Best WordPress Import Plugins in 2026

Data from WordPress.org Updated September 7, 2026 First published September 4, 2026 5 min read

Bringing content in from CSV, XML, another site or a theme demo.

Import plugins move content into WordPress: a spreadsheet of products, an export from another platform, or a theme's demo content. The mapping between their fields and yours is where the work is, and where these plugins differ.

Together these 10 plugins run on more than 3,550,000 active WordPress sites. Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "importer", its tag listing and its search results.

On this page

Best for each measure
Quick comparison
The top 10
How to choose
Head-to-head
How this list is ranked
FAQ
Conclusion
Other rankings

Best Import Plugin for each measure

One plugin per measure, taken from the same WordPress.org figures as the ranking. A measure with nothing behind it is left out rather than guessed.

Most installed: WordPress Importer
2 million+, active installs reported by WordPress.org
Highest rated: Customizer Export/Import
4.8 out of 5, from 115 reviews, counting only plugins with at least 50
Most reviewed: WordPress Importer
327 reviews, the largest body of feedback behind a score
Most recently updated: WordPress Importer
August 27, 2026, the latest release in this list
Longest established: WordPress Importer
May 20, 2010, first published on WordPress.org
Best with no paid version: WordPress Importer
2 million+, the highest placed plugin WordPress.org lists as a community plugin, with nothing sold on top
Most languages: One Click Demo Import
15 languages, translated to 90% or more on translate.wordpress.org

Import Plugins compared: rating, reviews, installs

#	Plugin	Rating	Reviews	Active installs
1	One Click Demo Import	4.3	79	1 million+
2	Advanced Import	4.4	7	80,000+
3	Customizer Export/Import	4.8	115	100,000+
4	WP All Import	5.0	6	50,000+
5	Import / Export Customizer Settings	4.7	6	50,000+
6	WP Import Export Lite	4.0	113	40,000+
7	WP All Import	4.7	273	20,000+
8	Widget Importer & Exporter	4.7	117	200,000+
9	WordPress Importer	3.1	327	2 million+
10	Ansar Import	5.0	1	10,000+

The 10 best Import Plugins, ranked by WordPress.org

Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "importer", its tag listing and its search results. Arrows show movement against the previous snapshot.

1.One Click Demo Import

4.3 (79) 1 million+ active installs Updated Apr 22, 2026 Tested up to 6.9.7

Import your demo content, widgets and theme settings with one click. Theme authors! Enable simple theme demo import for your users.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
2.Advanced Import

4.4 (7) 80,000+ active installs Updated Jun 9, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Easily import demo data including posts, pages, media, widgets, customizer settings, and Gutenberg Blocks.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
3.Customizer Export/Import

4.8 (115) 100,000+ active installs Updated Jun 16, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Easily export or import your WordPress customizer settings!

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
4.WP All Import

WP All Import – Import Add-On for ACF

5.0 (6) 50,000+ active installs Updated Aug 4, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Drag & drop to import any CSV, Excel, XML, or Google Sheets file into Advanced Custom Fields. Supports repeaters, flexible content, galleries, and …

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
5.Import / Export Customizer Settings

4.7 (6) 50,000+ active installs Updated Aug 24, 2026 Tested up to 7.1

Astra theme customizer offers several settings for header/footer layout, sidebar and blog designs, colors, backgrounds, typography and much more.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
6.WP Import Export Lite

4.0 (113) 40,000+ active installs Updated Jun 27, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Complete Import & Export solution for Posts, Pages, Custom Post, Users, Taxonomies, Comments etc.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org
7.WP All Import

WP All Import – Product Import for WooCommerce

4.7 (273) 20,000+ active installs Updated Jul 30, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Drag & drop to import products from any CSV, XML, Excel, or Google Sheets file. Supports variations, images, attributes, brands, and more with pow …

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
8.Widget Importer & Exporter

4.7 (117) 200,000+ active installs Updated May 23, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Import and export your widgets.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
9.WordPress Importer

3.1 (327) 2 million+ active installs Updated Aug 27, 2026 Tested up to 6.8.8

Import posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, tags and more from a WordPress export file.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
10.Ansar Import

Ansar Import – One Click Starter Sites – for Elementor & Themes

5.0 (1) 10,000+ active installs Updated Jun 30, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Easily import theme demos in one click. Simplifies starter sites setup.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

How to choose a Import Plugin for WordPress

1
Field mapping is the feature
Matching columns to post fields, taxonomies and custom fields is what makes an import usable. A plugin without it only handles the simplest files.
2
Test on a copy first
Imports create thousands of records and are painful to undo. Run it on staging, look at the result, then run it for real.
3
Ask about updating rather than duplicating
A repeated import should recognise existing records by a unique key, not create a second copy of everything.
4
Images make imports slow
Downloading a picture per row is where large imports time out. Look for batching and the ability to resume.

Import Plugin comparisons: side by side

The top four against each other on installs, ratings, reviews and updates. Each measure names its own leader; there is no overall winner.

How we rank Import Plugins

WordPress.org publishes two orderings for "importer" and neither is reliable alone. The tag listing covers every tag the directory files these plugins under, "importer", "import", "csv-import", "demo-import" and "one-click-import", and is sorted by active installs, which lets a large plugin carrying one of them loosely sit above the ones the category is about. Its search results are sorted by relevance and carry their own noise. So a plugin is placed here by where it sits across both lists: high in each one lifts it, high in only one does not. We fetch both every day at 03:00 UTC, keep every day's snapshot, and add nothing of our own. No plugin is inserted, removed or sponsored, and each entry shows its position in both lists on its own page. Full methodology.

Import Plugins FAQ

What is the best Import Plugin for WordPress?

On WordPress.org's own ranking for "importer", One Click Demo Import is #1 as of September 7, 2026, with 1 million+ active installs and a 4.3 out of 5 rating. By active installs, WordPress Importer leads with 2 million+. By rating, Customizer Export/Import scores 4.8 out of 5 from 115 reviews.

Which Import Plugin has the most active installs?

WordPress Importer, with 2 million+ active installs reported by WordPress.org as of September 7, 2026. It ranks #9 in this list.

Which Import Plugin has the highest rating?

Customizer Export/Import, rated 4.8 out of 5 by 115 reviewers on WordPress.org. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted, so a single 5-star review does not win.

Which Import Plugin was updated most recently?

WordPress Importer shipped its latest release on August 27, 2026. 8 of the 10 plugins in this list were updated in the last 90 days, which is the usual sign of active maintenance.

How many Import Plugins are there on WordPress.org?

WordPress.org lists 538 plugins tagged "importer", "import", "csv-import", "demo-import" and "one-click-import" as of September 7, 2026. This page shows the top 10 in the directory's own order.

Are these Import Plugins free?

All 10 are free to install from WordPress.org, and the 1 with a declared business model are community plugins with no paid upgrade.

Why does my import time out or stop halfway?

Because it is doing more work than one request allows, usually downloading an image for every row. PHP stops at the execution time limit and the import ends mid-file. Plugins that process in batches and can resume avoid it; so does importing without images first and attaching them in a second pass.

Can I re-run an import without duplicating everything?

Only if the plugin can match existing records, normally by a unique column such as SKU or an external ID. With that, a second run updates rather than duplicates, which is what makes a scheduled import from a supplier feed possible. Without it, every run creates a fresh copy of the whole file.

Import Plugins: the bottom line

As of September 7, 2026, One Click Demo Import holds the #1 spot for "importer" on WordPress.org, followed by Advanced Import and Customizer Export/Import. If install base matters most, WordPress Importer leads with 2 million+ active installs. If ratings matter most, Customizer Export/Import scores 4.8 out of 5 across 115 reviews.