6 Must-Know Free WordPress Plugins for 2025

One of the key reasons behind WordPress’s popularity is its high scalability through a wide range of plugins. You can add virtually any feature a user might need. In particular, free plugins are essential when you want to run your site without financial burden. Today, I’ll introduce 6 free WordPress plugins that you absolutely need to know about in 2025.

Top 5 Recommended Free WordPress Plugins

When I run a WordPress site, I generally follow the principle of using as few plugins as possible. Why, you ask? Because I prefer a clean plugin list. My rule is: “If it’s not absolutely necessary, don’t install it!”

With that mindset, I’ve carefully selected 5 free plugins and summarized why they made the list.

1. Rank Math – The Ultimate WordPress SEO Plugin

Rank Math is the core plugin that has helped WPlaybook push targeted keywords to the top of Google. Its strength lies in on-page SEO—it checks in real-time whether your post meets various criteria that Google favors when writing content.

There are both paid and free versions, but even the free version offers a wide array of features that rival premium plugins. If you’re new to WordPress, this is an absolute must-install.

• Tip : How to Satisfy Rank Math On-Page SEO Checklist

Reason for Selection – Rank Math’s Hidden Gem: Redirection

Rank Math isn’t just useful when writing posts. It offers numerous powerful features, one of which is redirection. For example, platforms like Tistory lack native redirection functionality, requiring you to use code. With Rank Math, you can freely change your blog’s URL and the plugin handles it all for you.

You can even set the kind of redirects you want to send to a specific link, whether it’s a URL of your choice or all URLs starting with that URL. From beginner to advanced, the more you know, the more features the RankMass plugin has, making it a must-have installation.

2. Kadence Blocks – A Revolution in WordPress Editing

At WPlaybook, we provide WordPress optimization consulting services, and we’ve found that surprisingly many users are still using the Classic Editor. If any of you are still stuck with the Classic Editor, we strongly recommend giving the Block Editor a try. You’ll probably regret not making the switch sooner.

There are several great block editors out there, but among them, Kadence’s free block editor is an absolute must-install. Kadence also offers both free and paid versions, but even the free version alone is more than sufficient. In fact, during WPlaybook’s initial WordPress blog setup, we exclusively use the free version of Kadence.

Reason for Selection – Exceptionally Generous Free Features

There are so many great things about the Kadence Block Editor that it deserves a review post of its own. Still, here’s a quick summary of the key advantages of the free version of Kadence Blocks.

1. Responsive Design Support Awesome
2. Block users, devices, and hide based on certain conditions
3. Lots of free blocks
4. Design Library

There’s an endless list of features, but to sum it up: “Even without knowing how to code, the menus are so well-organized—even in the free version—that you can easily fine-tune many detailed aspects of your website.”

3. Resize Image After Upload & Enable Media Replace

While the 1st and 2nd plugins were heavier hitters, the 3rd place goes to this handy two-plugin set. 😄 Managing images is one of the biggest headaches when running WordPress, so I’ve chosen these two image-related plugins as a pair for 3rd place.

Reason for Selection – WordPress Plugins That Save You Time on Annoying Image Tasks

Resize Image After Upload

The Resize Image After Upload (RIAU) plugin is fantastic for reducing file size when users upload overly large images. For example, photos taken on phones usually have huge resolutions (typically 7MB to 14MB). Without this plugin, uploading such images to the WordPress editor eats up a lot of server space.

When you install RIAU and set the value to 1200, the plugin automatically resizes uploaded images to a width of 1200 pixels. This dramatically reduces file size. That’s why I always install and activate this plugin when setting up WordPress.

Enable Media Replace

The Enable Media Replace (EMR) plugin is useful when you want to replace an already uploaded image file. Often, the same image is used across multiple posts. Without this plugin, you’d have to go into each post individually to replace the image, which is a tedious task.

With EMR, you simply find the file in the Media Library and replace it, and the plugin updates that image everywhere it’s used on your site automatically. Because of this convenience, I always keep EMR installed and activated as well.

4. WPCode Lite – Code instead of plugins!

WPCode Lite is the f ree version of WPCode, one of the popular code snippet plugins. After trying it once, I’ve been using it consistently and it’s become a very valuable free plugin for me. As I mentioned earlier, my rule is “don’t install plugins unless absolutely necessary!”

However, when running WordPress, sometimes you need to add small, minor features that would otherwise require installing additional plugins. Using code snippets lets you avoid installing those extra plugins and solve issues more cleanly.

Reason for Selection – No Need to Install Extra Minor Plugins

A prime example is installing a package to add a post duplication feature. For instance, the Yoast plugin includes a post copy function, but I’m not keen on installing an entire plugin just for a simple feature like that. With WPCode Lite, you can add such code snippets directly without extra plugins.

So, I’ve implemented the WordPress post duplication feature using WPCode snippets. By installing the free version of the WPCode plugin, you can save yourself from installing many small, unnecessary plugins—highly recommended.

5. Temporary Login Without Password – Essential When Asking for Help

T emporary Login Without Password (TLWP) is a plugin that you don’t always need, but it’s definitely one you should have installed—especially in the early stages of running WordPress when you have lots of questions.

As the name suggests, this plugin allows temporary login to your WordPress site without a password. It’s like sharing a YouTube or Google Doc link only with users who have the link.

Reason for Selection – A Lifesaver Plugin for Beginners Who Ask Lots of Questions

Exactly that function. TLWP creates a login link that grants access to your WordPress site at the permission level you choose (including admin), without needing passwords or user registration. You can also set an automatic expiration date for the link.

In my case, when I ask a question to my theme or hosting provider, they shared the admin link with me, set to auto-expire after a week! I still have it installed, but only activate it when I need it.

6. Simple URLs for Affiliate Link Management

Simple URLs is the free version of the affiliate link management plugin Lasso, which I currently use. Lasso allows you to manage affiliate links from multiple providers all in one place and offers link cloaking. It also provides various templates you can use when showcasing products, as shown below.

Reason for Selection – Easy to Use, Attractive Boxes That Boost Conversion Rates

Simple URLs offers only the most basic product boxes, but even just one box can significantly enhance your blog’s appearance. This helps increase product click rates, which ultimately leads to higher affiliate earnings.

The paid version lets you easily create comparison tables like the one below (and even more complex ones), so I recommend trying the Lasso plugin if you’re serious about affiliate marketing.