A MainWP alternative: hosted, with safe updates that test checkout.
MainWP is open source and self-hosted: you run its Dashboard on your own WordPress site, keep your data on your own server and manage unlimited sites. Sitegoalie is hosted, so there is no dashboard to run, and each update is tested on checkout, forms and wp-admin as well as on screenshots, with flat monthly plans by number of sites.
Sitegoalie vs MainWP, side by side.
MainWP details are from mainwp.com and docs.mainwp.com, checked on 5 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars. Many MainWP features come as extensions, and each extension is listed as free or Pro on mainwp.com.
| Feature | Sitegoalie | MainWP |
|---|---|---|
| How it runs | Hosted by Sitegoalie. You install a WordPress plugin on each site and nothing else | Self-hosted. You install the MainWP Dashboard plugin on a WordPress site you run yourself, and a Child plugin on each client site |
| How pricing works | Flat plans by number of sites: Free (1 site), Solo $9 (5), Studio $15 (10), Pro $29 (25), Agency $79 (100) | Dashboard plugin free with unlimited sites. MainWP Pro, unlimited sites: $29 a month, $199 a year or $599 once. Plus the hosting for your Dashboard site |
| Free trial | 14 days of Pro, no card. The Free plan covers 1 site after that | No trial listed. Pro has a 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Updates across sites | Safe Updates for plugins, themes and WordPress core, from $9 a month. Major WordPress updates always need your confirmation and UpdraftPlus | Plugin, theme and core updates across all sites in one click, from the free Dashboard |
| Before and after comparison | Screenshots of up to 8 key pages compared automatically, with a difference image and the share of each page that changed; over 8% is flagged | Regression Testing extension (Pro) compares raw HTML, rendered HTML and CSS and JavaScript files after updates, and emails you when changes pass a threshold |
| Backups and restore | Sitegoalie’s own backups on every plan: weekly, the last 3 kept on the site’s server, downloadable from wp-admin. Restore (full, files only or database only) with an Undo for 7 days. Sitegoalie Cloud backups on paid plans are coming soon. UpdraftPlus also works | Through extensions. The UpdraftPlus extension is free and needs UpdraftPlus on each site; destinations include Dropbox, Google Drive and Amazon S3. Solid Backups and BackWPup extensions are also listed |
| Uptime, SSL and domain expiry | Included on every plan. Uptime is checked every 5 minutes | The free Advanced Uptime Monitor extension checks every 5 minutes and needs an API key from a service such as Uptime Robot, NodePing, Site24x7 or Better Uptime. mainwp.com also lists SSL and domain status monitoring |
| Vulnerability alerts | Included, using Wordfence Intelligence data | Free Vulnerability Checker extension, using the free MainWP NVD API or the paid WPScan database API |
| Firewall, virtual patching and malware scanning | Not available. Sitegoalie works alongside Wordfence or Patchstack | Sucuri extension (free) runs manual malware scans. Wordfence integration is Pro |
| Client reporting | White-label PDF reports with a work log on every paid plan, emailed monthly. Client portal and client emails on Pro and Agency | Pro Reports extension (Pro): PDF reports with your logo and colours, sent from the Dashboard. White Label extension is Pro |
| Google Analytics integration | Not available | Google Analytics extension (Pro) |
| One-click login to wp-admin | Not available | Passwordless login is listed on the free plan |
| Most sites per account | 100 | Unlimited |
What it costs for 25 client sites.
Say you want updates, backups, uptime monitoring, vulnerability alerts and white-label client reports on 25 sites.
- MainWP free: the Dashboard plugin costs nothing and covers unlimited sites, so 25 sites cost $0 in licences. Extensions for vulnerability checks, uptime and UpdraftPlus backups are free too, though uptime needs an API key from a monitoring service and backups need UpdraftPlus on each site. Pro Reports, White Label, Regression Testing and the Wordfence integration are Pro. You also pay to host, secure, update and back up the site that runs the Dashboard.
- MainWP Pro: $29 a month, $199 a year or $599 once, for unlimited sites. $199 a year is about $16.58 a month. Hosting for the Dashboard site comes on top of each.
- Sitegoalie: Pro is $29 a month for up to 25 sites, which is $348 over 12 months. It includes Safe Updates, uptime, vulnerability alerts, PDF client reports and the client portal, and there is no server of your own to pay for. Solo is $9 for 5 sites, Studio $15 for 10, Agency $79 for up to 100.
- Where it flips: at 25 sites, MainWP Pro costs the same as Sitegoalie Pro if you pay monthly ($29 against $29). Paid yearly, MainWP Pro is $149 less than 12 months of Sitegoalie Pro ($199 against $348), and the $599 lifetime price is lower from the 21st month ($599 divided by $29 is 20.7 months). Compared on licence price alone, Sitegoalie over 12 months is lower for up to 10 sites (Solo $108, Studio $180, against $199) and higher from 11 sites (Pro $348, Agency $948 for up to 100). The free MainWP Dashboard is the cheapest at any size if you do not need Pro extensions. Add your hosting bill to the MainWP side before you compare.
Where Sitegoalie is different.
Both tools update many sites from one place. The difference is who runs the dashboard, and what is checked after each update.
- Nothing to host. There is no dashboard site to run, secure, update and back up
- Real WooCommerce checkout, form and wp-admin tests before and after each Safe Update, with automatic rollback when checkout or wp-admin breaks, even if the page still loads
- Uptime, vulnerability alerts, PHP errors and client reports are part of the plan, with no extra API keys or per-feature add-ons to set up
- A flat price per plan by number of sites
When MainWP is the better fit.
Sitegoalie does not do everything MainWP does. Stay with MainWP, or use both, if you need:
- Your data on your own server. MainWP’s Dashboard runs on a site you host, and its code is open source on GitHub.
- More than 100 sites, or no per-site limits at all. MainWP lists unlimited sites.
- One-click login to each site’s wp-admin from the dashboard. MainWP lists passwordless login on its free plan; Sitegoalie has none.
- Malware scanning and Wordfence through MainWP’s Sucuri and Wordfence extensions. Sitegoalie has no malware scanning or firewall and works alongside Wordfence or Patchstack.
- Off-site backups today. MainWP’s UpdraftPlus extension can send backups to Dropbox, Google Drive or Amazon S3. Sitegoalie Cloud backups are coming soon on paid plans; until then Sitegoalie’s own backups are kept on your site’s server, so use UpdraftPlus or a similar plugin if you want copies elsewhere.
- Google Analytics in your dashboard, which MainWP offers as a Pro extension.
- A wide extension catalogue and custom automation. MainWP lists 30+ Pro add-ons, plus hooks, filters, APIs and CLI support.
- The lowest cost at larger scale, as the cost example above shows, if you are happy to run the Dashboard yourself.
Switching from MainWP.
You can try Sitegoalie without turning anything off.
Start free
Create a workspace. Every new workspace gets 14 days of Pro, so Safe Updates is on from day one.
Connect sites
Install the Sitegoalie plugin on each site and paste its connection key. You do not need to remove the MainWP Child plugin first.
Choose a backup
Safe Updates needs a successful backup from the last 24 hours. Switch on Sitegoalie’s own Backups on each site, or keep using UpdraftPlus. Major WordPress updates still use UpdraftPlus.
Turn on Safe Updates
Switch it on site by site, then pick a maintenance day for each. Run updates from one tool at a time.
Move over
Once you trust the results, remove the MainWP Child plugin from the sites you have moved. When the last site has moved, you can retire the site that runs your MainWP Dashboard.
Questions about switching.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The Free plan covers one site for as long as you like. Every new workspace also gets 14 days of Pro, which includes Safe Updates.
Do I have to host anything?
No. Sitegoalie is a hosted service. You install its WordPress plugin on each site and sign in to the dashboard. With MainWP you install the Dashboard plugin on a WordPress site of your own and look after that site yourself.
Can I run Sitegoalie and MainWP on the same site?
You can install both plugins to compare them before you switch. Avoid running updates from both tools at the same time.
Does Sitegoalie have a firewall or malware scanner?
No. Sitegoalie alerts you to known plugin and theme vulnerabilities using Wordfence Intelligence data, and can switch on a set of hardening rules, but it does not block attacks or scan for malware. Run it next to Wordfence or Patchstack if you need that.
Does Sitegoalie store my backups?
Sitegoalie makes backups itself once you switch Backups on for a site: weekly, with the last 3 kept on the site’s own server. You can download them from wp-admin and restore them from there. Sitegoalie Cloud backups, stored for you on paid plans, are coming soon. If you prefer, UpdraftPlus works too, and Safe Updates checks that a successful backup exists from the last 24 hours before it updates.
Is Sitegoalie cheaper than MainWP?
Not always. The MainWP Dashboard is free for unlimited sites, though you pay to host it. MainWP Pro is $29 a month or $199 a year, also for unlimited sites. Sitegoalie Pro is $29 a month for 25 sites, so the monthly price is the same, and for up to 10 sites Sitegoalie’s plans ($9 and $15 a month) cost less over 12 months than $199. From 11 sites MainWP costs less on licence price. Sitegoalie includes the hosting, so add your own hosting bill to the MainWP side.
Can Sitegoalie log me in to a site’s wp-admin?
No. Sitegoalie has no one-click login from the dashboard. MainWP lists passwordless login on its free plan.
Does it work with any host?
Yes. Sitegoalie works through its WordPress plugin, so it does not depend on your hosting company.
MainWP is a trademark of its owner and is not affiliated with Sitegoalie. MainWP features and prices are from mainwp.com and docs.mainwp.com, checked on 5 October 2026, and may have changed since.
Try it on one site, free.
The Free plan covers one site and needs no card.
- Connect a site
Install the Sitegoalie plugin and paste your connection key. It takes about two minutes.
- See where it stands
The first report arrives within minutes: uptime, SSL, vulnerabilities, plugin health and pending updates.
- Switch on Safe Updates when you’re ready
Pick a maintenance day and let it run, with a summary email after every run.
Read-only by default. Nothing on a site changes until you switch Safe Updates on for it.
Start your free workspace
- 14 days of Pro, no card needed
- Safe Updates with screenshots and checkout tests
- Client portal and white-label emails
- Then free for one site, or pick a plan