10 Best Softaculous Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Softaculous has 10,000+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to Softaculous
- 1
Database Backup for WordPress
Closest match4.5 (66) 60,000+ active installsDatabase Backup for WordPress is your one-stop database backup solution for WordPress.
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 6 times the installs, last updated April 20, 2026.
- 2
4.4 (95) 60,000+ active installsManages your WordPress database.
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 6 times the installs, last updated 29 days ago.
- 3
4.7 (1,373) 80,000+ active installsSimple automated backups of your WordPress-powered website.
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 8 times the installs, no update since April 24, 2024.
- 4
4.1 (339) 40,000+ active installs100% FREE clone and migration
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 4 times the installs, last updated October 30, 2025.
- 5
4.6 (330) 80,000+ active installsSecure incremental backups with staging, migration, and one-click restore for WordPress. Offsite storage and easy recovery.
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 8 times the installs, last updated 10 days ago.
- 6
WP STAGING
Paid version availableWP STAGING – WordPress Backups, Restore, Migration & Clone
4.8 (2,464) 100,000+ active installsWordPress backup plugin: backups, restore & migration in minutes. Clone or duplicate your site, test updates on a staging copy. 100% unit-tested.
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, last updated today.
- 7
Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid
4.8 (440) 50,000+ active installsAutomated backups, remote backup to Amazon S3 and Google Drive, stop website crashes before they happen and more. Total Upkeep is the backup solution …
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 5 times the installs, last updated 20 days ago.
- 8
WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring
4.8 (75) 80,000+ active installsEverything you need to sell WordPress maintenance and manage multiple sites effortlessly: backup, update, uptime monitoring, and security.
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 8 times the installs, last updated 2 days ago.
- 9
4.9 (1,331) 80,000+ active installsBackup, migrate, and create staging sites with free cloud storage and support.
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 8 times the installs, last updated 27 days ago.
- 10
Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites
5.0 (126) 40,000+ active installsManage all your WordPress sites from one place. Automate updates, backups, uptime monitoring, security, reports, and more.
Shares the backup tag on WordPress.org. About 4 times the installs, last updated 3 days ago.
Switching from Softaculous: common questions
What is the best alternative to Softaculous?
Database Backup for WordPress is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 60,000+ active installs with a 4.5 out of 5 rating.
Which Softaculous alternative has the most users?
WP STAGING, with 100,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Softaculous alternative is rated highest?
Modular DS, rated 5.0 out of 5 by 126 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Softaculous alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Softaculous score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Softaculous on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Database Backup for WordPress is the closest match to Softaculous by the data we track, and WP STAGING has the widest reach with 100,000+ active installs. WP STAGING shipped the most recent release, on September 6, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.