2024 has been a transformative year for WP Adminify, cementing its place as a must-have tool for WordPress professionals.
From a complete UI redesign to restructuring features and introducing performance-focused updates, we’ve worked tirelessly to make sure you have dashboard customization tool that’s smoother, faster, and more powerful than ever.
This year’s improvements were driven by user feedback and a commitment to delivering a cleaner, more efficient admin experience.
Let's take a detailed tour through everything we’ve done this year.
The Major Update: Version 4.0
Throughout the year, we continued making little fixes and improvements here and there but our main focus was the launch of WP Adminify V4.0.
We released it in August and it marked a pivotal moment for WP Adminify in 2024, introducing a suite of transformative changes aimed at delivering a cleaner, faster, and more intuitive plugin experience for our users.
With this update, we focused on redefining how users interact with their dashboards by focusing on design, usability, and performance.
UI Redesign: Clean, Intuitive, and Accessible
The older UI was just that: OLD!
Although some of our older users did object to the change we felt that the change in the UI was in the best interest of all our users.
Our old UI which took a module-based approach was a bit sluggish and not intuitive to new users. With the new UI, we decided that user experience should be our top priority.
Everyone should be able to use WP Adminify to its maximum capacity, not just seasoned WordPress users.
The new UI organized all of our features into 8 distinct categories so that users know at a glance where to find what.
Every visual and functional aspect of the dashboard was meticulously redesigned to ensure better usability and modern aesthetics.
The new design eliminates any guesswork on the user end and makes it much much easier to adopt the plugin for all types of users.
Now you can install the plugin and start using to it’s max capabilities from day 1.
Optimized Features for Better Usability
Version 4.0 removed outdated and lesser-used options, paving the way for a more efficient user experience.
- Removal of Legacy Tabs: The legacy Screen Options Tab and Help Tab were removed, simplifying the interface and reducing distractions.
- Menu Width and Favicon Customization: Refined style settings for menu width and favicon customization gives users more control over their workspace.
Faster and More Efficient Performance
Performance improvements were at the heart of this major update, ensuring smoother interactions and faster dashboard operations.
- Core Optimizations: The plugin underwent significant backend enhancements to minimize server load and improve dashboard loading speeds.
- Reduced Server Strain: These optimizations ensure better resource management, making WP Adminify a reliable choice even for users on shared hosting environments.
Version 4.0 represents WP Adminify's commitment to innovation and its dedication to creating a WordPress admin experience that's as efficient as it is enjoyable.
Converting Certain Features into Addons
In 2024, WP Adminify took a strategic leap forward by modularizing several of its features, transforming them into standalone plugins.
This decision stemmed from a commitment to improving performance and user flexibility while reducing plugin bloat.
The Reason Behind Separation
Over time, WP Adminify evolved into an all-encompassing plugin, packed with features that catered to a wide range of users.
While this comprehensive approach was beneficial, it also meant that some users ended up with features they didn’t need, potentially affecting performance and usability.
Some features were just incurring too many resources. Features such as the Login Customizer and Header & Footer Scripts were slowing down WP Adminify. The plugin was simply too heavy at this point.
To address this, we chose to separate these functionalities into individual add-ons, enabling users to activate only the features that align with their specific requirements. This modular framework allows users to:
- Activate Only What They Need: Users can now install only the features relevant to their workflow.
- Improve Dashboard Performance: A lighter core plugin minimizes server strain and enhances loading speeds.
- Simplify Feature Management: Standalone plugins offer focused functionality for easier configuration and updates.
We also published a full length blog on the whole v4.0 update, if you're interested in getting more information.
Features Now Available as Standalone Plugins
The following features were spun off into their own plugins, providing users with the flexibility to activate them as needed:
Login Customizer (Loginfy): Create branded and customizable login pages with advanced styling options.
Admin Columns Editor: Adjust and organize admin columns for a more tailored overview of data.
Header Footer Scripts: Easily manage and add scripts to your site’s header or footer without touching code.
Quick Menu: Simplify navigation by creating custom menus for faster access to frequently used tools.
Activity Logs: Keep track of user actions and changes across your WordPress site with detailed logs.
Google Pagespeed: Analyze and optimize your site’s performance with real-time Google Pagespeed insights.
Sidebar Generator: Generate and manage custom sidebars for different pages, posts, or categories.
The Benefits of Separation
Version 4.0 brings dramatic performance improvements thanks to the separation of our core plugin.
Users will see drastically faster page loads, lighter server usage, and smoother overall performance. Initial testing shows an impressive 82% reduction in page load time and 50% fewer database queries.
Check out our full 4.0 release post to see all the performance metrics and benchmarks that showcase just how much faster your site will run.
Major Bug Fixes and Compatibility Improvements
As part of our commitment to delivering a stable and reliable experience, 2024 was a landmark year for addressing long-standing issues in WP Adminify.
Version 4.0 introduced a series of major bug fixes and compatibility improvements, ensuring a smoother, conflict-free experience for all users.
Resolved Issues
1. Admin Menu Layout Bugs
Users often reported inconsistencies in the admin menu layout, particularly with custom menus. These glitches occasionally affected alignment, dropdowns, and visibility, creating a suboptimal user experience. With V 4.0, we thoroughly revamped the admin menu system to eliminate these issues, ensuring menus render correctly across all configurations.
2. Menu Alignment Glitches
Misaligned menus were a recurring challenge, especially for users with custom setups or unique site configurations. We identified the root causes, including CSS conflicts and layout inconsistencies, and introduced robust fixes to ensure pixel-perfect alignment for all menus.
3. Multisite Conflicts
Managing multisite networks is already complex, and previous versions of WP Adminify occasionally introduced complications. Users experienced dashboard inconsistencies and unexpected behavior when switching between sites. Version 4.0 resolved these conflicts, ensuring smooth performance across all sites in a multisite network, regardless of scale.
4. Notification Handling
Outdated notification handling mechanisms led to unnecessary clutter, delayed updates, and conflicts with third-party tools. The latest update streamlines the notification system, making plugin and theme update alerts more intuitive and reducing redundancy.
Enhanced Compatibility
In addition to resolving bugs, WP Adminify expanded its compatibility with several popular WordPress tools. This ensures that users who rely on these essential plugins and page builders can use them seamlessly alongside WP Adminify.
1. SEO Plugins
Rank Math SEO and Yoast: WP Adminify is now fully compatible with leading SEO tools, ensuring that your admin interface integrates seamlessly with their dashboards. Whether you're optimizing content or analyzing performance, the interface remains distraction-free and smooth.
2. Page Builders
Elementor and Divi: As two of the most widely used page builders, Elementor and Divi compatibility is critical. WP Adminify now ensures complete alignment with both, so users can manage their design and content workflows without experiencing layout disruptions or performance lags.
3. Third-Party Tool Conflicts
Beyond specific plugins, we identified and resolved compatibility issues with a range of third-party tools. From caching plugins to e-commerce solutions, WP Adminify now plays nicely with most tools in the WordPress ecosystem.
These bug fixes and compatibility improvements aren’t just technical tweaks—they address real pain points that users have faced.
With a more stable admin interface, seamless third-party integration, and a clutter-free dashboard, WP Adminify empowers you to focus on what matters: managing your website efficiently.
Whether you're optimizing for SEO, designing pages, or maintaining a multisite network, WP Adminify ensures a hassle-free experience at every step.
The free version also saw substantial performance improvements. It's now faster and more intuitive allowing new users to get into the plugin more easily.
Behind the Scenes: Website Transformation
This year, It wasn’t just the plugin that underwent significant change, the WP Adminify website was also augmented to ensure enhanced user experience, scalability, and performance.
The most noteworthy change was transitioning to headless WordPress, alongside substantial updates to the documentation and support sections.
Transition to Headless Architecture
We reimagined the WP Adminify website by adopting a headless CMS approach, separating the frontend from the backend. This architectural shift brings a host of benefits:
- Faster Page Load Times: By utilizing a modern frontend framework, pages now load almost instantly, offering a seamless browsing experience for visitors.
- Improved Scalability: As the user base and website traffic grow, the headless architecture ensures that the website can handle higher loads without compromising performance.
- Enhanced User Experience: The decoupled front end allows for smoother transitions between pages and a more interactive experience, creating a website that feels modern and responsive.
New user focused pages and updated documentation
Along with the plugin redesign, we decided to reorganize our website content to better align with what WP Adminify offers to users.
We added a few user focused pages for both Agencies and Freelancers so that its easier for these user types to understand how they may use WP Adminify for their custom workflows.
We also reworked our entire documentation to ensure users can easily find solutions and support despite the plugin overhaul. We focused mainly on:
- Simplified Navigation: The documentation structure was reworked for clarity, grouping topics intuitively and making it faster for users to locate relevant articles.
- Search Improvements: A smarter, more efficient documentation hub with a fast search function now ensures users can find answers to their queries in seconds, saving time and reducing frustration.
- Separate Documentation for Addons: We also added separate documentation for all our different addons so that users can easily find what they need.
Visitors now enjoy faster website interactions, and existing customers benefit from quicker access to organized resources.
This transformation reflects our dedication to not only innovating the WP Adminify plugin but also delivering value at every touchpoint of the user journey.
The Blog
We also started writing more for our blog as at the end of the day we are also WordPress users and are navigating WordPress every day.
We’ve learned a lot through our journey over the years and our blog is the perfect platform for us to share the experiences with you guys.
We’ve been publishing regularly since mid-2024, covering much searched for topics such as dashboard loading issues, WordPress admin panel guides and Admin bar customizations.
We aim to carry this over to 2025 and onwards. We’re looking to get into more interesting topics such as WooCommerce, performance optimizations, productivity, and security.
We’re also looking to add more reviews, case studies and listicles to our blog in the coming year. We have big things planned for 2025!
New Features Introduced
Control Heartbeat API
One of the most notable additions to WP Adminify in late 2024 was the Control Heartbeat API. This feature addresses a long-standing issue for WordPress administrators: the default AJAX calls that WordPress sends to the server at regular intervals.
With the Control Heartbeat API, admins now have the ability to:
- Fine-Tune Backend Behavior: Adjust the frequency of AJAX calls based on specific site needs, ensuring the backend performs optimally.
- Reduce Server Load: High-traffic sites can benefit from fewer server requests, minimizing resource strain and improving stability during peak usage.
- Enhance Site Performance: By limiting unnecessary processes, both the backend and frontend see noticeable performance improvements.
This feature is a direct response to user requests for better backend control and optimization, highlighting the importance of feedback in shaping our updates.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we move into 2025, WP Adminify is gearing up for an exciting year filled with innovations and enhancements designed to meet the evolving needs of our users.
User feedback remains a cornerstone of our development strategy, and we’re excited to introduce many new features based around productivity, security and performance.
Keep reaching out to us at our support and sharing with us the changes you'd like to see in 2025.
