Top 10 Important Plugins for WordPress – You must install

Introduction

Did you know that WordPress offers over 60,000 plugins? However, finding the perfect plugin for your needs can be quite challenging. The market is filled with many poorly designed plugins, and their flaws often become apparent only after you start using them. These plugins can slow down your site or, worse, create security vulnerabilities if the developer stops updating them.

What is a plugin? plugin is small software for your website that adds functionalities.

I am saying that if you have these ten plugins in your head, you will be able to complete your work professionally, whether it is for a client or for your own website, through this plugin.

To help you avoid these issues, today I’ll share my personal top 10 plugins that I use on every website I create. The plugins I’ll recommend have strong community support and can replace several smaller plugins with just one. Whether you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur, or blogger, these plugins work perfectly in a variety of situations. I wish I had known about these 10 plugins when I first started my journey. They could have saved me a lot of time and effort.

I will also rate each of the plugins out of 10.

1. Elementor—the king of page builders.

Elementor fully changed the way websites were created due to its flexibility, user-friendliness, and efficiency. Moreover, Elementor is a powerful page builder that remains a favorite among users for its incredible user-friendliness—no coding required. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, Elementor continues to reign as the king of page builders. While they offer a Pro version, the free version is packed with robust features, and add-ons can extend its capabilities even further.

What is it	A page builder
Active installation	10+ million
Has a free version?	Yes
Pricing Starts from	$59 + tax Yearly
Rating	4.6/5
My Rating	10/10

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Pros of Elementor Free

• Compatible with almost all WordPress themes.
• Used by over 10 million people worldwide.
• Includes over 40+ widgets for building beautiful websites.
• Highly popular, with numerous add-ons available to enable advanced functionalities such as templates, dynamic options, and more.
• Mobile-responsive design for seamless performance across devices.

With its popularity, Elementor’s free version can mimic many Pro features using third-party add-ons, making it a versatile tool for any website.

Pros of Elementor Pro 

• Dynamic options: Access to a wide range of dynamic options—all without any coding.
• Templates Over: 300 designer-made templates for professional designs.
• Advanced widgets: Includes 120+ advanced widgets.
• Pop-up Builder: Create engaging pop-ups with ease.
• Custom CSS: Add custom CSS directly to pages for extra design flexibility.
• E-commerce Features: Build and customize online stores.
• Theme Builder: Customize site elements like single posts, headers, footers, and more.
• Support: 24/7 premium support for Pro users.

Cons

• If you design your website in a bad way, it can slow down your website.
• Overdependence on add-ons for free users: As a free user, you depend very much on add-ons, and it can slow down your website.
• Limited features for free users.

Best Use Case

Elementor is perfect for designing pages without writing a single line of code. The first thing I do on any website is install Elementor—I use it on every single website I create because of its versatility and ease of use. I love it because of its drag-and-drop feature, user-friendliness, and tutorials.

My rating: 10

2. LiteSpeed Cache—The all-in-one speed optimization plugin.

LiteSpeed Cache is a powerful plugin that can make your website up to 20x faster. Moreover, it’s widely regarded as one of the best in its category, especially for improving website speed—something that’s great for both user experience and SEO.

What is it	A speed optimizer
Active installation	6M+
Has a free version?	Yes
Pricing Starts from	$0
Rating	4.8/5
My Rating	7/10

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Pros

• Lazy Load: This feature loads your website’s visible content first and delays loading heavy images until they’re needed. Without this feature, you might need a separate plugin, so having it built in reduces plugin usage and improves efficiency.
• Guess Mode: This loads a fast version of the page first (like a placeholder), while larger files and dynamic content load in the background. It has a big impact on speed and can replace other plugins.
• Cache Settings: It efficiently clears your website’s cache, which helps make it faster.
• Page Optimization: Automatically improves your website’s performance by optimizing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This also helps boost Google PageSpeed scores.
• All-in-One Solution: LiteSpeed Cache offers so many features that you probably won’t need any additional optimization plugins.
• Auto apply: Auto apply preset settings which can multiply your website speed into 20x

Cons

• Site Breakage: If you use the wrong settings, this plugin can break your site. I’ve faced this issue myself a few times and even had to deactivate it for one website because it wasn’t working well with the site’s configuration.
• Overexpectations: Some people think that LiteSpeed Cache will fix all their speed problems. But if your website is poorly built, no plugin can completely solve that.

Best Use Case

If you want to make your website super fast, LiteSpeed Cache is a great choice. But before using it, make sure to take a backup of your site. That way, you’ll have something to fall back on if anything goes wrong.

If you are looking for an all-in-one feed optimization plugin, there is no better option than LiteSpeed Cache.

My rating: 7

3. WooCommerce – The king of e-commerce

While WordPress was built for blogging, WooCommerce changed the way WordPress is used. It brings many e-commerce functionalities with it. Maybe it’s not just a plugin; it’s more than that. There are thousands of other plugins designed to add functionalities to WooCommerce.

What is it	All in one eCommerce plugin
Active installation	8M+
Has a free version?	Yes
Pricing Starts from	$0
Rating	4.5/5
My Rating	10/10

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Pros

• Flexibility: It opens up thousands of other gateways for additional functionalities, whether you want to enable them with custom code or use thousands of ready-made plugins.
• Ease of Use: It offers seamless integration with WordPress and a user-friendly dashboard for store management.
• Product Flexibility: Due to its flexibility, you can add unlimited products. With a user-friendly product data table, you can select whether you need a physical, digital, or downloadable product. It has everything you need to start an e-commerce store.
• Payment Gateways: Built-in payment options like PayPal and Stripe are included. It’s also expandable for geographical payment gateways like UPI and Chime.
• Shipping Options: Whether you need a flat rate, free shipping, or live rate calculations, all the features are available, along with zone-based shipping customization.
• Analytics: Built-in sales reports and customization capabilities, along with integration with Google Analytics, provide tools that can help you generate thousands of sales.
• Marketing Tools: Marketing tools like coupons, discounts, and promotional strategies are all available in this single masterpiece. There are also upselling and cross-selling capabilities.
• Free and Open-Source: The main advantage is that it is fully free and open-source, which is great for cost-effectiveness for small businesses.
• Highly Customizable: There are thousands of themes and add-ons to make WooCommerce more functional.
• Scalable: It is very suitable for stores of all sizes.

Cons

• Performance: Relying too much on add-ons can be a performance challenge.
• Learning Curve: Beginners may need a long time to master WooCommerce.

Best Use Case

If you want e-commerce, there might not be a better option than WooCommerce. The first thing I do on an e-commerce website is install WooCommerce. With its robust features and extensive community support, it’s a versatile and powerful plugin for creating online stores.

A versatile and powerful plugin for creating online stores, 

My rating: 10

4. Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE)

Pros

• Duplication: You can enable the duplication feature with this plugin. Like a post or a page, want to click duplicate.
• Neat and clean WordPress dashboard: You can hide a wanted menu item from the left sidebar. Also, from the top menu, the dashboard allows you to clean all the things. remove unwanted things.
• Security features: you can limit login attempts for users on WordPress login. You can hide the /wp-admin with something else like /backend; it adds an extra security layer.
• Media replacement: You can replace a photo or media from your media library, and it will replace where you have used it. 

It brings up so many features with it.

Cons

• Hard to find a useful feature: It is hard to find which feature perfectly fits you.

best use case

freelancer who wants to deliver nice work. or people who want a neat and clean WordPress dashboard.

My rating: 8

5. Code Snippet

Pros

• Name Each Code: You can name each code with a specific name, making it easier to identify based on its function.
• Easy to Find Code: Each code is categorized into tabs, such as PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc., making them easy to locate.
• Activate and Deactivate: You can activate or deactivate your code as needed.

Cons

• Costly: It doesn’t offer as much functionality for CSS or JavaScript without the premium version.
• Not Useful for Non-Coders: People who rely on drag-and-drop functionality may not find this plugin useful.

Best Use Case

For those into coding, this is a minimalist plugin that securely saves their custom code.

My rating: 7

6. Yoast SEO of 10 Plugins for WordPress

The all-in-one SEO plugin for your website. While there are many other SEO plugins, I use Yoast because of its flexibility and widespread popularity. It’s also supported by a plethora of tutorials on YouTube.

What is it	An all-in-one most popular SEO plugin
Active installation	10M+
Has a free version?	Yes
Pricing Starts from	$99 per year
Rating	4.8/5
My Rating	8.5/10

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Pros

• Content Optimization: Provides real-time analytics while you write, including SEO and content reliability suggestions, keyword usage, and meta tag improvement.
• Readability Analysis: Checks for sentence length, passive voice usage, and transition words, helping to create reliable and SEO-friendly posts.
• Meta and Schema Settings: Allows customization of meta titles and descriptions, adds structured data (schema), and includes social media options.
• Sitemap: Automatically generates a sitemap, saving time and aiding SEO.
• Canonical URLs: Prevents duplicate content issues by automatically adding canonical tags.
• Focus Keyphrase Optimization: Offers tips for optimizing your target keyword.
• Integration with Other Tools: Seamlessly integrates with plugins like Google Search Console.
• Ease of Use: Beginner-friendly with thousands of tutorials available online.

Cons

• Learning Curve: Can be time-consuming to fully understand all features.
• Premium Cost: Many advanced features require a paid version.
• Over-Expectation: Some users expect the plugin to solve all SEO problems, which no plugin can achieve.

Best Use Case

Ideal for bloggers, small businesses, or anyone looking to improve their website’s search engine visibility. I recommend it for users who want SEO integration without requiring technical expertise.

My rating: 8.5

7. Solid Security

Pros

• Two-Factor Authentication: Sends a code via email or SMS after login attempts; users must enter the code to access the site.
• Limit Login Attempts: Bans an IP after a specified number of failed login attempts.
• Hide Admin Link: Customizes the admin login link to prevent unauthorized access.

Cons

• Complex Features for Beginners: Features like admin link hiding or IP banning can be challenging for new users.
• Potential for Lockouts: Misconfigured settings can lock out legitimate users.

My rating: 8

8. WPForms: The Drag-and-Drop Form Builder

WPForms is a user-friendly plugin for creating forms. It’s mainly used for contact forms but offers a premium version with advanced features like CAPTCHA integration to block bots.

What is it	A form builder plugin
Active installation	6M+
Has a free version?	Yes
Pricing Starts from	$49.50 per year
Rating	4.9/5
My Rating	7.5/10

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Pros

• Ease of Use: Suitable for beginners; no coding knowledge required.
• Pre-Built Templates: Offers pre-made templates for contact forms, surveys, payments, and more.
• Mobile-Friendly: Fully responsive designs work seamlessly across devices.
• Spam Protection: Built-in tools like CAPTCHA.
• Integrations: Works with PayPal, Stripe, and other third-party tools.
• Customizable: Allows customization for forms needing file uploads.

Cons

• Limited Free Features: Most useful features are locked behind a premium version.
• Premium Pricing: The premium version may not be cost-effective for some users.
• Complexity for Large Forms: Complex forms can encounter errors.

Best Use Case

Ideal for creating quick and simple forms like contact forms or surveys without technical knowledge.

My rating: 7.5

9. UpdraftPlus: The Backup Solution

Pros

• Automatic Backups: Schedule backups for your site.
• Cloud Integration: Save backups to Google Drive for added security.
• One-Click Restore: Quickly restore your site in case of errors or crashes.

Cons

• Limited Free Features: Advanced features require a premium version.
• Complexity for New Users: Some advanced features are hidden or hard to locate.

Best Use Case

Perfect for websites needing reliable data protection and easy recovery options.

My rating: 8

10. Loco Translate: The Translation Assistant

Pros

• In-Dashboard Translation: Edit translation files directly from the WordPress dashboard.
• Supports PO and MO Files: Compatible with WordPress translation standards.
• User-Friendly Interface: Simple navigation for non-technical users.

Cons

• Not Ideal for Large-Scale Projects: Limited features for extensive multilingual systems like WPML.
• Manual Effort: This requires manual work for complex translations.

Best Use Case

Best for users wanting to translate their website into different languages.

My rating: 7

FAQs

Conclusion

There are lots of plugins in WordPress. There are many bad plugins in WordPress. I am not talking about all of the plugins, but there are some plugins that don’t update frequently. If they are not updated, they may cause many security weaknesses.

The plugins I have included in the list, like Elementor, admin site enhancement, solid security, etc., are all well-reputed, and I found them very useful. These plugins can simplify tasks.

The plugins mentioned have the ability to complete your difficult or impossible tasks very easily and quickly. If these ten plugins are in your mind, then you can do any work very easily and quickly, whether it’s for a client or your own website.

Also, know these plugins’ limitations, because nothing is perfect. The pros and cons we shared, along with the best use cases, will help you.

Always remember, plugins are the key reason why WordPress is still the leading CMS across the world.