Management tools like WP Umbrella are great solutions in the WordPress ecosystem for managing multiple WordPress sites from one central dashboard.
Although WP Umbrella is one of the most recommended WordPress site management plugins in the WordPress ecosystem, other remarkable WP Umbrella alternatives exist for efficiently managing your clients’ websites.
In this article, we will explore the best WP Umbrella alternatives for centralized WordPress site management.
Table of Contents
Why You Need a WordPress Site Management Plugin
As a WordPress freelancer, developer, or agency, managing and updating each client’s WordPress site individually can be highly time-consuming. You have to log into each website one after the other to make updates and changes.
WordPress site management tools are a one-stop solution for monitoring and managing multiple WordPress sites simultaneously.
Here are some ways WordPress site management tools can be helpful for your business:
Centralized Management
Site management tools provide a centralized dashboard where you can connect multiple WordPress sites and easily manage them from one place.
Automation and Bulk Actions
When managing multiple WordPress sites, some of the actions you must do on each site are repetitive, e.g., updating plugins, backing up sites, etc. Doing the same thing across multiple sites could be more productive. WordPress site management tools help you save time by simultaneously automating or bulk-performing similar actions across multiple sites.
User Roles Management
Site management tools allow you to manage users’ roles and permissions across various sites.
Content Management
Some site management tools allow you to edit and publish content on any connected sites from your centralized dashboard.
Analytics and Reporting
Some site management tools also allow you to track and generate statistics reports across various sites, including traffic, conversion rates, sales, and other key performance indicators, making it easy to provide site reports to your clients.
Security Monitoring
Some site management tools have malware scanners that allow you to scan your sites for vulnerabilities. Some also automatically monitor your sites and alert you when a potential threat is identified, helping you safeguard your clients’ sites at all times.
Performance Optimization
Lastly, some site management tools allow you to check site speed and implement site performance optimization, including caching, file compression, and script minification.
WP Umbrella is a popular site management plugin for WordPress. This plugin provides a dashboard to connect and manage multiple WordPress sites. WP Umbrella allows you to monitor uptime, automate backups, check performance, implement updates, and monitor PHP errors. It also allows you to generate customizable maintenance reports for your clients.
Key Features of WP Umbrella
- User-friendly interface
- Uptime monitoring
- Update manager for themes and plugins
- Automatic backups
- Error monitoring
- Performance insights
- Automated maintenance reports
- White labeling
Pricing of WP Umbrella
WP Umbrella pricing starts at $1.99 per month per site.
Common Reasons to Consider WP Umbrella Alternatives
WP Umbrella is a decent site management tool. However, it is only for some. Some limitations will cause you to consider WP Umbrella alternatives. Some of the reasons include:
- No Free Version: WP Umbrella only offers a 14-day free trial. They do not have a free version, which might not be an excellent feature for upcoming WordPress developers and agencies.
- Cost: WP Umbrella charges per site. This cost could add up and become less affordable when you manage many WordPress sites.
- Feature Limitations: WP Umbrella may lack certain desirable features for effective site management, such as robust security features, malware scanning, caching management, etc. These limitations can push users to seek alternatives that support those features.
- User Experience: If WP Umbrella is less intuitive and difficult to navigate and you desire a more user-friendly interface, you should explore other WP Umbrella alternatives for a better user experience.
- Integration Needs: If you need to integrate specific tools, platforms, or services with your site management tool, but WP Umbrella does not support those Integrations, you must seek alternatives that do.
- Feedback and Reviews: Feedback and reviews are critical for choosing between two or more products. When you compare WP Umbrella’s reviews, ratings, and statistics against other WordPress site management plugins, you will discover that WP Umbrella doesn’t always come out unscathed. With not-so-great feedback, you may want to find an alternative with better prospects.
Things to Consider When Choosing the Best WP Umbrella Alternatives
Consider these things if you must choose the best WordPress site management tool for your business.
They include:
Available Features
You must check the tool’s features when considering alternatives to WP Umbrella. It’s best to choose a tool that offers automated and secure backups, vulnerability monitoring, uptime monitoring, bulk updates, staging, and site optimization.
Ease of Use
You also need a tool with a clean, user-friendly interface and easy navigation that makes managing multiple sites so much easier.
Pricing Structure
You also need to choose a budget-friendly WP Umbrella alternative. Compare the pricing plans and included features to select the alternative worth investing in. Ensure its pricing structure is fair and transparent and that the cost of including additional sites or specific features will keep you from breaking the bank.
Scalability
While the features and pricing structure suit your current business level, what about your future level? You need to choose an alternative that can scale with your needs as the number of sites you manage increases.
Supported Integrations
Suppose you want specific integrations on your sites or central dashboard to enhance your workflow, such as Google Analytics, a page speed insight tool, etc. When choosing a WP Umbrella alternative, consider integration capabilities and compatibility with existing tools and plugins.
Ratings and User Reviews
Another thing to consider when choosing a WP Umbrella alternative is user reviews. These people have already used the tool to express their honest opinions. Platforms like Trustpilot, G2, Capterra, etc., are great places to identify and compare the strengths and weaknesses of various WP Umbrella alternatives before choosing.
5+ Best WP Umbrella Alternatives for WordPress Sites Management
1. InstaWP
InstaWP is an outstanding management platform for WordPress sites. It is cloud-based and away from your server, ensuring no load on your site.
InstaWP allows you to connect unlimited WordPress sites and use your user-intuitive dashboard to manage them. Besides the ability to connect and manage multiple WordPress sites from your dashboard, InstaWP comes with other features, including vulnerability scanning, WordPress staging, one-click Admin login, automated backups, etc.
Key Features of InstaWP
- Remote Management
- 1-click WP-Admin Access
- Bulk theme, plugin, and core updates
- Uptime monitoring
- Purge cache
- User Role Management
- One-click staging environment
- Content Management
- Site Cloning and Migration
- Backup and Restore
- Performance & vulnerability monitoring
- Team Collaboration
Pricing of InstaWP
InstaWP offers both free and paid subscriptions for site management. The paid plans are as follows:
- Starter: $90 / year
- Professional: $180 / year (free hosting for one site included)
- Agency: $490 / year (free hosting for three sites included)
2. MainWP
MainWP is a self-hosted site management tool that allows you to convert a single WordPress site into a centralized dashboard, giving you complete control. Once set up, you can connect and manage your other WordPress sites.
Key Features of MainWP
- Self-hosted central dashboard
- Instant theme and plugin updates
- User role management
- Vulnerability check
- Uptime monitoring
- Scheduled automated backups
- Support external backup storage
- SEO Monitoring
- speed testing
- Security check and hardening
Pricing of MainWP
MainWP is a free tool that allows you to manage unlimited WordPress sites with limited features. You must pay $29/month or $199/year subscription or $599 lifetime for advanced features and premium extensions.
3. InfiniteWP
InfiniteWP is another WordPress site management plugin. It is a more advanced and flexible site management tool for WordPress developers and agencies requiring a self-hosted dashboard with robust management capabilities. The plugin will convert your hosted site into a centralized dashboard where you can connect and manage other WordPress sites.
Key Features of InfiniteWP
- 1-click admin access
- Self-hosted dashboard
- Centralized management
- One-click site updates
- Automated backups
- Performance monitoring
- Security management
- Backups and restores
- Malware scanning
- Uptime monitoring
- Custom reports
- Broken link checking
- User role management
Pricing of InfiniteWP
InfiniteWP offers several pricing plans, starting with the Starter plan, which costs $147/year and supports the management of 10 sites. The Enterprise plan is the highest, allowing you to manage unlimited sites for $647/year.
4. ManageWP
The next WP Umbrella alternative on our list is ManageWP. ManageWP is a cloud-based management platform that allows you to connect and manage multiple WordPress sites, performing actions like plugin and theme updates, site backups, performance analysis, security checks, etc., in one central place.
Key Features of ManageWP
- One-click Admin Login
- Plugin and Theme management
- Maintenance mode
- One-click updates
- Unlimited sites
- Template builder
- Team collaboration
- Security and performance check
- Vulnerability check
- Site cloning and migration
- Incremental backups
- White labeling
Pricing of ManageWP
ManageWP is a free tool. However, it offers premium extensions for special features starting at $1 per feature per site.
5. WP Remote
WP Remote is another popular WP Umbrella alternative on our list. This tool allows you to simultaneously manage multiple WordPress sites and keep them safe while saving time. It reduces the risk of manual errors by automatically updating your WordPress plugins and themes. It also backs up your sites and comes with a restore feature to revert your site to a working state in case of data corruption.
Key Features of WP Remote
- Performance monitoring
- Uptime monitoring
- Malware scanning and removal
- Bot protection
- Failed logins limiting
- Offsite backups
- Bulk updates
- Client reporting
- White labeling
Pricing of WP Remote
There is no free version, and WP Remote paid plans start at $29/month for managing up to 5 sites.
6. WPMU DEV
WPMU DEV is another excellent WordPress management platform that you should consider. It has several management features that make managing multiple WordPress sites easy. The plugin automatically backs up your site before deploying updates in case of errors and has a notification feature informing you whenever an update fails. It uses Defender Pro for malware scanning and offers many other cool features.
Key Features of WPMU DEV
- Uptime monitoring
- Performance monitoring
- Quick updates
- Automated backups
- Visual checks
- Malware scanning
- White labeling
- Client reporting
Pricing of WPMU DEV
WPMU DEV subscriptions start from $30/month for one site to $200/month for unlimited sites.
InstaWP as the Best WP Umbrella Alternative
InstaWP is hands down the best WP Umbrella alternative. It is more than just a WordPress site management tool; it is a must-have toolkit for WordPress development, testing, hosting, and management.
WordPress Management
With InstaWP remote management capabilities, you can turn on and off which features you want included in your workflow. This feature is available on a per-site basis. This flexibility can help you offer tier management services to your clients.
WordPress Development
InstaWP offers instant WordPress setup for faster site development from scratch or templates without the need to host them already. It has an advanced toolset for WordPress site development, including a database editor, code editor, log viewer, WP CLI, etc.
When the site is ready, InstaWP offers a free migration tool that allows you to migrate it to any hosting provider seamlessly.
InstaWP Live Managed WordPress Hosting
InstaWP also offers a managed WordPress hosting solution that takes your site from development to live hosting. The hosting is cloud-based and has robust features such as edge caching, CDNs, advanced WAF, enhanced DDoS, redundancy, regular backups, vulnerability scanning, etc.
WordPress Staging
InstaWP also offers a staging environment for testing changes and updates before applying them to the live site, minimizing the risk of downtime due to errors.
The InstaWP’s WordPress staging feature stands out with its two-way sync, allowing you to easily select and push changes from the staging site to the live site with a single click. This streamlines site management by eliminating the need to redo changes on the live site after testing.
Final Thought
There are several excellent WP Umbrella alternatives with powerful WordPress management features. These tools make running multiple WordPress sites a breeze. Each has its unique selling point and competitive advantage over one another. We hope you choose the best tool that meets all your site management needs for a hitch-free experience.
If you’d like our opinion, then we recommend InstaWP. InstaWP stands out among the WP Umbrella alternatives discussed in this article, and we recommend that you consider it first before looking at others. You will be satisfied. Try InstaWP today and manage multiple WordPress websites effortlessly.
