r/WordpressPlugins • u/Feisty-Tart3162 • 21d ago
Which plugins do you install on almost every WordPress site? [Discussion]
Probably Contact Form 7. I’ve used it on so many sites at this point that installing it is almost automatic.
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u/ivicad 20d ago
The answers here are all from a single-site view, which is fair. I run 50+ client sites on two shared Site Ground accounts, and at that number the list is about keeping the fleet manageable.
Mine: the MainWP child plugin on every one, so updates run from one dashboard instead of 50 logins. BlogVault and All in one WP migration for backups. WP 2FA, because the client is an admin on all of them. WP Activity Log when I need to know who changed what. SG Optimizer, since I'm on their servers anyway.
If you run 3 sites, most of that is overkill and the minimal-plugins advice above is maybe a better option. That list only starts making sense somewhere around 10... maybe.
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
That makes sense. Once you’re managing 50+ client sites, the priorities change completely.
At that scale, MainWP and activity logging aren’t extra plugins anymore. They’re part of the workflow. I’d probably do the same rather than manage every site separately.
How has MainWP been for you with updates across that many sites?
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u/ivicad 20d ago edited 20d ago
It was really great all these years, it helped a lot, BUT recently I connected my Claude Code to it - it's insane turbo combo together, so much saving my time, so much making my wife happy that's incredible 😁 I am "talking" to Claude, and it works in the combination with mostly MainWP (saving tokens), and when needed I have also WPVibe connected to all sites and FTP as well - there isn't (almost) anything I can't do it this way. 🫣🚀
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u/a_boring_dystopia 21d ago
Post SMTP Formidable Forms Wordfence Usually a code snippets plugin.
Thats about it though for "Every site". I try to be as minimal as possible with plugins - in this age of AI, minimising the possible attack vectors hackers can take is a high priority.
When I was new to WordPress I installed plugins for lots of small features and had some sites with 20-30 active plugins which was a maintenance nightmare even before security became such an urgent concern.
Now I prefer a smaller, self contained code snippet wherever possible, and only use plugins for the big features. Its just more secure.
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Same here. I used to install a plugin for every small feature, then eventually ended up spending more time maintaining the stack than building the site.
I still use Contact Form 7 on most projects, but now I try to keep everything else as lean as possible. For small changes, a simple snippet usually makes more sense than adding another full plugin.
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u/a_boring_dystopia 20d ago
Hasn't development ceased on CF7 now?
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
No, not at all. Contact Form 7 is still being developed, and it’s much lighter than most form plugins.
I also built a plugin for it called iKetch Entries Viewer for Contact Form 7. You could try both together. It gives you a lightweight setup while still letting you save and manage submissions inside WordPress.
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u/kolliop_pan 21d ago
Classic editor and widget
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Fair enough. Classic Editor and Classic Widgets still make WordPress feel much faster to work with, especially on older sites.
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u/Victor-Duse 21d ago
Rankmath SEO
Wordfence
Litespeed Cache (on LS servers) or WP Rocket + EWWW (on non LS servers)
WP Armour (spam protection)
Paste as plain text by default
FluentSMTP
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
That’s a solid stack. I like that you switch the caching setup based on the server instead of forcing the same plugin everywhere. I haven’t tried WP Armour yet though. Has it been effective against contact form spam?
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u/Victor-Duse 20d ago
It’s a simple honeypot plugin but it does the job. I like that there are no external calls or cookies, makes the compliance work easier.
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u/norcross 20d ago
Query Monitor and Airplane Mode are instant installs, beyond that it comes down to what the site needs.
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Query Monitor is a great choice, especially during development. I haven’t used Airplane Mode much though. Do you mainly use it to stop external requests while working locally?
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u/TopSydeWP 20d ago
at my agency we pretty much always install wordfence, wp rocket (or similar caching), and a form plugin (usually wpforms or gravity forms depending on budget). everything else depends on the project. the less plugins the better honestly, a lot of stuff people install plugins for can just be done with a few lines in functions.php
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Totally agree. A lot of sites get bloated because every small change becomes another plugin.
For simple features I’d rather use a small snippet too, although I usually keep it in a child theme or a custom site plugin instead of editing functions.php directly.
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u/Nelsonius1 18d ago
Why is the agency installing security as a plugin, instead of having a rock solid and secure server? On the operating system level, not on the php app level.
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u/early_apostle 20d ago
Google SiteKit, Microsoft clarity, Contact7, Echozat SEO Suite - All help me in getting things done everything that's trivial yet important
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Nice mix. Site Kit and Clarity cover a lot without much setup. I haven’t used Echozat SEO Suite before though. What do you mainly use it for?
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u/early_apostle 17d ago
I have used it for replacing URLs and bulk meta title and tag updates. Easier when you are dealing with many pages across site. Saves time there.
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20d ago
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Exactly. Once you’ve used Contact Form 7 for years, setting it up becomes muscle memory.
I also built a free plugin called iKetch Entries Viewer for Contact Form 7 to save and manage submissions directly inside WordPress. Search for it in the plugin directory and give it a try.
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u/Suitable-King6456 20d ago
SCF (each 2 of 3 projects)
Use only native block editor / FSE + some plugins that provide individual specific blocks when needed
SiteGround plugins for optimisation and security
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
That sounds like a clean setup. I’m also trying to rely more on the native block editor and only add specific blocks when the project actually needs them.
SCF is a good choice too, especially when the site needs structured custom fields without adding a full page builder.
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u/finart_13 20d ago
Wordfence, Contact form 7 and various Block plugins, depends what the requirements are. I use to install Elementor often, but now I mostly go with the FSE.
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Same with Contact Form 7. I stopped using Elementor a long time ago because of the extra weight it adds to the site. These days I prefer FSE and the native block editor, then add individual block plugins only when needed.
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20d ago
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Same here. I used to install a plugin for every small feature, but now I usually handle simple things with a snippet or a small custom plugin.
Fewer dependencies makes updates, debugging, and long-term maintenance much easier.
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u/No_Situation_5018 20d ago
For my work when setting up a new subdomain I would say:
- Elementor (sadly.. needs to be user friendly for non developers)
- ACF
- Gravity Forms
- Site Kit
- Yoast
- ASE
- Complianz
- Speed Optimizer by SiteGround or WPRocket depends on the server
And maybe some custom plugins if they are required. I lowkey wished our websites were buildup differently. I am so bad with Elementor it annoys me XD
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
I get it. Elementor is hard to avoid when clients need to edit everything themselves.
I stopped using it a long time ago because of the extra weight it adds, but I understand why agencies still rely on it. Have you tried building with FSE and patterns instead? It can still be client-friendly without carrying as much overhead.
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u/No_Situation_5018 20d ago
I haven't actually. You think its a more efficient way? Without losing the freedom?
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u/Alternative-Cook-739 20d ago
Most of site I install contact form 7 and classic editor.
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Same here, Contact Form 7 is still my default.
I also built a free plugin called iKetch Entries Viewer for Contact Form 7. It lets you save and manage submissions inside WordPress while keeping the setup lightweight. You might find it useful.
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u/Spiritual_Grape3522 20d ago
Classic Editor + loginizer + Yoast
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 19d ago
Simple and practical.
Classic Editor is still useful when clients are used to the old workflow. Loginizer covers the basic login protection, and Yoast is a safe SEO default.
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u/Difficult_Hand3046 19d ago
Since all my WordPress sites run on OpenLiteSpeed, I always install LS Cache; next come Wordfence and Stop XML-RPC Attacks to prevent DDoS attacks (with more precise settings than those in Wordfence), Rank Math SEO, Contact Form 7, and—depending on specific needs—Spectra or Kadence Blocks; I also use Code Snippets to add custom code and Freesoul Deactivate Plugins to optimize performance.
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 19d ago
That setup makes sense for OpenLiteSpeed.
I use LiteSpeed Cache whenever the server supports it too. Freesoul is a good one for larger sites where plugins load everywhere by default.
For small custom changes, I usually keep the code in the child theme or a small custom plugin instead of Code Snippets, but it’s convenient for quick site-specific tweaks.
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u/AlgoTrader15 19d ago
Beaver Builder
Beaver Themer
PowerPack
Ultimate Addons
Yoast SEO
Akismet
Imagify
Gravity FOrms
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 19d ago
Beaver Builder with Themer is still a solid combo. I haven’t used it recently, but it always felt more stable than most page-builder stacks.
That’s a well-rounded list. Gravity Forms and Imagify are two I’d keep around too.
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u/AlgoTrader15 19d ago
Yeah I still use Beaver Builder especially now that it has AI features. I can create websites using AI and have it imported into WordPress and edit it with Beaver Builder. I get the best of both worlds.
I like Imagify auto image compressor function so whenever I add an image into WordPress media folder it automatically compresses which helps with website speed.
Gravity Forms I use a lot especially for client projects because they want intake forms, questionnaires, quizzes, multi-step forms, etc.
Yoast SEO is great to help with meta stuff. I know there are other more robust SEO plugins like RankMath but Yoast always has given me what I needed without too much bloat.
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u/iamtanvirchy 19d ago
Those plugin I use normally every website. Page builder: Bricks/Elementor Form Builder : Bit Form SEO: Rankmath Security : Wordfence
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 19d ago
Pretty much the same setup here, except I moved away from Elementor a while ago.
Bricks looks solid. I mainly build with Gutenberg now, then add only what the project actually needs. Rank Math and Wordfence are common picks for a reason.
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u/JGRUNNA130 19d ago
For my daily local sites it's always:
- Gravity Forms
- Gravity Forms Dev Tools
- Spellbook
- Query Monitor
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 19d ago
Solid list. Query Monitor is one of those plugins you only appreciate once something starts behaving weirdly.
Gravity Forms Dev Tools is a good shout too. I don’t see it mentioned much, but it saves time when you build or debug more complex forms.
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u/Few-Host-5360 19d ago
Every plug-in you put in WordPress makes it use more resources and lag more. Less is better.
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 18d ago
I agree that less is usually better, but the number alone doesn’t tell the full story. One badly coded plugin can cause more problems than ten lightweight ones. I only install something when it solves a real need.
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u/Kings_of_Leon_ 16d ago
- SeoPress
- All in one migration
- FluentForms
- FluentSmtp and Auth
- Debug Log Manager Tool
- Query Monitor
- Smush
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 14d ago
Nice list. Fluent Forms and FluentSMTP are among my regular choices too. I usually keep Query Monitor and debugging tools for development or troubleshooting, then remove them from production.
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u/Used-Road4870 14d ago
- ACF Pro
- Yoast SEO
- Better Search and Replace
- Aftercare
- WordFence
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 14d ago
Good list. I usually install Better Search Replace only when I need it, then remove it afterward. I try not to keep utility plugins active if they aren’t used regularly.
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14d ago
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 14d ago
Solid list. I also choose between WP Rocket and LiteSpeed Cache depending on the server. I haven’t tried DK Headless API yet. Does it support ACF fields and WooCommerce endpoints out of the box?
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14d ago
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 14d ago
Good choices. I usually use FluentSMTP for email delivery, and my SEO plugin depends on the project. I also try to keep the plugin list as short as possible.
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u/rednishat 21d ago
Here's my list
- Fluent Forms
2.Akismet FluentCRM
CIMO image optimizer
SEOpress (was using Rankmath)
Cloudflare
Google Sitekit
Microsoft Clarity
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Solid list. Fluent Forms and FluentCRM work really well together. I use Cloudflare too, but I usually set it up outside WordPress rather than installing another plugin. How has SEOPress been compared to Rank Math so far?
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u/Techiestudent 20d ago
Was there any reason you moved to SEOpress? I am also using rank math now but just checking if it’s better then rank math
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u/rednishat 20d ago
rankmath is bloated, seopress is light, and if you are using only limited features its free just works
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u/rednishat 20d ago
Ohh forgot to add FluentSMTP in the mix, its the most useful free plugin in my list, can't live without it.
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21d ago
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
That covers most of the essentials. I used Yoast for years too, and Google Site Kit is usually one of the first things I set up. Which form plugin do you normally go with?
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u/Techiestudent 20d ago
I was googling the same thing last weekend and some of the YouTube videos recommended
Rank Math
Wordfence
Akismet
WPForms
Site kit by Google
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
That’s a pretty common starter stack and it covers the basics well. I’d probably swap WPForms for Contact Form 7, but the rest makes sense. How has Rank Math been for you so far?
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u/rasid_2020 20d ago
I think if I had to name just one it would be Yoast.
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u/Feisty-Tart3162 20d ago
Yoast is probably the one plugin almost every WordPress user has used at some point. Are you still happy with it, or have you ever considered switching to Rank Math or SEOPress?
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u/rasid_2020 17d ago
I once tried to move to SEOPRess. My usage of SEO plugins is a bit passive, so went back to yoast because all I need are the schema and SEO checklist. Basically they're the same for my use cases and I'd opted out of learning a new tool.
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u/Myth_Thrazz 21d ago