EU Data Rules, a Faster Dashboard, and Your Say on MainWP’s Future

This week’s newsletter has a little of everything: a major new EU law that could affect your business, the latest MainWP Early Release packed with fixes and improvements, a community poll to help shape what comes next, and a breaking announcement for developers. We’ve also got voting news and last week’s survey results to share.

The EU Data Act is Now in Effect

As of September 14, the EU Data Act officially went live, bringing new rules for connected products and the companies behind them. The law expands consumer rights to access data, makes switching providers easier, adds new product and contract requirements, and gives governments limited rights to request IoT data in emergencies.

Donata Stroink-Skillrud of Termageddon has written a clear overview of what the Act covers, including who it applies to, how data-sharing obligations work, and what businesses need to prepare for on the compliance front. Definitely worth a read if you make, support, or touch connected devices in any way.

Read the Article

Did You Get the MainWP Early Release Announcement?

If not, chances are you’re not signed up for the MainWP Early Release Program.

Yesterday we pushed out Version 5.5-er3, packed with fixes, additions, and updates shaped by feedback from earlier releases. With v5.5 you’ll notice a faster, more responsive Dashboard, a new Dark Theme, and other enhancements that make site management smoother than ever.

It’s not too late to join in. The Early Release Program gives you access to features before the general rollout, while letting you contribute feedback that helps guide the future of MainWP. Sign up today and be part of the community driving these improvements forward.

👉 See the details
👉 Check out the full changelog

Sign Up Today!

The Monster’s Award 2025 Voting is Going On and We Could Use Your Vote

As a MainWP Community Member, you know that when it comes to Management Dashboards, MainWP rules them all and we’d really appreciate it if you’d let the rest of the world know. This year, the 2025 Monster’s Award is looking for votes on the best in WordPress and we’d love it if you would vote for MainWP as the best Maintenance plugin. We’re currently in the lead but we all know how quickly leads can fade. Help us to reclaim the title for Best Maintenance Plugin! Head over to TemplateMonster’s Site and cast your vote. These awards celebrate standout tools and communities in WordPress, and every vote helps showcase the power of MainWP and its community.

Vote Now!

Literally: This JUST In for Developers!

We’ve just renamed the default branch across all MainWP GitHub repositories from “Master” to “Main.”

What this means for you:

• New clones will automatically use “Main”
• Existing pull requests should automatically retarget, but please verify
• Update any scripts, CI/CD configs or documentation that reference “Master”

For full details about the “Whys” and “Whats,” head on over to the full article that details the change.

If you run into any issues or have questions, please feel free to reach out to us or post in our Discord Community. Thanks for your patience with the transition.

Quick Poll: Early Access or Final Release – Which Fits You?

We know many of you love testing new features before they’re released, while others prefer to wait for stable versions. Either way, your perspective helps us understand how the Early Release Program fits into our community.

Question: How do you feel about joining the MainWP Early Release Program?

Your responses are anonymous (no email address required) and will help us decide how we talk about early access, how we share new features, and how we invite more people into the process.

Cast Your Vote

The future awaits!

Survey Says!

We also thought you’d like to see the results of last week’s survey, where we asked:

How much does it matter to you that MainWP is self-hosted?

This poll received the highest number of respondents of any poll thus far and the results told us that we’ve got the right idea! Thank you!

An overwhelming 75% of those who filled out the poll stated that it was critical and one of the main reasons they use MainWP. Coming in second, 17.5% stated that while it’s not the only factor, it is valued and important. 5% said other factors mattered more, and 1% of the respondents were neutral to the fact.

Thank you, everyone, for the great response to this poll! It really helps us to know if we are going down the right path.

Community Spotlight

Show Your MainWP Pride on Discord

MainWP now has an official Server Tag and you can display it right on your profile! Simply click on the MainWP Server Name in Discord, select Server Tag, and adopt the MWP Tag.

Add the tag lets the world know you’re part of the MainWP Community. It’s a small badge with a big meaning… and it helps other MainWP pros find you faster.

Haven’t joined the MainWP Discord Server yet? Why not do it now? It’s a great way to stay in touch realtime with the Team and the Community!

We love staying in touch with our customers and Marc would still love to have a one-on-one chat with you! If you’re looking for an opportunity to share your experiences (good or bad), ideas, or even simply share a virtual cup of coffee, go ahead and schedule some time!

Have you joined our Facebook Users Group yet? It’s a great place to connect with other MainWP users for tips and tricks. Come hang out with the vibrant MainWP Community and up your game!

Follow us on LinkedIn where we’ll be sharing news and updates throughout the year. We look forward to seeing you there!

Working on an integration or extension to be used with MainWP? We’d love to hear from you. Maybe we can work together! Click here to Learn all about it.