Today, WordPress is powering nearly 23% of the web and this percentage is growing at a rapid pace. The super-easy nature of WordPress makes it an indispensable content management system that’s being preferred by multiple web developers across the globe. The plethora of free and paid/premium WordPress plugins has made it convenient for WP website owners to strike the perfect balance between the site’s simplicity and functionality. If you’re an avid fan of paid/premium WordPress plugins and absolutely hate free plugins, do think twice. Well, to inform you, there is a wide collection of free WordPress plugins that are in no inferior as compared to the paid ones. In this post, I’ll be jotting down details about 10 such stunning, free WordPress plugins that are equipped with features similar to the ones available in the paid WordPress plugins.
Akismet
https://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/
As a remarkable free, WordPress plugin for keeping a tab on spam comments, Akismet is a must-install for your WordPress powered blog/website. Once installed, you are simply required to sign up for receiving an instant access to the API Key that would further allow you to avail the features available with the Akismet plugin. Every comment received for your posts will be checked by this plugin and you’ll be notified whether the same is spam or not.
Disqus
https://wordpress.org/plugins/disqus-comment-system/
Unlike spending a hefty sum of cash on having a premium comment system for your WordPress blog, it is recommended to install a free WordPress plugin like Disqus which makes the concept of commenting a lot more easier and interactive. With a quick installation of Disqus into your blog/site, it will become easier for you to connect your web portal with the commenters hailing from different countries across the globe.
Easy Replace
https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-replace/
If you’ve been hunting for a WordPress plugin that allows you to find text and replace it as per your wish, then Easy Replace is for you. The best thing about this free WordPress plugin is that it can used for different categories of post types. Compatible with WordPress version 3.5.2 and higher, the Easy Replace plugin searches a string and replaced it dynamically at run time.
W3 Total Cache
https://wordpress.org/plugins/w3-total-cache/
W3 Total Cache is yet another remarkable WordPress plugin which optimizes your website via minification, caching, content delivery network support and a lot more. Recommended by renowned web hosts including Synthesis, Go Daddy, Page.ly and Host Gator, W3 Total Cache has been trusted by industry biggies including AT&T, yoast.com, lockergnome.com, ilovetypography.com and many more.
MailPoet Newsletters
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wysija-newsletters/
Whether you’re inclined on building your newsletters or want to have all your latest posts sent to the subscribers automatically, MailPoet Newsletters plugin will allow you to do all this and a lot more. With the flexibility to choose from 30+ pre-made themes, MailPoet Newsletters plugin offers you statistics on all the sent newsletters like the count of people who actually opened your emails, how many of them clicked and how many unsubscribed from receiving the newsletters.
WP Contact Bank
https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-bank/
Loaded with 200+ features, WP Contact Bank is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create simple yet power-packed contact forms in a hassle-free way. Additionally, you can also use the plugin for displaying the created forms in the best possible way. Equipped with a powerful control panel and Shortcode manager, creating forms becomes a breeze with WP Contact Bank plugin.
SEO by Yoast
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/
SEO by Yoast does one of the most important things for your WordPress website/blog i.e. it adds the SEO functionality. In other words, with SEO by Yoast installed in your blog/site, you can inform Google about the method of displaying different pages, the way the title and description should be like, the technique of tweaking internal links settings, the method of adding content to RSS feeds, method of adding verification IDs for Alex and Google Webmaster etc. The best thing about SEO by Yoast plugin is that it automatically generates an XML Site Map for Google.
NextGen Gallery
https://wordpress.org/plugins/nextgen-gallery/
With over 12 million downloads till date, NextGen Gallery is one of the most popular WordPress plugins that allow you to create and manage image galleries for your WordPress blog/site. Moreover, you can use the plugin features for batching uploading different images, creating slideshows, sorting images into albums and many more activities for your images.
Limit Login Attempts
https://wordpress.org/plugins/limit-login-attempts/
If you’re bothered about the security of your WordPress website/blog, then a timely installation of Limit Login Attempts plugin is a must. With this plugin, it will become flexible for you to limit the login attempts for your website/blog, preventing hackers from gaining an easy access to vital areas within your online portal.
Jetpack by WordPress.com
https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack/
Installing Jetpack plugin will equip your WordPress website/blog with some stunning features such as customization, content, mobile, performance tools, traffic etc. which were earlier available to just the WordPress.com users. Other impressive features available with the Jetpack plugin include: social networking enabled comment system, WP.me URL shortener, ability to post the blog from any email client, Akismet-backed contact forms and many more.
Conclusion
If you look at each of the aforementioned WordPress plugins individually, you’ll find that the features included within them are at par with the ones incorporated in a variety of paid/premium WordPress plugins that are available online. So, embrace these WP plugins and make the most of them for the benefit of your site/blog.
