How many of you are tired of using tons of plugins on your blog?
If you started a free WordPress.com blog , you probably know how cool and useful some of these plugins are. Well, Automattic, the company behind WordPress, has launched the Jetpack plugin for self-hosted WordPress blogs, which will bring many of the features of WordPress.com to our WordPress.org blogs.
Here’s a statement from the WordPress team about the launch of the Jetpack WordPress plugin :
Jetpack is a new plugin from Automattic that brings the power of WordPress.com to the self-hosted WordPress platform. This powerful plugin can help you reduce the number of plugins on your blog by at least 10. Another great thing about Jetpack is that it is constantly updated and new features are added from time to time.
Let’s look at some of Jetpack’s features
What is Jetpack for WordPress?
You know all the reasons why WordPress.org is better than WordPress.com for most users . With a self-hosted WordPress website, every aspect of your website is completely under your control.
But, sometimes, don’t you miss some of the features on WordPress.com? The site stats on the dashboard are really handy, and image caching can really speed up your site.
No need to switch back to WordPress.com — you can get these features and more with Automattic’s WordPress Jetpack plugin.
Jetpack connects you to your WordPress.com account, giving you access to features that were previously available exclusively to WordPress.com users.
The Jetpack plugin includes a large number of modules that can add various features to your website. You can choose to activate only the modules you actually use.
Some modules are activated by default. But after installing and activating the plugin, you can decide whether to keep the default features turned on by navigating to Jetpack » Settings .
Simply click the blue slider next to the module you want to activate or deactivate, then click in the area to configure any of the available settings.
What Jetpack modules are available?
There are dozens of modules available, many free and some paid. Here are some of the most useful and popular modules:
Visitor Engagement Module
- Website Statistics : Understand your traffic and other analytical data from your dashboard.
- Share : Add simple social sharing buttons to your posts and pages.
- Promote : Automatically share newly published posts on your social media accounts.
- Related Articles : Keep readers on your site longer by displaying similar content below each article.
- **Advertisements : **Monetize your WordPress website with WordAds .
- Beautiful Math : Write complex math equations, formulas, and more.
- Comments : Allow users to comment on your website using social media login options.
- Comment Likes : Allow readers to like other users' comments on your WordPress site.
- Additional Sidebar Widgets : Get additional widgets including RSS links, Twitter timeline, and Facebook like box.
- Gravatar Hovercards : Let your audience see your Gravatar profile.
- **Google Analytics : Easily install **Google Analytics on your website .
- Likes : Add WordPress.com Like functionality to your self-hosted WordPress site.
- Notifications : Receive notifications of new comments and likes in your admin bar and on your mobile device.
- Search : Replace the built-in WordPress search with the powerful Elasticsearch.
- Shortcode Embeds : Embed videos from YouTube, tweets from Twitter, and other media from around the web.
- Single Sign-On: Allow users to register and log into your site using their WordPress.com credentials.
- Site Verification : Verify your website with Google, Bing, and Pinterest.
- Sitemap : Generates a list of pages that can be indexed by search engines like Google or Bing.
- Subscribe : Allow your visitors to subscribe to your latest posts or comments.
- VideoPress : Upload and host your videos on WordPress.com.
- WordPress.com Toolbar : Replace your default admin bar with the WordPress.com Toolbar.
Security Module
- Protection : Prevent brute force login attempts from hackers.
- Downtime Monitoring : Checks your site every 5 minutes and notifies you of any downtime.
- Plugin Updates : Set up a list of plugins that you want to automatically update.
- Security Scan : Scan your website for malware and protect it with automatic solutions.
- Site Backup : Automatically back up your entire site.
- Spam filtering : Filter out spam submissions from your comment, contact, and product review forms.
Appearance Module
- Tiled Gallery : Display your images in tiles.
- Photon : Optimize , cache, and serve your images from the WordPress.com CDN.
- Widget Visibility : Add conditional rules for when a widget should be displayed.
- Custom CSS : Save your CSS edits in a separate location from your theme.
- Carousel : A stunning full-screen photo browsing experience for your photo gallery with comments and EXIF metadata.
- Infinite Scroll : Automatically load the next post when the reader reaches the bottom of the page.
- JSON API : Provide new functionality to your website by empowering and connecting web applications and services to your website.
- Lazy Loading : To increase page speed, only load images that are on the screen.
- Mobile Theme : Display a mobile version of your website by adding a mobile theme.
Writing modules
- WP.me Shortlinks : Enable shortlinks for all your blog posts.
- Contact Form : Create a simple contact form using shortcode.
- Markdown : Write your posts or pages in plain text Markdown syntax.
- Custom Content Types : Easily add more custom post types to your website.
- Enhanced distribution : Add your content to the WordPress.com firehose.
- Publish via Email : Publish your articles using any email client.
- Proofreading : Add a grammar checker to proofread your draft before publishing.
- SEO Tools : Add SEO tools to optimize your website for search engines.
You’ll find that these modules really cover a wide range of possibilities. There are many plugins that offer these features individually, but none offer them all in one plugin like Jetpack does.
Pros and Cons of Jetpack:
advantage:
Let’s look at the advantages of using Jetpack.
1. Easily add basic functions
WordPress comes with all the essential publishing tools right out of the box. But these built-in tools aren't enough to run a successful website. As your website grows, you'll need to find and install more WordPress plugins to enhance the functionality of your WordPress website.
If you want all the most important features like contact form, statistics, security, design, marketing, etc. in one plugin, then Jetpack is a great solution for you.
2. Cost
The core Jetpack plugin is free. Premium features like daily backups, premium themes, and SEO tools are included in 1 of 3 paid plans.
3. Frequent updates
Jetpack is maintained and updated very frequently. They also keep adding more and more features to the plugin.
shortcoming:
Some disadvantages of Jetpack are:
1. Abdominal bloating
The plugin is packed with tons of features, so the interface can seem a bit bloated. In fact, the interface is cluttered with toggles and submenus, so you might find it hard to find the module you want to enable or disable.
2. Slow down your website
There is a heated debate about Jetpack’s performance and whether it can slow down your WordPress site.
While most users have no issues with the plugin, some have reported that it has slowed down their site significantly. Since this is a massive plugin and it’s unlikely that you’ll need every feature that comes with Jetpack, it’s best to only enable the features you really need.
3. Risk profile
Jetpack requires you to connect your site to your WordPress.com account. One of the benefits of this connection is that certain features will push the work on your site back to their servers. However, the downside is that it also passes a lot of information about your posts to WordPress.com. If you're concerned about privacy and don't want to share your site information with any third parties, then Jetpack may not be for you.
Jetpack Alternatives
If you only want to enable 1 or 2 modules from Jetpack, it's probably best to use a feature-specific plugin to solve your needs.
If you’re looking for Jetpack alternatives, here are our recommendations:
- Contact Form : Use WPForms as it is more comprehensive than the Jetpack Contact Form.
- Website Tracking : Use MonsterInsights for website tracking instead of Jetpack’s Website Stats. MonsterInsights connects your website to the best website tracking solution, Google Analytics.
- SEO Tools : In comparison, All in One SEO beats Jetpack with its SEO features.
To learn more plugins, see our article “ 9 Best Alternatives to Jetpack .”
Jetpack Tiled Gallery vs Envira Gallery
Jetpack Tiled Galleries allows you to create very simple galleries inside your posts or pages.
Simply click the Add Media button on any post or page and then click the Create Gallery link on the right to select images from your media library.
Simple setup on the right:
As you can see, the options are quite limited. For example, there is no way to link images to custom URLs. If you want to expand the images into a simple slideshow when clicked, you can activate the Jetpack Carousel module.
The final gallery does look beautiful and is responsive.
However, if you need to create more advanced galleries, you’ll need a plugin like Envira Gallery.
With Envira Gallery, you have tons of options for creating your galleries, and it’s still just as easy to use as the Jetpack Tiled Galleries module. Envira Gallery is also the fastest gallery plugin we’ve ever tested.
We also recommend Soliloquy for creating a full-featured image slider. Unlike other slider plugins, Soliloquy is easy to use, beginner-friendly, and lightweight - it won't slow down your site. ](https://www.isitwp.com/wordpress-plugins/soliloquy/)
Also check out: Best WordPress Gallery Plugins
Jetpack Contact Form Module
Jetpack's Contact Form module is a simple tool for creating forms using shortcodes. Simply click the Add Contact Form button on any post or page and select your options.
The final shortcode output will look like this:
It's not clear how to edit the form, but you can edit the form by clicking the "Add contact form" button again while your cursor is on the form. To save your changes, click the " Add this form to my post" button again. It will change the existing form instead of adding a new one.
Are you looking for a more user-friendly form creation plugin? We recommend WPForms , which is the most beginner-friendly WordPress form plugin.
Pricing and support options
The Jetpack plugin and most of its modules are free to use.
There are also 3 premium subscription options that give you access to paid features, including:
- Daily automatic backup, one-click recovery
- Daily malware scans
- Advanced WordPress Support
If you’re looking for an excellent backup solution, we recommend checking out Duplicator .
Our Verdict: Should You Use Jetpack?
Before you decide to use Jetpack, take a look at the available modules and think deeply about which ones you will actually use.
If you only use 1 or 2 modules, it's better to look for separate plugins that add the same functionality.
You know that saying: "Jack of all trades, loose of none"? Jetpack has a lot of different modules, but none of them are the best in their field. If you choose standalone, dedicated plugins to achieve the functionality you need, you will most likely find a plugin that is better, faster, easier to use, and has more options than a Jetpack module.
However, if your needs are simple and you’d rather use a full-featured plugin, then Jetpack is a good choice. It’s frequently updated and well-supported.
We hope you enjoy learning about Jetpack. If you still have any questions about this plugin, check out our FAQ below.
FAQ
Can I use Jetpack for free?
Yes, as long as you have a free WordPress.com account. But to use advanced features like backups and malware scanning, you’ll need a premium JetPack plan. Prices start at $4.95 for their VaultPress Backup plan, which offers real-time cloud backup. And their Security plan, which offers malware scanning and Akismet spam protection, starts at $9.95 per month for an annual plan. Jetpack plans also come with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
What does Jetpack actually do?
Jetpack is one of the best website security plugins that helps with real-time backups and automatic malware scanning with one-click fixes. To protect your forms and comment sections, Jetpack offers anti-spam protection from Akismet. In short, Jetpack is considered to be the all-purpose tool among WordPress tools.
Is Jetpack compatible with WordPress.org?
Yes, you can use Jetpack on a self-hosted site on WordPress.org. However, you first need to sign up for a WordPress.com account. You can then install the JetPack plugin in your WordPress dashboard and connect it to your WordPress.com account to activate it. This isn’t surprising, since Jetpack was created by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.
Does Jetpack help with SEO?
Yes, Jetpack has SEO optimization features that can help with tasks like creating meta descriptions and XML sitemaps. In addition to these tools, JetPack’s security features can help your site avoid Google’s blacklist. On top of that, you can also use Jetpack Boost to increase your site speed, which is another way to improve SEO by enhancing the user experience.
That’s it! Now you have a better understanding of Jetpack.
Since you get so much great functionality in one plugin, there’s really no reason not to download and install it.
NOTE: WordPress has partnered with the following web hosting companies to automatically install Jetpack after one-click install: Bluehost , DreamHost , GoDaddy , and some others.
Tell me: What’s your favorite feature of the Jetpack plugin? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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