MainWP vs WP Umbrella
MainWP is a self-hosted, open-source dashboard; WP Umbrella is a hosted platform priced per site. Here is how they compare, using only facts from their own websites and documentation.
The main differences
- Where the dashboard runs: MainWP runs on a WordPress install you host yourself. WP Umbrella is a hosted service run from France.
- Pricing: MainWP has a free core and one Pro price ($29 a month, $199 a year or $599 lifetime). WP Umbrella costs EUR 1.99 / $2.19 per site per month, with optional Security and Hourly Backups add-ons.
- Backups: MainWP connects to backup plugins and host backups. WP Umbrella has its own encrypted, incremental backups, kept for 50 days in the EU.
- Update safety: MainWP rolls back failed plugin and theme updates and offers a Regression Testing add-on in Pro. WP Umbrella offers Classic Safe Update with automatic rollback, and Advanced Safe Update with before/after screenshots.
- Uptime: MainWP checks from your dashboard server every 5 minutes to 24 hours (or via a free add-on for external services). WP Umbrella checks every 1 to 60 minutes from five regions.
MainWP and WP Umbrella compared
Checked on 2 October 2026. Rows we could not confirm for every product are left out.
| Capability | MainWP | WP Umbrella |
|---|---|---|
| Type of product | Self-hosted and open source. The dashboard runs on your own WordPress install. | Hosted dashboard. EU company with servers in France. |
| Published pricing | Free core. MainWP Pro (all 30+ premium add-ons): $29 a month, $199 a year or $599 lifetime. | EUR 1.99 / $2.19 per site per month. Add-ons: Security EUR 2 / $2 and Hourly Backups EUR 2.49 / $2.49 per site per month. 10% off when you prepay a year. |
| Free plan | Yes, free core for unlimited sites | No. 14-day free trial. |
| Bulk updates | Yes, included free | Yes |
| Update safety | Failed plugin and theme updates roll back automatically (since version 5.1). Optional backup before update and HTTP check after update. Regression Testing add-on (Pro). | Classic Safe Update: restore point, uptime and status code checks, automatic rollback on failure. Advanced Safe Update adds before/after screenshots. |
| Backups | No built-in backup engine. Free add-ons connect plugins such as UpdraftPlus, BackWPup and WPvivid, plus host API backups. | Encrypted incremental backups kept for 50 days in the EU. Daily, weekly, monthly or manual; hourly with an add-on. |
| Uptime monitoring | Built into the free core: HTTP, ping or keyword checks every 5 minutes to 24 hours. Free add-on for Uptime Robot, NodePing, Site24x7 and Better Uptime. | Every 1 to 60 minutes from five regions. Alerts by email or Slack. |
| Performance checks | Lighthouse add-on (Pro), using Google PageSpeed Insights | Google PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals |
| Security | Free Vulnerability Checker (NVD or WPScan API). Integrations with Jetpack Protect (free) and Wordfence, Jetpack Scan and others (Pro). | Vulnerability checks against Patchstack every 6 hours. Firewall, malware scanning and a security log in the Security add-on. |
| Client reports | Pro Reports add-on (Pro), with PDF and email delivery | Automated white-label reports by email or PDF, sent from your own domain |
| White label | White Label add-on (Pro) | Yes |
| Team access | Team Control add-on (Pro): custom roles and privileges | Unlimited team members with role-based access |
| One-click login to wp-admin | Yes, free (1-click passwordless login) | Yes (1-click admin access) |
| Staging and cloning | Staging and Clone add-ons (Pro) | Staging by cloning to a subdomain and deploying back (added in 2026) |
Details come from each vendor's own website, help center or WordPress.org listing, checked on 2 October 2026. Prices and features change, so please check the vendor's site before you decide. Where we could not confirm a detail, we left it out.
Which one fits your work
MainWP may suit you if
- You want to self-host and keep the data on your own server.
- You manage many sites and want a flat price or a lifetime license.
- You already use a backup plugin you like.
WP Umbrella may suit you if
- You want a hosted service with nothing to maintain.
- You want built-in backups stored in the EU.
- You prefer to pay per site, per month.
Common questions
It depends on how many sites you manage. MainWP Pro is a flat $29 a month, $199 a year or $599 lifetime for unlimited sites, plus the cost of hosting the dashboard and any backup services. WP Umbrella costs EUR 1.99 / $2.19 per site per month, plus optional add-ons. Prices checked on 2 October 2026.
WP Umbrella has its own encrypted, incremental backups. MainWP does not have a backup engine of its own; it connects to backup plugins such as UpdraftPlus, BackWPup and WPvivid.
Sources
Each statement about another product on this page comes from that vendor's own website, help center or WordPress.org listing, checked on 2 October 2026. Statements about WPCentrify describe features that are built and available in the product today. If you spot something out of date, please tell us and we will correct it.
- MainWP pricing
- MainWP free features
- MainWP safe updates docs
- MainWP uptime monitoring docs
- MainWP backups docs
- MainWP add-ons
- MainWP on WordPress.org
- WP Umbrella pricing
- WP Umbrella safe updates
- WP Umbrella backups
- WP Umbrella uptime and performance
- WP Umbrella security
- WP Umbrella client reports
- WP Umbrella team members
MainWP and WP Umbrella are trademarks of their owners. This page is not endorsed by or affiliated with MainWP and WP Umbrella.
How we compare products: our methodology.
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