Managing multiple WordPress sites is a hassle. There are the regular maintenance tasks you need to take care of, such as updates, backups, and security, in addition to publishing content and moderating comments.
The difficult way to manage your sites would be to log in to each site’s dashboard and handle these tasks one at a time. But it is time consuming.
That’s why it’s important to use WordPress management software. It makes the task of managing and maintaining multiple WordPress sites simple and fast.
Here are 6 of the best WordPress management software currently available.
1. ManageWP
ManageWP contains the basic features that most of the other tools on this list have:
- one click updating of WordPress core, plugins, and themes across all your sites
- installation and management of plugins and themes from one dashboard
- backup your sites on demand
ManageWP also has a number of advanced features. They provide automatic backups to Dropbox, Amazon s3, and other cloud services. You can also perform security scans on your sites with Sucuri, and there is an uptime monitoring module that will send texts and emails to notify you of any downtime.
In addition, ManageWP includes a few extras, such as SEO analytics, cloning and migration tools, and the ability to run reports on your sites.
There is a free plan available that primarily offers the ability to update your sites.
The basic plan is $1.50 a month per website and includes the one-click updates, one-click login to any site’s dashboard, the installation and management of plugins and themes, and manual backups.
The highest plan, which includes everything ManageWP offers, is $9.00 a month per site.
As you add more websites to your ManageWP plan, you receive price breaks.
You can see a breakdown of ManageWP’s plans and pricing here.
2. iThemes Sync
iTheme’s WordPress management solution is a slightly simpler version of ManageWP. Like ManageWP, it gives you the ability to run updates on themes, plugins, and the WordPress core, as well as bulk install themes and plugins, and manage users and comments.
While it does not include an option for backups, it does integrate nicely with iTheme’s BackupBuddy, as well as iTheme’s other software, such as iThemes Security. You can control these plugins directly from Sync’s dashboard.
The basic iThemes Sync plan allows you to manage up to 10 sites for free. Their beginning paid plan is $50 a year for up to 25 sites.
There is also a pro version of Sync. With it, you’ll be able to hide certain menu items on your clients’ dashboards, provide uptime monitoring, track site performance, view analytics data, and share posts automatically to Twitter.
iThemes Sync Pro starts at $130 a year for up to 10 sites.
You can learn more about iThemes Sync at https://ithemes.com/sync/, and iThemes Sync Pro at https://ithemes.com/sync-pro/.
3. InfiniteWP
Unlike the other tools on this list, InfiniteWP is a self-hosted solution. This means you will need to download the software and install it on your own server.
The upside is that it’s free and you are in complete control of the software. The downside is the setup may be a bit complex for those who haven’t worked with servers before.
That aside, it provides the basics you will need for management, including one-click updates, manual backups, and plugin/theme management.
You can also purchase premium add-ons which add additional functionality. For example, there are add-ons for broken link checking, malware scanning, uptime monitoring, database optimizing, and client reporting. Add-ons range from $69 to $99, or you can purchase all of them for $399.
You can learn more about InfiniteWP and download it here.
4. WP Remote
WP Remote provides you with the bare minimums for WordPress management: you can run updates on your sites and run manual backups.
But the upside to WP Remote is that it is free for an unlimited number of sites.
At one point, there were premium features you could pay for, such as making backups to Amazon s3. But it appears the free version is the only version currently available. Perhaps in the future they will again offer a premium plan.
You can learn more about WP Remote here.
5. Jetpack Site Management
This is a relatively new offering as part of the Jetpack plugin. And like most of the Jetpack modules, it is free.
It provides you with a dashboard to manage all of your Jetpack connected sites. You can run updates, manage plugins, view Jetpack stats, and even post to each site.
You can learn more at the Jetpack Site Management site.
6. WPDash
WPDash is a newcomer and is still in beta.
It provides the standard management tools, as well as uptime monitoring and automatic backups. What sets it apart from the other tools on this list is that it integrates with outside services.
For instance, you can integrate it with a landing page software to make landing pages from within WPDash. You can also integrate with an analytics and keyword monitoring tool.
You can learn more about WPDash and sign up for a beta account here.
What tools do you use?
Do you manage multiple WordPress websites? What management tools do you use to make the process easier and faster? Please share them.
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