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  • 9 Best WordPress Sitemap Plugins for Busy Site Owners in 2023

    Optimizing your website for organic search traffic is crucial for any website. This task can be time-consuming for busy site owners. Sitemaps are some of the best tools available to improve your website’s SEO.

    They not only provide information about your website to search engines to help them index your site, but they also ping them when you update your website. In this article, we’ll look at the 8 plugins to help you decide which is the best WordPress sitemap plugin for your needs.

    What is a WordPress Sitemap?

    A sitemap is a list made with XML that tells search engines about your content and the structure of your website. They include page URLs, when the content was last modified, the type of content, etc. Post types are identified, and you have the option to keep post types from indexing if you want to keep them private.

    Search engines such as Google can crawl your website on their own, but this takes time. Providing a sitemap ensures that search engines have all the information they need to index your website.

    The XML document can be created by hand, but the best way to create a sitemap is with a WordPress sitemap plugin. Sitemap plugins inform search engines of changes on your website, so their information is always up to date. They’re easy to use, and there are plenty to choose from.

    For this list, I’ve separated them into two types: SEO plugins that include sitemaps and those that are dedicated to sitemaps. I’ve only included plugins that create sitemaps for search engines since our focus is on improving search engine optimization (SEO).

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    WordPress SEO Plugins with Sitemap Features

    Since sitemaps are an important part of SEO, creating a sitemap is a standard function of SEO plugins. Here are the best SEO-focused WordPress sitemap plugins with awesome sitemap features.

    1. Rank Math SEO

    Rank Math SEO

    Rank Math SEO includes a fast-loading sitemap that works with different post types, including attachments, projects, custom post types, etc. It also creates sitemaps for taxonomies. It includes lots of detailed options for customizing your sitemaps. Generate Locations KML files for local sitemaps.

    It will also create a WooCommerce sitemap. Even though this plugin has a premium version, everything you need for sitemaps is included in the free version.

    Key Features:

    • Fast loading
    • Works with custom post types
    • Local sitemaps
    • WooCommerce sitemaps
    • Include images in your sitemaps
    • Exclude posts
    • Exclude terms

    Price: Free the pro version starts at $59.00/yr

    Get Rank Math

    2. All-in-One SEO

    All in One SEO

    All-in-One SEO  provides several types of sitemaps, including the standard XML map, a news sitemap, a video sitemap, and an RSS sitemap. The pro version adds news, video, and RSS.

    Sitemaps are included in the free version and give you the ability to enable indexes, enter the number of links per sitemap, choose the post types and taxonomies, disable by date, disable by author, enter specific URLs, and set up advanced settings.

    Key Features:

    • Standard XML sitemap
    • News sitemap
    • Video sitemap
    • RSS sitemap
    • Advanced settings for each type of sitemap

    Price: Free for XML sitemaps, $49.50 per year for Pro (adds news, video, and RSS sitemaps)

    Get All-in-One SEO

    3. SEOPress

    SEOPress

    SEOPress creates a sitemap for post types, taxonomies, videos, images, and HTML. The sitemap features are included in the free version. The general XML sitemap and Image sitemap are enabled by default. The settings are simple and you can adjust the general options and options for the post types, taxonomies, and HTML sitemaps independently. You can view the sitemap, ping Google manually, and flush the permalinks.

    Exclude pages, posts, custom post types, or terms from the sitemap. You can also set the sort order and disable the publication date. It’s limited to 1000 posts per post type.

    Key Features:

    • XML sitemap
    • Image sitemap
    • Author sitemap
    • Video sitemap
    • HTML sitemap
    • Independent options for each type
    • Ping Google manually
    • Flush permalinks

    Price: Free, pro version starts at $49.00/yr

    Get SEOPress

    4. Yoast SEO

    Yoast SEO

    Out of all the top WordPress SEO plugins, Yoast SEO is by far the most popular, and it includes a sitemap feature. For this reason alone, it’s one of the best choices to build a sitemap for your WordPress website. It’s available in both a free version and a premium version with expanded features.

    The free version includes sitemap features, which are enabled by default. You have control over the number of sitemap entries. Mark post types that you don’t want to appear in your sitemap. Add an external sitemap if you have sitemaps for other parts of your website.

    Key Features:

    • Automatically generates a sitemap
    • Limit the number of sitemap entries
    • Mark post types as index
    • Add an external sitemap
    • View the sitemap

    Price: Free; premium version starts at $99.00/yr

    Get Yoast SEO

    5. Jetpack

    Jetpack

    Jetpack is a popular plugin from Automattic, the creators of WordPress, and happens to be a good option for a WordPress sitemap plugin. The free version comes with a set of traffic tools that includes sitemap features. It automatically generates a sitemap for your public posts and pages.

    You can enable custom post types. It also generates a sitemap specifically for Google News. If there is another sitemap plugin in use, this feature is automatically disabled. It warns you if you have search engine visibility disabled in your WordPress settings.

    Key Features:

    • Generates sitemaps for your public pages and posts
    • Add new custom post types
    • Creates a sitemap for Google News
    • Automatically disables the sitemap feature if another sitemap plugin is in use

    Price: Free

    Get Jetpack

    Dedicated WordPress Sitemap Plugins

    Dedicated WordPress sitemap plugins have no other features aside from creating a sitemap. Here’s a look at the most popular dedicated sitemap plugins.

    6. Sitemap by BestWebSoft

    Sitemap by BestWebSoft

    Sitemap by BestWebSoft supports standard pages, custom post types, and taxonomies. It can be integrated with your Google Webmaster Tools account. Create sitemaps for your media.

    The pro version adds features that support custom URLs, multisite, exclude posts, and set the frequency of your changes. The free version has tools not found in other plugins, but some of the most common features are only available in the pro version.

    Key Features:

    • Integrates with Google Webmaster Tools
    • Custom post types
    • Creates media sitemaps
    • Compatible with their Multilanguage plugin
    • Pro version supports custom URLs
    • The pro version supports multisite
    • Pro version includes tools to exclude pages and posts

    Price: Free for basic features, $24.00 per year for pro features

    Get Sitemap by BestWebSoft

    7. Google XML Sitemaps

    Google XML Sitemaps

    Google XML Sitemaps is one of the oldest, most popular, and highest-rated sitemap plugins available. It includes multiple languages and it’s compatible with multisite WordPress installations. It calculates the priority of posts based on their number of comments. You can set it to prioritize by comment average or disable the priority feature.

    It also includes filters that allow other plugins to add their pages to the sitemap. Sitemaps include post types, taxonomies, and custom post types. Include or exclude items, change the frequencies, and change the priority of each post type.

    Key Features:

    • Calculates the priority of posts based on comments.
    • Includes multiple translations
    • Compatible with multisite
    • Allows other plugins to add to the sitemap

    Price: Free

    Get Google XML Sitemaps

    8. XML Sitemap & Google News

    XML Sitemap & Google News

    XML Sitemap & Google News creates a standard XML sitemap and a sitemap for Google News. You can control which sitemaps are enabled, which post types and taxonomies are included, how priority is calculated, and who to ping when the site is updated.

    You can also set robots.txt rules, add external pages, and add external sitemaps. It’s compatible with multisite and it’s multilingual-ready. Several one-click tools help you ping search engines, clear cache, etc.

    Key Features:

    • Creates a sitemap for Google News
    • Choose the post types and taxonomies
    • Add external pages
    • Add external sitemaps
    • Multisite compatible
    • Polylang and WPML compatible

    Price: Free

    Get XML Sitemaps & Google News

    9. Simple Sitemap

    Simple site map logo

    Simple Sitemap is a WordPress plugin that helps improve the SEO ranking of a website by automatically generating an HTML sitemap of its content. With the latest version, users can build and preview their sitemap visually directly in the post editor without using complicated shortcodes. The plugin offers standard or tabbed layouts, responsive sitemap tabs, and plenty of flexible customization options.

    One of the standout features of Simple Sitemap is its responsive design. The sitemap is optimized for all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. This means that your visitors can easily navigate your website and find the content they are looking for, no matter what device they are using.

    Key Features:

    • Allows users to choose the specific post types and taxonomies to include in the sitemap
    • Provides the ability to add external pages to the sitemap
    • Supports the inclusion of external sitemaps
    • Compatible with multisite setups

    Price: Free

    Get Simple Sitemap

    Selecting the Right Sitemap Plugin

    Choosing the right WordPress sitemap plugin is an important step in improving your website’s SEO. The best option for your website will depend on the other SEO tools you need. Be sure to check if the features you need are available in the free version or if the premium version is required.

    Many website owners prefer a one-stop solution such as Yoast SEO or All in One SEO. These are the most popular SEO plugins available, and they’re solid options.

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 Rank Math $59.00/yr ✔️ Visit
    🥈 All-in-One SEO $49.50/yr ✔️ Visit
    🥉 SEOPress $49.00/yr ✔️ Visit
    4 YoastSEO $99.00/yr ✔️ Visit
    5 Jetpack Free ✔️ Visit

    If you need a feature that isn’t provided in the standard SEO plugins, dedicated sitemap plugins might be a better option. Google XML Sitemaps and XML Sitemap, and Google News are excellent choices.

    If you need options for WooCommerce and products, take a closer look at the plugins with options for images. Several of the sitemap plugins throughout this list include options for images.

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 Sitemap by BestWebSoft $24.00/yr ✔️ Visit
    🥈 Google XML Sitemaps Free ✔️ Visit
    🥉 XML Sitemaps & Google News Free ✔️ Visit
    4 Simple Sitemap Free ✔️ Visit

    Ending Thoughts

    That’s our look at the 9 best WordPress sitemap plugins for busy site owners. There are lots of good options available, and many of them are free. In our opinion, you can’t run a successful website without good SEO tools, and Rank Math provides everything you need.  If you’re just looking for a sitemap solution, however, you can’t go wrong with Sitemap by BestWebSoft.

    Whatever your sitemap needs are, you’re sure to find the right plugin on this list.

    We want to hear from you. What’s your favorite WordPress sitemap plugin? Let us know in the comments below.

    Featured image illustration via hanss / shutterstock.com

    The post 9 Best WordPress Sitemap Plugins for Busy Site Owners in 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • Divi Product Highlight: Divi Designer Pack

    Divi Designer Pack is a layout pack with over 720 design elements you can use with the Divi Builder to effortlessly create your next website. It comes with both light and dark layouts and a variety of designs for each section of your page. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the layouts that come with the Divi Designer Pack to see if this is the right product for you.

    Let’s get started!

    Installing Divi Designer Pack

    Divi Designer Pack comes as a .ZIP file containing Divi Library .json files. The layouts are packaged so that you can install all layouts, all layouts of a certain category, or all light or dark layouts of a certain category depending on your needs.

    To install the layouts, start by unzipping the .ZIP file in your file manager. Then, open your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the Divi Library page. Click Import & Export at the top, then select the import tab. Choose a .json layout pack file to import, then select Import Divi Builder Layouts.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Import

    Once the layout has been imported, open your page in the Divi Builder. Click the blue plus icon to add a new section, then select Add From Library.Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Add Layout from Library

    Locate the layout you want to use in the Divi Library.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Select Library

    Then, click the Use This Section button to load the layout on your page.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Use Section

    Divi Designer Pack

    Divi Designer Pack comes with 720+ layouts for various website sections with both light and dark designs. Each of the layouts can be customized to your liking and the content can all be replaced with your own. Because there are so many different layouts that come with this pack, we can’t cover them all in this post. We’ll take a look at a few layouts from each category to give you an idea of what designs you can get with the Divi Designer Pack. You can also view all of the layouts on the live demo website.

    Divi Designer Design Sections

    Divi Designer About Sections

    There are 25 about section layouts in total. Layout 2 has an image and an overlapping text box with a number. There is text on the right side, along with some blurb modules.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack About 2

    Here is the dark version of layout 2.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack About Dark 2

    Layout 11 features a two-tone design with some text on the left and an image on the right, a CTA button, and some blurb modules featuring social media icons.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack About 11

    About layout 17 uses gradient shapes around an image. There is some text and a CTA button on the left, along with some blurb modules with arrow icons.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack About 17

    Divi Designer Blog Sections

    There are 7 blog sections in total, with dark and light variations. These sections display a selection of posts on your blog. Layout 1 has a simple and minimalistic design, with a zoom-in hover effect on the images and an underline hover effect on the post title.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Blog 1

    The third blog layout features a CTA button at the top right and cards with a slight shadow hover effect.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Blog 3

    Here is the dark variation of blog layout 5. It features a hover effect that adds an underline to the post title and moves the card up slightly.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Blog Dark 5

    Blog layout 7 features a card with the post information at the top, the image in the middle, and a read more button at the bottom.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Blog 7

    Divi Designer Carousel Sections

    There are 16 different carousel designs, with several different types of carousels. The first example is carousel 4, a team member carousel. Each team member card features an image, name, job title, description, and social media icons.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Carousel 4

    Layout 7 is a testimonial carousel. This is the dark layout. Each carousel item features a profile photo, testimonial text, name, and job title.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Carousel Dark 7

    Carousel 13 is a blog post carousel. It is a simple card layout with the blog category on the top right corner of the image and the post title below.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Carousel 13

    Divi Designer Contact Sections

    Divi Designer comes with 20 contact section layouts. This is layout 4, which features some text and contact information on the left and a contact form on the right.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Contact 4

    Contact layout 6 is a simple section with a phone number, some text, and a CTA button on the left, with an image on the right.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Contact 6

    Layout 15 features the contact form on the left with contact information on the right over a gradient background.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Contact 15

    This is the dark variation of layout 15.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Contact Dark 15

    Divi Designer Counter Sections

    There are 16 counter layouts in total. The first layout is to get a free quote and has some text and a CTA button on the left and an image and some number counters below.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Count 4

    Layout 9 features some text at the top and number counters with icons below.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Count 9

    Counter layout 11 has a counter bar that fills as the page loads. This is the dark layout.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Counter Dark 11

    Counter layout 15 features text on the left and a CTA button, with some more text on the right followed by number counters.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Count 15

    Divi Designer CTA Sections

    There are 15 CTA layouts in the Divi Designer Pack. This first example is layout 5. It is a CTA section highlighting a mobile app and it features images that can link to the Google Play store and the App Store.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack CTA 5

    This is CTA layout 7 in the dark variation. It has a dark overlayed image with an icon, text, and two CTA buttons.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack CTA Dark 7

    Layout 9 features a blurb module with some text and a CTA button overlaying an image with rounded corners.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack CTA 9

    Layout 10 features some text and social media icons.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack CTA 10

    Divi Designer FAQ Sections

    There are 15 FAQ section layouts. This is FAQ section one. It features a large image on one side and toggle-style FAQ questions on the right.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack FAQ 1

    And this is the dark version of FAQ section one.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack FAQ Dark 1

    FAQ layout 4 has a full-width toggle layout.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack FAQ 4

    Finally, FAQ layout 7 features toggle FAQ questions on the left and an image, some text, and a CTA button on the right.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack FAQ 7

    Divi Designer Hero Sections

    There are 30 hero section layouts in total. The first one, layout 8, features some text on the left-hand side with a transparent image of a person on the right.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Hero 8

    Hero layout 9 features a darkened background image with large hero text and a search bar. Below the search bar are three image cards with description text and a read more button.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Hero 9

    Layout 19 uses a large darkened background image and features some text and two buttons.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Hero 19

    Divi Designer Pricing Sections

    There are also 20 pricing layouts. This is pricing layout 7. It features a pink background and two pricing cards with some text to the right. Each pricing card has a heading and subheading, a price, details, and a buy now button.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Pricing 7

    Pricing layout 8 features three pricing tiers. The title and price, along with the subtitle are on the left. The features are on the right, presented with check marks, and the buy now button is on the right. The middle option is highlighted in green.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Pricing 8

    Layout 12 features three cards with an icon, title and subtitle, and price at the top of each card. There is a green banner that separates the top from the features, and then a list of features followed by a button. Each card has a hover effect that moves the card up on hover.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Pricing 12

    Here is the dark version of pricing layout 19. It has some blurb icons at the top to highlight features, and three pricing plan blocks.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Pricing Dark 12

    Divi Designer Services Sections

    Divi Designer Pack comes with 25 services layouts. Layout 3 features a heading, three blurb modules on a dark background with description text, and a button.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Services 3

    Services layout 14 has three cards with an icon at the top, some description text, a numbered text list, and a link to view details.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Services 14

    Layout 19 features some heading text and description text, along with six blurb modules with icons representing each service.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Services 19

    This is the dark version of services layout 25. It features four services sections with a hover effect that turns the card dark.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Services Dark 25

    Divi Designer Slider Sections

    There are a total of 15 slider layouts. Slider layout 1 features a small text slider with a number, text, and a button on each slide. There is a title section with green background above the slider, and an image on the right side.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Slider 1

    Slider layout 8 is a large image slider with a dark overlay. There is text on the left and a button below.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Slider 8

    Slider layout 12 has a large background image and text slides on a white background that changes with each slide. There is also a button on each slide.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Slider 12

    Divi Designer Team Sections

    There are 25 team section layouts in total. Layout 8 features a heading and three team member images with a hover effect. When you hover over the image, there is a dark overlay and the team member’s name, job title, and social media icons are shown.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Team 8

    Here is the dark version of layout 8.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Team Dark 8

    Layout 13 has a heading and text on the left-hand side, along with a CTA button. On the right are three circular team member images. Similar to the last design, when you hover over the image the team member’s name, job title, and social media icons are revealed.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Team 13

    This design is layout 18 and features cards with team member photos, job titles, and social media links. On the right is a heading and description, followed by a CTA button.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Team 18

    Divi Designer Testimonial Sections

    There are 25 different testimonial sections. This is layout 1 and features heading and body text at the top, followed by three testimonial sections. Each testimonial has an icon, an image, body text, a name, job title, and company.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Testimonial 1

    This section is layout 2. It features two testimonial cards with a quote icon, text, an image, name, job title, and company title on an image background with a dark overlay. On the left you can find some header text, body text, and a CTA button.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Testimonial 2

    This is the dark version of layout 5, featuring colorful sections containing client testimonials.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Testimonial Dark 5

    Layout 7 features a testimonial slider on the left with an image, testimonial text, and a name at the bottom. On the right is heading text, body text, and a CTA button.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Testimonial 7

    Divi Designer Theme Builder Templates

    Next are the theme builder templates. These are header, footer, and body templates that can be uploaded from the theme builder in the Divi settings in your WordPress dashboard.

    Divi Designer Footer Templates

    There are a total of 20 footer templates. First is footer layout 4. This design features a logo, social media icons, and a copyright notice on the left. On the right are two columns of menu items.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Footer 4

    Footer layout 13 has a contact form on the left and contact information and social media icons on the right. There is a sub footer bar with copyright information as well.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Footer 13

    Footer layout 19 features a logo, address, and open hours on the left side. In the center is a menu bar, and on the right is a newsletter sign-up form and social media links. At the very bottom is a copyright notice.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Footer 19

    Divi Designer Header Templates

    There are 20 header templates in the Divi Designer Pack as well. This is header 7. It features a secondary menu bar in green with contact information and a CTA button. The primary menu bar features a logo on the left and menu items aligned to the right.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Header 7

    Header layout 8 features contact information with an inline logo at the top. Below are the menu items.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Header 8

    Header layout 13 features some social media icons on the left, a logo in the center, and a CTA button to the right. Below are the menu items, aligned to the left, and a search bar which is aligned to the right.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Header 13

    Divi Designer 404 Templates

    There are 25 different 404 page templates. The first design, layout 6, features the letters “OOPS” behind the 404 error text. This layout also has an orange button to go to the home page.

    This is layout 9. It features some large shadowed text and the 404 error, along with a button to go back to the home page followed by some social media icons.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack

    Layout 12 features the 404 numbers in a large font and has a button to go back to the home page.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack 404 12

    Divi Designer Blog Templates

    Divi Designer Blog Page Templates

    There are 20 blog templates that come with the Divi Designer Pack. Blog layout 1 features an image header with a title and a button. The posts are listed on the left with the featured image, post information, and read more button. There is a sidebar on the right with a search bar, recent posts, and recent comments. At the bottom is another image with text overlaid.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Blog 1

    Here is the dark version of blog layout 1.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Blog Dark 1

    Blog layout 8 features some curved section dividers and a header section with text and a button at the top. Blog posts have a card-style layout with an image, post details, and a read more button. At the bottom of the page is another text section.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Blog 8

    Blog layout 18 features a heading section with text and a button, followed by two blog columns. The left column displays posts with a large featured image. The right column just features the post’s details and a read more button. Finally, there is some additional text in the footer.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Blog 18

    Divi Designer Post Templates

    There are 20 different post templates that come with the pack. Post layout 4 has the featured image at the very top of the page, with the post title, post information, and a button overlaid. Following this is the post content and comments. There is a sidebar on the right that features a search bar, recent posts, and recent comments. At the bottom of the page is some additional text.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Post 4

    Here is the dark version of post layout 5. The featured image is at the top with a curved divider. The post content and comments are on a dark background, followed by a section with an image and overlayed text promoting an offer.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Post Dark 5

    Layout 11 begins with the post title at the top, then the large featured image. Then, you can find the post content and the comments. On the right there is a card containing the post information.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Post 11

    Post layout 13 also features the title at the top, followed by the featured image. The post information is listed below the image. Next is the post content and comments, and finally there is a related posts section displaying cards with other posts from the blog.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Post 13

    Divi Designer Woo Templates

    The Woo Templates are layouts that work with the Woo Commerce plugin.

    Divi Designer Cart Templates

    There are 13 cart templates that come with the pack. Cart layout 1 features a blue color theme. There is a heading at the top, followed by the cart where you can see the cart contents, apply a coupon, and update the cart. There is a return to shop button below this. On the right is the cart total, followed by the proceed to checkout button.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Cart 1

    Cart layout 2 has a heading with a cart icon. Then there is the cart where you can see the products. Following this on the left is some coupon information, and on the right is the cart total and the proceed to checkout button.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Cart 8

    Cart layout 8 begins with a heading, followed by the cart content. Below these are some blurb icons and a return to shop button. Following this is the cart total and a proceed to checkout button. On the right of this is an accordion module with some FAQs.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Cart 2

    And here is the dark version of cart layout 8.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Cart Dark 8

    Divi Designer Checkout Templates

    There are 13 checkout templates in total. Checkout layout 3 features links to the shop and cart pages at the top, followed by a coupon entry section. Below on the left are billing details and additional information, and on the right are the order total and payment. This is the dark version.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Checkout Dark 3

    This is the 4th template. It features several icons at the top that are linked to the cart and shop, followed by a coupon code entry. On the left are billing details and additional information, and on the right are the order total and payment method.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Checkout 4

    Here is the dark version of checkout layout 4.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Checkout Dark 4

    Checkout layout 10 features a title and coupon entry at the top, followed by the billing details and additional information. On the right are the order total, payment, and some blurb modules.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Checkout 3

     

     

    Divi Designer Product Templates

    There are 13 product templates as well. This is layout 2, which features a large image of the product at the top. Following this is the product name, cost, description, and add to cart button. Below are related products and reviews.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Product 2

    Product layout 6 has a darker background and features the product photo on the left and the product information on the right, with the add to cart button. Below are the description, reviews, and related products.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Product 6

    Product layout 10 has a card layout with the product information and add to cart button on the left. On the right is the product image. Below are reviews and related products.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Product 10

    Here is the dark version of product layout 10.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Product Dark 10

    Divi Designer Shop Templates

    Finally, there are also 10 shop templates that come with the Divi Designer Pack. This is layout 4, which features a header with an image, followed by a sidebar and the products. At the bottom are some blurb modules with large icons.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Shop 4

    Shop layout 8 features a heading with text and an image, products below with a border, followed by some blurb modules.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Shop 8This is the dark version of shop layout 8.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Shop Dark 8

    Finally, shop layout 9 features a heading with an image, followed by products on the left and a sidebar on the right, then some blurb modules at the bottom.

    Divi Product Highlight Divi Designer Pack Shop 9

    Purchase Divi Designer Pack

    Divi Designer Pack is available in the Divi Marketplace. It costs $19 for unlimited website usage and lifetime updates. The price also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

    Final Thoughts

    We just hit the tip of the iceberg in this article, there are so many more layouts to discover in the Divi Designer Pack, all with different styles and uses. Of course, every layout can be completely customized with your own content and changed to match your specific use case, and you can combine many different section layouts to easily create full-page layouts. To preview all of the different layouts you get with the Divi Designer Pack, take a look at the live demo.

    We would love to hear from you! Have you tried Divi Designer Pack? Let us know what you think about it in the comments!

    The post Divi Product Highlight: Divi Designer Pack appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • 7 Best WordPress Live Streaming Plugins and Software in 2023

    Live streaming has become more popular than ever. Many social platforms allow for live streaming, but it’s also possible to live stream from your WordPress website. It sounds complicated, but it’s easier than most realize. In this article, we’ll look at the best WordPress live-streaming plugins and software to help you get started.

    Why Live Stream?

    Live streaming is great for broadcasting events such as sports, weddings, concerts, theater, and more. It’s a great way to build brand awareness and promote products. It’s also a great way to build and engage with your audience.

    A few examples include:

    • Video games
    • Webinars
    • Live coaching
    • Classes
    • Church services
    • Product demonstrations

    What You Need to Live Stream

    There are two types of software you need to create your live stream:

    1. Software to capture your video for the live stream. This is usually done with specialized software.
    2. A way to embed the live stream into your WordPress website. This is usually done with WordPress live-streaming plugins.

    The Best Live Streaming Software

    First, you’ll need to create the live stream. This portion of the list shows the best software for creating the live stream. Of course, you’ll need a camera, microphone, video capture hardware, or any other equipment based on the type of content you’re creating.

    The live stream software will provide you with code to embed within your WordPress website. This code can be embedded using the WordPress live-streaming plugins we’ll discuss in the next section.

    1. XSplit Broadcaster

    XSplit Broadcaster

    XSplit Broadcaster is a live streaming and recording studio designed with gaming and esports in mind. It works just as well for any type of streaming. It integrates with Skype and Zoom video calls, includes desktop sharing, and allows for overlays. Use multiple sources for media and drag or resize them.

    XSplit Broadcaster

    It includes many high-end features to create live streams that look professional. Set up scene presets, chroma key sensitivity, change the camera shape, adjust the audio levels for each scene, enable split-screen, and lots more.

    Features

    • Skype and Zoom integration
    • Desktop sharing
    • Overlays
    • Multiple media sources
    • Drag and resize sources
    • OBS importer
    • Stream to multiple platforms
    • Recording
    • Expandable
    • Green screen
    • Windows and Mac

    Price: $15 per month and up

    Get XSplit Broadcaster

    2. Wirecast

    Wirecast

    Wirecast is professional-grade streaming software that’s used by television broadcasters. It even has production gear available to start streaming from anywhere in minutes. You can stream to unlimited destinations including YouTube and other platforms. The stream can then be embedded into your WordPress website using plugins such as WPStream.

    Wirecast

    Capture multiple sources and edit them live. Add overlays, backgrounds, shots, and lots more.

    Features

    • Windows and Mac
    • Unlimited platforms
    • Stream and record
    • View up to 17 sources per monitor
    • ISO recording can be used for live instant replay
    • Multiple output options
    • Extensive training available

    Price: $599 lifetime

    Get Wirecast

    3. OBS Studio

    OBS Studio

    OBS Studio is a free and open course app with professional-level tools for live streaming and recording. Connect to multiple sources to show your desktop, specific windows, browser tabs, and cameras at the same time. Rearrange the screen to show the exact layout you want. It’s ideal for showing a video source, such as your desktop, while showing a camera capture in the corner. It’s best used with a streaming provider.

    This example shows my browser with an image captured from my webcam in the bottom right corner. I can move the webcam capture anywhere and make it any size.

    OBS Studio

    The live stream output can connect to a streaming service or you can create a custom output for your server.

    Features

    • Professional tools
    • Multiple capture sources
    • Open Source
    • Real-time audio and video capture
    • Output to multiple services
    • Unlimited scenes with transitions
    • Recording
    • Green screen
    • Runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux

    Price: Free

    Get OBS Studio

    4. YouTube Livestreaming

    YouTube Livestreaming

    YouTube has a live stream feature built-in. You just need enough subscribers and content to access it. It gives you the option to go live now or schedule it for later.

    YouTube Livestreaming

    You’ll then have the option to use your webcam or streaming software.

    YouTube Livestreaming

    Go through the process of setting up your live stream.

    YouTube Livestreaming

    It then gives you links that you can use to embed your live stream into your website. Paste the link into your pages, posts, Divi modules, etc., publish the page or post, and you’re live. You can set the live stream to “Public” so anyone on YouTube can see it or set it to private so only those visiting your WordPress website can see it. This might be the simplest method on this list.

    Features

    • Go live or schedule for later.
    • Use webcam.
    • Use streaming software.
    • Publish YouTube streams as public or private.
    • Paste the embed link anywhere on your website.

    Price: Free

    Get Youtube

    Live Streaming Software Comparison Table

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 XSplit Boradcaster $15/mo ❌ Learn More
    🥈 Wirecast $599 lifetime ❌ Learn More
    🥉 OBS Studio Free ✔️ Learn More
    4 Youtube Free ✔️ Learn More

    The Best WordPress Live Streaming Plugins

    Once you have your software, you’ll need a way to embed the live stream into your WordPress website. The easiest way to do this is to use one of the many WordPress live-streaming plugins that are available.

    This list is what I consider the best plugins for embedding your live streams. There are a few popular plugins that I didn’t include due to having a fatal error or having a reputation for publishing content without permission.

    1. WpStream

    WpStream

    WpStream allows you to stream video-on-demand, pay-per-view, and live streams. It requires a WPStream account and limits your streaming bandwidth based on the subscription you choose. It connects to broadcast software and smartphones. Create video channels as custom post types and embed them with shortcodes. It integrates with WooCommerce.

    WpStream

    Settings let you enter video channels to display, set user roles, choose the type of channel, and set the default price. You can also adjust the default channel settings, subscription options and customize the messages.

    WpStream

    Create the channels as a custom post type using the classic editor. It includes categories, tags, actors, media categories, movie ratings, and a featured image.

    Features

    • Connects to popular broadcast software
    • Stream with your smartphone
    • Video channel custom post type
    • Embed with shortcodes
    • 5GB bandwidth
    • 1GB media storage
    • Pay-per-view
    • Video-on-demand
    • WooCommerce integration
    • Pro version adds more bandwidth and storage, content protection, and removes ads.

    Price: Free, the pro version starts at $19 per month

    Get WpStream

    2. Embed Plus for YouTube

    Embed Plus for YouTube

    Embed Plus for YouTube is one of the most popular WordPress live-streaming plugins. It allows you to embed a YouTube video, playlist, channel, gallery, or live stream. Streams are easily embedded into the classic editor using the embed tools and into Gutenberg with the included block.

    Embed Plus for YouTube

    The settings screen gives you lots of control over how the embed works and looks.

    Embed Plus for YouTube

    It adds a new block to Gutenberg called YouTube Wizard. This allows you to embed a live stream or any other YouTube content you want.

    Features

    • Autoplay
    • Looping
    • Annotations
    • Related videos
    • Progress bar
    • Video controls
    • Localization
    • Default “not live” content
    • Gutenberg block
    • Pro version adds customizations, live chat, featured thumbnails, video SEO, and more.

    Price: Free, the pro version starts at $39.99

    Get Embed Plus for Youtube

    3. Bzplayer Pro

    bzplayer website

    Bzplayer Pro is a powerful and customizable video player that allows users to play and stream videos on their websites. With a sleek and intuitive interface, Bzplayer Pro offers a wide range of features and customization options to make the video playback experience as smooth and engaging as possible.

    Features:

    • Support for multiple video formats, including MP4, WebM, FLV, HLS, and MPEG-DASH
    • Customizable player skin with support for multiple color schemes
    • Responsive design to fit any screen size

    BZplayer demo

    Bzplayer Pro’s key features make it a versatile tool for anyone looking to enhance their website’s video playback experience. The support for multiple video formats ensures that users can play any type of video, while the customizable player skin allows them to match the player’s design with their website’s branding. Finally, the responsive design ensures that the player looks great on any device, from desktops to smartphones.

    Bzplayer Pro is for you if…

    • You want to enhance your website’s video playback experience with a customizable and versatile video player
    • You need a video player that supports multiple video formats and can be easily integrated into your website
    • You want a video player with a responsive design that looks great on any device

    Bzplayer Pro Pricing: $21

    Get Bzplayer Pro

    Live Streaming Plugin Comparison Table

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 WpStream $19/mo ✔️ Learn More
    🥈 Youtube Embed Plus $39.99/site ✔️ Learn More
    🥉 BzPlayer $21/site ❌ Learn More

    Which Live Streaming Solution Should You Choose?

    That’s our look at the 7 best WordPress live streaming plugins and software.

    WpStream might be the best solution overall. The stream is hosted on their powerful platform and includes lots of options. WpStream stands out for its robust hosting platform and extensive feature set. This plugin offers a range of customization options, including the ability to embed live streams on your website, add pay-per-view options for monetization, and set up multi-camera live streams.

    Having said that, you can’t go wrong with any of the options on this list. No matter your needs a budget; there’s sure to be something here to get you started with live streaming from your WordPress website.

    We want to hear from you. Have you tried any of these WordPress live-streaming plugins or software platforms? Let us know what you think about them in the comments.

    Featured Image via ingibiork / shutterstock.com

    The post 7 Best WordPress Live Streaming Plugins and Software in 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • 9 Best WordPress PayPal Plugins in 2023

    If you make purchases online, then you’re probably familiar with PayPal. This platform accounts for close to 22% of online transactions in the US. What’s more, the service boasts over 390 million accounts throughout the world. In other words, PayPal is everywhere, and if you sell products or services through WordPress, you’d do well to consider adding it as a payment processor.

    In this article, we’ll introduce you to eight of the best WordPress PayPal plugins you can use to add support for this platform. They’ve been chosen based on their feature sets, ratings and reviews, support, and pricing.

    Let’s get to it!

    What is a PayPal Plugin for WordPress?

    A PayPal plugin for WordPress is a powerful tool that can help website owners easily integrate PayPal payment functionality into their WordPress sites. PayPal is one of the most popular and trusted payment platforms globally, and integrating it with a WordPress site can be an excellent way to provide customers with a secure and convenient way to make payments.

    Typically, a PayPal plugin for WordPress will offer a range of features that make it easy to set up and manage payment processing. This includes payment buttons, shopping carts, order management tools, and more. These features can help to simplify the payment process for customers, which can help to increase sales and revenue for businesses.

    Additionally, some PayPal plugins may offer advanced features such as tax and shipping calculations, custom payment forms, and integration with other payment gateways. This can provide businesses with greater flexibility and customization options when it comes to setting up their payment systems.

    9 Best WordPress PayPal Plugins

    We’ve taken into account user reviews, regular updates, and a satisfied user base to ensure that the plugins on our list are reliable and easy to use. Whether you’re looking to sell digital products, physical goods, or services, these PayPal plugins can help you set up a payment system that works seamlessly with your WordPress site.

    1. GiveWP

    GiveWP donation plugin

    GiveWP is one of the most popular plugins available on WordPress, currently garnering over 100,000 active users, and for a good reason. It allows you to take one-time and recurring donations with PayPal (and other payment platforms.)

    One of the key benefits of GiveWP is its analytics reporting system, which allows you to track your donations and monitor the performance of your campaigns. This makes it easy to identify your top donors and optimize your fundraising efforts.

    Another advantage of GiveWP is its seamless integration with Divi, a popular WordPress theme. This allows you to create custom donation forms that match your site’s design, giving your donors a seamless and branded experience.

    Key Features of GiveWP:

    • Custom goals and templates.
    • Donation subscription services.
    • Full analytics reporting system.
    • Integrates with Divi

    A example of a form from GiveWP

    GiveWP offers a free version of the plugin that includes essential features like PayPal and Stripe integration, a donor database, and access to reports. For more advanced features like recurring donations and PDF receipts, you can purchase a premium package starting at $149.

    GiveWP is for you if…

    You’re seeking a comprehensive donation package, email marketing or multi-level donation campaigns, Stripe and PayPal integration, or use Divi.

    GiveWP Pricing: Free. The Basic Package starts at $149/yr

    Get GiveWP

    2. Easy Digital Downloads

    Easy Digital Downloads

    If you need a plugin that enables you to sell digital files via WordPress using PayPal (among other gateways), Easy Digital Downloads should be your top choice. This solution enables you to create a catalog of digital products, each with its own page. You can use Easy Digital Downloads to sell e-books, digital copies of photos, software, and any other file you want:

    Creating a new product using Easy Digital Downloads

    Easy Digital Downloads enables you to process payments and track orders, and it can automatically submit the files that users purchase. You can use this plugin to generate sales reports and keep track of customer histories.

    It also enables you to manage taxes with different rules for specific regions. Easy Digital Downloads can integrate with SendWP to send transactional emails, and it also supports the Recapture service, which can help you with re-targeting users who abandon their carts.

    Key Features:

    • Sell digital files using PayPal
    • Process orders and send transactional emails
    • Generate sales reports
    • Keep track of customer purchase histories
    • Set taxes for multiple regions

    Easy Digital Downloads is for you if…

    …you want to focus on digital files only. Easy Digital Downloads is very straightforward, and it supports PayPal payments out of the box.

    Price: Free, premium plans starting at $99.50/yr

    Get Easy Digital Downloads

    3. Paid Memberships Pro

    Paid Memberships Pro

    Paid Memberships Pro is a full membership solution for WordPress. Using this plugin, you can create multiple membership or subscription levels and tiers. You can decide what content each membership gets access to and process payments, all using one plugin.

    Out of the box, Paid Memberships Pro supports multiple gateways, including PayPal. You can set a default currency for PayPal payments and choose whether to include sales tax or not:

    On top of enabling you to restrict content to members, Paid Membership Pro also lets you set up a member directory and profiles. The plugin lets you restrict almost any type of content, including custom post types and WooCommerce products, on top of regular posts and pages.

    Key Features:

    • Create multiple memberships or subscription tiers
    • Decide what membership tiers get access to what content
    • Use PayPal and other gateways to process payments

    Paid Memberships Pro is for you if…

    …you want to run a subscription-based website. This plugin gives you full control over who can see what content, and you can set up as many membership tiers as you need.

    Price: Free, with premium licenses starting at $247/yr

    Get Paid Memberships Pro

    4. WooCommerce

    WooCommerce

    First and foremost, WooCommerce is by far the most popular WordPress e-commerce plugin on the market. This solution supports PayPal payments out of the box, and it enables customers to make purchases using their credit cards or account balances.

    You’ll need a PayPal Business account if you want to enable integration via WooCommerce. Once you connect your account, you’ll be able to start processing payments via PayPal:

    Enabling PayPal payments in WooCommerce

    With WooCommerce, you can use your WordPress website to sell both physical and digital products. This plugin enables you to manage inventory, coordinate shipping, send email notifications, and of course, process payments.

    Key Features:

    • Sell physical and digital products
    • Process product orders
    • Manage shipment options
    • Send email notifications concerning orders
    • Enable customers to pay using PayPal and other payment processors

    WooCommerce is for you if…

    …you want to launch an e-commerce website using WordPress. There are some e-commerce plugins that are more specialized than WooCommerce. However, none of them offer as many extensions or are as popular. Moreover, WooCommerce lets you enable PayPal payments in a matter of minutes.

    Price: Free, with premium extensions available

    Get WooCommerce

    5. WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart

    WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart

    In some cases, you might not need an e-commerce plugin that can handle hundreds of products. Instead, you may prefer a solution that enables your customers to add specific products or services to their carts and pay using PayPal. That’s precisely what WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart does.

    With this plugin, you can use shortcodes to create custom “add to cart” buttons that you can set up on any of your pages. You can configure as many buttons as you need, each one with a different price. Then you can add a cart and checkout section:

    A PayPal shopping cart

    This plugin enables you to configure your shopping cart and add shipping costs to customer orders. WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart also lets you send purchase confirmation emails, and you can use it to sell any kind of product you want through your website.

    Key Features:

    • Create custom “add to cart” buttons using shortcodes
    • Add cart and checkout sections to any part of your site
    • Configure shipping and payment settings for your cart
    • Offer coupons to your customers

    WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart is for you if…

    …you don’t want to use a full-fledged e-commerce solution for WordPress. This plugin is perfect if you just want to sell one type of product or service, or even a handful of them. If you’re planning on having a broader inventory of products, you’re likely better off using WooCommerce.

    Price: Free

    Get WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart

    6. Quick PayPal Payments

    Quick PayPal Payments

    So far, we’ve looked at multiple WordPress PayPal plugins for e-commerce websites. However, none are as easy to use as Quick PayPal Payments. This tool lets you set up one PayPal payment form that you can display anywhere on your site using the [qpp] shortcode:

    An example of a PayPal payment form

    Quick PayPal Payments gives you plenty of customization options for your payment form. You can add images, modify the text within each section, and even add custom fields to your form. You can also use this plugin to set up recurring payments for customers.

    Keep in mind that you can only set up one payment form using Quick PayPal Payments, however. That makes the plugin a great option if you sell only one type of product or service, but it’s less useful if you have a large inventory.

    Key Features:

    • Create a PayPal payment form for your website
    • Customize your payment form’s style and the fields it includes
    • Enable recurring payments

    Quick PayPal Payments is for you if…

    …you want to accept donations through your website, or you sell only one type of product or service. If all you need is one PayPal payment form, this plugin is probably perfect for you.

    Price: Free, with premium licenses starting at $14.99/yr

    Get Quick PayPal Payments

    7. PayPal Donation

    PayPal Donation

    You’ve probably seen a lot of websites that include PayPal donation buttons. PayPal Donation, one of the many great WordPress donation plugins available today, connects to your account and helps you create that button:

    Creating a PayPal donation button

    PayPal Donation enables you to set a default currency for donations and a language for your button. You can also add pre-set donation options to your button. That way, you can suggest what amounts of money users might contribute to your cause.

    This plugin lets you set up as many donation buttons as you need and generates unique shortcodes for each of them. Finally, PayPal Donation keeps track of every donation that users make through your website. You can check donation history through your dashboard and see how much each user paid (and when).

    Key Features:

    • Set up as many PayPal donation buttons as you need
    • Configure a default language and currency for each button
    • Add buttons to pages using shortcodes
    • Keep track of donations through your dashboard

    PayPal Donation is for you if…

    …you want the option to set up more than one type of donation button for your website. If you’re collecting money for multiple causes via PayPal, this plugin should be a great fit for your site.

    Price: Free, with premium licenses starting at $29.99/yr

    Get PayPal Donations

    8. Payment Button For PayPal

    WordPress PayPal

    Payment Button for PayPal works similarly to the last plugin that we talked about. This WordPress PayPal plugin enables you to create multiple types of buttons, including options for payments, donations, and subscriptions.

    When users are ready to check out, they can do so by clicking on a “View Cart” button. You can place that element anywhere on your site, and it will send users to PayPal to complete their purchases.

    Although WordPress PayPal supports a broad range of PayPal operations, we can only recommend that you use this plugin if you’re comfortable with shortcodes. WordPress PayPal doesn’t offer any configuration options, and you have to read its documentation to check out all of the shortcode parameters it offers.

    If you can look past that, WordPress PayPal enables you to create highly-customizable PayPal buttons. You can set up buttons that add multiples of any item and include shipping costs, taxes, and much more.

    Key Features: 

    • Set up PayPal payment, donation, and subscription buttons
    • Enable users to check out through PayPal
    • Customize your PayPal buttons using shortcode parameters

    Payment Button for PayPal is for you if…

    …you want a plugin that supports payments, donations, and subscriptions via PayPal. However, we only recommend using this tool if you don’t mind configuring shortcode parameters manually.

    Price: Free

    Get Payment Button for PayPal

    9. Seamless Donations

    Seamless Donations plugin logo

    If you need a solution that can help you collect donations for multiple causes using PayPal, you’re going to like Seamless Donations. This plugin enables you to set up a donation form that lets users choose how much they want to donate and to what causes. More importantly, it lets them pay using PayPal:

    Seamless Donations settings page

    You can configure pre-set donation levels and decide what information you want to collect from donors. This plugin lets you set up multiple causes or “funds” that users can select when they make donations, and you get to choose from two form-style templates.

    One feature that is lacking in the free version of the plugin is the ability to fully customize your form’s style. If you pay for the premium version, you can use a broad collection of pre-built style templates, but a lot of them look somewhat outdated.

    Key Features:

    • Set up a PayPal donation form for your website
    • Create multiple funds or causes, and let users decide which one(s) to donate to
    • Configure pre-set donation levels
    • Choose what information users need to fill out to make a donation

    Seamless Donations is for you if…

    …you want to collect donations for multiple causes. This plugin lets you do that using a single form, which is perfect if you’re planning on creating a dedicated donations page.

    Price: Free, with premium add-ons

    Get Seamless Donations

    Wrapping Up PayPal Plugins for WordPress

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 GiveWP $149/yr ✔️ Visit
    🥈 Easy Digital Downloads $99.50/yr ✔️ Visit
    🥉 Paid Memberships Pro $247/yr ✔️ Visit
    4 WooCommerce Free ✔️ Visit
    5 WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart Free ✔️ Visit
    6 Quick PayPal Payments $14.99/yr ✔️ Visit
    7 PayPal Donations $29.99/yr ✔️ Visit
    8 Payment Button For PayPal Free ✔️ Visit
    9 Seamless Donations Free ✔️ Visit

    There are a lot of ways you can integrate PayPal with WordPress. If you plan on selling products or services through WordPress, most of the e-commerce plugins you can use support payments via PayPal. The same applies to tools that help you sell subscriptions and collect donations. Providing access to this key payment gateway is an excellent method for improving the customer experience.

    If you’re planning to start an online store that accepts PayPal, WooCommerce is a top option. However, if you only plan on selling digital files, Easy Digital Downloads might be a better choice. For collecting donations, we recommend using the PayPal Donation plugin.

    Do you have any questions about how to integrate PayPal with WordPress? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!

    Article thumbnail image by Inspiring / shutterstock.com

    The post 9 Best WordPress PayPal Plugins in 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • 8 Best WordPress Wiki & Knowledge Base Plugins in 2023

    Wikis and knowledge bases are some of the most popular methods of providing information. They’re especially popular for the first line of support. Knowledge bases and wikis are great for articles, documents, and FAQs. With the right tools, it’s not difficult to integrate a wiki into your WordPress website. In this article, we’ll look at 8 options to help you decide which is the best WordPress wiki plugin for your needs.

    Why Do You Need a Wiki or Knowledge Base Plugin?

    A knowledge base plugin for WordPress can help you organize information in one central location, provide self-help resources to customers, increase user engagement, improve SEO with quality content, and save costs. It offers an effective way to reduce the load on customer support teams and provides customers with easy-to-find answers to frequently asked questions, improving their overall experience. In short, a knowledge base plugin can improve your website’s functionality and provide a better experience for both customers and businesses.

    The 8 Best Wiki and Knowledge Base Plugins

    Overall, a good wiki and knowledge base plugin should be customizable, easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and provide useful analytics and feedback to help you continuously improve your content. When building this list, we kept those key points in mind. So without further delay, here are our top picks.

    1. Echo Knowledge Base

    Echo Knowledge Base plugin

    Echo Knowledge Base includes a frontend editor with 26 templates and 500 icons. It has multiple tabs, allowing you to organize the documents by team, product, and service. Create articles that include a table of contents. The search bar provides listed results. Order the articles alphabetically, by time, etc.

    Setting up Echo is a breeze thanks to the easy configuration wizard.

    Echo Knowledge Base configuration wizard

    The plugins let you choose from several basic designs, tabs, or category layouts. The wizard changes the setup based on the type of layout you choose. For example, if you choose a category design, you’ll be given the option of left, right, or top category navigation.

    Echo category navigation

    Once you complete the wizard, you’ll have the option to add new articles to your knowledge base.

    add new articles

    If you are a Divi user, Echo features Visual Builder integration so that you can make your knowledge base articles fully customized.

    Divi integration

    Key Features for Echo Knowledge Base:

    • Frontend editor
    • 26 templates
    • Table of contents
    • Fast search with listed results
    • 500 icons
    • Ordering options
    • 5 levels of hierarchy
    • Pro version adds layouts, widgets, a link editor, ratings and feedback, advanced, search, groups, and more.
    • Divi Visual Builder integration

    Price: Free, pro add-ons start at $46 per year.

    Get Echo Knowledge Base

    2. Heroic Knowledge Base

    Heroic KB plugin

    Heroic Knowledge Base is a powerful plugin that offers an Ajax search feature for answers on the fly. It offers all standard features you’d expect from a wiki plugin such as content categorization, article attachments, widgets for displaying your knowledge base in the sidebar, as well as drag & drop ordering to make building your knowledge base simple.

    That being said, it offers something that others don’t. With Heroic’s KB offering, you can get critical insight into what your users think by making a user feedback section standard. This not only helps you improve your content but also aids in higher customer satisfaction.

    Heroic KB demo

    In addition to those features, Heroic Knowledge Base acts as a table of contents plugin, and gives you the ability to restrict access to your knowledge base to those who are logged in. This is especially useful if you’re building a membership website, or creating online courses.

    To make their product even more attractive, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is plenty of time to decide if Heroic KB is right for you.

    Key Features for Heroic Knowledge Base:

    • Ajax real-time search
    • Drag & drop content ordering
    • User feedback feature
    • Ability to restrict content to logged-in users only

    Price: Licenses starting at $149 per year.

    Get Heroic Knowledge Base

    3. BetterDocs

    Better Docs plugin

    BetterDocs is a popular WordPress wiki plugin that makes it easy to create a knowledge base to expand your support. It comes with several templates to get you started. A table of contents is created automatically as you type. You can make the TOC sticky. The advanced live search makes it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for. A pro version is available that adds analytics, and an instant answer bot, and it allows you to create multiple knowledge bases for different products.

    Better Docs activation

    To help you get started, the quick setup option steps you through creating the pages, and content, and customizing it.

    Better Docs settings

    The settings screen gives you lots of control over the docs including the design, layout, and more. Settings are intuitive and simple.

    Key Features for Better Docs:

    • Premade templates
    • Shortcodes
    • Auto table of contents
    • Sticky table of contents
    • Advanced live search
    • Pro version adds templates, advanced search, floating table of contents, instant answers, analytics, and more.

    Price: Free, pro version starts at $69 per year.

    Get Better Docs

    4. BasePress

    BasePress WordPress wiki plugin

    BasePress is a powerful WordPress wiki plugin that lets you build unlimited independent knowledge bases. It comes with three themes and you can customize them with simple adjustments and CSS. It builds an entry page where users can choose the knowledge base they need. The unlimited section hierarchy makes the knowledge bases easy to organize.

    The setup wizard steps you through to get started quickly with easy-to-follow settings screens including general settings, appearance, breadcrumbs, search, comment, and import and export tools.

    BasePress configuration wizard

    Once your custom post type for knowledge bases is created, you can customize your knowledge base with a title, slug, description, and image, as well as section and sub-section styles.

    wiki category styling

    Key Features for BasePress:

    • Theme editor
    • Icon manager
    • Advanced search with live results
    • Breadcrumbs
    • Drag and drop reordering.
    • 4 widgets
    • Pro version adds content restrictions, article voting and user feedback, automatic table of contents, statistics, and lots more.

    Price: Free, the pro version starts at $59 per year.

    Get BasePress

    5. weDocs

    weDocs wiki plugin

    weDocs by weDevs is an excellent choice to create visually stunning documentation for your website. While they don’t have any pre-made templates to choose from, you can use popular WordPress themes such as Divi to create your wikis and knowledge bases.

    Like, other plugins on our list, the knowledge base is created using a shortcode, allowing integration anywhere on your website.

    weDocs settings

    You can also add tags to your documentation pages, making it easy for users to search for specific information. Plus, it also provides a built-in search function to help users find what they need quickly.

    weDocs comes with a simple and clean interface that is easy to use, even for non-technical users. It also includes several customizable options, such as drag-and-drop reordering, the ability to add sections, and breadcrumbs for easy navigation.

    weDocs sections and articles

    Key Features for weDocs:

    • Easy integration with page builders like Divi
    • Style interface with CSS
    • Shortcode to display knowledge base virtually anywhere on your website
    • Breadcrumbs
    • Ability to allow comments on docs
    • Drag and Drop reordering

    Price: Free

    Get weDocs

    6. Yada Wiki

    Yada Wiki

    The Yada Wiki WordPress wiki plugin creates a new post type and provides an index and table of contents, making it easier for users to navigate your content. With customizable shortcodes, you can display categories, indexes, and a table of contents anywhere on your site. Additionally, the plugin adds a convenient wiki listing button that enables users to quickly access this information.

    Furthermore, Yada Wiki includes two sidebar widgets that display activity and the table of contents, providing a user-friendly experience. You can simply enable the features you wish by checking the boxes.

    Yada Wiki options

    To display your wiki, Yada gives you two blocks, the Yada Wiki activity block, as well as the table of contents block. You can embed these in Appearance > Widgets, or by creating a template with the WordPress site editor in a full site editing theme.

    Yada widgets

    Key Features for Yada Wiki:

    • Custom post type
    • Index
    • Table of contents
    • Shortcodes
    • 2 widgets

    Price: Free

    Get Yada Wiki

    7. Encyclopedia / Glossary / Wiki

    Encyclopedia Glossary Wiki

    Encyclopedia / Glossary / Wiki adds a new post type that allows you to label it any way you want. Create an encyclopedia, lexicon, glossary, dictionary, knowledge base, wiki, directory, etc. It will automatically generate an index page with all your items. The index is sorted alphabetically and includes a prefix filter. Every item has its own page. It’s limited to 13 items and many of the settings are locked, so the pro version is the better option.

    Encyclopedia settings

    The settings screen lets you adjust the labels, appearance, and features such as text editor, block editor, excerpt, and custom fields. As previously mentioned, some features such as taxonomies, revisions, comments, and feature images require a premium license.

    Adding entries works much like adding a post in the classic editor. You can add a title, content, excerpt, and tags.

    Encyclopedia entry

    Key Features for Encyclopedia / Glossary / Wiki:

    • Highly customizable
    • Index pages are generated automatically.
    • Automatic cross-linking with selectable content types.
    • Prefix filter
    • 5 widgets
    • Multilingual ready
    • Works with multisite
    • Limited to 12 items
    • Pro version unlocks settings and has unlimited items.

    Price: Free, pro version starts at $55 per year.

    Get Encyclopedia / Glossary / Wiki

    8. Very Simple Knowledge Base

    VS Knowledge Base

    Very Simple Knowledge Base is the simplest WordPress wiki plugin. It displays your content using shortcodes. The shortcode can be placed within your content to create any type of design you want. You can refine the shortcode to include or exclude categories, post types, set the number of columns, sort order, labels, etc. You can also include custom CSS that the shortcode will link to.

    Create a page and add the shortcode based on what you want it to display. Use shortcodes to specify which categories to include, and exclude, the number to display, the order to display them in, etc.

    knowledge base shortcode

    The page then displays articles automatically. The shortcode I’ve used shows all of my categories in a single column.

    Very Simple Knowledge Base display page

    The widget lets you add the title, text to appear above the articles, the number of columns to display, and the attributes to display.

    Key Features for VS Knowledge Base

    • Display with shortcodes within your content
    • Show categories.
    • Set the number of columns.
    • Determine the number and order of posts.
    • Change the labels.
    • Works with custom post types
    • Custom widget
    • Add custom CSS.

    Price: Free

    Get VS Knowledge Base

    WordPress Wiki Plugin Ending Thoughts

    That’s our look at the 8 best WordPress wiki and knowledge base plugins. They include a range of features and most can be expanded with a premium edition.

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 Echo Knowledge Base Free, $46 per year ✔️ Visit
    🥈 Heroic Knowledge Base $149 per year ❌ Visit
    🥉 BetterDocs Free, $69 per year ✔️ Visit
    4 BasePress Free, $59 per year ✔️ Visit
    5 weDocs Free ✔️ Visit
    6 Yada Wiki Free ✔️ Visit
    7 Encyclopedia / Glossary / Wiki Free, $55 per year ✔️ Visit
    8 Very Simple Knowledge Base Free ✔️ Visit

    As for our top pick, we recommend Echo Knowledge Base. Whether you need a simple WordPress wiki plugin, an enterprise-level platform for a complete knowledge base, or integration with Divi, you’re sure to find what you need with Echo.

    We want to hear from you. Have you tried any of these WordPress wiki plugins for your website? Let us know what you think about them in the comments.

    Featured image illustration via artist / shutterstock.com

    The post 8 Best WordPress Wiki & Knowledge Base Plugins in 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • 7 Best Timeline Plugins for WordPress in 2023

    Effective storytelling is a key part of building a successful brand identity. However, to make the historical roadmap of your business compelling, it helps to present it in a visually engaging manner. This is why we recommend using a timeline to showcase milestones, achievements, and other important dates for your organization.

    WordPress timeline plugins make adding a timeline of events or milestones to your site effortless. In this post, we’ll discuss what these tools are and explore their benefits. Then we’ll introduce you to seven of the best timeline plugins for WordPress.

    Let’s get started!

    An Introduction to Timelines for WordPress Websites

    As a business, you must be able to build trust and credibility with your audience. One of the most powerful ways to do that is through engaging storytelling. Letting customers know about where you started and how your brand came to be is an effective way to personalize your company and demonstrate your values.

    Incorporating timelines on your website can help with this. In a nutshell, these are visual graphics that display a map of business-related milestones or content, typically in chronological order.

    There are various types of timelines that you can add to your website. For example, one of the most popular options is a “dynamic content timeline”. Typically, this is used to arrange your blog posts in chronological order (either ascending or descending). However, you can also organize them by category.

    A content timeline example

    The purpose of this is to provide your users with a better way of browsing your content and locating content that was published at a certain time. Another benefit is that you can add an interactive element to the otherwise basic and bland list of posts.

    A second popular type is “static announcement timelines”, which are used to display company history and important events. For instance, you might use one on your About Us page to showcase the milestones your business has reached over the years.

    A static timeline example

    Adding either type of timeline to your site becomes significantly easier when you’re armed with one of the best timeline plugins for WordPress. There are both free and premium options available, with features and functionalities ranging from basic to advanced.

    7 Best Timeline Plugins for WordPress

    The type of timeline plugin you pick for your WordPress site will depend on a variety of factors. For example, you’ll need to consider what kinds of timelines you’d like to create, as well as how much you’re willing to pay.

    In the list that follows, we’ve considered features, ratings and reviews, support, ease of use, and more. The result is seven of the best timeline plugins you can find for your WordPress website. At least one of these plugins should be a suitable option for your site, regardless of the type of timeline you want to create or your experience level.

    1. Timeline and History Slider

    The Timeline and History Slider plugin for WordPress

    True to its name, the Timeline and History Slider plugin for WordPress lets you create a timeline slider to organize your blog posts by date. This freemium tool makes building and showcasing vertical timelines on your site quick and easy.

    With this plugin, you can add a title, featured image, and custom content to each item:

    The Timeline and History Slider plugin in action

    Also, the easy-to-use interface lets you navigate the timeline with your keyboard’s arrow keys.

    As with several other options we’ve looked at, there is both a free and paid version available. The free plugin ships with all the standard features you need to create a unique timeline. You can add it anywhere on your site via a shortcode.

    Alternatively, if you don’t mind paying a bit of money, you can invest in the premium version. However, it’s important to note that this tool is included as part of an “Essential Plugins” bundle, so it will be notably more expensive than other premium plugins on this list.

    Our favorite aspect of this handy plugin is that it comes with Divi Page Builder support. This means you can seamlessly integrate it with your posts and pages, and ensure an aesthetically-pleasing design without any coding.

    Key Features for Timeline and History Slider:

    • Over a dozen beautiful designs
    • Shortcode options
    • Support for timeline touch-scrolling navigation
    • Vertical and horizontal timeline options
    • Fully responsive
    • Category management
    • Divi Page Builder native support

    Timeline and History Slider is for you if…

    …You want access to a lot of customization options, or you’re a Divi user.

    Pricing: Free, with a premium version starting at $169 per year.

    Get Timeline and History Slider

    2. Essential Add-Ons for Elementor

    Essential Addons for Elementor

    Essential Addons for Elementor gives you a variety of styling options for the more than 90 elements available. One of which is the Post Timeline widget, which allows you to showcase your site’s posts beautifully.

    With the “Post Timeline” element, you can customize the timeline to your liking by choosing the layout, number of posts, pages, or custom links to display, sorting options, timeline position, and more. You can also customize the style of the timeline by changing the colors, typography, and spacing.

    essential addons layout

    Key Features for Essential Add-Ons for Elementor:

    • 50+ design elements with the free version
    • Unlimited styling options
    • Two vertical timeline layouts
    • Excellent Support through WP Developer

    Essential Add-Ons for Elementor is for you if…

    …You use Elementor and you’re looking for elements to display timelines on your website. Essential Addons has nearly endless styling options, as well as other blocks to create an eye-catching layout.

    Pricing: Free, with premium licenses starting at $49.97 per year.

    Get Essential Add-Ons for Elementor

    3. Qi Blocks for Gutenberg

    Qi Blocks for Gutenberg

    Qi Blocks for Gutenberg is a collection of 48 free blocks created specifically for use with Gutenberg. One of the blocks – The Timeline Showcase block – is functional on any page or post, as well as templates and template parts through full site editing.

    timeline block settings

    Styling is impressive with Qi Blocks. The Timeline Showcase block offers four layout options for both horizontal and vertical orientations. Furthermore, you can control the animation effects, number of columns, and adjust how the block appears on various mobile devices. However, the best feature of this block is the abundance of style settings. With this block, you can customize the appearance of both the images and text by changing the font color, family, and weight. Additionally, you can also vary the padding and margins to further enhance the design.

    219430

    Key Features for Qi Blocks for Gutenberg:

    • Plenty of styling options
    • Extension of Gutenberg blocks
    • 48 free blocks
    • Pro version offers 33 additional blocks

    Qi Blocks for Gutenberg is for you if…

    …You use Gutenberg Blocks and want more control over the elements you can use. The base plugin offers a variety of options and even more for the premium license.

    Pricing: Free, with a premium version starting at $49 per year.

    Get Qi Blocks for Gutenberg

    4. Timeline Express

    The Timeline Express WordPress plugin

    Timeline Express is a freemium WordPress plugin that offers an expansive set of features for creating animated vertical timelines. This includes timelines for events, dates, announcements, and more.

    You can easily add these features to your site via shortcodes. This tool is also packed with customization and design options, letting you choose from a collection of fonts, icons, and images:

    The Timeline Express plugin in action

    One of our favorite aspects of Timeline Express is its flexibility. You can use it for websites of all sizes and scales. For example, the free version ships with everything you need to build and display aesthetically-pleasing, vertical timelines. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more intricate, you can access various advanced features by upgrading to a premium license.

    Key Features for Timeline Express:

    • Flexible, responsive, and cross-browser compatible
    • Easy-to-use shortcodes for seamless integration
    • Custom images and Font Awesome icons
    • CSS3 animations
    • Ascending and descending order options
    • Localized date formatting
    • Translation-ready for international users
    • Multiple timelines (Pro)
    • Announcement categories (Pro)
    • Timeline sorting features (Pro)
    • Priority support (Pro)

    Timeline Express is for you if…

    …You want a single tool that can easily be used for various purposes and on multiple types of websites.

    Pricing: Free, with a premium version starting at $29 per year.

    Get Timeline Express

    5. Cool Timeline

    The Cool Timeline WordPress plugin

    If you’re looking for the best timeline plugins for WordPress that offer both free and premium versions, Cool Timeline is another option to consider. It provides a quick and easy way to spice up the way you display your blog posts instantly.

    This tool is loaded with various style options, making it easy to customize the timeline to your branding:

    The Cool Timeline plugin in action

    It also supports multimedia elements such as sliders, images, and videos.

    Cool Timeline is an excellent option if you’re interested in creating both vertical and horizontal timelines. You can use it to showcase important dates and milestones in your company’s history and display blog content engagingly and practically.

    Key Features:

    • Free and premium versions available
    • Both-sided and one-sided timeline options
    • Compact timeline option for saving space
    • User-friendly with extensive documentation
    • Over 20 horizontal and vertical timeline styles
    • Responsive, retina-ready, and modern design
    • Pop-up timeline images and the option to link to stories
    • Translation-ready with support in three languages
    • Animation effects (Pro)
    • Multiple timelines (Pro)

    Timeline Express is for you if…

    …You need your timelines to mesh well with your branding, or you’d like to experiment with their formatting.

    Pricing: Free

    Get Cool Timeline

    6. Event Timeline

    The event timeline plugin for WordPress

    If you’re looking for a very straightforward solution, Event Timeline is worth exploring. This freemium timeline plugin for WordPress lets you create and display vertical and horizontal timelines in either a classic or modern style.

    Additionally, you can streamline the process by choosing from one of 18 pre-built themes:

    The Event Timeline plugin in action

    It’s an ideal solution if you want a simple way to display your company’s history as a timeline.

    Plus, thanks to its clean code, Event Timeline is also incredibly lightweight. Depending on the level of support and the extent of features you need, you also have the option of upgrading to the premium version.

    Key Features for Event Timeline:

    • Classic and modern styles
    • Vertical or horizontal timeline displays
    • 18 stunning themes
    • Responsive and mobile-ready
    • Support for multimedia files including images, audio files, and videos
    • Color picker and customization options
    • Multiple timeline stories
    • Clean, sleek design

    Event Timeline is for you if…

    …You want to keep it simple and create appealing timelines very quickly.

    Pricing: Free, with a premium version starting at $10 per year.

    Get Event Timeline

    7. Divi Plus

    Divi Plus

    Divi Plus is a powerful plugin that enhances the already impressive design capabilities of Divi. With over 50 modules, 50 starter templates, and more than 250 sections, it provides a wide range of options to create stunning designs. One standout feature is the timeline module, which gives you the ability to display beautiful timelines on your website.

    Divi Plus timeline plugin

    Furthermore, Divi Plus seamlessly integrates with the Visual Builder, the best no-code page builder available. By using this plugin, you gain access to all the design elements you need to create your timelines. You can display any type of content in a timeline format, making it a great tool for showcasing company history, product features, and more.

    Key Features for Divi Plus:

    • 50 starter templates
    • 50 modules
    • 250 sections
    • Highly customizable timeline module
    • Extends the functionality of Divi

    Divi Plus is for you if…

    …You’re a Divi user looking to build timelines on your website. As an added bonus, you’ll get additional elements to extend the number of design elements to choose from.

    Pricing: Premium licenses starting at $79 per year.

    Get Divi Plus

    Which Timeline Plugin is Right For You?

    Your website likely serves many purposes. However, one of the most important is to let your audience know about your business, including its history. Whether you’re dealing with an extensive amount of blog posts or need to organize a specific set of dates and milestones, adding a timeline can help.

    Fortunately, there are plenty of timeline plugins for WordPress that you can use to simplify this process. To find the best one for your specific needs, we recommend taking a look at the list above and giving some of the demo versions a try.

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 Timeline and History Slider Free, $169 per year ✔️ Visit
    🥈 Essential Add-Ons for Elementor Free, $49.97 per year ✔️ Visit
    🥉 Qi Blocks for Gutenberg Free, $49 per year ✔️ Visit
    4 Timeline Express Free, $29 per year ✔️ Visit
    5 Cool Timeline Free ✔️ Visit
    6 Event Timeline Free, $10 per year ✔️ Visit
    7 Divi Plus $79 per year ❌ Visit

    The Best of the Best

    That being said, there are two that stand out the most. If you are a Divi user, Divi Plus is an excellent choice to create gorgeous timelines on your website. On the other hand, if you’re looking for something that will work with any WordPress website, your best bet is Timeline and History Slider,

    What features are most important for you to have in a WordPress timeline plugin? Let us know in the comments section below!

    Featured image illustration  via VectorMine/shutterstock

    The post 7 Best Timeline Plugins for WordPress in 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • 5 Best WordPress Menu Plugins for 2023

    Website navigation is an important part of any website. Your menus will show your customers and visitors the best way to get the information that they need from your site. We’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of the best WordPress menu plugins for you. We’ve got drag-and-drop builders, custom design panels, and more. These menu plugins will help you to create easy-to-understand navigations for your website viewers.

    What are WordPress Menu Plugins?

    There are many WordPress menu plugins on the market (even some for breadcrumbs). Some specialize in certain types of menus while others offer a wide range of options. But, some basic features that you can expect from menu and navigation plugs are:

    • Mega menus: These are dropdown menus that offer multiple levels of navigation, providing your visitors with a better understanding of your website’s structure and content.
    • Sticky menus: These menus stick to the top of the page, ensuring that they are always visible, even when visitors scroll down.
    • Custom icons: With custom icons, you can make your menu more visually appealing and recognizable.
    • E-commerce cart integrations: If you have an e-commerce website, integrating your cart into your menu can make it easier for customers to access and manage their orders.
    • Drag-and-drop builder: This feature allows you to create and rearrange menu items quickly and easily without the need for coding skills.

    Knowing your own needs and non-negotiables will go a long way in choosing the right solution for yourself. Regardless, a menu plugin is a great alternative to creating basic WordPress menus or editing your WordPress header from scratch.

    The Best WordPress Menu Plugins

    Choosing the right WordPress menu plugin can be overwhelming, with so many options available. To make your life easier, we have put together a list of the top plugins on the market. These plugins are designed to help you create stunning WordPress menus quickly and easily, without sacrificing quality or features. Whether you are looking for a basic menu plugin or something more complex, these plugins have you covered.

    1. Responsive Menu

    Responsive Menu WordPress menu plugin

    If you’re looking to upgrade your WordPress website’s navigation system, Responsive Menu is a popular plugin worth considering. The plugin offers a vast range of customization options, even in the free version, and allows users to create visually impressive menus that work well on all devices. The plugin’s streamlined menu creation process makes it easy to use, even for WordPress beginners. And because of its focus on mobile-first design, it is one of the best mobile plugins out there.

    Key Features of Responsive Menu:

    • 150 customization options to perfect menus with
    • Disable background scrolling of content when your menu is open
    • W3C focuses on accessibility and compatibility across multiple devices to ensure compliance
    • Fully customizable and integrated search
    • WPML/Polylang integrations

    Responsive Menu Header bar settings

    A visual drag-and-drop interface allows you to customize your mobile menu in just a few clicks. You can personalize elements such as the background image, title, search bar, and logo, as well as manage the appearance of sub-menu items and set mobile breakpoints, enabling you to customize your menu depending on your users’ screen size.

    Responsive Menu is for you if you…

    • Want a visual menu editing experience to customize your menu with the elements and design you need
    • Need a fully responsive menu solution that looks good on mobile devices

    Pricing: From $49 per year

    Get Responsive Menu

    2. WP Mobile Menu

    WP Mobile Menu

    If you want to enhance your website’s mobile menu to improve performance and user experience, WP Mobile Menu is an excellent option. Since mobile traffic is increasing every year, it is crucial to optimize the mobile user experience. And that optimization starts at the top with your website’s header and navigation menu. This plugin has a free version, a premium version, and a premium plugin version for eCommerce stores using WooCommerce.

    Key Features for WP Mobile Menu:

    • Build your navigation menu up to 3 levels deep
    • WooCommerce-specific tools to increase product conversions
    • Set conditional rules to show alternate menus
    • Complete control over menu layout and responsive configuration
    • Nice core features like (google fonts, slide and push display types, naked header, and more)

    WP Mobile Menu general options

    With the WP Mobile Menu plugin, you have full control over the appearance of your mobile menu on your WordPress site. In addition to deciding whether the mobile menu appears on the left or right side of the screen, you can customize its total appearance. It is specifically built to offer you the ability to build out a mobile responsive menu with custom breakpoints.

    WP Mobile Menu is for you if you…

    • Want advanced settings for displaying and loading elements
    • Don’t mind the non-visual editing interface
    • Need eCommerce tools built into your menu

    Pricing: Free; Paid plans from $77.88 a year (or 8.99 per month)

    Get WP Mobile Menu

    3. WP Mega Menu Pro

    WP Mega Menu

    WP Mega Menu Pro is yet another great plugin that has a visual WordPress menu editor. The amazing visual builder of this tool allows you to easily create your mega menu with a simple drag-and-drop system, even if you don’t know how to code. It lets you create advanced navigational elements with ease and deploy them as you see fit.

    Key Features for WP Mega Menu:

    • Row and column or grid-based layouts
    • Widget ready to bring in even more functionality
    • Easy to add company logos and social media elements
    • Integrated with Font Awesome and Dashicons
    • Handy auto-save so you never lose any of your work
    • WooCommerce support for including custom product displays, custom cart icons, and more.

    WP Mega Menu Menu Builder

    The drag-and-drop builder is one of the key features of the WordPress Mega Menu plugin, which allows you to easily create complex, multi-level menus without needing to write any code. You can then drag and drop these items to create a hierarchy of menu items, with multiple levels of submenus if needed. This allows you to create very complex and structured menus, which can be ideal for large websites with a lot of content.

    WP Mega Menu WooCommerce exampleThe built-in integration with WooCommerce allows you to create beautiful mega menus for product displays with a cart menu icon that has an item counter.

    WP Mega Menu is for you if you…

    • Want a low-cost menu builder with visual editing
    • Use other Themeum products like Qubely or TutorLMS
    • Need a solution that is compatible with WordPress widgets

    Pricing: From $29 per year

    Get WP Mega Menu

    4. Max Mega Menu

    Max Mega Menu

    Max Mega Menu is a freemium menu plugin that swaps the existing menu of your WordPress theme with a more customizable one. This allows you to modify the look and feel of your website’s navigation and menus with ease. It offers a variety of customization options and a drag-and-drop builder that makes it easy to build out mobile responsive mega menus for any website. This plugin is suitable for all types of WordPress users, regardless of their WordPress or coding experience.

    Key Features for Max Mega Menu:

    • Lightweight plugin with the ability to configure multiple menu locations
    • Drag-and-drop editor for rearranging items and adding widgets
    • Supports responsive menus and touch menus
    • Create horizontal mega menus and sticky menus
    • WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads integrations for showing cart totals
    • 100+ customization options

    Max Mega Menu's visual editor

    Max Mega Menu is a powerful menu plugin that comes with a built-in panel that seamlessly integrates with WordPress’ native menu builder. This feature extends the default menu builder’s functionality with over 100 customization options for each menu and menu item. These options include features such as hover intent, effects, mobile effects, and themes, which allow you to create menus that are both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.

    Max Mega Menu is for you if you…

    • Need a feature-rich (including eCommerce) menu plugin
    • Want something that provides adequate features in its free version
    • Like its low yearly cost

    Pricing: Free; Paid plans from $29 per year

    Get Max Mega Menu

    5. DiviMenus

    DiviMenus Menu Builder for Divi

    DiviMenus is the go-to menu solution for Divi theme users looking to add extra customization to WordPress menus. This Marketplace plugin has over 4000 purchases and comes highly reviewed. It’s the best of Divi and advanced menu creation and can be yours.

    Key Features for DiviMenus:

    • Build creative mega menus using layouts from the Divi Libray within your menu
    • Shopping cart and eCommerce integration
    • Create clever circular menus with text and/or images on hover
    • Create a vertical menu to reveal text and/or images on hover
    • Create timeline or process menus
    • Built-in options for different types of animation effects

    DiviMenus Circle Menu

    The DiviMenus module can design creative menu displays in different shapes using your WordPress menus. The plugin allows you to modify various attributes such as alignment, labels, borders, and more, to create a unique menu that meets your specific design requirements. Plus, you can use countless menus in a variety of different ways throughout your site to boost content engagement.

    DiviMenus Menu Examples

    DiviMenus is for you if you…

    • Love the Divi Theme but want even more freedom for creativity
    • Have ideas beyond the typical headed menu

    Pricing: $49 per year

    Get DiviMenus

    Bonus: Ubermenu

    UberMenu - WordPress Mega Menu Plugin

    As a bonus plugin recommendation, we present to you UberMenu—a popular CodeCanyon tool for creating robust menus in WordPress. We particularly like the dynamic menu content features that can add menu items based on new content added to your website.

    Submenu settings

    UberMenu comes highly rated (4k+ reviews at 4.5+ stars) and has a low lifetime rate.

    Pricing: $26 LTD

    Get Ubermenu

    What is the Best WordPress Menu Plugin?

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 Responsive Menu $49/yr ✔️ Visit
    🥈 WP Mobile Menu $77.88/yr ✔️ Visit
    🥉 WP Mega Menu $29/yr ❌ Visit
    4 Max Mega Menu $29/yr ✔️ Visit
    5 DiviMenus $49/yr ❌ Visit
    BONUS Ubermenu $26 LTD ❌ Visit

    For all those Divi users looking for a powerhouse all-in-one menu solution, DiviMenus is hard to beat. We really think you’ll enjoy it as so many others have already. Responsive Menu is a top pick for WordPress mobile menus because of its powerful mobile-first design features. But if you want a highly customizable mega menu that is packed with features and easy to build, you can’t go wrong with WP Mega Menu. We hope these suggestions get you a good way towards updating your website menus.

    Looking for more plugins? Check out our entire collection of the best plugins for WordPress

    Featured Image by Lauritta / shutterstock.com

    The post 5 Best WordPress Menu Plugins for 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • Download a FREE Blog Post Template for Divi’s Seafood Restaurant Layout Pack

    Hey Divi Creators! Thanks for joining us for the next installment of our weekly Divi Design Initiative where each week, we give away brand-new freebies. This time around we’re building upon the Seafood Restaurant Layout Pack with a brand new blog post template that matches the rest of the pack perfectly. Hope you enjoy it!

    divi layout

    Check Out The Seafood Restaurant
    Blog Template Below

    Get it for free today!

    Desktop View

    Divi Seafood Restaurant Blog Post Template for Desktop

    Tablet and Mobile View

    Divi Seafood Restaurant Blog Post Template for Tablet and Mobile

    Download The Seafood Restaurant Blog Template

    To lay your hands on the free Seafood Restaurant Blog Post Template, you will first need to download it using the button below. To gain access to the download you will need to subscribe to our Divi Daily email list by using the form below. As a new subscriber, you will receive even more Divi goodness and a free Divi Layout pack every Monday! If you’re already on the list, simply enter your email address below and click download. You will not be “resubscribed” or receive extra emails.

    How to Upload The Template

    Go to Divi Theme Builder

    To upload the template, navigate to the Divi Theme Builder in the backend of your WordPress website.

    Open Divi Theme Builder

    Upload the Seafood Restaurant Blog Template

    Then, in the top right corner, you’ll see an icon with two arrows. Click on the icon.

    Import the template into the Divi Theme Builder

    Navigate to the import tab, upload the JSON file that you could download in this post, and click on ‘Import Divi Theme Builder Templates’.

    Finish importing the template into the Divi Theme Builder

    Save Divi Theme Builder Changes

    Once you’ve uploaded the file, you’ll notice a new template with a new body area that has been assigned to All Posts. Save the Divi Theme Builder changes as soon as you want the template to be activated.

    Save Your Blog Post Template

    How to Modify The Template

    Open Post Template

    To modify the template’s elements, start by opening the template.

    Inside the Body Layout Editor, you can edit the design on the front end using the Divi Builder just like you would with a normal Divi page.

    Since this is a template that has been assigned to all posts for the site, there is a post content module that is necessary for displaying the post content. You will need to keep that module in place, but you can adjust the post content module’s design elements, which will design the post content that is displayed dynamically.

    Customizing the Post Content Module within your Blog Post Template

    About the Layout

    This blog post template has many dynamic elements that will work with your blog posts immediately. For example, we use the Fullwidth Post Title Module for the post header. This module allows us to showcase the metadata (date, categories, author, and comment count) of the post easily. This content won’t need updating, but you can tweak the design of each of those elements if needed.

    Other dynamic elements include the following:

    • Post Navigation: We use this module to navigate between the other posts in the category.
    • Comments: There is a Comments Module in this blog template. Post, reply and read comments made by other website visitors.
    • Post Slider: Other posts within the post category are showcased using the Post Slider Module.

    Here is a quick illustration that identifies the elements of the Seafood Restaurant blog post template.

    The Divi Seafood Restaurant Blog Post Template Post Module Overview

    Update Static Content

    Before you take your blog post template live on your site, ensure that you update the static modules. There is a call-to-action section at the end of the blog post template. Ensure that you update the content with your own information. Also, there is a Button Module that you can use to link to another page within your website.

    Updating the static content within the Blog Post Template

    New Freebies Every Week!

    We hope you’ve enjoyed the Seafood Restaurant Layout Pack and the blog post template freebie that goes along with it. We look forward to hearing your opinions in the comment section below. Make sure you check back next week for more freebies!

    The post Download a FREE Blog Post Template for Divi’s Seafood Restaurant Layout Pack appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • WordPress vs Weebly (2023) — Which Is Better?

    Website builders are everywhere these days. WordPress is the dominant platform with well over 1/3 of the internet having been built with it. A slew of other site builders has popped up to demand their fair share of the market though. One of the big players is Weebly, a free service that made a name for itself by being fast, reliable, and easy to use. Square is one of the top e-commerce payment gateways. They bought Weebly to use as an e-commerce platform. They can give WordPress a run for its money. But what features make each platform uniquely appealing? To assist you in determining which is more suitable for your business, we will compare WordPress vs Weebly.

    WordPress vs Weebly: Who Are They For?

    To be a little hyperbolic, WordPress is for everyone. What we mean is that no matter what kind of site you want to run, WordPress can create it. From portfolios to e-commerce shops to prolific magazines, WordPress has the capability and features to make it happen. The catch is that because it can do nearly anything, the setup can be a little more difficult. You, as a site owner, need to either hire a developer or find the plugins, themes, and features you need for your site, yourself. But if you can dream it, WordPress can do it. There is room for beginners and coders in the WP space.

    Weebly, on the other hand, started as a quick-and-easy builder that gave users fast access to static/informational sites, and it has since been acquired by Square and become an incredibly robust e-commerce platform. While the platform can still function as a quick-and-easy free website for you, the focus has shifted to being an e-commerce platform that has a full range of features built right in. If your main goal is to get an e-commerce site up and running as quickly as possible, Weebly may be what you’re looking for.

    Weebly Makes Building a Website Easy

    A major factor for anyone looking to build a website is how easy the platform is to learn and use daily. WordPress does not have the best new-user experience. But that has somewhat improved over the years. Weebly has always attracted users who wanted a nicely designed website. One that wasn’t hard to maintain, and Square’s acquisition hasn’t changed that at all. Both platforms are relatively easy to use, and each has quirks that make the learning curve about even between them.

    WordPress

    The hardest part about learning WordPress is figuring out where all of the options are located and what they do. To new users, learning what’s in Settings vs Tools vs Customize can be frustrating. Why are Menu options under Appearance? What’s the difference between the Theme Editor vs the Theme Customizer?

    These are very easy-to-solve frustrations, but the messaging for new users isn’t always clear. In terms of actual utility, using WordPress has never been easier. You create Posts and Pages using the new Gutenberg block editor. The new editor gives you drag-and-drop functionality for each element on the page. From images to paragraphs to lists and even rating stars, you have full control over each thing separate from everything else.

    WordPress vs Weebly page builder

    Editing the site and posts are incredibly easy, and as of WordPress 5.8, these blocks can also be used in nearly every editable space on your site. The ease with which you can customize WordPress has never been greater. Or easier.

    As we said, the dashboard can be a little confusing at times to navigate. However, you can overcome that with just a little use and practice. Additionally, themes such as Divi and plugins by companies such as 10Web can make the experience of using WordPress much easier to learn. It does, however, take external research or recommendations to find out which ones those are.

    Weebly

    Weebly is a fairly easy platform to use. Setting up your website and then running it on a day-to-day basis is pretty simple. Though there are some quirks with the software that put it on about equal footing to WordPress in terms of the learning curve.

    Weebly page editor

    The editor screen works almost exactly like the Gutenberg editor. You have different blocks available for elements such as text, images, lists, videos, and so on. (Some of these are available to premium users.) Editing each of these is a matter of clicking and selecting options from a pop-out.

    The quirkiness can come in with adding new top-level pages and product categories, blog posts, and individual products. The menus aren’t intuitive to use, but they’re not difficult to learn. To create a blog post, you will need to navigate to the blog feed page itself, edit it, and then press the New Post button.

    weebly blog post vs wordpress

    This isn’t hard or complicated, but when compared to WordPress and other blogging platforms, it’s pretty obtuse. On the other hand, consider that Weebly is not a blogging platform. In that context, the entire experience is easy to learn and use and is perfectly passable.

    WordPress Weebly
    Ease of Use Figuring out where the options are and what they do can take time. Learning what’s in Settings vs Tools vs Customizer can be difficult. 🥇 Winner

    Set up is easy, but adding top-level pages has a bit of a learning curve. That being said, it is a bit more user-friendly for beginners.

    Choose WordPress Choose Weebly

    When it Comes to eCommerce, Weebly Has the Edge

    WordPress has WooCommerce, a free e-commerce plugin that is used by hundreds of thousands of websites. Over time, an ecosystem of extensions and add-ons has sprung up around it, giving users access to any feature they could ever need. For example, companies such as Yith have a great list of plugins to expand WooCommerce capabilities. Weebly doesn’t need that level of ecosystem and plugin extensibility. It integrates fully with the Square e-commerce system. For quick setup and a few hassles, Weebly stores are great options. WordPress and WooCommerce are the better options for those who want the most customization and control over store options.

    WordPress

    Creating stores and adding products to WordPress using WooCommerce is a straightforward process. Installing the plugin adds new menu items to your WP admin dashboard. Creating a product and categorizing it is as easy as creating or editing a Post or creating a new Page. WooCommerce builds products on WordPress custom post types, which can be extended with plugins like Toolset. This can both help and hinder WP users because the process is known to them. The extra e-commerce meta boxes for product information does make things a bit more complex than before.

    WordPress vs Weebly eCommerce

    WooCommerce comes with various payment gateways by default, including EFT, PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Pay, and the proprietary WooCommerce Payments. You can also purchase extensions that allow even more payment gateways to be used, including the Weebly-owner Square.

    WooCommerce payment gateways

    Some of these options are free, and some are premium. Using any and/or all of the options is up to the website owner. Which is going into one of WordPress’s most noteworthy features: freedom of customization.

    That customization and many options are also available to your product lineup. You can sell digital goods and physical merchandise from the beginning. If you want advanced analytics and in-depth management utilities, additional plugins or extensions may be necessary.

    Weebly

    Weebly, in stark contrast to WordPress, comes with all e-commerce tools built in because of its association with Square. We should note, however, that each of these options is not available to all users. Weebly restricts some behind different tiers of paid membership.

    Also, we want to note that while WooCommerce can be free, most users will be spending money on extensions and other costs. We have a complete rundown on what you can expect, and it is comparable to a paid membership with Weebly.

    WordPress vs Weebly products

    The strongest feature Weebly offers is that you can sell anything to anyone from the beginning. Even as a free user, you can populate your store with inventory. While some of the actual sales (such as for digital goods) are limited to paid users, you can get started with your site and store immediately. With WooCommerce and WordPress, you have to use different extensions to offer memberships, donations, and events.

    This inclusion, even for premium members only, makes using Weebly just a bit more accessible than WooCommerce. Users in WordPress would need to individually seek out methods to sell any additional product types.

    Weebly also has a much smoother interface for entering product information (as you can see above) than WordPress. This is because Square is actively developing Weebly as an e-commerce platform. WordPress is a CMS that can function as an e-commerce platform. In Weebly, products are their own thing, separate from blog posts and all other features. Learning how to use them may take more time for Weebly users. But in the end, they’re more intuitive than customizing WooCommerce products.

    Perhaps WooCommerce can be extended and eventually provide a more powerful and custom e-commerce experience. For those who want a no-hassle platform that’s relatively easy to learn, Weebly’s Square integration provides that.

    WordPress Weebly
    eCommerce WordPress is a CMS first, and an eCommerce platform only through extensions and plugins. 🥇 Winner

    You’re given everything you need to set up an eCommerce platform thanks to integration with Square.

    Choose WordPress Choose Weebly

    WordPress is King in Customization

    Both WordPress and Weebly use themes and layouts that change the design and apparent utility of the site. With WordPress that can go deep into the site’s code. With Weebly, though, it’s skin-deep and is based on how the information is presented. WordPress offers much more customization than is possible with Weebly in almost every way, but you do get a decent amount of choice with Weebly, similar to Squarespace in that it’s curated customization.

    WordPress

    Themes are the fundamental draw to WordPress. They give users the most control over their sites, offering both functionality and design. Some themes, such as Divi, come with page builders included so that editing your WordPress site can be as simple as using the block editor (or the Weebly builder itself, which is built around blocks and curated designs).

    You can find any number of free themes on the WordPress.org theme repository, as well as additional plugins on that repository, too. Both of these offer major customization. Some through design and layout, others through utility and additional features and function. Very few website platforms can compete with the total control (and ease of control) that WordPress gives its users.

    Weebly

    In terms of customization, Weebly users do have options. Just not as many as WordPress. There is a well-stocked theme repository of curated designs they can choose from. Many of them are optimized for e-commerce (again, a good thing because of Square’s integration).

    Weebly theme gallery

    They’re cleanly designed and put together. You should have no trouble customizing them. The options you get for each block and element are comparable to any basic page builder you could find in WordPress.

    wordpress vs weebly builder

    The downside is that some customization and elements are locked behind paid subscriptions. However, this is offset by taking into consideration that the most advanced page builders in WordPress are also premium subscriptions or licenses. If you’re a free user expecting full customization, however, that won’t be possible.

    Very little can compare to WordPress’s innate customization. However, Weebly competes well enough with WP that using its builder and having access to its options won’t feel cumbersome or a burden like some other builders.

    WordPress Weebly
    Customization 🥇 Winner

    WordPress shines with its unlimited customization options to make sites stand out from the crowd.

    There are a few themes to choose from, but Weebly is limited to those choices.
    Choose WordPress Choose Weebly

    WordPress vs Weebly Wrap Up

    In the end, Weebly is a very solid e-commerce platform but doesn’t have a lot of draw for people who want a blog or publishing website. If you need a fast, free, decently designed static website, sure. However, Weebly has very clearly moved toward targeting those who plan on selling things being the primary function of their website.

    WordPress comes in solid in this regard, too, simply because it was built as a blogging platform first and has since evolved into a CMS capable of most kinds of sites. With the sheer amount of customization options with plugins by third-party vendors such as Yith, Toolset, and 10Web, you simply can’t beat what WordPress can offer.

    But the WooCommerce and other e-commerce solutions can be a bit more cumbersome than using something like Weebly that is built for that specifically.

    WordPress Wix
    Ease of Use Figuring out where the options are and what they do can take time. Learning what’s in Settings vs Tools vs Customizer can be difficult. 🥇 Winner

    Set up is easy, but adding top-level pages has a bit of a learning curve. That being said, it is a bit more user-friendly for beginners.

    eCommerce WordPress is a CMS first, and an eCommerce platform only through extensions and plugins. 🥇 Winner

    You’re given everything you need to set up an eCommerce platform thanks to integration with Square.

    Customization 🥇 Winner

    WordPress shines with its unlimited customization options to make sites stand out from the crowd.

    There are a few themes to choose from, but Weebly is limited to those choices.
    Choose WordPress Choose Weebly

    One more thing. Before you make your final decision on your website platform…are you curious to see how WordPress stacks up against its other biggest competitors? We did the hard work and compared WordPress vs everything else so that you don’t have to!

    What have your experiences been with WordPress vs Weebly?

    The post WordPress vs Weebly (2023) — Which Is Better? appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • 7 Best WordPress Database Optimization Plugins in 2023

    Every WordPress website has a unique database. It contains all of the information on your website, from user data to comments, posts, and more. As your site grows, so does its database, and in many cases, you’ll end up storing a lot of information well beyond the point that it’s useful. This can slow down your site unnecessarily.

    In this article, we’ll introduce you to seven of the best WordPress database optimization plugins you can use to keep your site lean and fast. We’ve chosen them based on their performance, configuration options, ratings and reviews, and support from their developers.

    Let’s get to it!

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    Why Do I Need a Database Optimization Plugin?

    Every time you revise a post, delete a post or plugin, useless data takes up valuable space in your site’s database. Without regular maintenance, you database can get clogged, causing your site to down down dramatically. You see, the larger your database is, the longer it takes your web server to search and load information from the database tables.

    This is where a database optimization can help. Once installed, you can clean out unnecessary pieces of data to make your WordPress site run faster and smoother.

    The Best WordPress Database Optimization Plugins

    While there are many database optimization tools available for WordPress, there are some that stand out from the crowd. Our carefully curated list features only the best of the best, including tools that can perform multiple functions to keep your site’s speed running smoothly and your database clutter-free.

    Let’s go!

    1. WP-Optimize

    The WP-Optimize plugin

    First on our list, WP-Optimize is an all-in-one WordPress optimization plugin. It includes tools to help you clean up your database, minify scripts, enable lazy loading, perform image optimization, and more.

    If you’re using WP-Optimize for database optimization, you can choose what information the plugin will try to clean up. For example, you can configure it to clear out old post revisions, erase trashed posts, remove spam comments, and more:

    Cleaning up your database using WP-Optimize

    This plugin also lets you identify orphaned tables within your database and delete them manually.

    However, one feature that is missing is the ability to create database backups before you run optimizations. WP-Optimize addresses that problem by integrating with the UpdraftPlus plugin. If you use UpdraftPlus as well, WP-Optimize includes settings that will automate database backups before you run a cleanup.

    Key Features for WP-Optimize:

    • Choose what parts of your WordPress database to optimize
    • Identify and remove orphaned tables within the database
    • Configure your site’s caching settings
    • Enable lazy loading
    • Automate image optimization
    • Minify scripts on your website
    • Integrate the plugin with UpdraftPlus to take care of database backups

    WP-Optimize is for you if…

    …you want a plugin that doesn’t just help you optimize your database, but multiple aspects of your WordPress website. It’s also a solid pick if you’re already using UpdraftPlus.

    Price: Free, with premium licenses starting at $49 per year.

    Get WP-Optimize

    2. Litespeed Cache

    Litespeed cache plugin

    Litespeed Cache is not just one of the best caching plugins for WordPress, it is also a fully functional database cleaner and optimizer. In addition to its ability to optimize tables in your database, Litespeed Cache can clean post revisions, auto drafts, trashed posts, spam comments, and more.

    LiteSpeed database optimizer

    Litespeed offers a range of benefits for optimizing your data, but perhaps its biggest advantage is it’s powerful site caching capabilities. With Litespeed, you’ll have access to a host of features designed to optimize the performance of your website, including support for content delivery networks (CDNs), multi-level page caching, minification of CSS, JavaScript, and HTML, browser cache support, and even the ability to lazy load images. These features enable Litespeed to handle site caching like a boss.

    Key Features for Lightspeed Cache:

    • Stellar database table optimization
    • Ability to clean post revisions, trashed posts, spam comments, and more
    • Speeds up database queries
    • Combines caching, CDN, and database optimization into one plugin

    Litespeed Cache is for you if…
    …you’re looking for an all-in-one solution for database and image optimization, CDN support, and site caching. With its comprehensive suite of both database and caching features, Litespeed Cache is an indispensable tool for keeping your WordPress site running smoothly and efficiently.

    Price: Free

    Get Litespeed Cache

    3. Advanced Database Cleaner

    The Advanced Database Cleaner plugin

    Advanced Database Cleaner gives you an overview of what elements you can safely remove from your database to keep it lean. You can also use it to delete tables and cron jobs from your website.

    One standout feature this plugin offers is the option to ignore some of the most recent changes to your database when cleaning it up. You can tell the plugin to keep data from the last “X” days for each type of element it optimizes:

    Configuring Advanced Database Cleaner to keep recent data

    Advanced Database Cleaner also lets you schedule database optimization processes, and configure multiple tasks to run later on. For example, you can schedule the plugin to clean posts within your trash weekly, and have it delete post revisions monthly.

    Key Features for Advanced Database Cleaner:

    • Remove unnecessary information from your database
    • Clean up tables and cron jobs
    • Exclude recent data from cleanups
    • Schedule multiple database cleanups in advance

    Advanced Database Cleaner is for you if…

    …you want a plugin that enables you to set up recurring database optimization processes. Plus, you get full control over what data you want to optimize and when which makes this one of the best WordPress database optimization plugins for advanced users.

    Price: Free, with premium licenses starting at $39 one-time payment.

    Get Advanced Database Cleaner

    4. Optimize Database After Deleting Revisions

    Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions plugin

    Optimize Database After Deleting Revisions does much more than its name implies. By default, this plugin will help you delete revisions for all of the post types on your website. However, you can also configure it to help you optimize your database by deleting items in the trash, unused tags, spam content, and more:

    one-click database optimization

    You can use this tool to configure scheduled optimizations, and it can also help you delete specific tables from your database. However, it doesn’t tell you which custom tables correspond to which plugins, which makes using that feature a bit risky unless you know what you’re doing.

    Key Features for Optimize Database After Deleting Revisions:

    • Delete post revisions for all of your WordPress post types (or specific ones)
    • Preserve recent revisions
    • Configure how many revisions you want to keep for your posts
    • Schedule database optimizations
    • Delete specific tables from your database

    Optimize Database After Deleting Revisions is for you if…
    …you run a website with a hectic posting schedule. Post revisions can quickly add up if you publish a lot of content, and this plugin can help you optimize your database by keeping unnecessary revisions down to a minimum.

    Price:Free

    Get Optimize Database After Deleting Revisions

    5. WP-Sweep

    WP-Sweep database plugin

    WP-Sweep enables you to optimize your WordPress database by “sweeping” everything from revisions to automatic drafts, deleted posts, spam comments, orphaned users, and more. As with many of the other best WordPress database optimization plugins, you can choose what data to clean up or to do a full sweep:

    database sweep

    One downside of using WP-Sweep is that it doesn’t enable you to select specific tables or elements to optimize automatically. Instead, you can either perform a complete sweep or clean up individual elements manually.

    Key Features for WP-Sweep:

    • Clean specific types of elements from your database
    • Do a full “sweep” of your database and optimize all of its tables

    WP-Sweep is for you if…

    …you want a tool that enables you to perform one-click database optimization and offers the option to clean up individual tables manually.

    Price: Free

    Get WP-Sweep

    6. WP Reset

    The WP Reset plugin

    Sometimes, the best way to optimize your WordPress database is to start from scratch. If you want to re-launch your website and start over, you’ll need to clean up its database, which is precisely what WP Reset does:

    site reset

    With this plugin, you can wipe most of the information from your database, while preserving key elements such as your admin user account, basic site configuration (such as your WordPress address and indexing settings), plugins, and themes. In short, the plugin lets you delete all of the content from your site without overwriting your WordPress installation.

    Key Features for WP Reset:

    • Reset your WordPress database
    • Preserve key data such as your admin user account

    WP Reset is for you if…

    …you want to start over with your website without re-installing WordPress, your plugins, and your themes.

    Price: Free, with premium licenses starting at $79 per year.

    Get WP Reset

    7. Database Backup for WordPress

    The Database Backup for WordPress plugin

    This last plugin is a little different. When you back up your WordPress website, you not only make a copy of its files but also of its database. Without a database backup, you’re liable to lose most of your website’s content if you have to restore it.

    Moreover, if you’re planning to optimize your database by deleting some tables, it’s always a smart move to create a backup beforehand. That’s precisely what Database Backup for WordPress enables you to do:

    Creating a database backup

    It helps you back up your core WordPress tables (while excluding revisions and spam comments). However, you can also add custom tables to your backups, and set up a schedule that creates new copies periodically.

    When it comes to storage, the plugin gives you the option of downloading your backup files directly or having them emailed to you. If you use its backup scheduling feature, you’ll receive those files via email.

    Key Features for Database Backup for WordPress:

    • Back up your WordPress database
    • Exclude post revisions and spam comments
    • Select which custom tables you want to include
    • Schedule backups
    • Download backup files to your computer, or configure the plugin to send them to an email address

    Database Backup for WordPress is for you if…

    …you plan on working directly with your database in any capacity. Altering your database manually or using a plugin to delete tables can wreak havoc on your website if you’re not sure what you’re doing. If you’re not already using a tool such as a backup plugin that also saves your database, Database Backup for WordPress is a key tool to have on hand.

    Price: Free

    Get Database Backup for WordPress

    Which Database Optimization Plugin Is The Best?

    Using one of the best WordPress database optimization plugins can help you clean up a lot of the unused entries and data that accumulate as your website grows. If you’ve been working on your website for a while now, these tools should help you recover some storage space and perhaps even increase your site’s performance.

    Plugin Price Free Option
    🥇 WP-Optimize Free, $49 per year ✔️ Visit
    🥈 Litespeed Cache Free ✔️ Visit
    🥉 Advanced Database Cleaner Free, $39 one-time ✔️ Visit
    4 Optimize Database After Deleting Revisions Free ✔️ Visit
    5 WP-Sweep Free ✔️ Visit
    6 WP Reset Free, $79 per year ✔️ Visit
    7 Database Backup for WordPress Free ✔️ Visit

    If you’re still not sure which plugin to use, WP-Optimize is a great all-around choice for most websites. Regardless of which solution you choose, we recommend that you also set up a backup plugin such as Updraftplus to ensure that your site’s database is fully protected.

    Do you have any questions about how to optimize your WordPress database? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!

    Featured image illustration via FGC / shutterstock.com

    The post 7 Best WordPress Database Optimization Plugins in 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.