UpdraftPlus Alternative — Asteris vs UpdraftPlus Premium
Looking for an UpdraftPlus alternative? Asteris for WordPress includes a Backups + Migration module covering scheduled backups to S3, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2, Wasabi, SFTP, and local storage — with AES-256 encryption, one-click restore, cross-site migration, and incremental backups — bundled with 10 other modules from $149/yr.
Can Asteris back up WordPress to S3, B2, R2, or Wasabi? Yes — all four cloud-storage destinations are supported, along with SFTP and local. UpdraftPlus Premium supports S3 and B2; R2 and Wasabi require add-ons or aren’t supported.
At-a-glance comparison
| Feature | UpdraftPlus Premium | Asteris Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled backups | ✓ | ✓ |
| Manual backups | ✓ (free) | ✓ |
| Incremental backups | ✓ (Premium) | ✓ |
| Amazon S3 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backblaze B2 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cloudflare R2 | Add-on / unofficial | ✓ |
| Wasabi | Add-on / unofficial | ✓ |
| SFTP | ✓ (Premium) | ✓ |
| Local storage | ✓ | ✓ |
| AES-256 encryption | ✓ | ✓ |
| One-click restore | ✓ (Premium) | ✓ |
| Cross-site migration | ✓ (Premium with Migrator add-on) | ✓ (included) |
| Per-table / per-folder exclusions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backup integrity check | ✓ | ✓ |
| Other modules included | None | 10 more |
| Annual price | $70 (single) / $145 (2-site) / $195 (Gold) | $149 / $349 / $549 |
Restore confidence — the real differentiator
The biggest reason people stay with UpdraftPlus is fear of an untested restore. A backup you’ve never restored is a hope, not a backup.
Asteris’s restore flow is built around this. You can restore a backup to a staging URL before deactivating UpdraftPlus — verify the restore works on a separate URL, then switch over.
Modern destinations
UpdraftPlus was built when S3 and Dropbox were the cloud-storage options. The cloud-storage market has moved — Cloudflare R2 has no egress fees, Wasabi is ~80% cheaper than S3 for cold storage, Backblaze B2 is the standard for hot backup storage. Asteris ships native support for all three; UpdraftPlus requires add-ons or unofficial connectors.
Switching from UpdraftPlus to Asteris
Step-by-step at /migrate/from-updraftplus. The safe path:
- Install Asteris alongside UpdraftPlus (they don’t conflict)
- Configure Asteris with the same destination as UpdraftPlus
- Run one Asteris backup; verify it lands at the destination
- Restore that backup to a staging URL — confirm it works
- Deactivate UpdraftPlus
Existing UpdraftPlus backup archives stay restorable from UpdraftPlus’s UI even after you switch — keep the plugin deactivated but installed for ~30 days as insurance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free UpdraftPlus alternative? For pure scheduled backups: BackWPup is free and stable. UpdraftPlus Free itself is also a competent free tier — the limits are at the Premium features (incremental, multisite, encrypted vaults, migrator). For backups + everything else a WordPress site needs: Asteris for WordPress ($149/yr) bundles backups with 10 other modules.
Can Asteris back up WordPress to S3, B2, R2 or Wasabi? Yes — all four cloud-storage destinations are supported natively. Plus SFTP and local.
Does Asteris do one-click restore and cross-site migration? Yes. One-click restore from any backup. Cross-site migration (push a backup to a staging URL or new site) is included — not a $30 Migrator add-on like UpdraftPlus.
Are Asteris backups encrypted? Yes — AES-256 encryption at rest. Credentials for cloud destinations are encrypted in the database (AES-256-CBC).
What happens to my existing UpdraftPlus backups when I switch? They stay in your UpdraftPlus storage destination, restorable from the UpdraftPlus plugin. We recommend keeping UpdraftPlus installed-but-deactivated for ~30 days as insurance.
See the Backups module → · Migrate from UpdraftPlus → · See pricing →