What MainWP Is, and What MainWP Does
MainWP is a free, open-source, self-hosted tool for managing many WordPress sites from one place. You install the free MainWP Dashboard plugin on a WordPress site you own and the free MainWP Child plugin on each site you manage. From your MainWP Dashboard, you then update, back up and monitor all of those sites.
MainWP suits agencies, freelancers and developers who look after many WordPress sites and want their site and client data on a server they control.
Over 20,000 MainWP Dashboards manage over 700,000 child sites, and MainWP has over 2,200 five-star reviews on WordPress.org.
What does MainWP replace?
Looking after WordPress sites one at a time means a separate login, update round and backup check for every site. MainWP brings that work together in your MainWP Dashboard.
| Work on each site today | With MainWP |
|---|---|
| Log in to each site’s WP Admin to find plugin, theme and WordPress updates | Your MainWP Dashboard lists every pending update across your sites, ready to run in bulk or one site at a time. |
| Keep a list of logins to reach each site | Open any child site’s WP Admin from your Dashboard with one click. |
| Set up and check a backup plugin on every site | MainWP Built-In Backups schedule, store and restore backups for every child site. |
| Sign up for a separate uptime service | Uptime monitoring runs in your Dashboard and emails you when a site goes down and when it comes back up. |
| Track clients, hosting and license costs in spreadsheets | Client profiles and MainWP Cost Tracker sit next to the sites they belong to. |
| Ask around to find out who changed a site | Network Activity shows who changed what on which site, including changes made in a site’s own WP Admin. |
How do the MainWP Dashboard and MainWP Child plugins work together?
MainWP is a set of two free WordPress plugins. The MainWP Dashboard plugin turns a WordPress site you own into your MainWP Dashboard, where you manage every site. The MainWP Child plugin goes on each WordPress site you manage and lets your Dashboard connect to it.
Your MainWP Dashboard talks to each child site directly over HTTPS, so your sites can be on any host that runs self-hosted WordPress. When you add a site, your Dashboard creates a 2048-bit key pair for it and signs every request it sends. MainWP Child checks each signature and syncs the site’s available updates, abandoned plugins and themes, and Site Health data back to your Dashboard.
What can you do with MainWP?
The free MainWP Dashboard covers the routine work of looking after WordPress sites. Each feature works across all of your child sites.
| Feature | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Updates for WordPress core, plugins, themes and translations | See every pending update in one list and run them in bulk or one site at a time, including premium plugins. Set automatic updates, skip the updates you choose, and spot abandoned plugins and themes. |
| MainWP Built-In Backups | Schedule full, database, files-only and incremental backups, encrypt them, and send copies to S3-compatible storage, Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox or SFTP. Restore a site from your MainWP Dashboard, with a safety backup taken first. |
| Uptime and Site Health monitoring | Your MainWP Dashboard checks your sites with HTTP, Ping or Keyword monitors, from every 5 minutes to once a day, and emails you when a site goes down and when it comes back up. |
| One-click login | Open any child site’s WP Admin from your Dashboard with one click, without typing a password. |
| Plugins, themes, users and content | Install, activate and delete plugins and themes, manage users, roles and administrator passwords, and publish or edit posts and pages across your sites. |
| Clients and MainWP Cost Tracker | Keep client profiles and contacts next to their sites, and track hosting, plugin and license costs by site, client or tag. |
| Network Activity | See who changed what on which site, including Non-MainWP Changes made directly in a child site’s WP Admin. |
| Security checks | Run site hardening checks on every site, and add the free MainWP Vulnerability Checker add-on to find plugins and themes with known vulnerabilities. |
| Add-ons | Over 10 free add-ons connect backup, security and other tools. MainWP Pro adds over 30 premium add-ons, including MainWP Pro Reports for client reports, MainWP White Label and MainWP Team Control. |
See every free feature on MainWP Free Features.
Can AI assistants and scripts manage sites through MainWP?
Yes. MainWP MCP connects AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor, VS Code Copilot and OpenAI Codex to your MainWP Dashboard. Ask “Which sites need updates?”, and the assistant answers from your Dashboard and offers an update plan. Deletions and updates wait for your confirmation.
Your MainWP Dashboard registers its operations with the WordPress Abilities API, so AI assistants and automation tools can find and run them. For scripts and cron jobs, MainWP offers the MainWP REST API, wp mainwp WP-CLI commands and MainWP Control, a free, open-source command-line tool. The MainWP Browser Extension shows pending updates and Non-MainWP Changes in your browser toolbar.
Is MainWP secure?
Yes. MainWP is self-hosted, so your MainWP Dashboard runs on your own server and talks directly to your child sites. Your site data stays between your Dashboard and your sites.
- Your Dashboard signs every request with a 2048-bit key unique to each site, and MainWP Child checks the signature before it acts.
- The administrator password you enter when you add a site is used once, to make the connection. The key pair handles every request after that.
- Each child site connects to one MainWP Dashboard.
- Network Activity records actions across your sites, including Non-MainWP Changes.
- The MainWP Dashboard and MainWP Child plugins are open source under the GPL, and MainWP runs a vulnerability disclosure program with Patchstack.
Read the details in How Secure is MainWP?
Is MainWP right for your sites?
MainWP fits agencies, freelancers and developers running self-hosted WordPress sites. Here is what your MainWP Dashboard and your sites need.
| What you need | Details |
|---|---|
| A site for your MainWP Dashboard | A WordPress site you own, ideally a fresh, dedicated install, with WordPress 6.2 or later and PHP 8.3 or later. |
| Your sites | Self-hosted WordPress sites on any host, each with the free MainWP Child plugin, PHP 7.4 or later and an administrator account for the connection. |
| Number of sites | Unlimited. Shared hosting works well for up to 30 sites, reseller hosting for up to 100, and a VPS for larger networks. |
| Server access | MainWP installs like any WordPress plugin and needs no cPanel or FTP details. |
| Cost | The free MainWP Core includes the MainWP Dashboard and MainWP Child, and MainWP Essentials adds over 10 free add-ons. MainWP Pro adds over 30 premium add-ons on one flat plan, whatever the number of sites. Compare the free MainWP Core with MainWP Pro. |
| AI tools | WordPress 6.9 or later and HTTPS on your MainWP Dashboard. |
How do you set up MainWP?
- Choose a WordPress site you own for your MainWP Dashboard. A fresh, dedicated install keeps your Dashboard separate from other plugins.
- In that site’s WP Admin, go to Plugins > Add New, search for “MainWP”, then install and activate MainWP Dashboard.
- Follow the Quick Setup Wizard. It checks your server, then helps you add sites and clients and turn on uptime and Site Health monitoring.
- On each site you manage, install and activate MainWP Child from Plugins > Add New.
- In your MainWP Dashboard, go to MainWP > Sites > Add New, enter the site URL and administrator username, add the administrator password or Unique Security ID, and click Add Site.
The Install MainWP page and the Getting started with MainWP guide walk through each step.
MainWP FAQ
Is MainWP free?
Yes. The MainWP Dashboard and MainWP Child plugins are free on WordPress.org, open source under the GPL, and manage unlimited sites. Over 10 MainWP add-ons are free too, and MainWP Pro adds over 30 premium add-ons on one flat plan. See MainWP Free vs Pro.
Where does MainWP keep your site data?
MainWP keeps your site data on your MainWP Dashboard server, in your own WordPress database. Your Dashboard talks to your child sites directly, and no data passes through MainWP’s servers.
Can MainWP manage sites on different hosts?
Yes. Your MainWP Dashboard connects to each child site over HTTPS, so your sites can be on any host or server that runs self-hosted WordPress.
How many sites can one MainWP Dashboard manage?
A MainWP Dashboard manages an unlimited number of sites. How many it handles well depends on its hosting: shared hosting covers up to 30 sites, and a VPS suits networks of over 100.
Can you use MainWP for client sites?
Yes. The MainWP Dashboard, MainWP Child and every MainWP add-on are licensed under the GPL, like WordPress, and you can use them for client work on as many sites and Dashboards as you run.
What happens to a site when you remove it from MainWP?
The site keeps running as a normal WordPress website. Removing a site deletes its record from your MainWP Dashboard, and your Dashboard asks the site to deactivate the MainWP Child plugin. You can also deactivate it from the site’s Plugins page.