If you’re juggling logins across a dozen or more WordPress sites, ManageWP is one of the most established names built to fix that problem. Now managing more than 2 million websites, the platform gives you a single dashboard to update, back up, secure, and report on every site you’re responsible for, with a free tier generous enough that many users never need to upgrade.
Here’s an honest look at what ManageWP includes, how its pay-per-use pricing actually works, and who it’s built for.
What Is ManageWP?
ManageWP is a cloud-based WordPress management platform that lets you connect unlimited websites to one central dashboard. From there you can push updates, run backups, check security and performance, and generate client reports without logging into each site individually.
It was bootstrapped in 2010 by WordPress developer Vladimir Prelovac, officially launched in January 2012, and had 100,000 websites connected within its first month. The platform was rebuilt from the ground up as “Orion” in July 2016, and in September 2016 ManageWP joined GoDaddy while continuing to run as an independent service.
Core Features
Manage & Update
Update WordPress core, themes, and plugins, manage users, and moderate comments across every connected site from one screen, so you’re not switching between tabs to keep sites current.
Back Up & Migrate
Schedule cloud backups, restore quickly if something breaks, and clone or migrate sites to a new server or staging environment.
Monitor Health & Security
Get alerted to downtime, security risks, and performance slowdowns before clients notice anything is wrong.
Track SEO & Reporting
Monitor keyword rankings, catch broken links, and send clients custom, editable reports on a schedule.
Team & Client Collaboration
Give team members or clients access to the dashboard without ever sharing your actual login credentials, so multiple people can work on a site securely.
Free vs. Premium Add-ons
ManageWP’s free tier is unlimited on the number of websites you can connect, and it’s genuinely well-stocked:
- Monthly cloud backup
- 1-click login
- Manage updates, plugins & themes
- Security check
- Performance check
- Client reports
- Google Analytics
- Maintenance mode
- Code snippets
- Manage comments
- Local sync (currently in beta)
- Collaborate with teams & clients
- Template Builder
Premium add-ons layer automation and deeper functionality on top, priced per website, per add-on, billed monthly based on actual usage:
- Backup — incremental, reliable cloud backups with off-site storage, capable of running hourly
- Clone & Migrate — clone to staging, migrate to a new host, or clone onto an existing site (requires premium backup)
- Safe Updates — automatically creates a restore point before every update (requires premium backup)
- Uptime Monitor — get notified the moment a site goes down
- Vulnerability Protection — real-time vulnerability detection across plugins, themes, and core, plus automatic attack blocking
- White Label — rebrand ManageWP’s tools as your own, or hide them entirely
- SEO Ranking — track keyword rankings, identify competitors, and see how you compare
- Link Monitor — scans your entire site for broken links on a regular basis
How ManageWP Pricing Works
ManageWP uses a pay-after-you-use model: you start on a free account, activate the premium add-ons you want per site, and get billed on the 1st of the following month based on actual usage. There’s no setup fee, no termination penalty, and no long-term contract.
For agencies managing 25 or more websites, Bundles offer a fixed monthly price covering a premium add-on across up to 100 sites, rather than paying per site:
| Bundle | Price/month (up to 100 sites) |
| Backups | $75 |
| Uptime Monitor | $25 |
| Automated Security Check | $25 |
| Automated Performance Check | $25 |
| Advanced Client Reports | $25 |
| White Label | $25 |
| SEO Ranking | $25 |
| Link Monitor | $25 |
| All-in-one package (all bundles combined) | $150 |
Bundles automatically apply to your most expensive sites to keep your bill as low as possible, they run for a full month once activated (retroactively, even if turned on mid-month), and they stack if you need coverage beyond 100 sites.
ManageWP also supports academic and educational pricing on request, and offers a Wallet feature that gets billed before your card does. Only major credit and debit cards are accepted; PayPal and wire transfers aren’t supported.
Security and Backup Details Worth Knowing
A few practical details matter if you’re evaluating ManageWP for client work:
- Backups are retained for 90 days, so you can restore from up to three months back. If a site is removed from the dashboard, its backups stay available for a week in case you reconnect it.
- The security scan compares your site’s code against a known malware database and cross-checks it against blacklist services like Google Safe Browsing, Norton Safe Web, and ESET. It flags outdated software, vulnerability issues, and configuration risks like an exposed debug.log file or WP_DEBUG left set to true.
- ManageWP doesn’t offer malware cleanup — if a scan finds an infection, it’s on you (or a hired professional) to clean it, or restore from a clean backup.
- SEO competitor detection is keyword-based: a site counts as a competitor once it shares at least 60% of your ranked keywords, excluding platforms like Google, Yahoo, and YouTube. You can track up to 100 keywords per site, though ManageWP recommends staying closer to 20 for meaningful results.
Who Is ManageWP Built For?
Based on its published case studies, ManageWP is used by WordPress support and maintenance agencies, white-label service providers, freelance consultants, and theme/plugin developers maintaining large fleets of demo sites.
The pay-per-use, per-add-on model tends to suit agencies with a mixed portfolio, since you can layer premium features only on the sites that need them rather than paying a flat fee across sites with very different requirements. For larger agencies past the 25-site mark, Bundles are built specifically to keep that cost predictable.
Final Verdict
ManageWP’s biggest strength is how far its free tier goes — most of the day-to-day maintenance workflow is covered at no cost, with premium add-ons reserved for automation-heavy features like hourly backups, uptime alerts, vulnerability protection, and white-labeling.
The per-site, per-add-on billing is transparent and usage-based, and Bundles make the pricing scale sensibly once you’re managing dozens of sites. For agencies that want to avoid overpaying for features they don’t need on every single site, that flexibility is a real advantage over flat per-site subscription pricing.
FAQs
Is ManageWP free to use?
Yes. ManageWP’s free plan supports unlimited connected websites and includes core features like monthly cloud backups, 1-click login, security checks, performance checks, client reports, and update management.
How does ManageWP’s pricing model work?
You start free, then enable premium add-ons for individual websites as needed. You’re billed monthly in arrears based on actual usage, with no setup fee or long-term contract.
What are ManageWP Bundles?
Bundles are fixed monthly plans that cover a premium add-on across up to 100 websites. They’re designed for agencies managing 25 or more sites. Bundles can be stacked if you need coverage for more than 100 websites.
How long does a ManageWP backup last?
Backups are stored for 90 days, giving you a restore point of up to three months. If you remove a site from the dashboard, its backups remain available for one additional week.
Does ManageWP clean infected websites?
No. ManageWP’s security scan detects infected files and vulnerabilities and reports them, but cleanup must be handled by you, a hired professional, or by restoring the website from a clean backup.
Can I white-label ManageWP for my clients?
Yes. The premium White Label add-on allows you to rebrand ManageWP’s tools as your own or hide them from clients entirely.
What payment methods does ManageWP accept?
ManageWP accepts major credit and debit cards. PayPal and wire transfers are currently not supported.
How does ManageWP identify SEO competitors?
A website is treated as a competitor when it shares at least 60% of your tracked ranking keywords, excluding platforms such as Google, Yahoo, and YouTube.
Does ManageWP offer academic or educational pricing?
Yes. Academic institutions and educational organizations can contact ManageWP’s sales department for assistance with academic pricing.
Who owns ManageWP?
ManageWP was founded in 2010 by Vladimir Prelovac and launched in January 2012. In September 2016, it joined GoDaddy while continuing to operate as an independent service.
7 Alternatives to ManageWP
If ManageWP’s per-site, per-add-on billing doesn’t match how you want to pay, here’s how seven other WordPress management platforms compare:
- MainWP — self-hosted instead of cloud-based, with unlimited sites free forever and no per-site fees at all, even on the paid tier.
- WP Umbrella — a single flat per-site rate that bundles nearly everything ManageWP sells as separate add-ons, including Safe Updates and EU-hosted backups.
- InfiniteWP — self-hosted with a permanently free core, priced through annual licenses scaled by site count rather than usage-based billing.
- WP Remote — built on BlogVault’s security roots, with a stronger emphasis on malware scanning, visual regression testing, and AI/API access.
- Modular DS — fixed-price plans rather than per-add-on billing, with bilingual English/Spanish support and AI-based update risk scoring.
- Solid Central — a more technically deep dashboard with dedicated deployment, migration, and environment tooling, included free with StellarSites hosting.
- CMS Commander — adds content sourcing, article spinning, and affiliate monetization tools on top of standard maintenance features.