Do you want to host multiple WordPress websites on a single server?
You can easily manage multiple domains from a single place by hosting them on one server. Plus, it helps save costs as you won’t need to purchase separate servers for each website.
In this article, we will show you how to host multiple websites on one server.
Why Host Multiple Websites on One Server?
If you’re planning on expanding your business from one website to more, then it’s a feasible option to host them on a single server.
That’s because it is easier to manage them from a single place. It can be time-consuming and inconvenient to log in and out of multiple WordPress websites on different servers. If all your websites are on one server, then you can simply switch between them from the same dashboard.
Hosting multiple sites on a single server will also help save and be more economical for your business.
Many hosting providers offer dedicated hosting where you have full control over the server and allow you to set up more than 1 website.
Instead of purchasing individual hosting plans for each site, you can choose a plan that allows multiple WordPress sites on one server. This will also allow you to fully utilize your server resources.
That said, let’s see how you can host multiple websites on one server.
Select a Hosting Service and Buy Domains
Before you can add any website to a server, the first step is to purchase a hosting service and domain names for your websites.
Choosing a WordPress Hosting Provider
There are many services to choose from, but we recommend Hostinger. It is a fast-growing web hosting provider that offers different types of hosting options.
For instance, you can get premium shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, managed hosting, and more.
In the Hostinger WordPress Starter plan, you can add up to 100 websites, get free email, an SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, managed WordPress, and more. You also get 1 free domain name, but you’ll need to purchase other domains.
The best part is that WPBeginner users can get up to 81% OFF on WordPress hosting plans. Simply click the link below to claim the offer.
Another advantage of using Hostinger WordPress plans is that WordPress comes pre-installed. You don’t have to manually install WordPress for your websites.
If you’re looking for alternatives, then you can also use Bluehost or SiteGround to add multiple sites to one server.
Purchasing Domain Names for Your Website
After choosing a web hosting platform, the next step is to purchase domain names that you’ll need to host on a server.
Hostinger lets you buy a new domain or transfer an existing domain. To purchase a domain, simply go to the ‘Domains’ tab from your Hostinger dashboard.
From here, simply select the ‘Get a new domain’ option.
Next, you can search for a domain name.
Go ahead and enter a keyword or brand name in the search bar.
From here, you’ll see a list of URL options along with different domain extensions and prices.
Simply select an option you want and click the ‘Buy domain’ button.
Next, a popup will open with different billing periods for your domain name.
Go ahead and choose a billing period.
After that, you can complete the checkout process by choosing a payment method and purchasing the domain name.
You can repeat this process to purchase as many additional domains as you’d like.
Alternative Method: If you don’t want to buy a domain from Hostinger, then there are many domain registrars that allow you to register a domain name with ease. For instance, you can use Domain.com as it offers top-level extensions, an easy domain registration process, and a bunch of features.
Adding Multiple WordPress Sites to One Server
After selecting a hosting provider and buying domain names, you can add multiple sites to one server.
From your Hostinger dashboard, you can go to the ‘Websites’ tab and click on the + Create or migrate a website option.
Next, Hostinger will walk you through the process of creating a new website on the same server.
For instance, you can select a website type. This includes an online store, blog, business, portfolio, and other types.
After that, you’ll need to select whether you’d like to create or migrate a website.
If you already have a website on another hosting platform, then you can transfer it to Hostinger. Simply select the ‘Migrate my website’ option and follow the steps.
For this tutorial, we will select the ‘Create a new website’ option.
Next, you can select a platform to build a new website. Hostinger will offer 2 methods, where you can use WordPress with artificial intelligence (AI) or use Hostinger’s website builder with AI to create a site.
Go ahead and choose the ‘WordPress with AI’ option.
From here, you’ll need to enter login details for your account.
Simply choose a language, select an administrator email, enter a password, and click the ‘Continue’ button.
In the next step, Hositnger will ask you to add WordPress plugins to your site.
You can simply select the plugins you want to install and click the ‘Continue’ button.
After that, you will need to select a website design.
Hostinger will load the default theme, but you can click the ‘Browse more templates’ option to view more designs.
From here, you can choose a different theme for your website.
You can also click the ‘Show More’ button at the bottom to load more templates.
Once you’re done, simply choose a design and click the ‘Select’ button.
Next, Hostinger will ask you to enter a brand name and a description of your business.
It uses ChatGPT to generate a few pieces of content for your website. Once you are done, simply click the ‘Continue’ button.
You can also skip this step by entering a name and brief description and then clicking the ‘Skip, I will write content later’ option at the bottom.
After that, you’ll need to enter a name for your website. Hostinger will show 2 options, you can either select the ‘buy a domain or ‘use an existing domain’ option.
If you haven’t purchased a domain name yet, then you can select the ‘Buy a Domain’ option and get one with Hostinger.
However, if you already have multiple domains on another provider, then you can select the ‘Use an Existing Domain’ option.
For this tutorial, let’s choose the ‘Use an Existing Domain’ option.
Next, you will need to enter the domain name and click the ‘Continue’ button.
A popup window will now open with details for pointing the domain to Hostinger nameservers.
You can see your domain’s existing nameservers and the required nameservers you’d need to change in the domain registration service. The instructions will vary depending on the domain registrar you’re using.
If you need help with domain transfer, then Hostinger offers step-by-step guides and documentation. You can also reach out to their support for further assistance.
Note: You’ll also need to ensure that the domain you’re transferring is not locked by the current registrar and that 60 days have passed since initial registration.
After noting down the nameservers, you can click the ‘Continue’ button.
Hostinger will then start to set up your website. It will take a few minutes for the setup to complete.
The final step is to click the ‘Connect’ button under the Connect Your Domain option after you’ve set nameservers in your domain registrar.
Once connected, you can view your website from the Hostinger dashboard.
Simply visit the ‘Websites’ tab to see your newly added site.
You can now repeat these steps and click the ‘+ Create or migrate a website’ option to add as many websites as you want to a single server.
Bonus: How to Create More Sites Using WordPress Multisite
A WordPress multisite allows you to run and manage multiple websites from a single WordPress installation. You’ll see multisite networks used by large corporations that need separate domains for each department, universities and schools, news outlets, online businesses, and more.
There is a slight difference between hosting multiple sites on a single server and a WordPress multisite.
In a multisite, you have the same parent domain (example.com), and the new sites are subdomains (blog.example.com). They can share plugins, users, and other elements based on your settings.
On the other hand, hosting multiple sites on a single server means you have different domain names for each website. They’re all completely separate from one another.
You can easily set up a WordPress multisite using any web hosting service, including Hostinger. Once it’s set up, you’ll be able to add multiple sites to the network and manage them from the same dashboard on one server.
Are you wondering how to set up and install a WordPress multisite network? WordPress has a built-in capability to create multiple websites using a single WordPress installation.
A WordPress multisite network is often used by blogs, schools, and businesses that need to run separate websites but want to manage them under one dashboard.
In this article, we will show you how to install and set up a WordPress multisite network properly.
Since this is a comprehensive article, we have added this table of contents for easier navigation. You can use the quick links below to jump to the section you want to learn about:
A WordPress multisite network allows you to run and manage multiple WordPress blogs or websites from a single WordPress installation.
It enables you to create new sites instantly and manage them using the same username and password. You can even allow other users to sign up and create their blogs or websites on your domain.
The WordPress multisite network comes with advanced settings that you can use to customize each website/blog on your network.
Pros of Using a WordPress Multisite Network
In many situations, a WordPress multisite network can be more useful than managing multiple standalone WordPress sites. Here are some of the advantages of using a WordPress multisite network:
As the network administrator, you can easily manage multiple sites from a single dashboard.
Each site on the network can have its admin users. The site admins will have the capability to manage only their website.
You can install plugins/themes and activate them for multiple sites with one download.
A multisite network also makes it easier for you to manage updates. You only need to update your WordPress, plugins, or themes on one “master” install.
Cons of Using a WordPress Multisite Network
Creating a WordPress multisite network is not always helpful for managing multiple sites.
Here are some of the disadvantages that you should keep in mind before setting up a multisite network.
All sites on the network share the same resources. This means that when your network is down, all other sites also go down.
It’s difficult for beginner-level users to manage traffic and server resources. If one of your websites gets unexpected traffic, it will affect all other websites on the network.
Some WordPress plugins may not work well on a multisite network.
WordPress multisite network is not adequately supported by all web hosting providers, which limits your options. We will talk more about this later in the article.
Who Needs a WordPress Multisite Network?
Just because you manage multiple WordPress websites does not mean you need to start using a multisite network.
Here are some scenarios when creating a multisite network makes sense:
A magazine website with different sections managed by separate teams
A business website with sub-sites for different locations and branches
Government or non-profit websites using WordPress multisite for different departments, locations, and regions
Your network of blogs running on multiple subdomains
Schools and colleges using multisite for different departments, and blogs, or letting students create their websites on school servers
Requirements for a WordPress Multisite Network
All websites on a WordPress multisite network share the same server resources. This means that the most important thing you will need is good WordPress hosting.
If you are planning on having just a couple of websites with low traffic, then you can probably get away with shared hosting.
However, due to the nature of a multisite network, you will typically need VPS hosting or a dedicated server as your sites grow.
We recommend Bluehost because they offer shared hosting and VPS/Dedicated servers. They are also one of the official WordPress hosting partners.
If you’re looking for an alternative, then SiteGround and WP Engine also provide excellent service for WordPress multisite networks.
Choosing a Domain Structure for your Multisite Network
On a WordPress multisite network, you can add new sites using either subdomains or sub-directories.
Example of subdomain: http://site1.example.com
Example of sub-directory: http://example.com/site1/
If you choose subdomains, then you’ll have to configure wildcard subdomains on your server. We will show you how to do that in the next step.
On the other hand, if you choose sub-directories or path-based URLs for sites on your network, you can skip the next step.
Setting Up Wildcard Subdomains
Wildcard subdomains create a placeholder subdomain under your domain name. This placeholder subdomain can then be used to map subdomains that you haven’t already defined.
This setting enables WordPress multisite to create new sites using their own subdomains.
If you decide to use subdomains for websites on your multisite network, then you will need to set up wildcard subdomains.
We will show you how to do that on Bluehost. However, the basic process is the same for all hosting providers.
First, you need to log in to your WordPress hosting account’s dashboard. Locate your site under Websites and click on the ‘Settings’ button.
This will open your site’s Settings page, where you need to switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab.
From there, scroll down to the cPanel section and click the ‘Manage’ button.
The multisite network feature comes built-in with each WordPress installation. All you need to do is install and set up WordPress like you normally would.
After that, you just need to enable the multisite feature. You can also enable the multisite feature on any existing WordPress site.
Once that’s done, you can save and upload your wp-config.php file to the server.
This code simply enables the multisite feature on your WordPress site. Once enabled, you will still need to set up the multisite network.
Setting Up Your WordPress Multisite Network
Now that you have successfully enabled the multisite network feature on your WordPress site, it is time to set up the network.
If you are setting up a multisite network on an existing WordPress website, then you will need to deactivate all plugins on your site.
Simply visit the Plugins » Installed Plugins page and select all plugins. You need to select ‘Deactivate’ from the ‘Bulk Actions’ dropdown menu and then click on the ‘Apply’ button.
You can now head over to the Tools » Network Setup page.
Here, you can configure your multisite network.
On the network setup screen, you will notice that you need Apache’s mod_rewrite module installed on your server. This module is installed and enabled on all the best WordPress hosting providers.
Next, you need to tell WordPress what domain structure you will be using for sites in your network, e.g., Subdomains or Sub-directories.
After that, you will need to provide a title for your network and ensure the email address in the ‘Network Admin Email’ field is correct.
Click on the ‘Install’ button to continue.
WordPress will now show you some code to add to your wp-config.php and .htaccess files, respectively.
You can use an FTP client or the File Manager in the cPanel to copy and paste the code.
First, edit the wp-config.php file and paste the code just below the line you added in the earlier step.
Secondly, you need to edit the .htaccess file and replace the existing WordPress rules in your .htaccess with the WordPress multisite code you copied.
Don’t forget to save your changes and reupload the edited files back to your server.
Once finished, you will need to re-login to your WordPress site to access the multisite network.
Configuring Network Settings
Now that you have set up the multisite network, it is time to configure its network settings.
Start by logging in to your WordPress website admin area.
After that, you need to switch to the ‘Network Dashboard’ settings to change network settings, add new sites, and configure other settings.
When you take your mouse over to the ‘My Sites’ menu in the admin toolbar, a flydown popup will appear. Click on Network Admin » Dashboard.
This will take you to the multisite network dashboard. You will notice that there are new menu items to manage your multisite network.
You will also see a ‘Right Now’ dashboard widget that allows you to create a new site and add new users.
To configure network settings, you just need to click on the ‘Settings’ link in the admin sidebar.
The first option on the network settings page is to set your site title and admin email address. These fields will be filled automatically with the network title and admin email you entered during setup.
Opening Your Multisite Network for Registrations
The ‘Registration Settings’ section on the network settings page is probably the most important setting in your entire network setup.
By default, both user and site registrations are disabled on the network.
You can choose to open your site for user registration, only allow existing users to create new sites, or allow both user and site registration.
If you are opening your multisite network to registration, then you can check the box next to the ‘Registration Notification’ option.
This will allow you to receive email notifications every time a new user or site is registered.
If you want to allow individual site administrators to add new users to their sites, then you can check the box next to the ‘Add New Users’ option.
The limited Email Registration option allows you to limit site or user registration to email addresses from specific domains.
This is particularly useful if you only want to allow people from your own organization to register and create users or sites.
Similarly, you can also ban certain domains from registration.
New Site Settings
The ‘New Site Settings’ section allows you to configure default options for new sites created on your multisite network.
You can modify the welcome emails and the contents of the first default post, page, and comment in these settings.
As a network administrator, you can change these settings anytime.
Upload Settings for Your Multisite Network
It is important to keep an eye on the usage of your server resources. Under the ‘Upload Settings’ section, you can limit the total amount of space a site can use for uploads.
The default value is 100 MB, which is probably good for at least 100 photo uploads. You can increase or decrease this space depending on how much disk space you have.
The default upload file types are images, audio, video, and pdf files. You can add additional file types if you want, like doc, docx, odt, and so on.
Afterward, you can choose a file size limit so that users can’t upload insanely large files to the server.
Plugin Menu Settings
Next, you can jump to the Menu Settings. It will allow you to enable the administrative menu for the plugins section on your network sites.
Enabling this will show the Plugins menu to respective site admins. They can activate or deactivate a plugin on their sites, but they cannot install new plugins.
Once you are satisfied with all the configuration settings, go ahead and click the ‘Save Changes’ button.
Adding New Sites to Your WordPress Multisite Network
To add a new site to your WordPress multisite network, simply click on ‘Sites’ under the My Sites » Network Admin menu in the admin toolbar.
This will show you a list of sites on your current multisite installation. By default, you have your primary site listed as the only site in your WordPress multisite network.
To add a new site, click the ‘Add New’ button at the top.
On the ‘Add New Site’ page, provide the site’s address. You don’t need to type the full address, just the part you want to use as the subdomain or sub-directory.
Next, you add a site title and enter the site admin’s email address.
You can add an admin email address other than the one that you are currently using to manage your multisite network.
If another user does not currently use that email address, then WordPress will create a new user and send the username and password to the email address you enter.
Once you are done, simply click on the ‘Add Site’ button.
A new site will be added to your WordPress multisite network. As the network admin, you will also receive a new site registration email.
If you create a new user, that user will receive an email with instructions to set the password and log in.
Adding Themes and Plugins to Your Multisite Network
By default, individual site administrators in a multisite network cannot install themes and plugins on their own.
As the network admin, you can install the respective plugins and themes so they are available for all sites on your network.
Installing Themes for Your Multisite Network
To add themes, go to the My Sites » Network Admin » Themes page.
On this page, you will see a list of themes that are currently installed on your WordPress multisite.
You can make a theme available to other sites by clicking on the ‘Network Enable’ option under that theme.
You can also disable a theme by clicking on the ‘Network Disable’ link under the theme. Note: The Network Disable option will only appear when the theme is enabled.
To add a new theme, you need to click on the ‘Add New’ button at the top of your screen and then install a WordPress theme as you would normally do.
Once the new theme is installed, you will be able to make it available to other sites on your network with the ‘Network Enable’ option.
If you need recommendations on which themes to make available to your network, here are our picks of the best WordPress themes that you can use:
Setting a Default Theme for Your Multisite Network
Even if you have added a couple of themes, WordPress will still activate the default WordPress theme for each new site.
If you want to make another theme the default for new sites, then you need to add the following code to your wp-config.php file:
// Setting default theme for new sites
define( 'WP_DEFAULT_THEME', 'your-theme' );
Replace your-theme with the name of your theme. You will need to use the name of the theme’s folder, which you can find by looking at the /wp-content/themes/ folder using FTP or File Manager.
Installing Plugins for Your Multisite Network
Similarly, you can visit the My Sites » Network Admin » Plugins page to install plugins and click on the ‘Network Activate’ link below each plugin to activate it on your multisite network.
Here are a few essential WordPress plugins that we recommend for every website:
Note: If you previously enabled the Plugins Menu option for site admins in the ‘Network Settings’, then the site administrators can activate or deactivate installed plugins on their own. Site admins cannot delete or install a new plugin on their own.
Adding Default Content to Multisite Sites
By default, WordPress allows you to add and edit some default content for each site on your multisite network. You can go to Settings » Network Settings page and add this content in the ‘New site settings’ section.
You can edit the content for the default post, page, and comment. We recommend replacing the default content with something more useful for your site admins.
But what if you wanted additional default content to be added to each new site?
By default, WordPress does not give you an option to create additional default content for new sites. If you want to do that, then you will need to add custom code to your WordPress multisite.
In this example, we are going to add a new default page to be created for each new site. You can add this code to your main site’s functions.php file or by using the WPCode plugin on your main site:
add_action('wpmu_new_blog', 'wpb_create_my_pages', 10, 2);
function wpb_create_my_pages($blog_id, $user_id){
switch_to_blog($blog_id);
// create a new page
$page_id = wp_insert_post(array(
'post_title' => 'About',
'post_name' => 'about',
'post_content' => 'This is an about page. You can use it to introduce yourself to your readers or you can simply delete it.',
'post_status' => 'publish',
'post_author' => $user_id, // or "1" (super-admin?)
'post_type' => 'page',
'menu_order' => 1,
'comment_status' => 'closed',
'ping_status' => 'closed',
));
restore_current_blog();
}
You can use the same code with little modifications to create default posts for new sites. Check out the following code:
add_action('wpmu_new_blog', 'wpb_create_my_pages', 10, 2);
function wpb_create_my_pages($blog_id, $user_id){
switch_to_blog($blog_id);
// create a new page
$page_id = wp_insert_post(array(
'post_title' => 'A sample blog post',
'post_name' => 'sample-blog-post',
'post_content' => 'This is just another sample blog post. Feel free to delete it.',
'post_status' => 'publish',
'post_author' => $user_id, // or "1" (super-admin?)
'post_type' => 'post',
));
restore_current_blog();
}
Troubleshooting WordPress Multisite Issues
Most common issues with WordPress multisite network setup happen due to the incorrect configuration of wildcard subdomains and domain mapping issues. Make sure that your web host supports wildcard subdomains before setting up multisite.
The following are some other common issues and their quick fixes.
Fixing Login Issues on Multisite Installs
A common issue is that when using WordPress multisite with sub-directories, some users are unable to log in to the admin area of their sites after they add the required code in the wp-config.php file.
To fix this, locate the following line in the wp-config.php file:
define('SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false);
Now, simply replace it with the following line:
define('SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', 'false');
Find Unconfirmed Users
Another issue you may encounter is not being able to find users who registered on your network but didn’t get the activation email.
You may also want to bookmark our ultimate guide to common WordPress errors and how to fix them. This will save you a lot of time fixing the most common WordPress issues quickly.
FAQs About WordPress Multisite Network
Many of our users have asked us plenty of questions about WordPress multisite network and how to use it more efficiently. The following are the most frequently asked questions that we have answered.
1. Would I be able to better manage my sites with a multisite network?
To be honest, the answer really depends on your usage scenario.
For example, if your websites are not related to each other, then you would be better off with a multiple site management tool like InifiteWP.
However, if you manage multiple sites for a restaurant chain, university, or online magazine, then WordPress multisite will be more efficient.
2. Does WordPress multisite make my websites load faster?
Once again, it depends on several factors. Better WordPress hosting with plenty of server resources will allow multisite to be faster, but then again, with these resources, individual WordPress sites will also run faster.
However, on a shared hosting account, traffic spikes will increase memory usage and slow down all websites on the multisite network at the same time. To improve multisite speed, see our guide on WordPress performance and speed optimization.
3. Can I add an online store to a WordPress Multisite Website?
Yes, you can add an online store in the WordPress multisite network. Most likely, you will be using an eCommerce plugin like WooCommerce for that, which is compatible with WordPress multisite.
4. Can I install ‘x plugin’ on my WordPress multisite?
Some WordPress plugins may not be compatible with WordPress multisite. Normally, plugin authors mention it on the plugin’s website, and you can avoid installing a plugin that may not work on a multisite setup. However, if it is not mentioned, then it is safe to assume that it is multisite compatible.
5. How do I share user logins and roles across the multisite network?
By default, a user who is registered on one site cannot register or be added to another site on the same network. That’s because they are already registered in the shared WordPress database. However, they don’t have any user role privileges on other sites.
You can use third-party plugins like WP Multisite User Sync to sync users across the network. However, you need to be careful, as you may end up giving someone admin privileges to a site.
We hope this article helped you learn how to install and set up WordPress multisite network. You may also want to see our step-by-step WordPress security guide to protect and keep your WordPress multisite secure or our expert picks of the best WordPress multisite plugins you should use.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Are you looking for an easy way to manage multiple WordPress sites?
Monitoring multiple websites and keeping them up to date can be very time-consuming.
Luckily, there are several WordPress management tools that make it super easy to manage multiple WordPress websites from a single dashboard. This will help you save a lot of time while keeping all your WordPress installs and plugins up to date.
In this article, we will share some of the best tools to help you easily manage multiple WordPress sites from one dashboard like a pro.
Why Use a WordPress Management Tool to Maintain Multiple Sites?
WordPress management tools make it easy to manage multiple WordPress websites from a single dashboard.
You will be able to:
Quickly update WordPress software on all your websites.
Monitor theme and plugin updates across your websites and install them easily.
Manage users, comments, and other WordPress options.
Managing your sites using a multi-site management tool helps you keep an eye on all your sites without logging into each site separately.
Whether you are an individual user, freelancer, blogger, or agency, using one of these tools can help you save time while making sure that all your sites are functioning properly.
Providing website maintenance services to businesses is also a popular online business idea. You can use these WordPress site management tools to help grow your freelance business.
That being said, let’s look at the best tools to easily manage multiple WordPress sites from a single dashboard.
InfiniteWP is a powerful WordPress site management tool optimized for agencies, developers, and freelancers.
You can manage unlimited websites. However, the free version is limited to managing WordPress plugins, themes, and core updates. It also allows you to create on-demand site backups, but you will need a paid addon to store them in a remote storage location.
The real power of InfiniteWP is unlocked with their premium plan, which includes all paid features like easy website deployments, staging websites, migrations, malware scans, uptime monitoring, client reports, managing comments, publishing posts and pages, 2-factor authentication, a broken link checker, and more.
They also let you white-label the plugin with your own branding so that your clients see your logo instead of InfiniteWP.
InfiniteWP is not a SaaS application. Instead, it allows you to install the WordPress management tool directly on your own site. You can install it via an installer plugin, via cPanel, or manually upload it to your server.
Once set up, you can add websites that you want to manage and then install the InfiniteWP client plugin on those websites. This client plugin connects your websites to InfiniteWP’s admin panel. This gives you infinite control over the sites you manage.
Pricing: Paid plans start from $147/year for 10 sites.
iThemes Sync is a powerful WordPress management tool from the people behind the popular BackupBuddy plugin.
It allows you to manage WordPress updates from a single dashboard. You can also install themes and plugins from WordPress.org or manually upload them.
It also gives you access to uptime monitoring, client reports, user management, security, and integration with BackupBuddy cloud storage, Google Search Console, and more.
It comes with an easy-to-use, intuitive interface which makes site management a breeze.
Pricing: Paid plans start from $69 per year for 5 sites.
The free Jetpack plugin acts as a connector between your website and WordPress.com servers. You will be using the WordPress.com dashboard to manage all your WordPress sites.
Using the free version, you can manage WordPress plugins and core updates across all your websites. It also comes with downtime monitoring and basic brute force attack protection.
However, you will need to upgrade to their paid plans to get more features. There are plans with different features, including automated backups with Jetpack, malware scanning, security fixes, site activity logs, and more.
Pricing: Paid plans start from $3.95/month (billed annually).
CMS Commander is a paid WordPress website management tool. You will manage your websites from the CMS Commander dashboard. To connect all your websites, you will need to install a client plugin on each site.
It includes 1-click updates, backup management, 2-factor authentication, a basic malware scanner, custom branding, and more.
What makes CMS Commander a little different than other tools on the list is its content management features. It allows you to utilize third-party sources like YouTube, Flickr, Yelp, and more to add content.
It also connects with article spinning services to rewrite the content and post it to your multiple websites. For affiliate marketers, it offers integrations with popular affiliate networks like Amazon, ShareASale, Commission Junction, and more.
Pricing: Plans start from $8/month for 5 sites. Business plans for agencies and large site networks start from $30/month for 50 sites.
MainWP is a free WordPress website management tool supported by paid addons. It comes as an admin plugin that you install on a separate WordPress website.
After that, you need to install the MainWP child plugin on all the websites you want to manage.
MainWP comes with easy update management, uptime monitoring, a security scanner by Sucuri, a vulnerable plugin and theme scanner, user and content management tools, and more.
It also comes with extensions for several popular WordPress backup plugins, including UpdraftPlus, allowing you to manage your backups as you want. You can also find extensions for bulk upload articles, client reports, access control, and more.
Pricing: The core plugin is free, with paid extensions for different features. All extensions subscription starts at 17/month (billed annually).
ManageWP is a free WordPress website management tool that allows you to manage all your WordPress sites from a single dashboard.
The dashboard is hosted on ManageWP’s website, and you connect all your websites by installing the Worker plugin on each site. This plugin acts as a bridge between your websites and the ManageWP dashboard.
Using a single dashboard, you can install one-click updates for all your WordPress plugins, themes, and core WordPress files. It lets you moderate comments on all your sites from the ManageWP dashboard.
The core ManageWP functionality is free for unlimited sites. However, they also offer paid addons on a monthly subscription basis. It includes automated monthly backups and security scans for free, but you will need the paid addons for real-time backups and automated scheduled security scans.
Other notable features include performance analysis, uptime monitoring, SEO rankings, and historical logs of all activities performed by ManageWP on your sites.
If you are an agency, you will like their client reports, which you can send to your clients to keep them in the loop. ManageWP also offers a white label service, which entirely hides ManageWP branding and allows you to offer your clients a user experience with your own brand.
Pricing: Free for unlimited sites with paid addons available on a monthly subscription basis.
WP Remote offers a simple way to manage updates on all your WordPress sites. It is a basic WordPress management tool with a limited set of features than some other tools on this list.
It lets you easily install WordPress updates for core, plugins, and themes. You can also use it to create backups and download them to your computer or store them on AWS or SFTP.
Pricing: Agency plans start from $29/month for 5 sites, allowing you to add more users.
Which Is the Best Tool to Manage Multiple WordPress Sites?
Choosing the best WordPress website management tool entirely depends on your needs. An individual user with fewer WordPress sites may want an easier and cheaper solution.
On the other hand, if you are a freelancer or agency working for clients, you will want to use something more powerful and advanced.
Regarding features, ease of use, and flexibility, we found InfiniteWP to be the best WordPress management tool. It is a perfect fit for freelancers, agencies, and developers.
If you only want to manage a few sites and don’t need all the advanced features that InfiniteWP offers, then we recommend iThemes Sync or Jetpack for basic website management.
We hope this article helped you find the best tools to manage multiple WordPress sites easily. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress security guide and our expert picks for the must have WordPress plugins to grow your website.
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