Running a WordPress site, especially when clients are involved, means constant work in the admin dashboard. We all want to save time but without sacrificing control or quality.
DevKit is a WordPress admin plugin designed to streamline nearly every common admin task. It’s robust enough for agencies, yet intuitive for solo users and freelancers.
How to Get the Best Deal on DevKit
InfluenceWP has an exclusive DevKit deal.
DevKit’s Vendor and Community: Why Trust Matters
DevKit comes from DPlugins, a company with a clear emphasis on building for the community. Instead of a slick, flashy site, the founder directs his energy to useful, practical plugin development.
We’ve spoken often with the founder, Marko, and like us, he sees WordPress as an ecosystem built on trust and generosity. Our conversations reinforced what we’ve seen in the broader user base: Marko supports users as much as possible, shares plenty of free resources, answers questions himself, and keeps the community active with updates and honest discussions. If you’ve struggled with faceless vendors or slow support, you’ll feel right at home with this approach.
- Active Facebook group: Direct answers, product support, and community sharing
- YouTube channel: Tutorials and walkthroughs for users at every level
- Free resources: Useful tools beyond just DevKit, all available to the public
What’s Coming Soon: DevKit’s Evolving Feature Set
DevKit already covers most admin needs, but Marko continues to add more. We recently saw announcements in his Facebook group, and from our talks — big improvements are on the way. A new user interface and user experience (UI/UX) are in the works, including extra features for better security.
The standout upcoming feature is called Runner. This addition will let us execute WordPress admin tasks using only the keyboard, in the style of command palettes seen in other apps. If you’ve seen Sketch Runner or tools like Command UI, you know how fast these shortcuts can make daily admin work. No more endless clicking — just type a command and get what you want instantly.
We appreciate this willingness to keep improving. Even before these changes, DevKit offers real productivity gains, but knowing that enhancements are coming only raises our confidence in recommending it to clients and partners.
DevKit In Action: Features That Transform the WordPress Admin
Let’s break down each of the main features. We’ll share how they work, where they fit into our workflow, and how they can replace multiple other plugins.
Plugin Management: Save Time, Skip Hassle
Managing plugins is usually tedious: install, wait, activate, and repeat for every one. With DevKit, the process is much smoother.
- Drag-and-drop plugin installation: Just drop one or many plugin files, then install and activate them in a single step.
- Auto-activate on install: Skip the manual step to turn on plugins after upload — DevKit does it for you.
- Overwrite plugins even with matching version numbers: Handy for quick patching or local development.
- Upload directly from your computer: Skip FTP or host dashboards for simple workflows.
- Download plugins (single or bulk): Need a backup before updating, or want to migrate plugins to another site? DevKit packages them up and lets you extract individual zip files for each.
Example Workflow:
We wanted to maintain multiple versions of a plugin, both for client backup and rollback. With DevKit, we could select several plugins, download them together, and store both zipped and extracted versions as needed. This replaced complex backup routines and sped up migration to new servers.
Theme Management: The Same Power, No Surprises
Theme handling is just as effortless as plugin management, with a similar set of options:
| Feature | Plugins | Themes |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop install | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-activate on install | Yes | N/A (Themes become active when set) |
| Overwrite without deactivation | Yes | Yes |
| Upload from workstation | Yes | Yes |
| Download for backup/rollback | Yes | Yes |
If you’ve ever needed to overwrite a theme file or quickly roll back experiments, this approach takes out the usual headaches.
WP Reset: Clean Up Safely, Stay Efficient
Many sites need periodic resets during heavy development or when handing over to a client. DevKit eliminates the need for yet another plugin by incorporating these reset features:
- Reset database
- Delete all site content
- Empty the wp-content folder
- Delete all plugins/themes, except “safe-listed” ones
We can add key plugins to the safe list, so site resets don’t remove tools we still need. This is one of those features that saves hours over a project’s lifespan.
Important: Before running any reset, back up your site. While DevKit streamlines the process, it doesn’t skip the usual risks involved with wiping WordPress content.
Error Logs & File Manager: Everything Within Reach
When a problem crops up, DevKit puts the most helpful tools right inside the dashboard:
Error Log Viewer
Quickly see recent PHP or web server errors on your site. No more digging through cPanel, SFTP, or long directories.
File Manager
A full file browser, lets you:
- Navigate directories quickly
- Upload, download, and create files/folders
- Get a tree view for easy navigation
Security Note: While powerful, a built-in file manager can expose risk if left on sites with untrusted admins. When working with clients who insist on admin-level access, DevKit’s file manager can empower them without teaching complex tools. Still, we recommend removing it when not needed or restricting admin rights for users who shouldn’t see it.
Image Optimization: Fast, Built-In, Reliable
DevKit includes image resizing and conversion, helping sites load faster and stay organized.
Image optimization features:
- Set max width and height for images
- Auto-resize on upload
- WebP generation: Enable webp images automatically where supported
- Bulk thumbnail management: Remove outdated or unwanted sizes with a few clicks
- Add custom thumbnail sizes: Set the size and crop settings, and get a ready-to-paste PHP snippet for theme use
Benefits:
- Improve site speed by shrinking oversized images
- Reduce storage use
- Remove clutter created by old or unused image sizes
Server Info: Technical Insights With One Click
Need to check server configuration or details about PHP versions? DevKit puts all info in a single dashboard tab, far quicker than WordPress’s built-in tools navigation.
No more wasting time in Tools > Site Health > Info > Server just to answer a client’s hosting questions. We now start in DevKit and rarely look back.
Advanced DevKit Tools for Serious WordPress Admins
Beyond the basics, DevKit packs in features that often require multiple separate solutions.
Core Rollback
If you ever need to install a previous WordPress core version — for testing, compatibility, or troubleshooting — DevKit connects directly to the core rollback plugin. One click, instant results. For agencies managing dozens of sites, this feature is a real time-saver.
Maintenance Mode
Client needs site maintenance? Easily activate maintenance mode across the whole site or pick only the homepage, a specific page, or an archive. Set a custom “under maintenance” page as needed. This functionality is especially handy during redesigns or launch windows.
Search and Replace Utility
The search and replace tool is worth the plugin price by itself. DevKit lets us:
- Enter a search term and replacement text
- Preview results with a “dry run” before making changes
- Hit “run” for instant updates across the whole database
We once had to change dozens of “IWP” references to “InfluenceWP.” Thanks to the dry run, we previewed exactly what would change, reducing mistakes.
Tip: Always back up your site before running a search and replace, just as you would before a reset.
Settings and Visibility
Admin panels get cluttered fast. DevKit can hide itself from the plugins list, preventing clients or junior admins from disabling or tampering with it — ideal when supporting clients who insist on admin privileges.
Admins can activate additional built-in tools, including Adminer and User Manager, using checkboxes in settings. Other options allow quick toggling for debugging, such as logging PHP errors, JavaScript issues, or database query logs — all without writing or editing a single line of code.
We also see security features like WordPress salts regeneration. While this is a developer-level concern, being able to regenerate salts from the dashboard can offer extra peace of mind after site migrations or incidents.
Going Deeper: Adminer and User Manager
Adminer: Simplified Database Access
When admin-level troubleshooting demands database access, we usually turn to PHPMyAdmin or the host’s control panel. With DevKit, there’s no need.
The Adminer button (appearing as a database icon in the WordPress toolbar) gives us instant, secure database access within the dashboard — no new tab, no extra login. For fast queries, data edits, or just sanity-checking user records, it saves several steps.
Developers who work across hosts or freelancers with many projects will see the upside immediately.
User Manager: Switch Roles and Test Permissions
Testing access controls just got easier. With DevKit’s User Manager, we can:
- Add new users on the fly, assigning any role (editor, author, etc.)
- Instantly “switch” to any user account for real-time role testing
If you’re configuring memberships, editor restrictions, or custom dashboards for clients, this feature gives you insight into what they’ll experience.
Note: Once you switch users, you can’t access User Manager again until you log out as the simulated user and log back in with your admin account.
We found logging out and back in smoother than juggling plugins or extra browser profiles.
Suggested workflow:
Simulate the least powerful user role needed, test every key process your client might use, then switch back to admin, adjust as needed, and repeat.
Final Thoughts
DevKit is one of those rare plugins that actually saves us money, time, and headaches. It takes the best parts of separate specialty plugins and delivers them in a single, cohesive admin sidebar.
We now manage plugin and theme installs, site resets, debugging, file access, server info, search and replace, core rollback, maintenance mode, image optimization, and more, all in one place.
Our clients get faster service, and our sites are easier to maintain.
If you’re serious about saving time with WordPress administration, or you work with clients who demand the best, DevKit needs to be on your shortlist. We can confidently say it’s changed how we handle WordPress sites — making everyday admin work faster, easier, and much less stressful.