WP Reset Review

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of WP Reset Pro to review the plugin and write my thoughts. I am thankful to Ben for letting me share this with his audience.

WP Reset comes from the folks at WebFactory Ltd, which is founded by Gordan Orlic. The company has several WordPress products including 301 Redirects Plugin, UnderConstructionPage Plugin, and Google Maps Widget Plugin along with a few others.

The company is a WordPress specialist company creating projects and products that help the WordPress community.

WP Reset is a product unlike many I have seen. It allows you to reset the database to remove various customizations or tables left behind by plugins you removed ages ago.

But it is more than a reset plugin. Some of the features, as you will see, are pretty hand for someone who manages multiple sites.

WP Reset uses “Snapshots” which is a picture of the previous state allowing you to have a restore point. 

What does it do?

WP Reset is one of those products that is better described by seeing it in action. That being said, we are going to discuss it briefly.

The crux of the plugin is to reset the database. 

On the WP Reset Description in the WordPress repository, it says,

“WP Reset quickly resets the site’s database to the default installation values without modifying any files. It deletes all customizations and content, or just chosen parts like theme settings.”

This is what WP Reset does at its most basic point. 

If you have ever had a need to restore a WordPress install to its factory default, then WP Reset will fill that need. 

And this can be helpful in multiple instances. 

One such instance testing and debugging.

“It [WP Reset] speeds up testing & debugging by providing a quick way to reset settings and re-test code. It’s the only WP development tool for non-developers.”

Source: WP Reset ON WP.org

I was amazed when I was learning more that it can be used as a restore point or a rollback feature for any theme or plugin.

I have searched for those types of plugins before and it can cost me time. Fortunately, I don’t work on dozens or hundreds of websites. However, if you do, having something in your stack that can handle this function would be a time saver.

There are many more features and I will address some of them below.

The Dashboard

One of the really cool things about WP Reset is the dashboard for WP Reset Pro users. From the dashboard, there are lots of things you can do include keeping track of your license (you can have more than one!), assigning them to domains, view any snapshots you have, and more.

I like the layout of their dashboard better than my own WordPress dashboard. 

One drawback I see is its presence inside the WordPress dashboard. For a product that is more robust, I expected it to occupy a bigger spot in the sidebar.

There is a spot in the admin bar, but I don’t always notice them. I guess over a decade of using WordPress, I am trained to look to the sidebar.

The WP Reset place in the sidebar is hidden under Tools making it hard to find if you are looking in that part of the WordPress dashboard.

I know many people like their WordPress Dashboard sidebar to be cleaner, but this plugin is probably one that should stand on its own. 

That, of course, is my opinion. 

6 Features I really like

1. Emergency Recovery Script

The Emergency Recovery Script is one of the best parts of the WP Reset. When you get set up, the first thing the plugin will do is prompt you to create an Emergency Recovery Script.

It comes in handy if you have a “white screen of death” or a compromised file. The plugin creates a PHP file you can access in an emergency. You have a password to enter on the page and the plugin will use your snapshot to recover the website.

Using the emergency script is quicker and easier than going through the database, and perhaps safer too.

Once you create the script, you have to save the URL and the password somewhere to have access once your site goes down. Now, when something happens, no reason to panic!

2. Rolling back 

Rolling back plugins and themes to a previous version can also save you from problems. Again, the few times I have to roll something back, I have to hunt for a plugin. 

You know how it goes, maybe the plugin has been abandoned or it hasn’t been updated with one of the past few versions of WordPress. 

Having that feature in a plugin I am already using to help safeguard my website is extremely helpful. 

3. Keyless Activations

While watching a video with Gordon Orlic, the Founder of WebFactory Ltd, he demonstrated the keyless activation feature. That was really nice.

Since you have a WP Reset Dashboard, you can manage your licenses without logging into other sites. One of the ways you can do this is to choose which site you can use a license.

Say you are using the license on one site and you need to add or move it to another site, you can do that right from your WP Reset Dashboard.

You can see Gordon demonstrate that at the 9:39 point in this video

You simply add the domain to the license in your WP Reset Dashboard and click save. You will have to go to your client’s WordPress dashboard to activate the license. You choose Keyless Activation and select. 

This activates the license and your client doesn’t have access to your license number. If your client leaves your management plan, you can remove the license from their site and use it with another client.

4. The Collections feature is a fantastic idea.

They also include a way to save your favorite plugins. If you have certain plugins you use in your stack every single time, you can save them in what they call a Collection.

Your Collection is not just for plugins, but it works for themes too. Ready for a game-changer? You can store premium plugin and theme licenses in your Collection. The plugin allows you to upload the Zip file, add the license, and then a note about the product.

Once you have your Collection saved, you can then easily add it to a new WordPress install. You will see it in your WP Reset Dashboard. Once you connect your WP Reset and license, you can then add your Collection to your new site.

This will save you countless hours as not only does it install the plugin and theme, but it activates it and stores the license.

5. Fail-safe mechanisms

Over the years I have gotten comfortable with tech because I have learned I can break something and most of the time restore it. But some people struggle with that.

Even for someone like me, having a Fail-safe mechanism in place is a security blanket.

Before you click to delete anything, the plugin asks you to confirm. It is a very active process meaning it’s hard to mindlessly delete your site away.

If you choose to reset the site or choose “Nuclear Reset” you have to confirm by typing “reset” in the box before clicking the button. Failing to type “reset” in the box will show you a popup screen labeled “Invalid confirmation.” 

As explained on the homepage,

“You have to confirm all destructive actions and even double-confirm the reset actions in two different ways.”

Source: WPReset.com

6. 100% No-Risk Money Back Guarantee!

A No-Risk Guarantee is pretty amazing with digital products. You get 7 days to try it, and then you can request a refund. I am not certain how often they have to honor this, but offering a guarantee is a move that shows how much they believe in their product.

Future features

A word regarding the future of features in WP Reset. I believe that the team understands it is not a perfect product, after all, most products aren’t. They seem to have a commitment to make it better.

They have already received requests for new features. Among those requests are the ability to auto store “snapshots” on cloud storage. As it is now, you can move them to cloud storage, but it has to be manual.

The second feature that I know has been requested is a MainWP extension. This product is ideal for those who manage multiple installs for clients and MainWP users do just that.

You can follow the process at the WP Reset Roadmap Trello board here.

Wrapping it up

WP Reset is a plugin that you will want to consider in your stack. For one thing, it may replace more than one plugin you use and you can use it to create your own custom plugin and theme stack.

The features I loved the most include The Emergency Recovery Script, Rolling Back, Keyless Activation, Collections, the Fail-Safe Mechanisms, and the Money-back Guarantee.

The company is already working on new features that will make WP Reset even more powerful. 

If you are working with multiple websites this plugin is one you will want to consider. 

About the author Todd Jones

I am the redneck coffee snob. I love pro rasslin’ and dirt track racing. I love storytelling, copywriting, and content marketing. In 2019 I launched the Website Copy Framework to help businesses with their website copy.

Learn more about the Website Copy Framework here, follow Todd on Twitter here.

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