Remember when Android ruled the smartphone realm? Then, one fine day, Apple decided to crash the party. Starbucks cornered Peet’s extra aromatic coffee and stole the show. Similarly, the WordPress management game has been completely reshuffled.
Today, ManageWP, a classic WordPress management tool, has a few feature-rich options, simplifying WordPress management even more. It offers a lot for free when managing a handful of sites.
Forward-thinking WordPress agencies and developers handling a fleet of sites might find their hands tied. This is where the journey of hunting down ManageWP alternatives begins.
Fasten your seatbelt as we take you on a rousing ride of finding the best ManageWP alternatives in the market.
The Role of ManageWP in WordPress Management
ManageWP is a WordPress management tool that enables agencies and developers to supervise multiple WordPress sites. It grants the power to execute automated backups, security scans, performance checks, and client reporting, all from a single interface, to its users.
Through its centralized management, it aims to save time and reduce the complexity of WordPress management, and it succeeds as well.
Why Consider Alternatives?
For agencies racing against the clock, ManageWP can be a major roadblock with its limited customization and essential WordPress management functionalities as paid add-ons.
Exploring ManageWP alternatives could provide agencies a chance to experience top-notch WordPress management.
But don’t just stop at knowing about the ideal ManageWP alternative. Discover the must-have features to look for in its replacement.
Ensure the alternative offers comparable or superior features in areas like site management, security, and performance. Keep user-friendliness as a top priority. Ensure that the alternative can handle your growth client base and website fleet.
Look for features that support collaboration among developers so that WordPress management becomes a cakewalk.
Top ManageWP Alternatives to Explore
Have a look at the table and see a head-to-head comparison of ManageWP with its alternatives.
Feature | ManageWP | InstaWP | WPUmbrella | MainWP |
Management | 1- click Admin AccessManage CommentLocal SyncPlugin and theme management | 1-click Admin Access Remote Management User role Curated WordPress configurations | Dashboard Overview Bulk UpdatesBack-up and store | Centralized Management Bulk Updates Security Checks Back-up & restores |
Staging | A limited number of staging sites, only 10 | Lightning-fast, coding-free staging | Included with a focus on simplicity | Self-hosted but little complex staging |
Collaboration | Available | Remote, SSH-secured collaboration | No specific collaboration feature | Available through extensions |
Templates | No monetization | Monetizable, time-saving templates | Not applicable | No monetization but fully customizable |
Backup Management | Cloud backup with US/EU storage | Backup with US, UK, DE, and CA server locations | Automated backups with restore options | Backup via third-party tools |
Ease of Usage | Easy to use | Intuitive, user-friendly | Simple learning curve | Self-hosting requires technical knowledge |
Looking for a game-changer to manage your WordPress sites? These ManageWP alternatives are the real deal for you.
Alternative 1: InstaWP
InstaWP is quickly making a name for itself in the realm of WordPress management; all thanks to its secure and easy management of thousands of live sites with no heavy lifting.
Agencies can manage their client sites by quickly connecting with a live site, using a URL, saving them a great deal of time & effort.

Features & Benefits
Here is why InstaWP is a cut above the rest.
- Update PHP and WordPress versions in bulk.
- Cache purging to display the updated version of the sites, improving user experience.
- Remote management of connected sites.
- No-fuss login to WP Admin Panel using Magic Login.
- 1-click theme and plugin updates.
- Updating themes, plugins, PHP & WordPress versions, and the core of the sites in bulk. Manage the WordPress site databaseS remotely using RestAPI.
- Read, update, or delete the constant value of sites remotely.
- Automatically debug the WordPress site logs.
- InstaWP’s heartbeat mechanism notifies you if there’s an issue with a connected site, ensuring you’re always aware of site status and potential problems.
- Centralized management of connected sites, saving you thousands of work hours.
- Staging sites with features such as custom domain, SSH & FTP access, backup & previous version storage, and migration to any hosting.
- Manage users, define roles, and control the functionalities. Create multiple teams to manage different projects.
- Host websites with the hosting providers of your choice and monetize them.
- 2-way sync capabilities to push the changes made in staging sites directly to the live sites.
Pros
- Auto bulk updates
- User-friendly and intuitive interface
- Connect and manage unlimited live sites using the InstaWP Connect plugin
Cons
- No link monitoring
Alternative 2: WPUmbrella
WPUmbrella, as a reliable ManageWP alternative, provides a unified dashboard to fix all your WordPress management woes, such as backup, staging, plugin/theme compatibility testing, and so on.

Its core focus is on simplicity, performance monitoring, and WP management automation, making it a valuable tool for those who want to take a break from manual and cumbersome WordPress management.
Features and Benefits
- Performance monitoring that can track the website’s uptime, load time, and overall health.
- Automate backup with previous version restoration abilities.
- Bulk management of themes and plugins.
- Management Scheduling.
- Real-time site downtime alerts, promoting quick action.
- While label reports on site performance, backup, and updates.
Pros
- Allows you to manage multiple sites without the steep learning curve
- Provides detailed insights into site performance, which is vital for improving user experience and SEO
- PHP error monitoring
Cons
- Limited integrations
- Limited server coverage (backup servers only in EU)
Alternative 3: MainWP
MainWP is an ideal ManageWP alternative for those who prefer self-hosted WordPress management. It provides a great level of control and customization while managing multiple sites simultaneously.

Unlike ManageWP, which is a cloud-based management solution, MainWP operates via a plugin that users can install on their server. Hence, more privacy and flexibility are granted.
Features and Benefits
- More control over WP management with self-hosting, resulting in better autonomy.
- Manage an unlimited number of sites in the free version.
- Bulk management of updates, backups, and security checks.
- Limit access by locking IP, ensuring better security of WordPress sites.
- Staging and cloning of live sites.
- White label capabilities, allow users to fully customize the appearance of their dashboard.
Pros
- Grants full control over data and management workflow
- Offers a wide range of 33+ premium extensions, promoting a high level of customization
- GDPR Compliant
Cons
- Self-hosting can be complex
- No build-in cloud backup
Need more details on ManageWP v/s MainWP? Check this out.
Making the Right Choice
When it comes to selecting a ManageWP alternative, the choice has to be based on what you need, your technical experience, and the features that matter the most to you or your agency.
If you need quick and hassle-free multisite management with unmatched collaboration and easy migration, InstaWP is the best bet to make. The added ability to curate configurations serves as an excellent customization opportunity.
InstaWP as an Alternative to ManageWP
InstaWP- with its stellar feature suite- has managed to firm its feet in the world of WordPress management. It goes beyond traditional management, revolving around staging, managing themes & plugins, and hosting.
It brings everything you need to host, manage, and develop WordPress sites under one roof, resulting in faster and hassle-free WordPress management.
InstaWP vs ManageWP: Feature Comparison
When we’re saying that InstaWP is the best ManageWP alternative, don’t just take our word for it. Ask for the proof. Gladly, we have enough of them to offer.
Getting Started
InstaWP is super easy to use. The dashboard lets you do tons of things without switching tabs.
You can build staging and templates while managing their hosting.

Agencies handling multiple sites to manage don’t have to enter the login credentials for each site, which is the case with ManageWP. InstaWP’s Connect plugin saves time and effort by allowing you to connect unlimited sites to the dashboard instantly.

With 1-click access, its users don’t have to get into the hassles of entering credentials of their WordPress site/s. Click “Magic Login” and you’ll be directed to the WordPress Dashboard.
On the other hand, ManageWP needs your WordPress site’s URL, username, and credentials to get connected. If you have hundreds of websites to manage, imagine the time and effort you end up wasting just to connect the sites.

Remote Management
InstaWP provides ample remote management opportunities, such as enabling global auto-updates, updating themes & plugins, managing user roles, managing databases, purging cache, and so on.
You can enable or disable each one of the parameters from the dashboard; no tab switching.

However, users of ManageWP have to active WordPress management workflows individually. For instance, if you want to take the backup of the site, you first have to activate it, based upon your preferences.

User Role Management
Managing users is a cakewalk with InstaWP as you can add new users, define their roles, sort the users by created date, and share the login URL.

While you can do pretty much the same things with ManageWP, you can’t sort the users based on their profile creation date.

Staging
Installation of themes and plugins often requires a staging environment to keep incompatibility issues at bay. InstaWP lets you create staging of your live site directly from the WordPress dashboard, saving you thousands of crucial work hours and managing WordPress sites easily.

Content Syncing
The 2-way sync feature of InstaWP keeps track of any changes done on the WordPress staging site and allows you to push the changes directly to the live site.

You can choose which events need to be synced. Once you have selected the desired events, just save the changes and sit back & relax. All the changes will be auto-captured.

Pricing
Now, let’s talk about money because it matters. The pricing of InstaWP is fair, and no rocket science is needed to gain a deeper understanding. There are three paid subscriptions, along with a decent free plan.

Everything is sorted, from features offered to pricing. Hence, agencies can calculate project costs and provide precise quotes.
However, ManageWP’s pricing model is like a puzzle. It’s a headache for agencies as they constantly navigate between free and paid add-ons.

Added Benefits of InstaWP
Along with leveraged WordPress management, InstaWP brings more bang for your buck with features such as:
InstaWP templates let you use blueprints as templates for future projects, share templates with anyone using a link, and monetize them.

Guide To Refer: Sell WordPress Templates or Themes – InstaWP
Powerful WP-CLI commands remove the need to have server-level access and manage sites without managing SSH credentials.

WaaS feature that allows you to create and share pre-configured templates, coupled with hosting, as websites. This enables WordPress developers and agencies to shift from a traditional one-time project model to a recurring revenue money, providing stability.

Guide to Refer: Create WaaS | InstaWP Docs
Factors to Consider for a Smooth Transition
Have you figured out that you need to migrate from ManageWP to a reliable ManageWP alternative like InstaWP?
Congrats on taking a step toward a more streamlined, inventive, and scalable way to manage WordPress.
But you can’t go bonkers and move haphazardly. Following a strategic approach is key to success here.
- Begin by taking back your existing WordPress site and its related data.
- Consider the custom plugins or themes you’re using on your site and check whether they will be compatible with the new tool.
- Ensure that the new tool provides sufficient API access for custom integrations or developments.
- Ensure that there is adequate documentation and resources available to help you learn and use the new tool effectively.
- Don’t just your compatibility with the tool. Evaluate the user-friendliness of the new tool and ensure that how easy it is for your team to learn and adapt.
- If possible, take a demo of the new tool to understand its real-world capabilities.
By carefully considering these factors, the transition ought to be smooth and frictionless.
Conclusion
ManageWP is great, but it’s not GOAT( aka Greatest of all time). With growing demands for customization, autonomy, and scalability, developers are bound to go on a hunt for the best ManageWP alternative.
InstaWP exceeds expectations, especially in the domain of WordPress management, by keeping most of its key features free and scalable. It puts you at the front seat of seamless WP management through its modern features.
Excited to feel the difference? Sign up today.