Best Value Bundle
Preferred Plugins
Build with the best combination of plugins possible for a small budget – you won’t find a better bundle anywhere!
THE BEST APPS & PLUGINS ARE:
KadenceWP
Drag-and-drop blocks with page-editing tabs, a full-site theme with customizer, and dozens of excellent web design features for FREE – with the option to upgrade, if the paid features are what you need. The value here is truly exceptional.
Wordfence
The most powerful security plugin in the entire WordPress ecosystem, featuring a “Live Traffic” dashboard, login limiter, 2FA, IP/Country blocker, and the world’s largest threat database to protect your site from malicious actors. What more could you want?
Admin & Site Enhancements (ASE)
Everybody knows how bad the standard WordPress Dashboard sucks – with ASE (especially the Pro version), you don’t have to worry. Customize your admin panel the way YOU want it to look – and even add custom categories, tags, fields, and more…it’s an awesome plugin that does the work of a dozen others – no joke.
HubSpot
For those who need live chat and/or email marketing (for HR or CRM purposes) HubSpot’s FREE plugin can do most of what you need – of course, the paid version has way more options, but even the free version is great for those just wanting a basic tool to help them get things started.
SureCart
The easiest-to-use ecommerce plugin in the world! Whether your products are physical or digital, whether you use discounts or custom forms…this plugin can do everything you need AND MORE! Just be aware that it’s a SaaS platform – unlike WooCommerce, it operates as a service and will require your continued subscription if you want to use the features in the paid version.
OttoKit
Formerly known as “SureTriggers”, this handy automation tool will help you create custom workflows between your site’s apps/plugins, including everything from email marketing automations to standard CRM stuff…it’s a highly capable tool to have in your virtual shed!
SolidWP
The best alternative to Wordfence, the SolidWP Suite of security plugins (including Patchstack, and others) works exceptionally well with the KadenceWP suite. The creators of Kadence even roped Solid into their new “StellarSites” hosting option…I’d be keeping an eye on this one!
Stripe
Clearly, every ecommerce store needs a payment gateway – the most obvious choice is Stripe. With how popular, secure, and simple it is to set up and use, there really isn’t a better alternative. I’ll customize your checkout pages using WordPress, but you’ll need to log in to your Stripe Account to connect/disconnect payment merchants (e.g. Klarna, Link, Apple Pay, etc.).
Google Site Kit
Remember the old days when setting up your Google Analytics, Google MyBusiness, Google Tag Manager / Ads, etc., had to be done manually by code? Well, forget that antiquated nonsense! In just a few short clicks and a few moments of your time, your entire site’s data and user traffic can be tracked and displayed on your WordPress dashboard for you to track in real-time!
SureMembers
Set up your membership site with a plugin that can accomplish everything you need it to – coming from the same team that built SureCart, you won’t be disappointed!
Presto Player
Add videos directly onto your pages with a clean-coded video player that is lightweight and content-optimized with multiple customization features to align your videos with your brand – it’s the best video player on WordPress!
The Events Calendar
The #1 events calendar on WordPress, with loads of customization features not found in any other events plugin – take full control of your calendar design, scheduling, and even event admissions!
MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar
Perfect for you radio heads, podcasters, and musicians wanting to post your audio content online – this stunning visual-audio plugin turns your MP3 uploads into epic-looking, interactive elements on the page! It is a paid plugin, but no free plugin exists which can compete with this one in terms of sheer visual appeal and customization.
Pie Calendar
Another great FREE calendar plugin that is compatible with SureCart, Pie Calendar is an excellent choice for websites that don’t need all the bells and whistles, but still want a tidy and pleasing calendar for schedule management or display on the front-end. You can always pay for the upgraded version, but the base version is still incredibly useful.
WP RSS Aggregator
While RSS feeds have gradually fallen out of style for most websites built today, it is still a useful resource for those who operate news-based or information-centric platforms where large quantities of stories, blog posts, and social feeds are still a critical piece of the operation. WP RSS Aggregator is the best choice for your content aggregation needs.
…and more!
Obviously, this list isn’t exhaustive – there are dozens of excellent plugins available in the WordPress ecosystem which can give your site the functionality and usability that no other platform can. Start strong with the best free options and add more as you see fit! (Just make sure they play nice together before committing to them!)