17+ Best WordPress Plugins & Tools (Most are Free)
WordPress is a great platform for bloggers, but it can be hard to get the most out of your site without paying top dollar.
Want to grow your WordPress site or blog without breaking the bank? And do you also need the best of both worlds – increased functionality for achieving goals on this platform, while still staying within budget constraints?
If so, then read more…
I’m going over some of the favorite WordPress tools and the WordPress plugins for most bloggers that will help make it happen. There are so many WordPress plugins and tools to choose from.
For example, if you’re looking to rank your pages higher in search engine rankings like Google, then RankMath may be your perfect solution.
These WordPress Toolkits are the perfect way to get your blog up and running in no time. You’ll also find hosting services, themes for all of your needs, as well image designing tools.
Let’s take a look at what we’ve got here…
Top Choices WordPress Plugins for Bloggers
You can access some of these WordPress plugins or tools for free; some require payment but they also come at different prices.
There are those based on a freemium model (such as Ranks Math) where users don’t need to pay anything upfront though still able to enjoy many benefits.
If you’re ready for even more features like built-in analytics and unlimited comments then go for an upgrade because these WordPress plugins will always give back what has been put into its use by buying upgrades within their system. But today, our focus remains mostly on free plugins.
1. WP Rocket – Best WordPress Plugin to Speed Up Your Site
WP Media, was founded in 2014 by a passionate team of web developers and designers who are completely absorbed with WordPress.
They specialize in developing plugins that improve your website’s performance on both desktop browsing as well as mobile devices like smartphones.
They’re best known for their caching plugin WP Rocket as well as Imagify – an image optimization solution loved by bloggers everywhere.
So, WP Rocket is a WordPress plugin that can be used to speed up your WordPress site. With its wide range of options, it’s easy for beginners as well as advanced users because they have so many features to choose from when optimizing your website.
WP Rocket caching is a perfect fit for any website. Unlike other plugins, you don’t need to be tech-savvy because it makes launching your rocket easy and user-friendly.
With the best features like WordPress synchronization tools and one-click installation options on top of blazing fast speeds (which will increase SEO rankings), we know this plugin has what it takes to help make sure people keep coming back again soon enough.
WP Rocket has a team of developers who work tirelessly to make sure that your site is as fast and responsive as possible.
It also features a static cache for desktop or mobile browsers, which stores HTML files without any dynamic elements such as images.
This makes the page load faster since there’s no need to request these assets from remote servers if they’re already stored locally on each visitor’s computer.
Last but not least, they have browser caching enabled at all times so you don’t experience those pesky full webpage refreshes while browsing.
In other words, when it comes to web performance, there are a lot of features you can utilize. Some of the features you are going to enjoy even for a Single Plan includes:
- Caching,
- Delay JS,
- LazyLoad,
- Remove Unused CSS,
- Preload,
- Support for one year
- Constant updates, and many more.
#2. Imagify – The Best WordPress plugin to optimize images
Imagine how fast your Internet speed would go up if you were able to compress 50% of the images on a webpage?
That’s right, in just one small change it could save you all some serious bandwidth.
That’s where Imagify comes into work. Imagify is a WordPress plugin that can compress all your blog images within minutes.
A fast web page is like a tasty appetizer that entices your visitors to stay for more. You can offer them an ultra-fast experience with Imagify.
Optimizing your website images with this WordPress plugin – Imagify will help you get one step closer to the top on Google.
Your images are more likely to be crawled and visible for search engine robots, which means that not only does it improve SEO but also makes your site’s appearance better too.
There are three levels of compression with Imagify such as:
Normal compression, Aggressive, and Ultra levels. You can keep the best quality possible or seek the ultimate performance.
Imagify is considered the best WordPress plugin for image optimization by many bloggers.
With the free version, you can compress up to 20MB per month. This may not sound like much but it’s more than enough for beginners or if all your images are small.
If you need more room on your site though (or just want it), go ahead and purchase a paid plan.
You can choose between two premium plans: The Growth plan starts at $4.99 per month which offers 500MB capacity; whereas, the Infinite Plan costs just $9.99 per month with unlimited compression.
#3. RankMath – SEO Plugin for WordPress
RankMath is a great WordPress plugin that helps your site get the best SEO standards. YoastSEO and All in One SEO are also two of the most popular plugins, but I believe Rank Math’s features make it better than either one.
It is important to make sure your posts are optimized for search engines. RankMath has the tools and skills necessary in order to analyze any post, identify keywords or phrases that should be included more often than others.
Rank Math helps you understand what’s wrong with your post based on the best SEO practices.
It suggests tweaking a few changes from basic to advanced level so that people will be more likely to click through and read through all pages of content in order to find solutions or opinions they want.
Using this awesome WordPress plugin, you can add a lot more functionality to your site:
- Advanced SEO analytics reports
- Rank tracking for particular keywords
- Suggestions for increased readability
- Seamless installation
- Managing XML Sitemap
- Easy-peasy scheme generator & importer
- Beautiful and clean interface
- Knowledge graph for Google
- Ranking keywords for posts
- Google Analytics and Search Console integration, and more.
There are tons of functions to play with, and the user interface lets people do what they want without feeling overwhelmed by options or complexity.
RankMath is a WordPress plugin that can help you increase your site’s organic traffic without spending any money.
With the free version, it provides plenty of functionality (some as shown above). There are also some cool features exclusive only to paid users.
#4. OptimizePress – WordPress Landing Page Builder
Landing pages are a must for marketers and entrepreneurs alike.
You can’t succeed without a landing page. You might be an entrepreneur, marketer or even just starting out and need one for your business idea.
If you don’t have one, I highly recommend using the wonderful WordPress plugin called OptimizePress.
This simple but powerful tool will help you create stunning landing pages that capture people’s attention in an instant.
And if you’re like me then this is the perfect software because it’s reliable & easy to use with simple but stunning designs that will capture attention from every angle.
Below are some of the awesome features of OptimizePress:
- Analyze stats and optimize accordingly
- Create opt-ins and landing pages
- Build lead and sales funnels
- Offer deals and create sales
OptimizePress can help you with a variety of different lead magnet pages and webinar registration posts.
It also has features that allow it to create exit pop forms, confirmation emails for sales products or services offered through an online store like WordPress eCommerce plugins from WooCommerce.
#5. MonsterInsight – WordPress Analytics Tool
MonsterInsight is a popular plugin that has been used by many marketers.
It’s one of the best WordPress plugins for analytics, and it also provides all the tracking features you’ll ever need in just one place.
The clean and intuitive interface of this site is something that will definitely appeal to marketers or bloggers who want an easy-to-use dashboard.
The top features of MonsterInsights include:
- SEO ranking reports
- Most detailed Google Analytics reports
- Real-time analytics
- Universal tracking
- Its seamless integrations with third-party plugins like WooCommerce
- GDPR-compliant
- Detailed e-commerce reports
MonsterInsights is a great platform for all users because it simplifies and informative analytics.
This WordPress plugin helps you understand your site’s journey so that you may act accordingly with the data.
I have used it myself and really helped me out when making changes on the backend of my website.
It makes analytics easy for beginners like yourself so you can see where improvements need attention without having any technical knowledge at all.
MonsterInsights is a must-have plugin for any WordPress site. Its popularity among bloggers means that you can’t go wrong with installing this wonderful piece of software on your blog.
#6. RafflePress – WordPress Plugin for Giveaways & Contests
The best WordPress plugin for contests and giveaways is RafflePress.
In today’s increasingly competitive market, it is more necessary than ever to stay ahead of your competition.
RafflePress will help you do just that by giving away valuable prizes and building a following for free.
RafflePress is the perfect solution for any marketing campaign that needs a little extra something to help it go viral.
Whether you’re an experienced business owner, marketer, agency, looking for new ways to promote your product or service with social media influencers and bloggers alike – this plugin has what’s needed.
Since it is a WordPress plugin, you must have a self-hosted WordPress site in order to use RafflePress.
A few things you need to keep in mind with RafflePress are:
- Viral giveaway templates
- Tracking and retargeting
- Drag and drop giveaway builder
- Awesome landing pages for giveaways
- Refer a friend
- Responsive to any device
- Marketing and CRM
- Fraud detection
- Social media integrations
The best way to keep your site running smoothly is with a plugin like RafflePress.
Believe it or not, most hosting sites are slow and unreliable. They make your WordPress site slower too.
Don’t settle for that when you can have RafflePress to run contests seamlessly without any bugs or glitches.
So, RafflePress is the best solution for running giveaways and contests on your WordPress site. It’s like having a plugin that does everything, saving you from spending time uploading images or worrying about how much space each contest requires in order to work!
Rafflepress offers plugins designed specifically with quick turnaround times when creating an event. This makes it super easy if need be – no fussing around trying to figure things out yourself.
#7. Slider Revolution – Premium WordPress Slider
This WordPress plugin has transformed into an all-encompassing design tool that can be used for either personal or business websites. How?
Slider Revolution is the most versatile WordPress plugin out there.
It helps beginners and mid-level designers surprise their clients with pro-level visuals, no matter what type of site they are designing.
Slider Revolution was a plugin that lets you add sliders to your posts and pages only. But as time passes, it’s evolved into so much more than that.
Now, you’ll never have to worry about creating responsive WordPress sliders, web pages & stunning visuals again with this amazing tool (i.e Can now design your Blog).
Never underestimate the power of a good design. With their responsive templates, you can now dazzle your clients with jaw-dropping websites that look amazing on any device.
Learn how to create a professional and eye-catching design with their easy drag-and-drop interface.
They have all the tools you need for an outstanding output, including special effects that will astound your audiences.
You can create anything you can imagine with Slider Revolution:
- Slider: Stunning visual elements
- Hero: Eye-catching “Hero” section that stands out.
- Website: Whole website that could win your award
- Content: Full web pages that glue visitors to the screen
- Media: Rich and dynamic content
Here are the top features:
- Drag and drop editor
- Modules
- Image Add-on
- Pro-level design
- Eye-grabbing’ Hero’ sections
- 200+ Templates for websites, content,etc.
- A royalty-free media library.
Let’s say you want to design a website or blog.
Well, there is an extensive library of everything related and it can be done on the WordPress site. You have 25 add-ons that will help create interactive images for your project.
What are you waiting for? Give your site an updated look with Slider Revolution’s powerful WordPress tool.
#8. PrettyLinks – Affiliate WordPress Plugin
Have you ever wanted to shorten or redirect your links? Do it with Pretty Links. This WordPress plugin will help keep track of everything for easy management, shareable pretty links that look great on any device!
The way to get people’s trust is through transparency. Affiliate marketers know this all too well, which is why PrettyLinks can help with their link cloaking needs.
Maintaining professionalism will make you sound more trustworthy and credible as an entrepreneur or business owner in general – something crucial when marketing anything online these days.
The world of digital marketing is ever-changing. One way to stay ahead, and have your website ranked higher in Google searches for keywords like “link building strategy,” would be by using Pretty Links.
This service allows you to create clean links on any domain name–as opposed to bitly or tinyurl which could result in low traffic due to their short link standards being down right now.
The output should sound more professional than just saying ‘links’.
It also tells what kind of information they provide when someone clicks through one of these shortened URLs: where did they come from? What browsers were used? Etc…
Some of the key features of Pretty Links:
- Tracks the Number of Clicks per link
- Can create clean, simple URLs on your website that redirect to any other URL
- It allows you to name a custom slug for your URL
- Pretty Links Bookmarklet
- Cookie-based system to track visitor’s activity across clicks
- Tracks the Number of Unique Clicks per link
- You can turn to track on / off on each link
PrettyLinks is the easiest way to create professional-looking links for your affiliate marketing campaigns.
It allows you to link your affiliate links in posts and emails.
Since some email marketing services do not allow these affiliate links due to their policies on affiliate programs.
But with this plugin, you can seamlessly cloak any sponsored content in an eye-catching format.
I sincerely believe it’s a must-have WordPress plugin, especially for affiliate marketers.
#9. Sucuri Security WordPress Tool
One of the most frustrating things about using WordPress is that it’s so easy to get hacked.
The Internet has become filled with scammers, spammers, and hackers.
They are always looking to crash the party by stealing sensitive information about people who use websites such as yours.
That’s why it can be important not just to protect yourself but also to scan regularly using tools like Sucuri Security.
This plugin scans every inch on-site or off-site for malware which could cause major problems if left unchecked.
But, with this incredible WordPress plugin that scans and audits your site for malware, you don’t have to worry any longer.
They’ve got you covered now 🙂
Let’s see some of the security features Sucuri Security provides:
- Remote Malware Scanning
- Post-Hack Security Actions
- Website Firewall (premium only)
- Security Activity Auditing
- Security Notifications
- File Integrity Monitoring
- Effective Security Hardening
- Blocklist Monitoring
The Sucuri plugin is perfect for those who want to take the hassle out of their website protection.
It has a quick scan that will show you which threats are on your site, as well as other critical information about it- like what type and size web server you use.
The free version offers these same tools with manual removal capabilities but if you need an automated fix, then, I recommend going premium.
This is because not only does the premium give access to all features listed above plus some extras such as reporting potential vulnerabilities from within WordPress plugins.
Go ahead – Secure Your Site Today!
#10. LiteSpeed Cache – WordPress Tool Supercharge Your Site
In this day and age, the speed of your site has never been more crucial than now. That’s why Google recently updated their algorithms to be faster; they want users on their sites as much as possible.
Fortunately for you (and me), there is a plugin called LiteSpeed Cache that helps make sure all those extra pages load quickly in search results or slow loading times when visitors come over from other domains.
The LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress (LSCWP) is the perfect solution to improve your site speed.
It has an exclusive server-level cache and powerful optimization features that will make browsing faster than ever.
With its ability for high-speed page load speeds, you’ll have all that power at hand without any hassle or maintenance worries.
General Features
Some of the general features of Lite Speed
- Free QUIC.cloud CDN Cache
- Image Optimization (Lossless/Lossy)
- Object Cache Support+
- Minify inline & external CSS/JS
- Combine CSS/JS
- Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
- Automatically generate Critical CSS
- Lazy-load images/iframes
- Database Cleaner and Optimizer
- Browser Cache Support
- Multiple CDN Support
- Load CSS Asynchronously
- Responsive Image Placeholders
- Defer/delay JS loading, and many more
LSCWP is an all-in-one plugin to boost your WordPress site within no time.
I recommend going for this sophisticated WordPress plugin that will supercharge your content creation and optimization with server-level caching, making it easier than ever before!
#11. Hustle – Email Marketing WordPress Tool
You know you want to increase your email list and convert the traffic on your site. But, how? Well, now is as good of a time as ever with Hustle.
This WordPress plugin will help make it happen for you with its features like automated lead captures that capture people’s contact information.
Hustle is a WordPress plugin that has all of the features you need to grow your email list. It is one of the world’s first AI-powered marketing platforms.
Hustle is an app that makes the process of creating popups, slide-ins, and embeds easier with pre-designed templates.
There are many different use cases for Hustle including a giveaway, newsletter sign-up, or Black Friday, etc.
If you’re looking for a way to get started with campaign management, they have the perfect module. Watch them in action:
How to Create awesome pop-ups, Slide-ins, and embed using Hustle?
With Hustle, you can do email marketing without leaving the WordPress dashboard.
Not enough? You’ll also be able to include top social icons so your content gets shared on social media too.
What else would you like?
The best part? It takes away all of your worries and lets you focus on what really matters:
- running a successful business,
- staying creative with templates or popups that fit into any budget–and bringing in more customers than ever before.
Hustler provides customers with everything they could want from start-up packages tailored just for them to scheduled emails so every day feels like an action-packed campaign cycle.
#12. bbPress – The Best Forum WordPress Plugin
Forums are not just for discussion anymore. They’re an excellent way to build a community and increase user engagement on the internet.
A forum is like having your own online space where you can share content with other people in real-time.
There’s no need for email chains or posts, everything happens right inside your website.
It’s so much easier than getting lost scrolling endlessly down someone else’s feed.
The only thing better than a thriving community is the revenue you can make from it.
Building an engaged and growing online forum for your website not only increases user engagement but also drives more traffic on your site.
Now, the question is…
Do you want to create a community Forums or build an elegant and timeless discussion board?
If your answer is affirmative, then, bbPress may be your perfect choice.
It’s a brilliant WordPress plugin that allows users from around the world to come together in one place, all while staying true to their identity as it suits them best.
bbPress is great forum software that has many features, including:
- Easy installation and setup;
- The clean and fast design will have you up within minutes so that your forums can be moderated in no time at all;
- It integrates seamlessly into WordPress so you can have one click access for managing your community.
- You can also make multisite forums.
The simplicity of bbPress makes it easy to get started. You can create an unlimited number of topics with bbPress, reply to messages as needed and build profiles for your members.
Other popular forum WordPress plugins include
- Asgaros Forum, a great all-in-one solution;
- Forum Engine or
- BuddyPress to help you accomplish what’s needed in site management.
#13. LiveChat – Top Conversational WordPress Tool
LiveChat is a reliable and well-established chat provider with over 15 years of expertise in the market.
We all know the importance of customer service, but did you also consider how it can be used as a sales tool?
LiveChat is an innovative way to offer help for your customers with little effort. The platform integrates quickly and easily into WordPress without any technical knowledge needed on their end.
They offer premium customer service that can be fully customized to fit your website’s needs, as it also integrates easily into many products for added convenience.
You may go with this WordPress Plugin for the following reasons:
- Use more than one product on your website.
- You’ll get access to over 100 integrations;
- An analytical approach for customer service;
- If you need a platform that supports multiple channels, including email chat, and FB Messenger.
- It allows you run both online or offline support through ticketing systems when it’s not possible in person because of location!
- If you want to offers support or communicate with your site’s visitors
LiveChat is a powerful tool for increasing sales and improving customer service. You can add it to your WordPress site quickly, which will let you engage with potential customers in real-time.
You should also try out LiveChat WordPress plugin for its awesome features like:
- showing product cards to make shopping easy,
- offering customer experience that will leave you wanting more and
- integrating with other tools like WooCommerce.
- Automating your chat with AI.
The site offers a 14 day free trial with no credit card information required. The Starter cost is $19 monthly and there’s an option to pay annually, too (@$16 per month).
Other Live Chat Solutions
These are some other live chat solutions that you might want to take a look at:
Freschat – Fresh conversations without the need for an internet connection.
Zendesk Chat– Simple, reliable customer support.
A must Have Non-WordPress Tools & Services
There are tons of tools and services you can use to make your site stand out. For example, a good place for domain name providers & hosting services like BlueHost (which offers free domains), and image editors like Canva, etc. will be covered.
But, these tools and services are not part of the WordPress plugins ecosystem any longer. However, since they’re a must-have for every website owner to use, we decided to include them as bonuses.
#14. Canva – Image Designing Tool
Canva is the world’s most popular design and publishing tool, with over 60 million users.
Launched in 2013 by three grad students from Australia with no previous VC financing or business experience they started Canva.
Canva is an online design and publishing tool with the mission to empower everyone in the world.
It has now grown into one of the most popular websites for graphic designers, entrepreneurs, or anyone looking to create something beautiful without having any technical skills whatsoever.
Canva is a free graphic design platform that allows you to easily create invitations, business cards, and flyers using professionally designed templates.
With tons of different options for every occasion or event imaginable – including lessons plans- Canvas makes it easy as pie.
With Canva, you can do and enjoy a lot of things like:
- Crop and trim images
- Apply textures for homey designs
- Free templates
- Collaborate with your team members
- Enjoy speech bubbles
- Animate your texts and elements
- Drag and drop all the elements
- Remove background from images, and alot more…
In the past, photos were taken on film and then developed. Nowadays we take pictures with our phones or camera’s instant upload feature that allows us to share them instantly across all social media platforms.
You can even straighten images and videos using Canva–no need for Photoshop skillset required because everyone loves freebies right?
With Canva, you can design your image for the blog post in no time and at a low cost. By purchasing through Fiverr it could be as expensive or more than $20 per image.
So take advantage of this free tool which will save money on designing uploaded images. First, you can get started on Canva for free and upgrade it to enjoy most features or if need more space later.
#15. Bluehost – WordPress Recommended Hosting Service
Your site needs a place to live. Hosting is the backbone of any website
Bluehost gives you the tools and security that will make hosting painless, so it’s an affordable solution for any size of business.
With Bluehost, you can have a website from start to finish without any hassle or headache.
With so many hosting providers out there for every need imaginable and the prices ranging accordingly as well – it is hard enough just choosing one.
But thankfully you’re here at Bluehost who will make sure your site loads quickly on all devices- even mobile ones like smartphones and tablets.
If you’re looking for a website theme that is both professional and eye-catching, then check out the Bluehost marketplace.
You can get access to hundreds of free or premium site designs with your purchase here!
Some of the top features of Bluehost include:
- Free domain and SSL
- One-click WordPress installation
- Fast average load time (1.48ms)
- Quick average response time (1.26ms)
- Live chat, phone, knowledge base support
If you’re looking for a low-cost way to host your website, we have the perfect solution.
You can start shared hosting with as little as $2.95 per month.
VPS hosting starts at $19.99 per month.
#16. NameCheap – Domain Name Provider for WordPress Sites & Blogs
Are you trying to find a low-cost, yet sophisticated domain name for your WordPress site?
Yes! NameCheap is the best option available in today’s market. It provides the best domain names at an affordable price.
You can register an impressive .com with just one year at $0.99.
Your domain is a direct reflection of you and your company, so why not protect it with the best tools available?
NameCheap provides all these features and more:
- With their Free Domain Privacy feature they keep clients’ sites hidden from search engines without prejudice.
- 24/7 customer support can be reached at any time day or night because their specialists are ready when YOU need help;
- In addition, there’s also an extensive knowledge base full access for those who want answers right away as well as detailed tutorials about how everything worked before setting up their hosting service;
- They offer free migration if you want to host on their servers as well;
- You also get Full DNS access for free if you host too.
Namecheap offers a ton of services and it’s not just about the domain names. They also offer hosting, wildcard SSLs (that means they will handle all your secure sites), free VPN service for a secure connection from any location.
And if the email is more up your alley then their cheapest email hosting services plan starts at only $0 .74 per month.
Besides, there are other domain name registrants such as Google Domain, Namesilo, and Bluehost.
#17. Contabo – Premium Hosting Service
Contabo is a great choice for those who want to invest in their business and go from 0-60 as soon as possible.
The low prices will have you crashing into the ground, while their fast hosting guarantees that no matter how many users come through your door – Contabo can handle it all.
Contabo offers three premium hosting services. For those of you who need a dedicated server, they have that covered with options for all budgets and needs.
The number of CPU cores and RAM are available in a wide range so that whichever option fits your needs will be found.
Contabo offers a full range of services to meet the needs and wants of all types. It includes:
- Website builders,
- Web interface reboot capability
- Root access for your server;
- Dedicated IP address;
- Access to OS installation and management
- Unlimited domains;
You can also get a VNC enabled web interface that allows quick restart capability when needed.
The Contabo VPS is a professional, easy-to-use service that provides the perfect mix of power and security.
Not only does it come with 24/7 customer support but also facilitates up-to-date scaling for any need you may have without having an impact on your site’s performance.
The possibilities for WordPress plugins and tools are endless. You can find more from CodeCanyon or iThemes, both with great themes.
One of the best features about CodeCanyon and iThemes is that they offer up-to-date versions for free.
You can install them freely, which means you have access to all updates in case there are any problems with your site’s design or functionality.
Wrap Up WordPress Plugins & Tools
One important thing to always keep in mind – The more plugins you install, the slower your site will become.
Thus, using as few WordPress plugins as possible is always recommended. Consider carefully which one or ones to use for each functionality before installing them onto WordPress Dashboard.
For instance, don’t install RankMath to optimize your site for SEO if you already have Yoast SEO. You can remove the first one or replace and install the latter.
Sometimes can lead users down conflicting paths when optimizing websites for different metrics like keywords or organic traffic rankings.
Why would you want to slow down your site and give Google a headache?
Again, Google’s Sitekit is a WordPress plugin for your WordPress site that provides information on your site analytics.
But if you already have installed RankMath to see your site’s analytics, don’t install Sitekit anymore. Why?
As the same plugins are doing more work on each page load and Google becomes confused about which version of analytics should be used.
For all the above reasons, your site would experience confusion and best of all, SLOW down dramatically. We’re talking about installing WordPress plugins and tools. Sounds serious, doesn’t it?
Well, I hope that all of the information has been clear to everyone by now so please let me know which WordPress plugin or tool works best with your needs.
