This is the legacy left in their long history of sucky-ness.
- Known in the developer community for being a ripoff company.
- Poor code quality.
- Poor support quality.
- Poor business practices.
I hate wasting time on inferior products when I could be covering much more incredible solutions used everyday by professionals. But here I am…re-explaining myself for the 30 millionth time about why nobody should ever use any WPMU DEV products or ever take them seriously.
WPMU DEV is a ripoff company with fancy marketing.
When I was first aware of WPMU many over 5 years ago, WPMU DEV was a pretty much a GPL license abuser. If you don’t know what that means…it basically means anybody can create derivatives of your code work (basically “steal”) and relabel it as their own, even resell it for profit if they want. All WordPress extensions are bound by that license by default.
Whatever popular plugins were around at that time, WPMU DEV had their own generic store-brand version of it.
- Forms
- Membership
- Seo
- Image compression
- Caching
- Comments
- Ads
- Pop-ups
- Marketing
- Security
- Social
- Oh yeah, they had a pagebuilder, too!
- See their list of 100+ legacy WPMUDEV plugins.
- All their list of current premium WPMUDEV plugins.
You name it, they had it. Whatever plugin was successful, they did a copycat version of it. It was their attempt at (WordPress) world domination.
WPMU DEV plugins are mostly crap.
This is probably why most of you are reading this page. It’s because you’re wondering about their plugins. If you don’t already know. Most of their plugins are junk and made fun of by developers all the time. Anytime we see a site with WPMU DEV plugins, we immediately assume the previous developer didn’t know what they were doing or not really even a “developer” at all.
Why are they crap? Who knows…
Maybe outsourced or built by low-grade developers. Maybe they have so many plugins that they don’t have time to properly maintain each one throughout the many updates of WordPress, PHP, or overall compatibility with other plugins.
- Hummingbird (cache) – crap.
- Smush (image compression) – crap. (Although some people like it.)
- Defender (security) – crap.
What makes them crap?
Poor coding, doesn’t work right, conflicts with other plugins, bloated, high memory use, etc. I can’t remember all the plugins I’ve seen and why I hated them. You’re welcome to research for yourself.
WPMU DEV has a long history of poor support.
I know companies with only 1 or 2 plugins that are buried by support requests. So I can’t even imagine what WPMU DEV’s support staff handles in supporting dozens of copycat plugins. There’s scathing reviews all over the internet.
WPMU DEV has a long history of unethical business practices.
Generally, they were overselling their plugins (gimmicky marketing) and then being difficult to refund or giving bad attitude in support requests when their customers weren’t happy.
Should you give WPMU DEV a chance?
I have the same answer all developers have….NO.
WPMU is probably the laughing stock of the WordPress extension eco-system, just like the AVADA theme. Will they improve? Are they getting better?
Actually, I think they’ve improved for sure. It used to be that they were called a FRAUD or SCAM…but now, they’re only associated with bad coding. I think it was a great move that they dropped so many plugins to focus on only a few. I do feel their support got better over the years (naturally due to having fewer things to support).
But I don’t see them ever becoming a quality development company in the future. They still don’t specialize in any particular niche. Still doing copycat plugins…check them out. The other thing too…is that if you’re going to do a copycat plugin, you plugin needs to have a unique feature or something to make it better than what it’s copying. But all their copycat works never ascend to that. They’re just copycats (if even that) and completely inferior. At best, they price their plugins cheaper and that’s it.
Hey, if you like the cute superhero branding and low pricing, give WPMU DEV a try. But if you want serious plugins developed by people who actually care and passionate about providing solutions…try out a real development company.
How recent is this review?
I know many of you reading this might be reasonbly skeptical. Maybe you think I haven’t tried the absolute latest new-and-improved versions of WPMU. (And you’re right.) But my clients and other developers I know have. And the complaint is still a lot of the same. Bloated stuff, not-so-great support. I think if I heard nonstop positive reviews about them for just 1 year straight…I’ll consider them again. But that hasn’t happened yet.
Nice infomations, thank you very much!
I fully agree with you and had the same experiences with any of their plugins that I tested, except one that I find way better than similar ones: Forminator.
It works really great, it’s free and their support has always been fast and efficient.
There is always one exception that confirms the rule…
Glad you liked something. I personally prefer WP Fluent Forms or Caldera for forms. But Caldera’s free form-protection is almost non-existent.
I also like Forminator, as they offer conditional logic, calculations, and built in integrations with PayPal and Stripe in the free version.
Can you recommend any other form plugin that is better constructed, less bloated, etc, which also offers these features free?
Thanks
100% Agree.
Another shiv delivered by Master Johnny! Always found their plugins bloated.
They have poor support because staff are not allowed to “waste” time, we had to have all the time to pretend to like racistic jokes from a ashole in charge there.
Hello Janet,
Can you please share more about this? I’m a WPMUDEV ex-employee too, but I’m not comfortable enough to share my identity yet. You can leave specifics out if you wish to, but I’m so eager to know whether the person you’re referring to here is the same one I think.
I have joined WPMU DEV a long time back. Quit after 1 year.
Smart man! 🙂
Once I had a conflict with them, they were exceptionally rude. I really can’t recall anything even remotely like it. It would be better for the market if they went out of business.
I just bought the agency package from them after testing with the trail, but I regret a bit after reading this, or maybe not.
I do not completely agree with everything you write here, it seems that you have a conflict with them, without me having to comment on it further.
The systems of WPMU are actually very good and visually the clint page is even better than what others offer. They will also soon come with subscriber service for my customers, so I can easily control everything from “the hub”. In a total package that you sell is more enough for most people, and those who need a little more, it is no problem to implement other plugins that meet their needs. Mainly I like WPMU because it is very user-friendly and clear, with a nice customer portal you can set up. And do not forget their hosting offers that one can set up for the customers.
I can not notice that you have had any tests with other muli-site wordpress providers like ManageWP and InfiniteWP.
I am looking for a professional system that ensures that my small and large enterprise customers get what they pay for, and that the solutions are optimal for a comfortable user experience. Do you have any recommendations for who I should use?
Whoever wrote this…the email you put makes your whole comment extremely dubious. Anyway, I still hear people complaining about WPMU today. I just don’t like them period. I suppose I might change my mind one day if I heard nothing but positive reviews (from people I trust) for at least 1 year straight…and that hasn’t happened yet.
My partner currently works for them and often cries daily about the shitty way that management treat their staff. The internal politics are abysmal and scummy, noone should have to fear for their job based on how directors feel, but that’s just what is happening. The owner, James, may wake up and decide to have one of his bipolar episodes and let go of several people because of something out of their control, and that’s not even the end of it. Internal corruption makes this place an absolutely awful place to work, it’s an absolute joke and I feel so sorry for anyone employed by such an unethical company.
I masked my identity in this comment to avoid any potential backlash, but I really needed to post my two cents. Some free plugins are alright (they do the job), however most fall short and I just can’t get over how the staff are treated.
Would never recommend giving money to them.
The service itself sucks pretty badly..
My experience was the following: Left a good shared hosting in their favor to pay 500+ USD for something that was supposed to provide performance..
Well… my website is broken, the tech support is that stupid that they can’t even provide you with a proper explanation or argument for some common server configuration..
I created and hosted thousands of wordpress sites everywhere i could possibly host them but this wpmu dev crap is the shittiest service i ever tried
They are total jerks, they deletes the comments of users who expresses their true experience while keeping some fake comments out there that brags about them
This is a pathetic and they are very low people …
Just avoid them as you may end up with your website fully broken and no explanations just a usual bs they throw about refunding .. even if you spent days with them trying to troubleshoot things from THEIR END and not your website ..
Overall: i dont know where these good feedbacks comes from but this is seriously a piece of crap type of service..
Really sorry to hear about this and hope you find a new service that fits your needs.
Well I discovered their offer today, as an agency the HUB seems to have lots of potential, so I decided to give it a shot.
When installing my first website (I’m managing 50+ websites at the moment), I noticed that we have to use their proprietary plugins in order to get datas like Perfomance, Analytics etc.. Why not allowing third party services like Google Analytics, GT Metrix / Google Speed, etc..?
I can’t change all my websites to comply with this, plus leaving them would mean, some datas will be lost because it’s linked to their services only.
I don’t mind managing my maintenance work using their HUB except, if I can’t use my already installed from many years services that works and are optimized well.
So I will stay with my actual service for the moment as I can manage all my websites using my actual plugins.
Couple of things
1. WPMUDEV and what they provide shits all over this JohnnyVPS trash. Look up ‘Johnny VPS issues’ on google and you’ll see who he really is.
The guy who you said has a dubious email is right, you compare WPMUDEV to other managed software like managedwp to get a better understanding of what it’s all about.
2. To the latest comment from the agency guy in Jan 2022. Why can’t you use any plugin and have it show in the WPMUDEV dashboard? Understand web/software development first before asking dumb questions. You agency fools take our business but you know nothing and the sites you produce are shitty WordPress templates that have barely any custom work on them and you charge 10k.
Couple of things
1. Nice that you found a slander article on me by one of the most banned/hated people on the internet. I suggest you read my full review of LittleBizzy (Jesse Nickles) or at least know who I am before making a judgement based on some guy who’s been running from slander lawsuits for god knows how long.
2. Being that you didn’t bring up any legit counter-points or even provide a real name and email/url…I’m just gonna assume you’re either a troll/shill, WPMUDEV employee, or otherwise someone without reputation/experience/balls/points to back up their argument.
Next time you wanna comment something unsubstantial, please go all the way by not commenting at all. Peace!
I signed up to their agency package a couple of years ago and am still with them now. The main pull for me was the Hub. The competition in this field just didn’t sit right for me as they charge per site / per addon which makes things more complicated to manage – not easier.
Anyway that aside, the HUB is the only reason I’m still with them. I really really REALLY want them to be good and improve but they just arent. I have so many bugs with their plugins that I’ve slowly dwindled them down and replaced with other plugs.
– Forminator doesn’t offer basic styling functionality so ditched them.
– Defender gives me 600 false positives (ABOUT THEIR OWN PLUGINS). It also has terrible reporting functionality that is so overly complicated to just do the basic task of EMAIL ME ONLY WHEN IT SEES AN ISSUE
– Smushpro serves a decent purpose, but their CDN is trash. Im not lying when I say I’ve watched one last image on my site take 20 seconds to load, coming from their CDN. Regularly this happens.
– Hummingbird has just now bit the dust when I installed it and configured it on a new site and got an E rating on GTmetrix. I then installed WP Rocket, and ticked about 3 boxes and got an A rating. No exaggerations. (This is why I searched for WPMUDEV rubbish on google and found this article today)
I have never been that happy with them, which is why I never took the plunge into their client / hosting services. I am already too embedded with them via the hub, but at least that is reasonable to get out of.
Anyway… i will be leaving them soon. I just wish I knew of an affordable Hub-like alternative. Not that janky free one (MainWP) but a good high-end one like ManageWP that has a consistent fee. I will probs research this after I hit send 🙂