WordPress plugins

15 Best WordPress Plugins for 2021

15 Best WordPress Plugins for 2021

with more than 55,000 plugins To choose from, it lets you WordPress Add a lot of add-ons that can range from improving website security, adding analytics tools, landing pages, and much more.

However, with so many options available, choosing the best WordPress plugins for your personal needs can quickly become overwhelming.

Fortunately, you don't need to look far to find the best WordPress plugins. In this article, you'll find 15+ plugins that we think every WordPress user should be aware of in 2021.

1. Visual Composer

Visual Composer
Visual Composer

Build your website faster with a true front-end drag-and-drop editor. Visual Composer eliminates the detailed coding part of the web building process in order to allow everyone to design a beautiful website.

The free version comes with over 40 content items and a number of great-looking free and premium themes - all backed by powerful design options.

If you still need to make adjustments to any content element or part of your layout, Visual Composer comes with built-in local and global CSS/JavaScript editors.

Here are some of the basic features of Visual Composer:

Create your page content with a real front-end drag-and-drop editor.

Use and execute content items without having to touch a single line of code.

Create your page layout in a matter of minutes by choosing one of the many available templates.

Visual Composer can be downloaded for free from the WordPress plugin repository. However, the premium version of the plugin gives you full access to the Visual Composer Hub - a cloud-based library of elements, templates, and website builder extensions. The premium version of this plugin starts at $49 per year

2. WooCommerce

WooCommerce
WooCommerce

WooCommerce powers more than 3,8 million e-commerce sites, and is one of the best and most popular WordPress plugins for people who want to create an online store. Are you looking for Best Web Design Company ?

The highlight of the plugin is undoubtedly its plugin library, which makes this plugin very versatile. You can add a currency converter to the checkout page, including a live chat feature, sales tax automation, and much more. Moreover, it's highly compatible with many other WordPress themes and plugins.

However, even without the additional plugins, the plugin itself already has the tools to run an online store. Sort products into categories, display product reviews, set preferred units of measurement, and upload unlimited images.

It's almost impossible to list everything WooCommerce has to offer, so here are some of its highlights:

Various payment options, such as Stripe and PayPal And Square.

Extensions for different purposes - payments, shipping, product management, etc.

A built-in analytics tool to monitor the performance of your website.

Manage multiple product types, such as physical products, subscriptions, affiliate products, etc.

A feature-rich product management tool, including inventory tracking, one-click refunds, and email templates.

WooCommerce is free to download and use. However, note that not all of its extensions are free. For example, you need to pay about $79 to $199 to use the FedEx shipping method or $249 to $449 to use Bookings 

3. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO

Yoast is known as one of the best WordPress plugins for SEO purposes (SEO), which is designed to help you publish high-quality, search-optimized content.

The plugin works through a unique "traffic light-like" indicator system that shows how your content will fare with search engines. A green light indicates that your article is SEO-optimized, yellow indicates that it needs further optimization, while red indicates that your content is poorly optimized.

These indicators are influenced by several factors, such as keyword density, keyword emphasis, meta description length, and keyphrase distribution. Fortunately, Yoast SEO will point out best practices you can apply to optimize your content.

Here's what Yoast SEO has to offer:

Analyze WordPress pages and posts to identify SEO weaknesses.

Update on-page analysis results when appropriate SEO changes are made.

Build XML sitemaps to visualize your web

Create SEO navigation breadcrumbs on compatible WordPress themes.

Yoast SEO can be used for free. However, since it's important to use a premium SEO plugin to keep your website at the top, you may want to use the premium version by paying $89 per year for one site.

4. Ultimate Blocks

Ultimate Blocks
Ultimate Blocks

With the 5.0 update, WordPress has completely changed its default editor. The great thing about it is that you can extend the functionality of the editor with Gutenberg-based plugins. Ultimate Blocks is one such plugin that comes with over 15 additional custom Gutenberg blocks.

Once the plugin is activated, you will get the following blocks in the Gutenberg editor:

Content blocks, including content filter, table of contents, tabbed content, content toggle (accordion), and expansion.

Creative blocks, such as Call to Action, Styled Box, Styled List, Countdown, Progress Bar, Image Slider, Button.

Social blocks, which feature click-to-tweet and social sharing.

Other blocks, such as review (schema-enabled), certification, star rating, and divider.

You can enable or disable individual blocks to prevent your website from running slower. Ultimate Blocks is a free plugin. You can download it from the WordPress repository and use it right away.

5. W3 Total Cache

W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache

A slow website has a negative impact on your business and sales. To prevent this, you need a reliable and fast caching plugin like W3 Total Cache.

Being one of the best WordPress plugins for increasing site speed, W3 Total Cache will save your site's static content in your visitors' browsers. This way, your site will load faster on subsequent visits because browsers don't need to re-download all the files.

W3 Total Cache also implements a Content Delivery Network (CDN) that allows a user's browser to access your site using the nearest server. This way, web pages will load faster since the data transfer distance is shorter.

In general, the plugin will optimize your site's performance by performing the following tasks:

Caching most elements of a WordPress site, including pages, posts, feeds, and search results pages.

Use AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) to minimize the loading time of your mobile site.

Clear (erase) cached files via WP-CLI.

Save up to 80% of your bandwidth by miniaturizing and compressing your HTML, CSS, and Javascript files.

W3 Total Cache is free to use. However, you can also purchase the premium version for $99 per year.

The paid version comes with a special part caching feature that will store your site more efficiently. On top of that, you'll also get an additional framework that allows third parties to contribute to your project without having to become a core developer yourself.

6. Sleeknote

Sleeknote
Sleeknote

Sleeknote helps you convert your website visitors into email leads without negatively impacting the user experience.

The page's advanced targeting tool displays personalized on-page messages to specific visitors on specific pages. This helps target your customers no matter what part of the marketing funnel they're in.

The analytics and insights section will provide all the data you need to help optimize your conversions. Take advantage of goal tracking, split testing, and an analytics page, among other tools.

Check out some of Sleeknote's other resources:

Collect email addresses using SleekBar, Sliding SleekBox, Exit-Intent SleekBox, or other designs.

Encourage visitors to use the digital assistant.

Create personalized on-site messages and connect with your visitors through geo-targeting.

Implement interactive elements such as radio buttons, drop-down menus, text area, and call-to-action buttons.

The drag-and-drop editor helps create beautiful, eye-catching messages in your own personal style. You can easily add to pre-made templates, create templates, link to specific events, and more.

Try Sleeknote for free for 7 days or get the basic version for $57/month.

7. Jetpack

Jetpack
Jetpack

Jetpack helps your website generate more traffic by combining security, performance, and site management tools. It's an all-in-one solution for optimizing your site's performance.

The free version of the plugin comes with 35 modules, each with its own unique function. There are Google Analytics modules, custom CSS, infinite scrolling, contact forms, and much more. Plus, it also comes with built-in SEO tools to improve your site's ranking.

Take a look at some of Jetpack's core features:

Analyze the overall performance of your website using its built-in analytics tool.

Protect your website with malware and code scanning.

Provide social sharing, advanced comments, and a neat contact form to help you interact with your visitors.

Check your content for spelling, style, and grammar errors.

The core features of Jetpack are completely free. However, the premium version of this plugin offers a number of other features, such as daily automatic backups, downtime monitoring, and unlimited static file hosting.

The premium version of this plugin starts at $39 per year.

8. Keyy

Keyy
Keyy

Having strong security measures in place is essential for running a website. For this purpose, we recommend using Keyy.

The security plugin enables you to use the popular two-factor authentication (2FA) method, which works by verifying your identity through a mobile device.

Once installed, you will be prompted to download the Keyy app on your smartphone. When you want to log in to your WordPress site, you can simply open the app, and then use it to scan the on-screen code. There's no need to enter your username and password.

To make sure you're the only person who can use the app, don't forget to set a PIN or register your fingerprint.

Here are some of the key features of Keyy:

Remove the need to enter a password, enabling a faster and more secure method of communication.

Create and store a 2048-bit RSA digital key on a smart device.

Provide one-click access so you can log in to all your websites at once.

The free version of Keyy should be enough for most users. However, there is also a Premium version of this plugin available from $39 to $99 per year.

The paid version comes with a lot of perks, such as premium support, an ad-free admin page, and additional privileges to change user settings.

Broken Link Checker
Broken Link Checker

As the name suggests, Broken Link Checker looks for links that point to web pages that no longer work. This is extremely important, as your site's search engine ranking will drop significantly if it includes too many missing or broken links.

Once activated, this free plugin will monitor your site for broken links and send the report via email or your WordPress dashboard. From there, you can edit or remove the links in question.

You may need to wait a while for an initial check, especially if you have a larger website. To see the progress, open your dashboard and head to Settings -> Link Checker.

Here are some of the key features that Broken Link Checker can bring to your WordPress site:

Keep an eye on all the links on your website and make sure they all work.

Notify you in case of any issues, either through email or through your WordPress dashboard.

Prevent search engines from following broken links.

What's more, the developers behind the plugin offer an incredible package of security, performance, SEO, and marketing tools for WordPress starting at $49 per month.

10. Contact Form 7

Contact Form 7

Contact forms are one of the most important tools dedicated to improving communication with visitors and potential customers. With that in mind, we've included Contact Form 7 in our list of the best WordPress plugins.

This simple plugin allows you to customize the contact forms of your WordPress website. It also allows you to modify the style and add various "form fields" such as queries, suggestions, and other messages.

Contact Form 7 also supports CAPTCHA, Akismet Anti-Spam, and Ajax submissions to make sure that forms sent to your inbox remain spam-free.

Here are the most prominent contact forms 7:

It allows you to manage multiple WordPress contact forms.

Customize your existing WordPress contact forms in several ways.

Help prevent spam with CAPTCHA and Akismet.

Contact Form 7 is available for free. However, you may want to help develop this useful program by making a donation through its official website.

11. ExactMetrics Google Analytics for WordPress

ExactMetrics Google Analytics for WordPress

Given the competitive nature of online business, monitoring your site's analytics is a must if you want to stay ahead of the curve. The ExactMetrics Google Analytics for WordPress plugin will help shed some light on your website's performance, right from your WordPress dashboard.

You'll be presented with a neat dashboard with real-time metrics to track traffic sources, number of visitors, and acquisition channels.

On top of that, the plugin also offers detailed analytics reports, such as page views, bounce rates, and organic search statistics - all the data you might need to expand your market reach is there.

Let's take a look at what the plugin has to offer:

Real-time reports on the number of visitors, acquisition channels, and traffic sources.

Track important website events, such as downloads, affiliate links, and emails.

Detailed reports on organic search results, error statistics, bounce rates, etc.

Supports Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages).

ExactMetrics Google Analytics for WordPress is free to use. Moreover, this plugin is also compatible with WooCommerce, so you can use it as the primary analytics tool for your online store.

12. Wordfence

 Wordfence
Wordfence

Wordfence Security is a firewall and scanner plugin for WordPress, designed to protect your website from malware, malicious files, spam, and other online threats. With over 100 million downloads, it is arguably the most popular WordPress security plugin.

Wordfence equips itself with Threat Defense Feed, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that will identify and prevent malicious traffic. It also protects your site from brute force attacks by limiting login attempts and forcing you to use strong passwords.

Upon activation, WordFence Security can:

Recognize and block online threats, including malware, malicious traffic, and malicious content.

Monitor your website via a malware scanner, security firewall, and Live Traffic security tool.

Check your website for potential security vulnerabilities.

Wordfence is free to use, but you can purchase the premium version for $99 per year. The Premium plan gives you extra security by implementing real-time IP blacklisting and a country-blocking option. On top of that, you'll also get premium support from professional support engineers.

13. Imagify

Imagify
Imagify

Large-sized images are often the main cause of slow websites. Therefore, it is crucial to use Imagify Image Optimizer, a plugin responsible for reducing image sizes.

This plugin scans and optimizes any images within the WordPress media library. It offers three different levels of compression - Normal, Aggressive, and Super.

Normal compression changes the image algorithm without changing its quality. As a result, the image size is only slightly reduced.

On the other hand, extreme compression slightly reduces image quality, resulting in a smaller image size. Meanwhile, ultra-compression significantly reduces the size and quality of the image.

Other than that, Imagify also has other great features:

A batch system that allows you to optimize multiple images at once.

An online app where you can resize your photos.

The free plan is capped at 25MB per month. If you need more, the plugin has several pricing plans that start at $4.99 per month for its Lite plan.

14. Sumo

Sumo
Sumo

Use this plugin to send bulk emails about product promotions, new launches, and company updates. This way, you can create better relationships with all your potential customers.

Sumo is an email marketing plugin designed to increase your site's conversion rates and sales.

allows you to install and activate this plugin:

Create email subscription pop-ups.

Add sharing buttons on your websites for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Collect emails from potential customers to expand your market reach.

Sumo is available for free, but it also has a Pro version that costs $39 per month. The premium version gives you more resources and additional features, such as advanced analytics tools, an unlimited email quota, and advanced email integration.

15. UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus
UpdraftPlus

Finding a great backup plugin should be one of your highest priorities when running a website. That way, if something happens to your website, you'll always have the important files on hand.

For this reason, we recommend using UpdraftPlus. The plugin helps you make automated daily, weekly, monthly, or even hourly backups. The process can be monitored directly from the WordPress dashboard.

You can also choose a variety of storage options, including Amazon S3, Google Drive, and Dropbox.

Here are some of the basic features of UpdraftPlus:

Provides an automatic scheduled backup.

It allows you to save backup files on different storage platforms.

It enables you to easily backup and restore your site files with a single click.

It provides a fast backup process and uses less server resources.

You can use UpdraftPlus for free or purchase the premium version for $195 to $399 per year. The premium version includes a year of premium support and database encryption for improved security and access to UpdraftPlus add-ons.

NextGEN Gallery
NextGEN Gallery

Modern website design requires seamless images that don't distract readers from your content, and the NextGEN gallery accomplishes just that.

NextGEN Gallery will turn your gallery into a media management system with many perks - thumbnail editing, photo effects, and the ability to create multiple albums.

This great WordPress plugin provides three ready-to-use gallery styles - thumbnail, slideshow, or image browser.

To get a better understanding of the functionality of this plugin, here are some of the basic features of the NextGEN Gallery:

It turns the default WordPress gallery into a powerful media management tool that can be used to arrange, add, or clear multiple images.

It provides three beautiful gallery designs for free, all with extensive customizations.

Offers two highly customizable album styles.

The Premium version is available if you want to unlock the true power of this plugin. The price ranges from $99 to $499, and you'll get more gallery options, Lightroom plugin, and premium support.

Due to the sheer number of plugins available, it can be easy to get confused when choosing the best WordPress plugins.

Luckily, we've selected 15+ of the best WordPress plugins to help you out:

Visual Composer - An excellent free WordPress site builder.

WooCommerce - A great plugin for starting an e-commerce store.

Yoast SEO - one of the best SEO plugins for WordPress.

Ultimate Blocks - A great tool to maximize your new WordPress editor.

W3 Total Cache - A caching plugin that helps speed up your website.

Sleeknote - Email marketing made easy with personalized marketing and analytics.

Jetpack - An all-in-one tool to optimize your site's performance.

Keyy - Enables you to log into WordPress using a two-factor authentication method.

Broken Link Checker - Monitor broken links on your site.

Contact Form 7 - A great plugin for adding and customizing contact forms.

ExactMetrics Google Analytics for WordPress - Helps you monitor your site's performance and integrate your site with Google Analytics.

Wordfence - Recognizes threats, monitors your site's integrity, and checks your site's vulnerability.

Imagine - optimizes your site's images with three different compression modes.

Sumo - Designed to increase your site's conversion rates through email marketing and social media sharing.

UpdraftPlus - Easily create site backups and restore your site's data with one click.

NextGEN Gallery - Turns your virtual gallery into a great media management system.

Migrate Guru - a free WordPress plugin for migrating WordPress sites.

Do you have any other recommendations for plugins? Let us know in the comments section below.

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