Jetpack brings a big set of WordPress.com style tools to a self hosted WordPress site. If you want security, performance, and growth features without installing a dozen separate plugins, Jetpack is worth a look. This is an updated version of my Jetpack feature list, with a few items swapped out for newer options.
Why I Like Jetpack
Today I’d like to talk about 52 reasons to use the Jetpack Toolkit for WordPress. If you have a self hosted WordPress site and you have not heard of Jetpack, it is the ultimate toolkit for WordPress. Jetpack is made by Automattic, the same folks behind WordPress.com. To put it simply, Jetpack gives you many of the WordPress.com conveniences on your own site, without being locked into the WordPress.com platform. I use it on my own sites and on client sites, and it is often one of the first plugins I consider installing.
Accessibility Note
Jetpack doesn’t automatically make a website accessible. Accessibility still comes down to your theme, your content, and the way features are implemented. That said, Jetpack can help in ways that matter to real users, like keeping a site stable, improving performance, and adding common blocks and features without piling on extra plugins.
52 Jetpack Features to Know About
Below are 52 Jetpack features. A few items from the original 2021 list have been replaced because those options are no longer offered in Jetpack.
Ads / Ad Block: Advertise on your site using Jetpack Ads.
Beautiful Math: Allows you to use mathematical equations and symbols in your posts.
Business Hours Block: Add business hours to a post or page using a block.
Carousel: Display a gallery in a single image style carousel.
Comments: Enhances the WordPress commenting experience.
Comment Likes: Lets users like comments and interact a bit more.
Contact Info Block: Put your contact information on a post or page using a block.
Contact Form / Form Block: Collect contact requests. If you’re still using the classic editor, the classic form works, and the Form block works in the block editor too.
Activity Log: See a timeline of important site activity, such as plugin updates, theme changes, and logins. This is especially handy when troubleshooting.
Custom Content Types: Add custom content types, such as portfolios and testimonials.
Enhanced Distribution: Helps readers discover your posts via Jetpack and WordPress.com related services.
Extra Sidebar Widgets: Adds extra widgets for your sidebar.
Extra Widgets in Posts and Pages: Lets you place widgets directly inside posts and pages.
Galleries: Improves gallery display options beyond the WordPress defaults.
Jetpack Stats: Built in traffic stats for your site, without needing a separate analytics integration.
Gravatar Hovercards: Show a quick profile card when hovering over a Gravatar.
Infinite Scroll: Loads more posts automatically as a visitor scrolls down.
Web Application Firewall: Adds an extra layer of protection to help block malicious traffic before it reaches WordPress.
Likes: Allows readers to like posts.
Markdown: Write posts using Markdown.
Mobile Theme: Serve a mobile friendly theme for visitors on phones.
Monitor: Get notified if your site goes down.
Omnisearch: Search your content from the dashboard more efficiently.
Social Image Generator: Generate social sharing images for your posts, so links look better when shared on social platforms.
Plugin Management: Manage and update plugins from a central view.
Portfolios: Add a portfolio content type to your site.
Protect: Brute force attack protection and other security tools.
Publicize: Automatically share new posts to social networks.
Simple Payments: Accept payments with a payment button or block.
Single Sign On: Let users sign in with their WordPress.com account.
Site Backups: Back up your site so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Spam Filtering: Reduce comment and form spam.
Search: Add fast, powerful search to your site.
SEO Tools: Improve how your site appears in search engines.
Sharing: Add share buttons to posts and pages.
Shortcode Embeds: Embed content from supported services with shortcodes.
Shortlinks: Create short links for your posts.
Site Accelerator: Serve images and static files from a CDN for better performance.
Site Logo and Site Icon: Help manage your site logo and favicon.
Site Verification: Verify your site with services like Google and Bing.
Site Stats: View traffic stats for your site.
Site-wide Notifications: Notify readers of new posts or activity.
Social Notifications: Get notifications related to social interactions.
Spell Check: Check spelling and grammar while writing.
Video Block: Embed videos using a dedicated block.
Widget Visibility: Control when widgets appear based on conditions.
WordPress.com Notifications: Get WordPress.com notifications related to your site.
WordPress.com Mobile App: Manage your site from the WordPress mobile app.
Writing Prompts: Get prompts to help inspire new posts.
Widget Shortcodes: Use shortcodes inside widgets.
Widget WordPress.com: Use certain WordPress.com widgets on a self hosted site.
Jetpack Manage: Manage multiple sites from one dashboard, including updates and basic settings.
Classic Editor Note
If you missed it, you may also want to read my article on the Classic Editor plugin. It is still a good option for people who want a simpler editing experience.
FAQ
Do I need a WordPress.com account to use Jetpack?
Yes. Jetpack connects your self hosted site to WordPress.com services. You can keep using your own hosting, and the connection is mainly for features like stats, backups, and management.
Can I turn Jetpack features on and off?
Yes. Jetpack is modular. In the Jetpack settings you can enable only what you need, which helps keep things simpler.
Is Jetpack accessible with screen readers?
In general, Jetpack settings and common blocks work reasonably well with screen readers, but the exact experience can vary depending on your WordPress admin theme, browser, and other plugins. The biggest accessibility factors are still your site theme and how your content is structured.
Is Jetpack free?
Jetpack has a free core plugin, and many features require a paid plan. Security features like backups, scanning, and the firewall are typically part of paid offerings.
Do I still need Jetpack if WordPress already does some of this?
Sometimes no. For example, modern WordPress already handles basic image lazy loading, so Jetpack no longer needs a separate Lazy Images feature. The value of Jetpack is the bundle: security, performance, and growth tools that work together.
Conclusion
Jetpack isn’t the only way to add these features to WordPress, but it’s one of the simplest ways to get a lot of capability quickly. If you decide to try it, start small: enable just the features you need, confirm your site stays fast, and add more as you go. Then have a little fun with it: treat Jetpack like a set of upgrades you can bolt on as your site levels up.
Qapla!