Introduction
“The state of WordPress management today is all about integration and efficiency. Agencies and developers are seeking platforms that not only handle updates and security but also streamline client communication, reporting, and team collaboration into one unified dashboard. The demand is for comprehensive solutions that can adapt to the evolving needs of WordPress professionals, helping them save time and enhance productivity.”
– Phil Storey, Founder of Glow
Managing multiple WordPress websites can be a complex and time-consuming task for agencies, developers, and business owners. With the plethora of management tools available, finding the right one that fits your specific needs is crucial. In this article, we’ll delve into why using a WordPress management tool is essential and compare two popular options: MainWP and WP Umbrella. Let’s dig in.
Why Use a WordPress Management Tool
At Glow, our software manages hundreds of WordPress websites, and we speak to WordPress agency owners every day. The top three reasons we see agencies investing in WordPress management are:
- Keeping on top of WordPress updates – Many agencies and teams still handle WordPress updates manually, logging in and out of each website to run updates.
- Handling support requests from clients – Many agencies still use email for handling support requests from clients, which is far from an ideal solution for a team of developers.
- Business growth – Agencies are increasingly realising how they can grow the care plan side of their business through the use of modern WordPress management platforms.
If we had to pick one word to summarise the value these platforms provide, it would be efficiency. The way we have seen successful agency owners grow their businesses is by improving efficiency and leveraging technology and automation.
MainWP vs WP Umbrella
MainWP
MainWP is a self-hosted WordPress management solution that allows you to control multiple WordPress sites from a central dashboard. It’s an open-source platform, giving you complete control over your data and customisations.
- Pros:
- Open-source and self-hosted, offering full control over your data.
- Extensible with a wide range of free and premium extensions.
- One-time payment model for extensions, which can be cost-effective in the long run.
- Cons:
- Requires more technical knowledge to set up and maintain.
- No ability to handle client support requests.
- Self-hosted nature means you are responsible for security and updates of the MainWP dashboard.
WP Umbrella
WP Umbrella is a SaaS-based WordPress management tool that offers a centralised dashboard for managing multiple sites. It focuses on ease of use, providing features like uptime monitoring, performance checks, and automated backups.
- Pros:
- User-friendly interface that’s easy to navigate.
- Automated backups and monitoring tools included.
- SaaS model means no hosting or maintenance of the dashboard is required.
- Cons:
- Fewer integrations compared to some competitors.
- No ability to handle client support requests.
- Recurring subscription costs may add up over time.
Which Is Right for You?
When evaluating WordPress management tools, ensure you consider everything you need—both today and in the future. Many of the tools tend to be somewhat similar when it comes to common features and functionality, such as:
- WordPress updates
- Backups
- Uptime monitoring
- Security vulnerability monitoring
- Performance monitoring
Where you tend to find more differences are behind the scenes, so be sure to ask about:
- Client reporting – Are they well-designed, automated, and customisable?
- Integrations – Does the tool play nicely with other business apps your team use in their day-to-day?
- Secure access – Can it provide secure access to client sites for your team?
- Complete solution – Does the product include support, maintenance, and reporting without requiring multiple plugins?
- Pricing – Is pricing flexible and granular enough to grow with your business?
- Whitelabelling – If agencies outsource their website management and maintenance to you, do they properly cater for this?
- Deployment – Is it SaaS (like Glow, WP Umbrella, and ManageWP) or a self-hosted solution (like MainWP and InfiniteWP) that you have to manually set up on your own server?
More About Glow
Almost all agencies need the same core set of tools to efficiently manage multiple WordPress sites: a support system, a maintenance system, client reporting, team collaboration, and time tracking. And with traditional WordPress management software, you can get some of those tools, but not all.
“We used to have time tracking, tickets & reporting across different tools. Glow centralises all this into one easy-to-use dashboard.”
– Rick Makin, Head of Web Design, 21 Degrees Digital
Glow is the only product in the market that offers the ability to handle your entire WordPress care plan and support plus maintenance service from one dashboard. Here are five reasons why Glow stands out as a top alternative:
- Fast, always-human support – Whenever you need us, it’s us you’ll chat to. Not AI. Not a chatbot. Actual humans.
- Maintenance and support ticketing in a single platform – Streamline your workflow by managing everything in one place.
- Flexible pricing – All features are included in every plan, with the option to extend your existing plan by adding more websites on a pay-as-you-go basis, making it cost-effective for agencies of all sizes.
- Leading industry reporting – Provide your clients with detailed and professional reports effortlessly, helping you to consistently prove the value of your service.
- Free white glove migration service – Transition to Glow smoothly with expert onboarding assistance at no extra cost.
Click here to download our free website report template and see what Glow can do for you.
