Local development is the foundation of a professional WordPress workflow. A good local environment lets you develop themes and plugins, test updates, and experiment with new features without affecting your live site. The four most popular options — Local, DevKinsta, DDEV, and custom Docker setups — each offer different tradeoffs between ease of use and flexibility.
This guide compares the best WordPress local development tools to help you choose the right one for your workflow.
Local
Local (formerly Local by Flywheel) is the most beginner-friendly WordPress local development tool. It provides a graphical interface for creating and managing WordPress sites, with one-click SSL, live links for sharing your local site with clients, and integrated hosting push to WP Engine.
Local uses Docker under the hood but abstracts away the complexity. You can configure PHP versions, web servers (nginx or Apache), and MySQL versions per site. Local’s addon system extends functionality with MailHog for email testing, image optimization, and search-replace tools.
DevKinsta
DevKinsta is Kinsta’s free local development tool, designed specifically for building sites that will be deployed to Kinsta’s managed WordPress hosting. It provides a polished interface with nginx, PHP 8.0+, and MariaDB. DevKinsta includes a built-in email testing tool and adminer for database management.
DevKinsta’s integration with Kinsta is its standout feature — you can pull live sites to your local machine, develop locally, and push changes back with one click. For non-Kinsta users, the tool is still fully functional but lacks the deployment integration.
DDEV
DDEV is an open-source, command-line-based local development tool that works on macOS, Linux, and Windows (via WSL2). It uses Docker containers but provides a simplified command-line interface for managing projects. DDEV is more configurable than Local but requires comfort with the terminal.
DDEV supports multiple PHP versions, web servers, and database types. It includes built-in tools for MailHog, phpMyAdmin, and Xdebug. DDEV’s configuration is stored in your project’s .ddev directory, making it easy to share environment configuration with your team via Git.
Custom Docker Setup
For maximum control, a custom Docker Compose setup is the best option. Define your services — web server (nginx or Apache), PHP-FPM, MySQL or MariaDB, Redis, and MailHog — in a docker-compose.yml file. This approach gives you complete control over every aspect of your environment.
A custom Docker setup requires more initial effort but provides the most flexibility. You can match your production environment exactly, add any service your application needs, and version-control your entire environment configuration.
Recommendations
Choose Local if you want the easiest setup and a graphical interface — it’s ideal for designers, content creators, and developers who prefer GUI tools. Choose DevKinsta if you host with Kinsta. Choose DDEV if you prefer command-line tools and need a balance of flexibility and ease of use. Choose a custom Docker setup if you need complete control over your environment or need to match production infrastructure exactly.
The Bottom Line
Local development is non-negotiable for professional WordPress work. All four options provide a reproducible PHP/MySQL environment on your local machine. Start with Local if you’re new to local development, then graduate to DDEV or Docker as your needs grow. The important thing is to work locally — not directly on a production server.