The BackWPup alternative that's faster, with more included
BackWPup has a capable free tier for scheduled backups. But migration, encrypted backups, cloud restore and priority support all sit in BackWPup Pro. SafeGuard includes those on every plan. On speed the two split: BackWPup writes a backup faster, SafeGuard restores in about half the time.
Why people move to SafeGuard
It is genuinely faster
Backups and restores that don't crawl on large sites. SafeGuard is top-ranked on our public benchmark, backing up faster than six of the eight plugins tested and restoring faster than five.
Everything is included
Incremental, migration, multisite, staging and 20+ storage providers come on every plan. No per-feature addons or tiers to climb.
Claims you can verify
The benchmark is public and reproducible. Instead of trusting a marketing line, you can run the exact test yourself and check where each plugin lands.
SafeGuard vs BackWPup
BackWPup is a solid, popular plugin. Here is where the two differ in practice.
| Feature | SafeGuard | BackWPup |
|---|---|---|
| Public benchmark | Faster restore (6.9s vs 13.3s) | Faster backup |
| Pricing model | Everything on every plan | Free tier + Pro from ~$69/yr |
| Scheduled backups | ||
| Restore inside WordPress | ||
| Restore from cloud (no WP access) | Pro | |
| Encrypted backups | Pro | |
| Site migration / clone | Pro | |
| Staging + push-to-live | ||
| Cloud relay for firewalled sites | ||
| REST API + 40+ WP-CLI commands | Limited | |
| Money-back guarantee | 14 days | Varies |
Based on BackWPup's publicly documented free vs Pro split and the public Backup Arena benchmark. Verify anything for yourself.
Common questions
Isn't BackWPup free good enough?
For scheduled backups and restores inside WordPress, the free tier is genuinely capable. But migration, encryption, cloud restore and priority support are BackWPup Pro. SafeGuard includes all of those on every plan and restores in about half the time, though BackWPup writes the backup quicker.
Which is faster, SafeGuard or BackWPup?
On the public Backup Arena benchmark, run on identical hardware and data, BackWPup backs up faster than SafeGuard while SafeGuard restores faster, 6.9s against 13.3s. You can rerun the test yourself.
Does SafeGuard include migration and encryption?
Yes, both are included on every SafeGuard plan, along with staging, multisite and 20+ storage providers.
Is there a free version of SafeGuard?
No, SafeGuard is premium only, with a 14-day money-back guarantee and a free first year for the first 50 customers.
Still weighing up the whole field? Our honest buyer's guide to the best WordPress backup plugin covers BackWPup alongside every other serious option, including the cases where they are the better pick.
Ready to switch?
Every feature on every plan, a 14-day money-back guarantee, and the first 50 customers get a full year free.
Get SafeGuard