MainWP alternative

uiXpress vs MainWP

Self-hosted management for unlimited WordPress sites: updates, clients, backups, and reporting.

About this comparison

If you are looking for a MainWP alternative, this page compares what MainWP actually ships with what uiXpress includes. MainWP is a self-hosted dashboard plugin (20,000+ installs) for agencies that manage many WordPress sites. The free dashboard covers unlimited sites, one-click updates, passwordless login to child sites, client tags, cost tracking, and privacy-first hosting on your server. Pro ($199/year or $599 lifetime) unlocks 30+ extensions: white-label of the child plugin, uptime, backups, security scanners, client reports, WooCommerce insights, and more. MainWP is a fleet-management product. It does not rebuild the admin UI of each child site.

Compared against features published on mainwp.com and public pricing available in .

Feature comparison

Feature comparison of uiXpress and MainWP
Feature uiXpress MainWP
Modern rebuilt admin UI
uiXpress: Vue admin shell that replaces default wp-admin screens, not a skin over core markupMainWP: Not available in MainWP
Built-in analytics dashboard
uiXpress: Privacy-first traffic, users, media, WooCommerce, and site-health cards with date rangesMainWP: Pro can pull Google Analytics or Matomo for all sites — not on-site uiXpress cards
Admin dark mode
uiXpress: Dark Engine styles the full admin, including Gutenberg, classic screens, and third-party pluginsMainWP: Not available in MainWP
White label branding
uiXpress: Logos, favicon, text replacement, and plugin renaming across the adminMainWP: Pro can rebrand the MainWP Child plugin — not the WordPress admin chrome
Login page customization
uiXpress: Modern login layout, custom login URL, per-role redirects, and optional Cloudflare TurnstileMainWP: Passwordless login into child sites from the dashboard
Global command search
uiXpress: Keyboard-first search across posts, users, taxonomies, plugins, and admin menu itemsMainWP: Not available in MainWP
Admin menu editor
uiXpress: Menu Creator with drag-and-drop, role targeting, custom links, and import/exportMainWP: Not available in MainWP
Modern plugin manager
uiXpress: Split-panel plugin workspace with performance inspector, rollback, and fatal-error recoveryMainWP: Bulk plugin updates and installs across sites — not a rebuilt plugin UI
Modern media library
uiXpress: Rebuilt media workspace with grid/list views, unused-file filters, tags, and replaceMainWP: Not available in MainWP
Modern content tables
uiXpress: Rebuilt posts, pages, users, and comments tables with inline edit, filters, and batch actionsMainWP: Not available in MainWP
Activity audit log
uiXpress: Searchable on-site activity log with before-and-after diffs, auth events, and retention controlsMainWP: Pro can track changes outside MainWP and manage WP Activity Log settings
Role and capability editor
uiXpress: Create and edit roles and grouped capabilities in a dedicated workspaceMainWP: Pro team roles for the dashboard — not a per-site capability editor
Database explorer
uiXpress: Browse tables, inspect schema, and run guarded read-only SQL from the adminMainWP: Not available in MainWP
Remote multi-site switcher
uiXpress: Connect remote WordPress sites with application passwords and switch without leaving adminMainWP: Full multi-site management platform, not only a site switcher
One-time license
uiXpress: Lifetime plans from Solo, with yearly billing as an optionMainWP: Pro lifetime is $599; yearly Pro is $199; core dashboard is free

Included Limited Not available

The short version.

MainWP is the multi-site operations dashboard. uiXpress is the single-site admin rebuild with a remote switcher — choose MainWP to run a fleet, uiXpress to modernize the admin you log into.

Where MainWP fits.

What it includes

  • Self-hosted dashboard managing unlimited WordPress sites
  • One-click core, plugin, and theme updates across sites
  • Passwordless login to connected child sites
  • Client profiles, tags, and cost tracker
  • No per-site SaaS fees on the free core
  • Pro: white-label the MainWP Child plugin
  • Pro: uptime, SSL, and domain monitoring extensions
  • Pro: backup integrations (UpdraftPlus, WPvivid, and others)
  • Pro: security scanners and client PDF reports
  • Pro: WooCommerce shortcuts and order insights across stores

Strengths and limits

Strongest when

  • True multi-site operations, not a bookmark switcher
  • Free unlimited sites; Pro is a flat fee
  • Lifetime Pro at $599

The boundary

  • Does not modernize wp-admin on each site
  • You must host and maintain the dashboard WordPress install
  • No rebuilt media library or content tables on child sites
  • Analytics are via extensions (GA, Matomo), not built-in on-site stats

Everything inside uiXpress.

Explore all features
Admin interface
  • Rebuilt Vue admin shell with sidebar, toolbar, and SPA navigation
  • Theme Designer with color presets, density, radius, and custom fonts
  • Dark Engine for native WordPress and third-party admin screens
  • Light, dark, system, or forced global theme
  • Custom logos, dark-mode logos, and admin favicon
  • Admin custom CSS and extra stylesheets
  • Frontend toolbar that matches the admin chrome
  • Disable uiXpress by role, user, or URL pattern
White label and login
  • Rename the plugin in the plugins list and settings menu
  • Find-and-replace text across menus, plugin headers, and Vue screens
  • Modern split-panel login page with optional side image
  • Custom login URL and per-role login redirects
  • Optional Cloudflare Turnstile on login
Dashboard and analytics
  • Custom dashboard with Overview, Analytics, and WooCommerce Store tabs
  • Per-user card layout: drag, resize, show, and hide
  • Built-in privacy-first analytics or Google Analytics 4
  • Page views, visitors, sessions, countries, referrers, devices, and campaigns
  • Real-time active visitors, conversions, and event tracking
  • Media analytics, user registrations, scheduled content, and server health
  • WooCommerce revenue, orders, products, customers, and coupons
Workspaces
  • Global command search with history, quick actions, and menu links
  • Menu Creator with role targeting, drafts, and import/export
  • Modern plugin manager with WordPress.org browse, ZIP upload, and bulk actions
  • Plugin performance profiler and update protector with rollback
  • Modern media library with unused-file filters, tags, SVG, and font uploads
  • Modern posts, pages, users, and comments tables with inline and batch edit
Admin tools
  • Activity logger with diffs, IP, user agent, and retention cleanup
  • Role editor with grouped capabilities and role cloning
  • Database explorer with schema view and SELECT-only SQL
  • Admin notices targeted by role or user
  • Remote site switcher with encrypted application passwords
  • Settings import/export and optional GitHub settings sync

Common questions.

Is uiXpress a good alternative to MainWP?
Yes. uiXpress is a MainWP alternative for people working inside a single site’s admin who want a rebuilt UI and a simple remote-site switcher — not a full MSP dashboard. MainWP is the multi-site operations dashboard. uiXpress is the single-site admin rebuild with a remote switcher — choose MainWP to run a fleet, uiXpress to modernize the admin you log into.
Does uiXpress replace MainWP?
No. uiXpress can connect remote WordPress sites with application passwords and switch into them. MainWP is for updates, backups, reports, and clients across a fleet. They can be used together: MainWP to manage sites, uiXpress to modernize each admin.
Can MainWP rebuild the WordPress admin?
No. Child sites keep default wp-admin unless you install something like uiXpress on them.
Does MainWP include built-in site analytics?
Only through extensions that connect GA or Matomo. uiXpress tracks traffic on the site itself inside the admin dashboard.

Ready to try uiXpress instead of MainWP?

Lifetime and yearly plans. 14-day money-back guarantee.