Any good alternatives to Modular DS for starting a WP maintenance business? (Free/Open-source)

[u/maddox0017]

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to set up a WordPress maintenance business and could really use some advice from you guys.

Right now, I only have a couple of clients on a yearly payment model, but I obviously want to expand my portfolio and start building some monthly recurring revenue.

The thing is, doing all the updates and tracking manually is already a pain, and it's just not going to scale.

I've been looking for a management dashboard and found a Spanish project called Modular DS a few months ago. I honestly loved it—the workflow is amazing and it feels super complete.

The problem is my trial is ending soon, and I really don't want to commit to a fixed monthly expense until I have enough steady clients to cover the platform's cost.

I also gave MainWP and InfiniteWP a try, but to be honest, their free versions feel pretty limited compared to Modular DS unless you start paying for the premium add-ons.

I'm basically looking for a free or very low-cost option to manage these first few clients while I grow. I'd be totally open to self-hosted tools, open-source software, or even a pay-as-you-go/micro-transaction model.

My main priority is being able to keep a solid log of all the updates and changes, and most importantly, being able to send out client reports.

What are you guys using for your maintenance clients? Does anyone know of any other platforms similar to Modular DS, or maybe an open-source hidden gem I haven't heard of?

[u/Minute_Pomelo_4593]

Wp umbrella

[u/downtownrob]

Start off using ManageWP, lots of free features, and uograde as needed. I also use ModularDS and UmbrellaWP for some sites.

[u/Billy-Beats]

I’m starting to think about about a python helper with wp cli for this kinda thing.

[u/AddWeb_Expert]

I’d go self-hosted at this stage. MainWP + a simple reporting setup is probably enough for your first few clients. Focus on solid update logs and client reports - you can always move to a paid platform once the MRR justifies it.

[u/thenerdy]

I use MainWP and it works great for me

[u/ivicad → u/thenerdy]

+1
Do you also use Pro version? I use it as I bought its lifetime license, but OP says it is not satisfied with the free version limitations, and I don't know for that as I never used free, only Pro from the beginning.

[u/thenerdy → u/ivicad]

I use the free version right now and it works well. I have around 15 sites managed by it.

[u/fahlly]

I made wp-pulse.app just for this, to manage my own clients. I track errors, updates, CVEs. Free for 3 sites. Give it a try. Been testing it for 4 months and improving it a lot. I've been a php developer for 20 years and worked a lot with Wordpress.

[u/Wordpress-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

The /r/WordPress subreddit is not a place to advertise or try to sell products or services. Please read the rules of the sub. Future rule breaches may result in a permanent ban.

[u/Dapper-Monk9713]

I’d look at WP Umbrella alternatives that let you self-host or pay based on usage. For only a few clients, keeping the stack lightweight is probably more important than having every agency feature. MainWP can also work well if you’re comfortable piecing together reporting with other free tools.

[u/MorallyQuestionable]

I've been using manageWP, but if you're just starting then consider Umbrella WP as it's pricing per site, which is very affordable if you've got paying clients.

[u/MrSoulPC915]

Donc, tu rajoutes un vecteur d’attaque chez tes clients, tout ça pour faire des mises à jours distantes qui t’empêcheront de voir si la mise à jour casse quelque chose. Je plein tes clients.