Key takeaways
- We checked 20 Wayback restoration tools on 13 Oct 2026: 12 work, 2 redirect, 2 are dead, 2 are unmaintained and 1 is unclear.
- Archive basics, snapshots, downloads, and practical Wayback Machine workflows.
- Use the matching free tool or request expert help when you are ready for the next step.
On this page
Last checked: 13 October 2026. We re-check every entry monthly and log what changed at the bottom of this page.
Disclosure: This page is published by Wayback Revive, which runs a Wayback restoration service listed below. Other services are listed alphabetically on the same terms, and none paid for inclusion. We don’t link to third-party services; search for them by name. Spotted an error? Email [email protected] and we’ll re-check it.
Try it free: Wayback Revive’s free Wayback Machine downloader needs no account or card, just an email. It returns the homepage plus 4 pages as a ZIP, with a live preview. Need the whole site? Get a done-for-you restoration: clean HTML from $30, or WordPress for $110 total ($30 HTML + $80 conversion).
Many “how to restore a site from the Wayback Machine” articles, including the Internet Archive’s own help article from 2018, point to services that have since shut down, been sold or turned into redirects. This page tracks which ones still exist.
How we checked (methodology)
- We requested each service’s homepage from a clean server with a normal browser user agent, followed redirects, and recorded the HTTP status, the final destination and the page title.
- We recorded only public information: what the service says it offers, its published prices and any free tier. We did not place paid orders or judge output quality, so “Working” means the site is live and still offers the service, not that we endorse it.
- For open-source tools we recorded the date of the latest code update.
- Status definitions: Working = live and offering the service; Redirect = the domain now forwards elsewhere; Dead/unreachable = no response or a timeout on repeated tries; Unmaintained = code still available, but no updates in 18+ months; Unclear = the site is live but there is credible evidence the service no longer works.
Summary
| Status | Count |
|---|---|
| Working (live service or maintained tool) | 12 |
| Redirect | 2 |
| Dead / unreachable | 2 |
| Unmaintained (code available) | 2 |
| Guide/content site (not a restore tool) | 1 |
| Unclear | 1 |
| Total checked | 20 |
Working
What each service offers and charges is as published on its own site. On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Tool / service | Type | What it offers | Pricing | Free tier | Status (13 Oct) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayback Revive (Our service) | Free online tool + done-for-you | Free downloader (homepage + 4 pages, live preview, ZIP); full HTML restore; WordPress conversion; free archive checkers | HTML $30/site; WordPress $110/site total ($30 HTML + $80 conversion) | Yes, no account or card (just an email) | Live |
| Archivarix | Online restorer + CMS | Restores from the Wayback Machine to a ZIP with its own CMS; WordPress export | Up to 200 files $0.25; then per 1,000 files | No free tier | Live |
| HTTrack | Free desktop software | General website copier. It doesn’t understand Wayback URLs, so expect manual cleanup | Free (GPL) | Yes | Live |
| obra wayback-restorer (open source, GitHub) | Python toolkit | Builds a hostable mirror from the archive index, with gap reports | Free | Yes | Code updated Feb 2026 |
| RecoverYourSite | Online + done-for-you | Restore to a ZIP; WordPress rebuild; migration | Free up to 5 pages; $29 one-time; WordPress from $199 | Yes (5 pages) | Live |
| RestoreMyWebsite | Online | Automated restore to a ZIP, priced by page count | $19–$349 | Free scan | Live |
| Restorix | Online, pay per file | Restore to a ZIP or deploy to your server | $0.12 per 200 files | Free price check | Live |
| Wayback Downloads | Done-for-you | Send a snapshot link and get a ZIP by email; WordPress conversion | From $11 | Not stated | Live (behind a bot check) |
| Wayback Machine Downloader | Online | Whole-domain download; WordPress conversion add-on | $12 per domain | 4 pages free | Live |
| Wayback Restore | Done-for-you | WordPress, Elementor, WooCommerce and HTML rebuilds | HTML $29; WordPress from $79 | Free archive review | Live |
| Wayback Tools | Online | Host-ready ZIP with preview and recovery-gap report | $10 per site; plans $50–$179/month | Up to 5 pages | Live |
| WP Service Lab | Done-for-you | Wayback-to-WordPress restoration; free audit | Prepaid packs | Free audit | Live |
Unclear
What each service offers and charges is as published on its own site. On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Tool / service | Type | What it offers | Pricing | Free tier | Status (13 Oct) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waybackr | Online | Website recovery (a Knops Media brand) | Not published | Not verified | Site live, but the ArchiveTeam wiki says the service seems to have stopped working |
Redirects (old names you’ll still find in guides)
| Name | What happens now |
|---|---|
| Wayback Rebuilder | Its domain permanently redirects to a personal biography page. There’s no restore service there anymore |
| Wayback Downloader (the short domain) | Forwards to Wayback Machine Downloader, so it’s the same service |
If an old guide sent you to one of these, Wayback Revive’s free downloader is a maintained alternative.
Dead / unreachable
| Name | Result |
|---|---|
| Archive Scraper | No response on two attempts |
| r-tools (web archive parser) | Redirects to a service page that times out |
Unmaintained (code still available)
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Tool | Last code update | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wayback Machine Downloader Ruby gem (hartator) | October 2022 | The most-cited free tool. Users report failures with current archive APIs |
| ShiftaDeband fork of the gem | February 2024 | A community fork with fixes; check its open issues before you rely on it |
If the gem fails for you, try the free downloader, which runs in your browser with nothing to install.
Not a restoration tool
- RestoreWebpages: a site of recovery guides and articles. Useful reading, but it isn’t a downloader.
Which should you use?
- You want to try for free, with nothing to install: start with Wayback Revive’s free downloader (homepage + 4 pages, preview before download; no account or card, just an email). Several other online tools also have free tiers, so compare the results.
- A business, WordPress or e-commerce site that has to work properly: use a done-for-you service. Wayback Revive restores full sites to clean HTML ($30/site) or WordPress ($110/site total). You pay when you order, then our team reviews your archive by hand before work starts. Other done-for-you services are listed above; whichever you choose, check what happens if the archive turns out to be incomplete.
- Not sure the archive has enough of your site? Check first with the free Can My Website Be Restored? tool.
- Small site, and you’re comfortable in a terminal: the open-source tools listed above are free. Expect some cleanup.
- No public tool can recover databases, logins, order history or server-side code. The Wayback Machine only stores public pages and files.
FAQ
Is the Wayback Machine Downloader gem still working?
Its last code update was in October 2022. It still runs for some people, but forks and online tools are more reliable for most users.
Is there a free way to restore a website from the Wayback Machine?
Yes. Wayback Revive’s free downloader, HTTrack, the open-source scripts and the free tiers of several online services all cost nothing for a few pages.
Why do some services in the Internet Archive’s help article no longer work?
That list dates from 2018. One domain now redirects to a personal page, and another forwards to a service that’s already listed.
Does the Internet Archive endorse any of these services?
No. Its help center says it has no direct experience with third-party rebuild services.
How often is this page updated?
Monthly. Each entry is re-checked, and changes go in the log below.
Change log
- 13 Oct 2026: first published version (20 entries checked).
About the author
About the Wayback Revive Editorial Team
Wayback Revive's editorial team includes website restoration specialists who work on Wayback Machine recovery, WordPress conversion, expired domain restoration, and SEO-safe rebuilds. Our team has helped restore 500+ websites for business owners, bloggers, agencies, and domain investors.
