While WordPress as a content management system is simple and smooth to manage, it’s quite chaotic to regulate Multiple WordPress sites from one dashboard. These multiple sites need you to update themes and plugins separately and keep a record of the entire things from core updates to regular backups. But luckily, there are many services for WordPress that make this task a lot easier. One such option is to choose managed WordPress hosting. If you wish to control it all on your own, there are some great tools or Plugins to assist you in managing multiple WordPress websites from a single dashboard.
Also read: Best Managed WordPress Hosting Providers
Keeping this in mind, in this post, we will share some of the best tools that are now available in the WordPress market which enable you to maintain multiple websites without hassle. Before that let’s take a look at the reasons why you should use a WordPress management tool to maintain multiple sites.
A WordPress management tool allows you to:
- Keep an eye on plugin and theme updates over your websites and install them without any effort.
- Regulate comments, users, and other WordPress benefits.
- Naturally backup the multiple sites and store it properly.
- Rapid update of WordPress software on all sites.
While choosing the tools also, you should be careful. It should depend upon:
- The number of websites that you have because the pricing model for most tools is on a per-website basis.
- The extra features offered by each plugin. Since basic features like updates and backups are available with most plugins, it is the additional features that make the tool favourable.
- The user-friendliness of the interface.
Now, let’s go on to the best tools to manage multiple websites from a single dashboard without a hitch.
1. ManageWP
ManageWP is one of the best free services available in the market for managing multiple websites. It allows web owners to approach all their websites through a single dashboard that has all the information and makes updating, backups, and security scans a breeze. i.e., using a single dashboard, you can install one-click updates for all your WordPress plugins, themes, and core WordPress files.
The additional features of ManageWP are included in the premium add-ons. It offers automatic monthly backups and security scans for free but if you need real-time backups and automated scheduled security, then you should have the paid-addons. Another great advantage of this tool is that it has an extremely flexible pricing model (per month, per website) where you have to pay only for the features you use. Other key features of ManageWP include:
- Performance analysis, store and track results, and include them in client reports which you can send to your clients.
- Google analytics and SEO ranking tool
- Customizable maintenance mode and site migration
- Provide updates option that allows you to create restore points and roll back updates
- Moderate comments on all your sites
2. MainWP
MainWP is a free, open-source WordPress website management tool that has a lot of impressive features. It comes as an admin plugin that you install on a WordPress website and is supported by various paid add-ons. MainWP offers immense flexibility in administering multiple websites and keeping them guarded.
One of the exceptional features offered by this tool is that the core services are available for free to unlimited sites and you can opt for one of the premium extensions only if you want to enhance the site’s functionality. Thus you are actually spending money only on the services that you want instead of buying the entire package that is not even necessary according to your requirements.
MainWP offers smooth update management, plugin and theme scanner, user and content management, and more. Its dashboard has a direct interface that takes all of the difficulty out of managing your plugins and themes. From a central point, users can update their site’s themes and plugins with a single click. MainWP’s single-click access makes it totally easy to approach child sites’ admin panels. The greatest benefit of this is that you don’t have to type in each and every URL individually to access your websites. Other features of MainWP are:
- Offers extensions for several popular WordPress backup plugins
- uptime monitoring and security scanner
- provides a truly customized and premium multiple site management experience
Also read: Free Tools to Test and Analyse Website Performance
3. Jetpack Manage
Jetpack is one of the most popular WordPress plugins that comes loaded with features. It is the Jetpack Manage(one among Jetpack’s 35+ modules) that enables you to control various WordPress websites from the same dashboard. But for this to work, you require a WordPress.com account. Only then the Jetpack plugin will be functioning on all the sites.
The basic Jetpack plugin performs as a mediator between your website and WordPress.com servers. Further, by simply clicking on options, you can update plugins individually on various sites, view the site’s track record, and swap between sites easily. Anyhow, if you want more features, you need to upgrade to their paid plans that offer automated backups, security fixes, malware scanning, and so on. So, running the Jetpack module to manage multiple WordPress sites is a good idea if you are using Jetpack on your site. Key features of this tool include:
- Posts and content management through a single dashboard
- website monitoring services
- Apart from automatic updates, it also offers manual updates for websites and plugins(selective updates).
4. InfiniteWP
Infinite WP is yet another effective WordPress site management tool designed for developers, freelancers, and agencies. It follows a freemium model but most of the functionality is available only in the premium add-ons. Unlike other tools, InfiniteWP requires you to install the software on your server.
The free version of InfiniteWP is constrained to managing WordPress plugin, theme, and core updates. Backups, and restores are also part of the free features. What is more unique is that users can write and publish posts to multiple WordPress websites straight from InfiniteWP.
InfiniteWP also enables you to generate on-demand site backups, but for that, you will need a paid add-on in order to store them. The actual potential of this tool is incorporated in their premium plan which contains all paid features like malware scan, uptime monitoring, easy website deployment, client reports, migrations, managing comments, 2-factor authentication, broken link checker, etc. The annual payment of paid plans starts at $147 for ten sites.
They also allow you to white-label the plugin, so that visitors will see your logo instead of InfiniteWP. It also provides:
- Master login feature
- Bulk installation of plugins
- 23 add-ons to implement
5. CMS Commander
This is a paid WordPress management tool that comes with a dashboard similar to the real WordPress dashboard. It offers all the normal features like malware scanner, backup management, 2-factor authentication, 1-click updates, and more. But the best part is that it’s simple to make durable templates as well as fully new WordPress websites, integrated with pre-configured settings.
If you want to connect all your websites, you will have to install a client plugin on every site. After a 30- day free trial, you should choose any of their premium plans which start at $12/month for 10 websites. When compared to other tools, CMS Commander is slightly different due to its strength in content management and marketing features. It allows you to make use of third-party sources like Flickr, Yelp, YouTube, etc to expand the content. The innate content editor permits you to set up or edit pages and posts on an infinite number of blogs, bulk posts, and schedule publishing. Other key features of CMS Commander include:
- Results of security scans form part of client reports
- lets you import your own RSS feeds, CSV data feeds, and text files.
- Backlink and page speed tracking right on your dashboard
- Maintenance mode, cloning and database optimization
- Offers article spinning services to edit content and post it to your multiple websites
Also read: Best WordPress Security Plugins
6. Solid Central (formerly iThemes Sync)
iThemes Sync is a powerful WordPress management tool developed by the creators of the popular BackupBuddy plugin. The free version of this tool enables you to manage updates for your WordPress websites (only 10 websites for the free version) from a single dashboard. You can also install themes and plugins from WordPress.org or by uploading them manually.
Rather than having to log in to each website separately, iTheme Sync gives you one location to view crucial website data and perform remote WordPress admin actions. Also, one can easily move to iThemes Sync’s individual site view to perform site-specific admin actions such as running WordPress plugin and theme updates, making remote WordPress backups, etc. On the other hand, the paid plans of the tool give you access to uptime monitoring, client reports, user management, security, and integration with BackupBuddy cloud storage, Google Search Console, and more. Other key features include:
- Bulk Install Themes and Plugins From WordPress.org or Zip Upload
- WordPress User Manager
- WordPress Post, Page, and comment Manager
- Duplicate Pages & Posts Remotely
7. WP Remote
WP Remote offers free and easy ways to regulate updates on all your WordPress sites. But it is a basic WordPress management tool with a limited set of features than some other tools on this list. WP Remote is a service that is designed for everyone, whether you are operating small businesses, running multiple sites, or a mix of both.
As mentioned above, the WP Remote helps you to maintain an unlimited number of sites free of cost. It allows you to install and update WordPress core, themes, and plugins within a few clicks. It also enables you to create backups and download them to your computer or store them on AWS or SFTP. Though WP Remote is free and reliable, it is not the best one. It is a good choice only for beginners who have some basic technical knowledge rather than experts. Other notable features of WP Remote include:
- A user-friendly interface
- Maintenance mode
- Performance analysis
- offers JSON based RESTful API so that you can add all of the functionality WP Remote has to offer into your existing processes.
8. WP Umbrella
WP Umbrella is a newcomer in the world of multiple WordPress website management solutions. It has been designed to improve the productivity and peace of mind of agency owners and WordPress freelancers. The dashboard of WP Umbrella helps you to understand with a system of colours, what your daily priorities are and where actions are needed.
WP Umbrella is light and easy to deploy on a huge number of websites and has a unique feature that makes it stand out from the competition: the monitoring of PHP errors generated by conflicting plugins and themes. This helps you to keep your websites well-performing and significantly diminish the time needed to troubleshoot issues on your WordPress.
The key features of WP Umbrella include:
- Single dashboard to manage all your websites from a one place;
- Uptime and performance monitoring
- Plugins and theme update
- PHP errors monitoring
- Critical warnings and basic security monitoring
- Client reports
9. iControlWP
iControlWP is a complete solution to clear up all management and security issues on multiple websites. This tool brings security, backups, and site management into a single consolidated platform which permits you to supervise and control all of your websites.
iControlWP offers Cloudflare protection and Google analytics for bettering your website’s performance and content. It also helps you to monitor and clean the data on all your websites.
It also integrates Cloudflare protection and Google analytics for bettering your website’s performance and content. Also, it helps you monitor and clean the data on all your websites. Another important feature of this tool is that it enables users to lock down access with multi-factor authentication and IP address restrictions. Plus, you can scan your websites and manage all of the security settings from a single platform.
With iControlWP, you can set some plugins for automatic updates when a new update is available as well as lock plugins to avoid automated and bulk updates on it. Another prominent feature with iControlWP is that you get inherent first aid support right into the tool. Thus you can get support just a click away without submitting the support ticket. Other features include:
- Provides bulk updating, settings management, automatic updates, and content management through a single dashboard.
- Collects and provides visitor statistics and data from all websites.
- Ensures that all your website have maximum security features enabled on them
10. WPCentral
WPCentral is a software SaaS offering by Softaculous Ltd, the leading software auto-installer for web hosting panels (cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, etc). It offers a free basic plan for unlimited WordPress sites to manage plugins & themes and do local backups or restore.
WPCentral paid plan supports automated remote backup & restore. The highlight feature is the Plugins/Themes Sets. It allows you to create sets of WordPress plugins and themes which you can directly install on the websites. Saving your time on installing them one-by-one. Most of the features in WPCentral are free. Features like remote backups, clone, 1-minute uptime monitoring are available at a small cost ranging from $1-$2/month. Other features include:
- using the single-click access to the admin panel of your websites
- A detailed report of the websites on a single page
- Reliably backup your websites with just one click in order to secure your data.
Also read: Best Multipurpose WordPress Themes
11. BlogVault
BlogVault is more popular as a backup solution since it offers incremental, encrypted, offsite, real-time, automatic, and on-demand backups. But it is also a perfect platform to manage multiple WordPress sites, enabling you to do everything from one screen.
Like all other tools, BlogVault also allows you to bulk update all the plugins, themes, and WordPress core with a single click. The common dashboard enables you to add, stage, switch, combine, and deal with websites easily. Furthermore, it preserves a backup history of 365 days. Backups are encrypted, and you can use any version to restore them.
BlogVault’s Basic plan (security or backup) starts from $99 per year for 1 site. Plus plan (Security & Backups) starts from $149 per year for 1 site. Also, it offers different plans that suit personal, business, and developers. Other features are:
- Cloud backup
- A firewall that offers real-time threat protection
- Real-time WooCommerce backups including orders
- Team collaboration
- White label solution and comprehensive client reporting
12. WPBlazer
WPBlazer makes it super easy to manage dozens of WordPress websites from one interface. With a 1click dashboard, customers can easily manage all WordPress-related tasks such as post-management, plugin management, theme management, etc. Through the WPBlazer management app, a customer can also save their valuable time, money, and keep their blog secured. They offer three management plans: Starter ($9.97 / month), Pro ($24.97 / month), and Agency ($49.97 / month) along with a 14 days free trial. Other features include:
- WPBlazer helps you protect your site with an easy WordPress SSL install tool.
- It simplifies WordPress post-management.
- One-click WordPress install
- WordPress bulk action
13. Watchful
Watchful is a website manager that helps backup, update & secure your sites in record time and on your schedule. It is one of the full-featured, website maintenance tools that makes it fast and easy to perform updates for both free and commercial add-ons. With automatic backups, integrated uptime monitoring, activity logging, remote add-on installation, intrusion detection and automated reporting, Watchful is an essential tool for all WordPress professionals. Watchful Premium includes much more automation and features all designed to make website maintenance as fast and secure as possible. The premium package costs $1.83/month. Other features include:
- Website organizer for any host
- Backup scheduler and monitor
- Bulk software updater
- SEO Analyzer and site activity tracker
Conclusion
So, we have covered some of the best tools to help you manage multiple sites from a single dashboard. Now you know it’s not that difficult to manage various WordPress sites in a single place. If you still haven’t started using a tool that helps you manage everything from a single dashboard, this is a perfect time. We hope that you will able to find that ideal service/tool that takes care of your sites after reading this article.