You found out how to post content and customize your theme — all the clothing on your WordPress site. You have a problem, however. WordPress doesn’t do what you’re going to do exactly, when plugins are coming in!

WordPress is designed to support the extension of plugins. These plugins, created by creative developers, offer new capabilities that solve pressing challenges or demand requirements for users. The power to build this platform lies in the communities’ hands in this way.

However, not all plugins are equal. Some of them are specialized with great support and development. Others have been broken and dead. As the “WordPress Store” does not necessarily contain all the verified ones, it can seem like the Wild West to select the right plugin for the work.

Here you will find a quick overview of some of WordPress’ best free WordPress plugins. We have chosen popular, well-established plugins with a big user base and have regularly developed them since July 2021.

What Is a WordPress Plugin?

There is one thing that is the WordPress platform: web content publishing. It is thus central to the organization of content and pages, the publication of blogs, the incorporation of common resources, and so on.

The developers of WordPress knew the platform would expand with its user base. In order to help with the expansion, developers have integrated code hooks that enable users to create extended platform functionality.

Plugins, such as WordPress, are written in PHP. This code takes the core functionality of WordPress and expands it by adding certain features not available in the core package. This includes advanced imaging, special pages, specific post types, displays in social media, eCommerce features, etc.

Thanks to the enormous WordPress community, millions of plugins are literally available for WordPress.

You can get plugins for WordPress in a few ways, which we’ve explained in the upcoming sections.

In addition, the plugins in this list are WordPress curated, so you know they are organized correctly and easily installed. Installing is just as easy as clicking a single button: no downloads, no files, no worries.

The plugins are the utilities that you could utilize for building the backbone of the base platform of WordPress, and that is the backbone for the website. You will need to use plugins if you seriously develop your website beyond basic blogging.

Let’s get your WordPress hosting in place, and then we’ll move further

So, web hosting should be your first step, and you need to be perfect with your choice. If you fall for the wrong host, no plugin can help you!

If you want reliable web hosting that falls inside your budget, then you should always go for WordPress Hosting. It’s a special hosting intended to bring maximum performance and reliability.

AccuWeb has got a specialized WordPress hosting for you, and the plan starts at just $2.99. This hosting plan is enough to tackle up to 75,000 visitors per month. Further, 1 GB Dedicated RAM, 1 TB Bandwidth, and 20 GB SSD Storage prove to be enough.

If you’re starting with just $2.99, having such a vast range of resources, then it’s not a deal to let go. If your requirements are big, then you can check higher plans HERE.

Now, let’s proceed!

Where to Find WordPress Plugins

There are two primary ways to find WordPress plugins:

  1. Directly access the website of the plugin developer. Of course, you will find dozens of websites in this niche for products using search engines to find a plugin. You can often find that when you visit a developer’s site, they have an installation version to download.
  2. By means of a dashboard for WordPress. Browse to the Plugins >> Add a new section of your WordPress dashboard to access the entire WordPress-cured plugin library. You can search for and install plugins with one click on this interface.

The first option is often the easiest of both. However, several plugin developers only offer their premium (paid levels) plugins on their websites. Similarly, some plugins require monthly or annual subscriptions for downloading add-ons or extensions to the website.

You certainly need some research before paying for any pugin, as there are several, which do charge high, but don’t work as per the expectations.

In a “Plugin Repository,” also you can conveniently find WordPress plugins. These are third-party storage sites for the storage, distribution, and maintenance of useful plugins. Depending upon your reputation, these sites can be a great way to find plugins.

The Best WordPress Plugins of 2021

Image Galleries

1. NextGEN

This computer is one of the leading plugins on the market, together with Envira. NextGEN has a free Pro version with features such as Print Lab compliance, tile galleries and mosaic galleries, deep links, and more.

2. Envira Gallery

Envira Gallery is one of the market’s top picture galleries. It includes not only several layers of image gallery customization but also various add-ons for optimization, social media, and back-ups. All this — you use it to create an image gallery of any kind you wish to create. This plugin’s manufacturer built it from start to finish in the gallery.

You will find all the basic features of the plugin in the free version. Additional features like add-ons, theme selection, and extended support will be provided to paid users.

Gallery Envira is the most comprehensive WordPress plugin that you can get for free!

Image Manipulation and Optimization

3. Ewww Image Optimizer

Ewww is a free optimizer that provides you with many free functions. It includes unlimited file sizes, library improvement, high-quality compression, and image backups for 30 days.

4. Smush Image

Smush Image is a tool for image optimization that is simple and easy. The pictures you have uploaded to WordPress are compressed as you are uploading.

The free and paid version of Smush comes. The free version is used to size pictures of up to 1 MB, and the paid-in tier (Smush Pro) for $49/MB to compress picture files of up to 5 MB.

5. ShortPixel Image Optimizer

This freemium optimizer includes a few great benefits for those who are all right to get a little free of charge and then pay more. ShortPixel uses a functional credit system with a total of 100 free credits and an additional 5,000 credits for $4.99 per month for each user.

Like many other plugins, optimization of the image and compression, mass optimization, and adjustable compression speeds can be achieved. You can also convert images to a Google format called WebP to boost SEOs in search engines. It also includes multiple image gallery plugins and provides multi-site compression.

Security

6. Jetpack Security

Perhaps you heard about Jetpack. This plugin covers a lot, but here in the security section, we wanted to mention it.

The Security Jetpack plugin is available in free or paid levels. The free version doesn’t do much, but security coverage can be extended to premium levels starting at $9 per month. These levels include website disruption alerts, backups, and login attack protection, spam comment, and malware.

7. Sucuri

Sucuri is a fully functioning and established security plugin, which many consider the best in their class. Partly because of its strong free set of features, users love this plugin. It covers basic security, such as file surveillance, security information, and malware scanning, for starters.

It also contains a monitoring service for blacklisting and reports based on hacking. These reports even suggest measures you could take to alleviate the problem.

At last, while the plugin is coming free, you could also register for an annual Sucuri account that includes additional thorough scans, CDN monitoring, and SSL support.

8. Wordfence Security

Wordfence is a free plugin with a lot of great security features. This particular plugin is free across as many websites as it offers protection from brute-force attacks and tracking of your password, as well as from IP addresses for real-time hackers.

Page Builders

9. Divi

Divi also offers a drag and drop interface created by Elegant Topics that saves partial pages, posts, and personalized CSS. However, this plugin isn’t free; for unlimited websites with lifetime access of $249, the price starts at $89/year. This level gives you a unique selection of themes.

10. Elementor

For those wishing for a strong and free page builder on their site, Elementor page builder is a great option. You get features like 300+ element blocks that cover almost any sort of content you would like on the page between the free and paid levels. There is also a deep rehabilitation and refurbishment function, responsive design, and 100+ landing page templates.

Better news still? You can use the new Plugin Elementor Addon to build your galleries from the Elementor page builder if you want to set up Envira Gallery to help you build customized image galleries.

If you want to extend the range, the paid level for a single Web site begins at $49/year.

11. Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder is another builder of drag-and-drop pages in two-thirds. All you need to build pages are included in the free version (Lite). The premium versions extend those options by providing more content types, modules, theme selection, maintenance, and multi-site functionality.

Premium plans are reasonably priced at $99/year for the Standard Plan.

Contact Forms

12. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is another drag and drop form builder that contains most of the WPForms. This plugin is designed to help users create efficient lead-gen pages such as e-mail subscription registration and forms for collecting data such as phone numbers and emails.

For new users, the lowest level of this plugin will start at $9/month ($14/month for established users).

13. WPForms

WPForms is a drag-and-drop building form rich in features. This free plugin includes all you need for basic forms, email notifications, pages of gratitude, and fields for protection from Captcha. The premium level includes the possibility of creating forms including advanced surveys, opt-in, registrations, and upload forms.

In addition, users can include information about the users’ geolocation and build multi-page forms.

14. Formidable Forms

Formidable forms boast you can create “solution-centric” shapes. More advanced formats, such as receipts, calculators, and directory views, are included. This is a form of building for companies or those who want to create complex pages for things like a database. This is definitely a form building.

The Basic level starts at $99.38 for the first year (149 dollars for the following years) and is paid for all classes.

Page Optimization

15. WP Super Cache

This plugin focuses specifically on the caching of dynamic pages and posts and makes them static HTML files that change only when they are updated. This makes serving and loading these pages much quicker and optimizes your site.

WP Super Cache provides basic services such as easy cache caching, CDN support, full site cache, and cache reconstruction. The plugin is 100% free.

16. WP Rocket

WP Rocket is an all-in-one tool to optimize your website for a single goal: to quickly. Features include optimization layers, such as page cache, file compression, and advanced image service. (not just pictures; PHP and HTML pages).

However, it’s not free. The single-user license begins for $49 per year and up to the Infinite Plan for unlimited websites for $249 per year.

17. WP Fastest Cache

WP Fastest Cache also offers the most rapid overall cache service, obviously. They will also compress files for CSS, JS, and HTML and handle cleanups of databases and async fonts.

One license costs $49.99 per year, the more licenses you buy with discounted prices.

18. W3 Total Cache

W3 Total Cache boasts that it’s the one and only agnostic provider of the total cache plugin. That means you can get everything from a caching plug-in, regardless of what host you are using. This includes cache total, file reduction, and more.

19. Jetpack

Recall when Jetpack was mentioned? It has been published by WordPress.com. This plugin is all in one. File compression, integrated content delivery networks, and lazy image loading are included in the optimization features.

The user needs a WordPress.com account for using Jetpack. The CDN for images, security functions, and the tracking of website statistics is available in a free version. Paid levels start at $3.50/month and include backups, video hosting, and post-programming social media.

eCommerce

20. Shopify

Shopify is its own independent solution for eCommerce, and this plugin is trying to extend its capabilities into WordPress. Using this plugin requires a Shopify account, and you get features such as gift card makers, SSL protection, social media marketing options, and payment processing in your digital store depending on your level (starting at 29$/mo for the basic level).

21. WooCommerce

WooCommerce may be and rightly so is the best-known WordPress eCommerce plugin. It comprises features, including payment processing, inventory management, and shipping options, which everyone needs for their online business.

In order to advertise and sell products directly online, sellers can benefit from WooCommerce and the Envira Gallery plugin.

Language Support

22. PolyLang

PolyLang also allows you to translate the entire site with lots of controls so that what you want is only translated. This includes category and tag translations, custom post types, and RSS feeds. You also integrate language switches as a widget automatically for your site that is easy to use.

23. TranslatePress

TranslatePress offers users for their entire website a front-end translation solution. This plugin allows you to translate pages with Google Translate or DeepL and edit the translation in order to fit your meaning. All translations and content are always available to users too.

The plugin is offered for a personal plan with an annual subscription fee of about 90$ with a higher level with more solid translation capabilities.

24. WPML

WPML is one of WordPress’s best-known language plugins. In addition to the extensive support features and documentation, it includes all the major translation features that help WordPress users to get their blogs translated.

WPML prices break down into blog prices for smaller websites and CMS prices for larger websites and multi-site settings.

Social Media

25. Social Photo Feed by Smash Balloon

Social Photo Feed is a great plugin that specialized in social sharing, such as the promotion of photos and pictures between WordPress and social media.

Instagram integration, multiple Instagram feed support, and more are part of this free base version. The Pro version has functions such as galleries, a Lightbox integration, and subtitles.

26. WordPress to Buffer

You will want to use some social sharing when you publish new content on your WordPress website. You can program posts on your Buffer account with this plugin so that you can manage your information better.

The free plugin has buffer features, while the Pro version requires a Buffer Pro account with Pinterest and Instagram support. Shortcode as well as conditional publication.

SEO

27. Google XML Maps

Google is the big name of the city or not, and you want to make sure Google looks great. You can map your website structure by using XML sitemaps so you can crawl it easier with Google. In turn, this would make your website more attractive for Google and improve your SEO ratings considerably.

28. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO in WordPress SEO is a big and trustworthy name. In order to analyze your content on the ground in real-time, this plugin integrates with the WordPress editor. Metrics include the complexity of the content, density of keywords, heading section, readability, use of image, and keywords. SEO-optimized Google SERP metadata can also be built. It’s free of charge.