There are a handful of management tools out there that help you manage Multiple WordPress Sites effectively. We dived deep into each one of them to understand what they offer and what sort of business needs they fulfill.

TL;DR

In this article, we have identified, accessed, and reviewed the 7 best WordPress management tools. Each comes with a set of advantages and disadvantages. But if you don’t have time to read extensive reviews go for BlogVault WordPress Management Plugin. It’ll help reduce the hassle of managing multiple WordPress sites and will save you a great deal of time.

How to Choose a WordPress Management Tool

We can give you a laundry list of random features but it’s won’t meet your unique needs.

So it is best to first identify what your needs are.

Do you need a tool that can automate backups but you don’t need it to detect security issues because you already have a security plugin installed?

In this case, you need a tool that offers security as an add-on so that you can choose not to buy it.

You may also decide to ditch your current security plugin to use the security service of a management tool.

The primary incentive of using a management tool or plugin is the ability to manage multiple wordpress sites from one dashboard. You can keep an eye on the health of your website from a security point of view along with other activities like uptime, page speed, etc – all from one dashboard.

Build a list of the features you need from a management plugin to manage multiple WordPress websites. Then come back to this article and match your needs with the features that the plugins in this article offer.

Quick tip: If you have specific needs that none of the management tools listed in this article can fulfill, we suggest that you do a quick Google search. Each tool offers a ton of features and it’s impossible to cover them all in a single article.

Say you are looking for a management tool that enables you to clear cache from all your client sites with a single click. Open Google and search “one-click cache clear WordPress management plugin.”

Alternately you can contact support teams of each of the management plugins listed here and check whether they offer what you are looking for.

Best tools to Manage Multiple WordPress Sites

Out of the many tools that manage multiple WordPress websites available out there, we found 7 plugins that are:

Offering comprehensive features
Reasonably priced
Enables scaling of the business

Let’s dive into each tool one by one…

1. BlogVault

BlogVault has been helping WordPress site owners manage their sites for close to a decade. It offers the most comprehensive website management package. From one-click update to staging, from backups to client reporting – BlogVault is an all-in-one solution for managing multiple WordPress websites.

> Offerings

Plugins, themes, core management
User management
One-click updates
Staging
Visual regression
Migration
Automated backups
Backup history page
WooCommerce backups
Guaranteed restoration
Regular site scans
Firewall & login protection
Website hardening
White-labeling
Client reporting
Uptime monitoring
Page speed check
Team & client collaboration

> Highlights

Backups are stored on BlogVault’s own server and not on the client’s site server. This ensures two things:
- Backups are not overburdening the client-server.
- If you lose access to your hosting account, you will still have access to the backups.
The history page is a unique offering. It lets you look at what state your website was in for the last 365 days. It displays the performance and activities of your website along with custom notes that you had added.
The test restore is another unique offering that enables you to test your backups before restoring them.
Staging sites enable you to test WordPress updates before making them on the live site. If the site breaks ever so slightly, the visual regression tool will pick that up and alert you about it.
Activities that tend to bog your site down like running a malware scan is carried out on BlogVault’s one server. This ensures that the performance of your client’s site is not affected.

> Drawbacks

There is no free version. It offers a 7 days trial.

> Pricing

You can manage 1 website for $7.4/month.

This is BlogVault’s lowest plan and it does not include features like WordPress security, WooCommerce backups, uptime monitoring.

To access these features or manage multiple WordPress websites or both, you will need to subscribe to higher plans.

If you are looking for a Backup solution check out this list of WordPress Backup Plugins

2. ManageWP

This management plugin has been around since 2010 and was purchased by GoDaddy back in 2016. What stands out in this particular tool is the great number of features they offer free of cost. Besides that, you can use the tool for free to manage multiple WordPress sites. And they offers 24-hour support to all users.

> Offerings

FREE
- Manage Updates, Plugins & Themes
- Monthly Cloud Backup
- 1-Click Login
- Clone (requires premium Backup)
- Safe Updates (requires premium Backup)
- Performance Check
- Security Check
- Collaborate with Team & Clients
- Analytics
- Manage Comments
- Code Snippets
- Maintenance Mode
- Client Report
- Vulnerability Updates

PREMIUM ADD-ONS
- On-demand Backup
- White Label
- SEO Ranking
- Uptime Monitor
- Advanced Client Report
- Automated Security Check
- Automated Performance Check
- Link Monitor

> Highlights

You can add an unlimited number of WordPress websites on the free plan.
Very cost-effective. The free version offers a ton of features and the premium add-ons are not all that expensive.

> Drawbacks

Users experience disconnection from the ManageWP dashboard.
Error popup on the dashboard while trying to execute a task.

> Pricing

The cost for the premium add-ons range between $1 – $2 per month.

You can avail of all the premium add-ons in one bundle at $150 per month.

3. InfiniteWP

InfiniteWP was easy to set up and the dashboard has an old-school look about it. The free version offers basic features that can be sufficient for static websites that don’t receive a whole lot of visitors. For more dynamic sites, you need to purchase add-ons. With each addon, you receive updates and support for a year.

> Offerings

FREE
- Bulk update plugins & themes
- Install new plugins & themes
- On-demand backups
- Edit site details
- Maintenance mode
- Activity logs

PREMIUM ADD-ONS
- Schedule backup
- Cloud backup
- Website cloning
- Code snippets
- Manage users
- White-listing
- Google Analytics
- Manage comments
- Publish posts, pages & links across multiple sites
- Malware scanning powered by Sucuri or Wordfence
- Client reporting
- Uptime monitor
- Google webmasters crawl results
- Google PageSpeed check
- File uploader
- Broken link checker
- Staging
- Vulnerability updates
- Two-Factor authentication
- Google Safe Browsing check
- Backup Manager Powered by WP Time Capsule
- Google Safe Browsing Check

> Highlights

With the free version, you can get your basic management needs meet, i.e. managing plugins, themes, and taking backups.
Offers an on-demand backup feature which is a premium addon in other management plugins.

> Drawbacks

Many users have experienced a hack after installing the plugin.

> Pricing

The cost of the premium add-ons range between $67 – $147.

You can purchase all premium features for $147/yr for 10 sites, $247/yr for 20 sites, $347/yr for 50 sites, $447 for unlimited WordPress websites respectively.

There is a $647/yr plan for unlimited WordPress websites that offers multiuser access to the InfiniteWP dashboard.

4. MainWP

MainWP is not modeled like InfiniteWP and ManageWP. Sure there is a free version but you can’t buy only the add-ons you need. You need to buy the whole package. Of all the plugins, MainWP took us the longest to set up. But once it was ready, we could manage multiple wordpress sites from one dashboard.

> Offerings

FREE
- Advanced Uptime Monitor
- BackWPup
- Clean and Lock
- Custom Dashboard
- Vulnerability Checker
- WooCommerce Shortcuts
- Sucuri
- UpdraftPlus

PREMIUM
- Article Uploader
- Boilerplate
- Branding
- Bulk Settings Manager
- Code Snippets Comments
- Custom Post Types
- Favorites
- File Uploader
- Google Analytics
- iThemes Security
- Maintenance
- MainWP Buddy
- Page Speed
- Piwik
- Post Dripper
- Post Plus
- Pro Reports
- Rocket
- Staging
- Team Control
- Time Capsule
- URL Extractor

> Highlights

MainWP offers a ton of unique features –
- Create, edit, and remove repetitive pages like privacy policy, terms of use, etc.
- Schedule posts for publishing across different websites from a single dashboard.
- Export URL from across all your websites and export them as CSV or TXT file.
- And many other features.

> Drawbacks

Configuring and setting up the extensions are time-consuming.

> Pricing

MainWP offers a free version.

You can buy the premium extensions for $19.99 per month. Or you can purchase a lifetime package for $399.

5. iThemes Sync

Developed by the team behind BackupBuddy, iThemes Sync is a premium management solution. This particular tool offers features that you won’t find in the free tools listed in this article like choosing to ignore updates for specific themes and plugins to prevent overwriting customizations.

> Offerings

Bulk Install Themes & Plugins
Ignore Update Option
View Plugin Changelogs
WordPress User Manager
WordPress Database Optimizations
Switch Between WordPress User Accounts
WordPress Post & Page Manager
WordPress Comment Manager
WordPress Maintenance Reports
Client Dashboard
Two-factor Authentication
WordPress Uptime Monitoring
Integration with
- BackupBuddy
- iThemes Security
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Yoast SEO
- WP101 Plugin

> Highlight

Perfect for tracking the fruits of your SEO efforts. The tool enables you to connect to SEO Checker, Google Analytics & Google Search Console Reports.

> Drawbacks

There is no free version. It offers a 30 days trial.

> Pricing

You can manage 5 sites for $6.99, 10 sites for $9.99, and 25 sites for $19.99 per month respectively.

6. CMS Commander

The next management tool is CMS Commander that comes with a dashboard that interestingly resembles WordPress’ native dashboard. There is a free as well as a premium version of the plugin. The free one offers you a limited no of features. If you want to try out the premium features, opt for a 30 days trial.

> Offerings

Bulk updates
Bulk post publishing
Import function
Google PageSpeed Insights
Automatic Backups
Restore backups
Cloning Websites
Backlink Monitoring
Maintenance Mode
Uptime monitoring
Malware scanning
Database optimization
Schedule Posts
Clone Websites
Manage Ads
Two-Factor Authentication
Import Content From Local Folder

> Highlights

This tool comes with a few unique offerings like tracking backlinks, managing ads, adding affiliate links to posts, etc.
You can import posts from text files, CSV and RSS feeds and then publish them on client websites.

> Drawback

With this tool, you don’t have the flexibility of buying only the features that you require. You need to purchase the whole package.

> Pricing

Manage 5 websites for $8/month

7. iControlWP

It’s one of the least known WordPress management tools. It offers many of the essential features you’d need to manage multiple WordPress websites. Unlike other plugins in the list, iControlWP does not offer a free version. But there is a 7 days trial that you can opt for.

> Offerings

Bulk Plugin Management
Auto-update of Plugin
WorpDrive Backup Protection
Uptime Monitoring
Client Report
White Labelling
Optimize Site Database
Site Database Cleanup
Manage Comments & Users
Uptime Monitoring
Shield Security
Sucuri Scanning
Google Analytics Integration
Site Activity Audit
Security
- Change Authentication Keys and Salts
- Change Database Credentials
- WordPress Security Settings like:
  - Hide WordPress Version
  - Disable File Editing, etc

> Highlight

The tool enables you to test your backup before restoring it. You can even test plugins and themes before updating them on the live site.
Organize sites into groups so that you can implement bulk operations.
You can manage an unlimited number of websites from the iControlWP dashboard.

> Drawback

The dashboard is very slow and cluttered. It looks like it was created in the 90s.

> Pricing

It has no free version.

You can manage an unlimited number of websites for $15 / month.

This is the lowest plan and it does not contain backup, Shield Security Services, client reporting, uptime monitoring, and white labeling.

To access these features you need to subscribe to higher plans.

What Next?

We investigated many tools that manage multiple WordPress sites and found the 7 plugins listed in this article superior to others.

BlogVault checks all the boxes. It’s affordable and offers a list of comprehensive features that enables you to scale your business.

The ultimate choice, however, rests with you. Choose what fits your needs.

Any doubts? Queries? Leave a comment below. We’ll get back to you asap.

Posted in:

WordPress Maintenance

Sophia Lawrence,

Sufia is a WordPress enthusiast, and enjoys sharing their experience with fellow enthusiasts. On the MalCare blog, Sufia distils the wisdom gained from building plugins to solve security issues that admins face.

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