or static share buttons
  • Shortcodes for placement control
  • Follow and share counts

Download Link: Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons

18. WP-Forms Lite

30 best free wordpress plugins wp forms

WPForms Lite is a user-friendly drag-and-drop form builder plugin that allows you to create and manage various types of forms for your WordPress website.

Best used for: Form creation and management

Features:

  • Drag-and-drop form builder
  • Pre-built form templates
  • Responsive design
  • AJAX form submission
  • Captcha and spam protection
  • Email notifications

Download Link: WPForms Lite

19. Advanced Custom Fields

30 best free wordpress plugins advanced custom field

Advanced Custom Fields is a powerful plugin that enables you to create and manage custom fields for your WordPress website, allowing you to easily customize your site’s content and design.

Best used for: Custom field creation and management

Features:

  • Over 30 field types
  • Custom field groups
  • Conditional logic
  • Export and import fields
  • Developer-friendly
  • Integrations with other plugins

Download Link: Advanced Custom Fields

20. Regenerate Thumbnails

30 best free wordpress plugins regenerate thumbnails

Regenerate Thumbnails is a handy plugin that allows you to regenerate your website’s thumbnail images after changing their dimensions, ensuring a consistent and professional appearance.

Best used for: Image resizing and thumbnail management

Features

  • Thumbnail regeneration
  • Selective regeneration
  • Bulk regeneration
  • Easy to use interface
  • Supports custom image sizes

Download Link: Regenerate Thumbnails

21. Classic Editor

30 best free wordpress plugins classic editor

Classic Editor is an official WordPress plugin that restores the previous classic editor and the Edit Post screen, allowing users to continue using the familiar interface for creating and editing content.

Best used for: Editing and content creation

Features:

  • Restores the classic editor
  • Supports older themes and plugins
  • Allows users to switch between Classic and Block editors
  • Simple and user-friendly interface

Download Link: Classic Editor

22. Shortcodes Ultimate

30 best free wordpress plugins shortcodes ultimate

Shortcodes Ultimate is a comprehensive plugin that provides a wide range of shortcodes for various elements, making it easy to create custom layouts and add unique features to your WordPress site.

Best used for: Content enhancement and layout customization

Features:

  • Over 50 shortcodes
  • Custom CSS editor
  • Shortcode generator
  • Responsive design
  • Custom widget
  • Import and export functionality

Download Link: Shortcodes Ultimate

23. The Events Calendar

30 best free wordpress plugins events calender

The Events Calendar is a powerful and easy-to-use plugin that allows you to create and manage events on your WordPress site, featuring a sleek and professional design.

Best used for: Event management and promotion

Features:

  • Event creation and management
  • Calendar view
  • List and day view
  • Event search
  • Responsive design
  • Widget and shortcode support
  • Customizable templates

Download Link: The Events Calendar

24. TablePress

tablepress 30 best free wordpress plugins

TablePress is a user-friendly plugin that allows you to create and manage tables on your WordPress site without any coding knowledge, making it easy to present data in a structured format.

Best used for: Data presentation and table creation

Features:

  • Create and manage tables
  • Import and export tables
  • Customizable table design
  • Sorting, pagination, and filtering
  • No coding required
  • Short-codes for easy insertion

Download Link: TablePress

25. Custom Post Type UI

custom post 30 best free wordpress plugins

Custom Post Type UI is a powerful plugin that allows you to create and manage custom post types and taxonomies for your WordPress website, offering greater flexibility in organizing and presenting your content.

Best used for: Custom post type and taxonomy creation

Features:

  • Create and manage custom post types
  • Create and manage custom taxonomies
  • Import and export functionality
  • Developer-friendly
  • Built-in help documentation

Download Link: Custom Post Type UI

26. Duplicate Post

30 best free wordpress plugins duplicate post

Duplicate Post is a useful plugin that allows you to easily duplicate or clone any post, page, or custom post type on your WordPress site, making it simple to create similar content without starting from scratch.

Best used for: Content creation and management

Features:

  • Duplicate or clone posts, pages, and custom post types
  • Customize duplicated content settings
  • Bulk duplicate actions
  • User role restrictions
  • Compatible with other plugins

Download Link: Duplicate Post

27. Autoptimize

30 best free wordpress plugins auto optimise

Auto ptimize is a powerful plugin that optimizes your WordPress site’s performance by compressing, aggregating, and caching scripts, styles, and HTML.

Best used for: Site performance optimization

Features:

  • Minification of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • Concatenation of scripts and styles
  • Image optimization and WebP support
  • CDN integration
  • Browser caching
  • Extensible with hooks and filters

Download Link: Autoptimize

28. User Role Editor

30 best free wordpress plugins user role editor

User Role Editor is a versatile plugin that allows you to easily edit the capabilities and permissions of user roles on your WordPress site, providing better control over user access.

Best used for: User role management and access control

Features:

  • Edit user roles and capabilities
  • Create new user roles
  • Assign multiple roles to users
  • Block access to admin functionality
  • Copy roles from one site to another
  • Developer-friendly

Download Link: User Role Editor

29. Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Widget Area Manager

Custom sidebars 30 best free wordpress plugins

Custom Sidebars is a powerful plugin that allows you to create and manage custom sidebars and widget areas for your WordPress site, offering more flexibility in content presentation and layout design.

Best used for: Sidebar and widget management

Features:

  • Create and manage custom sidebars
  • Unlimited custom widget areas
  • Drag-and-drop interface
  • Display widget areas on specific pages or posts
  • Import and export sidebars
  • Compatible with most themes

Download Link: Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Widget Area Manager

30. WP-Optimize

30 best free wordpress plugins wp optimize

WP-Optimize is an all-in-one plugin that helps improve your WordPress site’s performance by cleaning up your database, compressing images, and caching pages.

Best used for: Site optimization and database clean-up

Features:

  • Database optimization and clean-up
  • Image compression
  • Page caching
  • Minification of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • CDN support
  • Scheduled optimizations

Download Link: WP-Optimize

Conclusion

Using our list of the best 30 free WordPress plugins you can not only optimise your site, but also secure it, create better content, manage users and much more! And if you are paying too much for your WordPress hosting, get started for only £1 per month!

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