MAMP | The Blog Pros

June 4, 2024

8 Best WordPress Development Tools (Free + Paid)

We’ve developed and launched many successful websites from the ground up. So we know that whether you’re an experienced WordPress developer or a beginner, having the right development tool helps you customize your site and add different functionality.

From our years of experience, some of the best development tools we can recommend include Local WP, WPCode, Duplicator, MAMP, and GitHub Copilot.

In this article, we’ll explain everything we learned while testing the tools and narrow down the best WordPress development tools so you can easily find the right one for your site.

Are you in a rush and want to know which development tools to choose? Don’t worry. Here’s a quick overview of the best tools and plugins you can use.

	Tool	Best For	Price
1	Local WP	Develop and test WP sites on local machine	Free
2	WPCode	Easily insert code for themes, plugins, and features	Free +Paid
3	Duplicator	Migrate WP sites between servers	Free + Paid
4	MAMP	Run a local server environment for development	Free
5	GitHub Copilot	Generate code suggestions for various programming languages	Paid
6	XAMPP	Run a local server environment for development	Free
7	InstaWP	WordPress Sandbox for testing themes & plugins	Free + Paid
8	Theme Check	Check WP themes for errors and best practices	Free

How We Test and Review WordPress Development Tools

To find the best development tools for WordPress, we focused on 5 key areas:

Functionality: We looked for tools that cater to various development tasks, such as creating local development environments, debugging code, automating repetitive processes, easily inserting code into your site, creating backups, and more.
Ease of Use: Is the tool user-friendly and accessible for users of all experience levels? We prioritized tools with simple interfaces, clear documentation, and beginner-friendly features while still offering powerful functionalities for experienced developers.
Integration with WordPress: When reviewing tools, we looked for solutions that integrate seamlessly with the WordPress ecosystem. Seamless integration ensures a smooth development experience and avoids potential conflicts.
Performance: We considered how the tools affect website loading speed, resource usage, and overall user experience. Ideally, the chosen tools should optimize website performance or at least not hinder it.
Community and Support: We also checked if a strong community and support system is available for the tool. A large and active community provides valuable resources and troubleshooting assistance and helps users and developers stay updated on the latest updates and best practices.

Why Trust WPBeginner?

The WPBeginner editorial team has over 16 years of experience in WordPress, digital marketing, website development, and eCommerce. We’ve tried and tested various plugins and software on real websites to find the most suitable ones for our readers’ specific needs.

Want to learn more? Just check out our editorial process.

That said, let’s look at some of the best WordPress development tools.

1. Local WP

Local WP (previously known as Local by Flywheel) is a desktop application designed to simplify the process of creating and managing local WordPress development environments.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting with WordPress, Local WP offers a user-friendly interface and powerful features to streamline your workflow.

We tested Local WP and found it incredibly easy to set up. Within minutes, we had a fresh WordPress site running on our computer, complete with a custom domain name and SSL certificate. During the setup process, Local WP offers Nginx and Apache servers and different PHP versions to choose from.

Another impressive feature we discovered during testing was the ability to create multisite installations and manage them effortlessly. Local WP also allows you to import existing WordPress sites from live servers, making it perfect for development, staging, and testing purposes.

Pros:

Effortless setup and management of local WordPress sites
Built-in Nginx and Apache servers
Secure development environment with SSL certificates
Support for multisite installations
Easy import of existing WordPress sites
Integration with PHPMyAdmin and WP-CLI

Cons:

Requires some technical knowledge to use advanced features

Why We Recommend Local WP: When reviewing the plugin, Local WP stood out for its ease of use and comprehensive feature set. It’s a perfect solution for anyone who wants to develop and test WordPress sites locally without the complexities of setting up a server.

Pricing: Local WP is a free WordPress development tool.

2. WPCode

WPCode is one of the best WordPress development plugins for your website. It allows you to add custom code snippets to your WordPress site without directly modifying your site’s theme files. This keeps your theme safe from updates that might overwrite your code and means that you can make changes without risking breaking your site.

We tested WPCode extensively and found it to be a user-friendly plugin. It offers a feature-rich code snippet manager and library. You can choose from pre-built code snippets and instantly add them to your site.

WPCode provides a code editor with syntax highlighting for PHP, JavaScript, and HTML. This makes it simple to write and manage your code snippets, even for those without extensive coding experience.

Adding the WordPress Search Form code in WPCode

Besides that, it offers conditional logic for inserting code based on specific rules, ensuring your scripts only load on the specific pages or sections you need them.

Pros:

Manage custom code snippets without editing theme files
Beginner-friendly code editor with syntax highlighting
Built-in code validation to prevent errors
Insert header and footer code
Create advanced conditional logic rules to load snippets

Cons:

Limited features and functionality in the free version

Why We Recommend WPCode: It is an excellent choice for WordPress users who want to add custom functionality to their site without the complexity of editing theme files. WPCode stood out for its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and focus on code safety.

Pricing: WPCode prices start at $49 per year. There is also a WPCode Lite version you can use for free.

3. Duplicator

Is Duplicator the right backup and migration plugin for you?

Duplicator is the best WordPress plugin for cloning a site and creating backups. It also helps you migrate your WordPress site to a new host, domain, or staging environment.

It simplifies the WordPress backup process by creating a single downloadable package containing your entire site’s files and database. This package can be easily stored locally or uploaded to cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive for safekeeping.

A choice of backup storage locations in Duplicator

Duplicator comes in handy if you’re creating themes or testing new WordPress plugins. The plugin ensures you can easily revert to a previous version of your site if needed.

We particularly liked the scheduled backup option, which automates the process and ensures you always have a recent backup in case something goes wrong. With a few clicks, you can simply restore WordPress from a backup and revert changes during development.

Pros:

Creates complete website backups
Offers scheduled automated backups
Simplifies website migrations with a user-friendly process
Supports cloud storage for convenient backup
Offers secure backup encryption

Cons:

Advanced features like multisite and scheduled backups require the Pro version
Navigating settings effectively requires some familiarity with WordPress

Why We Recommend Duplicator: Its ease of use and powerful features make Duplicator a standout choice for WordPress users of all experience levels. Whether you need a reliable backup solution or a way to migrate your site to a new host after development, Duplicator offers a user-friendly and efficient way to get the job done.

Pricing: Duplicator prices start at $39.60 per year, and it also offers a free version.

4. MAMP

MAMP (Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, PHP) is free and open-source web development software. The best part is that MAMP gets you up and running in minutes, allowing you to focus on building amazing websites locally on Mac and Windows.

We tested MAMP and found that WordPress installation was quick and simple. It just took a few minutes to get the server up and running. It also provides a clean interface for starting, stopping, and managing your server.

You can easily switch between PHP versions, choose between Nginx or Apache servers, and access the MySQL administration panel directly through the application. It also supports additional languages, including Python and Perl.

Pros:

Free and open-source
Easy installation and configuration
Intuitive interface for server management
Supports multiple PHP versions
Built-in virtual host management
Supports additional language other than PHP

Cons:

Less control over the local environment compared to XAMPP
Fewer dashboard options

Why We Recommend MAMP: It is a great choice for web developers, especially beginners, who need a straightforward way to set up a local development environment on their computers. Its user-friendly interface, ease of use, and open-source platform make it an excellent option for WordPress development.

Pricing: MAMP is a free WordPress development tool. However, there is also a premium version.

5. GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that acts like your virtual pair programmer. It offers intelligent suggestions to complete lines, functions, or even entire blocks of code. When developing a WordPress site, feature, theme, or plugin, Copilot can save a lot of time and increase productivity.

We tested Copilot across various coding projects and were impressed with its versatility. It seamlessly integrated with our preferred IDEs (integrated development environments) like Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, and Neovim.

Besides that, GitHub Copilot is particularly great at generating code to reduce the time spent writing repetitive tasks. It even understands natural language comments, allowing you to describe the desired functionality and get code suggestions tailored to your needs.

Pros:

Suggests code completions, functions, and entire blocks of code
Analyzes context to provide relevant suggestions
Works with various coding styles and languages
Chat functionality offers additional problem-solving assistance
Easily integrates with different IDEs
Helps reduce time and improve productivity

Cons:

Requires a paid subscription (free trial available)
Code suggestions may require review and potential adjustments

Why We Recommend GitHub Copilot: For developers of all levels, GitHub Copilot offers a valuable productivity boost. By automating repetitive tasks and suggesting relevant code, Copilot frees you to focus on the creative aspects of coding.

Pricing: GitHub Copilot is a paid tool, with prices starting from $10 per month. However, there is also a free trial that you can use to get started.

6. XAMPP

XAMPP, which stands for Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and Perl, is a popular development tool. It is free and open-source, and it allows you to set up a fully functional development environment on your local machine. Using the tool, you can test your code and debug your projects efficiently.

XAMPP takes away the difficulty of configuring individual server components. Its simple interface allows you to easily start, stop, and manage Apache, MySQL, and PHP from a single place.

It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux-based machines. To learn more, please see our guide on how to create a local WordPress site using XAMPP.

Pros:

Easy installation and configuration
Bundles essential development tools (Apache, MySQL, PHP, phpMyAdmin)
Lightweight and resource-efficient
Free and open-source
Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Cons:

Limited security features
May require some technical knowledge for advanced configurations

Why We Recommend XAMPP: After testing this tool, we believe it is a great choice for web developers and learners who need a convenient way to set up a local development environment. With its ease of use and comprehensive functionality, XAMPP is a powerful tool that can streamline your development process.

Pricing: XAMPP is a free and open-source development tool.

7. InstaWP

InstaWP is the next WordPress development tool on our list. It lets you create fully functional WordPress environments for testing themes and plugins or showcasing demos to clients.

The best part is that InstaWP installs WordPress in mere seconds. We were consistently amazed by the speed, allowing us to test multiple configurations quickly. InstaWP also lets you create templates containing your preferred WordPress version, PHP configuration, and pre-installed plugins.

We explored its other features, such as the ability to populate your sites with dummy content, manage backups and migrations, and even control access to your sandbox environments. These functionalities streamline the development process and provide greater flexibility.

Pros:

Incredibly fast WordPress site creation
Easy-to-use interface for managing sandbox sites
Template system for consistent development environments
Optional dummy content generation for realistic testing
Backup and migration functionalities

Cons:

Limited base plan restricts the number of concurrent sandbox sites
Advanced features might require upgrading to higher pricing plans

Why We Recommend InstaWP: Our testing revealed that InstaWP is great for developers, agencies, or anyone who juggles multiple WordPress environments. Its speed, ease of use, and template system significantly reduce setup time and ensure consistency.

Pricing: InstaWP offers a free plan that lets you create 3 temporary staging sites. However, paid plans with more features start at $90 per year.

8. Theme Check

Theme Check is a free WordPress plugin that acts as your personal inspector, analyzing your theme’s code for quality and compliance with WordPress’s coding standards.

The plugin offers a comprehensive automated test suite that checks various aspects of your WordPress theme.

It checks for common coding errors, ensures proper use of WordPress functions and templates, verifies the inclusion of essential theme files like stylesheet and template files, and even scans for outdated code or potential security vulnerabilities.

We found the tests to be thorough and informative, providing clear explanations for any flagged issues. Plus, the plugin is very easy to use, as you can run the tests from your WordPress dashboard.

Pros:

Catches a wide range of coding and styling issues
Check your theme with WordPress coding standards
Offers suggestions for improvement
Easy to use with clear results

Cons:

Requires some basic understanding of code to fully understand certain explanations
May not catch all potential issues

Why We Recommend Theme Check: For WordPress theme developers, Theme Check is an essential development tool. It streamlines the development workflow by identifying potential problems early on, saving you time and frustration during the submission process to WordPress.org.

Pricing: Theme Check is a free WordPress plugin.

Which Is the Best WordPress Development Tool?

After testing and reviewing multiple tools and plugins, we recommend different solutions for specific situations.

For instance, if you’re looking for a tool to set up and test WordPress sites locally, then we suggest using Local WP. It is very easy to use, and you can create a local site within a few minutes. Plus, it lets you choose the PHP version and server type.

On the other hand, you can use WPCode to add custom code snippets to your site and add additional functionality. The plugin makes it super simple to insert and manage code snippets on your site without risking breaking anything.

Similarly, you can use Duplicator to migrate and back up your WordPress site during the development process.

FAQs about WordPress Development Tools

1. What are local WordPress development tools?

Local WordPress development tools allow you to set up a WordPress environment on your computer, completely separate from a live website. This lets you develop and test themes, plugins, and modifications without affecting a live website.

2 . What are the benefits of using WordPress development tools?

WordPress development tools let you experiment and make changes without impacting a live website. They also increase efficiency by developing and iterating faster in a controlled environment. You can also work on projects even without an internet connection.

3. Which is better, XAMPP or Local WP?

Local WP is simpler and more user-friendly than XAMPP, making it perfect for beginners. XAMPP requires a bit more technical knowledge but provides more control over the local development environment.

Discover More WordPress Development Guides

We hope this article helped you find the best WordPress development tools. You may also want to see our guide on how to add dummy content for theme development in WordPress and the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 8 Best WordPress Development Tools (Free + Paid) first appeared on WPBeginner.

January 16, 2019

How to Move WordPress From Local Server to Live Site (2 Methods)

One way to speed up your website development is to build your website locally on your own computer using a software like WAMP (for Windows) or MAMP (for Mac).

Once you’re finished perfecting your website, the next step is to move it from your computer to a live site and share your creation with the world. In this article, we will show you how to easily move WordPress from local server to a live site.

We will cover two different methods to move WordPress from local server to your live website (step by step).

The first method uses a WordPress migration plugin and is recommended for beginners. In the second method, we will show you how to manually move WordPress from local server to a live site.

You can choose the method that best suits you:

Method 1. Move WordPress from local server to live site using a plugin
Method 2. Manually move WordPress from local server to live site

Before You Begin

In order for you to migrate WordPress from localhost to live server, you need to have a few things in place.

First, we’re assuming that you have a WordPress site running on local server (also called localhost) on your computer, and you have full access to it.

Next, you’ll need to have a domain name and web hosting. We have a list of the best WordPress hosting companies that you can choose from.

To speed it up, you can use Bluehost. They’re an official WordPress recommended hosting provider, and they are offering our users an exclusive 60% off discount + a free domain.

If you need help setting up your website, follow our step by step guide on how to make a website.

Finally, you will need to have a FTP program and know how to use FTP, so you can upload your content to the live site.

Ready? Let’s begin migrating your WordPress site.

Method 1. Transfer WordPress from Local Server to Live Site Using a Migration Plugin

This method is easier and recommended for beginners. We’ll be using a WordPress migration plugin to move WordPress from localhost to a live site.

Step 1. Install and Setup Duplicator Plugin

First, thing you need to do is install and activate the Duplicator plugin on your local site. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to go to Duplicator » Packages page and click on the ‘Create New’ button.

After that, click on the next button to continue.

Duplicator will now run some tests to see if everything is in order. If all items are marked ‘Good’ then click on the ‘Build’ button.

This process may take a few minutes depending on the size of your website. You need to leave this tab open until the process is complete.

Once finished, you’ll see download options for Installer and the Archive package. You need to click on the ‘One click download’ link to download both files to your computer.

So what are these files?

Well, the archive file is a copy of your complete WordPress website. It includes all WordPress core files as well as your images, uploads, themes, plugins, and a backup of your WordPress database.

The installer file is a script that will automate the migration by unpacking the archive file.

Step 2. Create a Database for Your Live Site

Before you can run the installer or upload the WordPress website from localhost to your hosting server, you will need to create a MySQL database for your live website.

If you have already created a MySQL database, then you can skip this step.

To create a database you need to visit your hosting account’s cPanel dashboard. Scroll down to the Databases section and then click on the MySQL Databases icon.

On the next screen, you’ll see a field to create a new database. Simply provide a name for your database and click on the ‘Create Database’ button.

cPanel will now create a new database for you. After that, you need to scroll down to the MySQL Users section.

Next, provide a username and password for your new user and click on the ‘Create a user’ button.

The new user you just created, still does not have permission to work on the database. Let’s change that.

Scroll down to the ‘Add User to Database’ section. Simply select the database user you created from the dropdown menu next to the ‘User’ field, then select the database, and click on the add button.

Your database is now ready to be used with your WordPress site. Make sure to note down the database name, username, and password. You’ll need this information in the next step.

Step 3. Upload Files from Local Server to Live Site

Now you need to upload the archive and installer files from your local site to your hosting account.

First, connect to your live site using an FTP client. Once connected, make sure that the root directory of your website is completely empty.

Normally, root directory is the /home/public_html/ folder.

Some WordPress hosting companies automatically install WordPress when you sign up. If you have WordPress files there, then you need to delete them.

After that, you can upload the archive and installer files from Duplicator to your empty root directory.

Step 4. Runing The Migration Script

After you have uploaded the migration files, you need to visit the following URL in your browser:

http://example.com/installer.php

Don’t forget to replace example.com with your own domain name.

This will launch the Duplicator migration wizard.

The installer will automatically scan for the archive file and run a validation test. You need to check the terms & conditions checkbox and continue by clicking on the Next button.

On the next screen, it will ask you to enter your WordPress database information.

Your host will likely be localhost. After that, you will enter the details of the database you created in the earlier step.

Click on the next button to continue.

Duplicator will now import your WordPress database backup from the archive into your new database.

Next, it will ask you to update site URL or Path. You shouldn’t have to change anything since it automatically detects the URL of your live website, and its path.

Click on the next button to continue.

Duplicator will now finish the migration and will show you a success screen. You can now click on the ‘Admin Login’ button to enter the WordPress admin area of your live site.

Once you login to your live site, Duplicator will automatically clean up the installation files.

That’s all, you have successfully moved WordPress from local server to your live site.

Method 2. Manually Transfer WordPress from Local Server to Live Site

In this method, we will show you how to manually move WordPress from local server to your live site. It will come in handy if the first method doesn’t work or you prefer to do it manually.

Step 1: Export Local WordPress Database

The first thing you need to do is export your local WordPress database. We’ll be using phpMyAdmin to do that. If you are unfamiliar with it, then you might want to take a look at our guide to WordPress database management using phpMyAdmin.

Simply go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ and click on your WordPress database. Next, click on the Export button from the top menu bar.

In the Export Method option, you can choose “Quick” or “Custom”. Custom will provide you with more options to export your database.

We recommend choosing Quick, and then click the Go button to download your database.

Step 2: Upload WordPress Files to Live Site

Now we’ll need to move all your website files to the live site.

To get started, go ahead and open your FTP client and connect to your web hosting account.

Once you’re connected to your live site, make sure you upload the files in the right directory. For example, if you want the site to be hosted on yoursite.com, then you would want to upload all the files in your public_html directory.

Now select your local WordPress files and upload them to your live server.

Step 3: Create MySQL Database on Live Site

While your FTP client is uploading your WordPress files, you can start importing your database to the live server. Most WordPress hosting providers offer cPanel to manage your hosting account, so we’ll show you how to create a database using cPanel.

First, you need to log in to your cPanel dashboard and click on the MySQL Databases icon which can be found in the databases section.

On the next screen, create a database by entering a name for your database and clicking the Create Database button.

After creating your database, scroll down to the MySQL Users section and create or add an existing user to the database.

After adding the user, cPanel will take you to set MySQL privileges for that user. Simply grant all privileges to the user by making sure every box is checked, and then click the Make Changes button.

Step 4: Import WordPress Database on Live Site

The next step in the process is to import your WordPress database.

Go to your cPanel dashboard, scroll down to the databases section and click on phpMyAdmin.

This will take you to phpMyAdmin where you want to click on the database you created in Step 3. PhpMyAdmin will show your new database with no tables.

Click on the Import tab in the top menu. On the import page, click on Choose File button and then select the database file you saved in Step 1.

Lastly, press the Go button at the bottom of the page. PhpMyadmin will now import your WordPress database.

Step 5: Change the Site URL

Now you need to change the site URL in your database, so that it will connect with your live WordPress site.

In phpMyAdmin, look for the wp_options table in your database that we just imported in step 4. If you changed your database prefix, then instead of wp_options it might be {prefix}_options.

Click on the Browse button next to wp_options or the link that you see in the sidebar to open the page with a list of fields within the wp_options table. See screenshot below:

Under the field options_name, you need to look for siteurl. Click the Edit Field icon which can be found at the far left at the beginning of the row.

When you click the edit field, an edit field window will appear. In the input box for option_value, you will see the URL of your local install probably something like: http://localhost/test. Carefully insert your new site url in this field, for example: https://www.wpbeginner.com

Save the field by clicking the Go button.

Next, you need to replicate this step for the option name: home. The wp_options page can be a few pages long, so simply find the home tab.

Usually it is on the second page which you can navigate to by clicking on the pagination arrows in phpMyAdmin.

Update the home url to be the same as your siteurl.

Step 6: Setup Your Live Site

Now that we have imported the database and all of our content should be uploaded, it’s time to configure WordPress.

At this time, your site should be showing an Error Establishing Database Connection error.

To fix this, connect to your website using an FTP client and edit wp-config.php file.

You will need to provide the database name, user and password you created earlier in Step 3.

Next, save the wp-config.php file and upload it back to your server.

You can now visit your website, and it should be live now.

Next, you need to login to your WordPress admin panel and go to Settings » General. Without changing anything, scroll to the bottom and click the Save Changes button.

This will ensure that the site URL is corrected anywhere else that it needs to be.

After that go to Settings » Permalink and click Save Changes to ensure that all post links are working fine.

Step 7: Fix Images and Broken Links by Updating Paths

Whenever you are moving a WordPress site from one domain to another, or from local server to a live site, you’ll face broken links and missing images.

You can either use the SQL query or use the Velvet Blues WordPress plugin.

For those who want to do it via SQL, here is a simple SQL query that should solve this problem:

UPDATE wp_posts SET post_content = REPLACE(post_content, 'localhost/test/', 'www.yourlivesite.com/');

Simply go to phpMyAdmin, click on your database and then click on SQL from top menu. Write this query, but don’t forget to change it with your own local site and live site URLs.

That’s all, you have successfully migrated WordPress from localserver to a live site!

Hopefully now your live website is up and running smoothly. Be sure to check out your website to make sure that everything is working as expected. If you notice any errors, you can check out our guide to common WordPress errors for help troubleshooting.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Move WordPress From Local Server to Live Site (2 Methods) appeared first on WPBeginner.

January 9, 2019

How to Test Your Site for Updating to Gutenberg (WordPress 5.0)

Are you excited to use the new WordPress Gutenberg editor? Officially launched with WordPress 5.0, Gutenberg is the new default content editor for WordPress that allows you create visually stunning content using blocks.

The challenge is that some themes and plugins may not properly support Gutenberg, so updating your website can cause unexpected issues.

In this article, we’ll show you how to test your WordPress site for updating to Gutenberg and WordPress 5.0.

Why Test Your WordPress Site Before Updating to Gutenberg?

WordPress 5.0 brings a totally new way of creating content with a brand new editor called The Block Editor or Gutenberg. It uses blocks which are content elements that you can move around the editor.

WordPress 5.0 with Gutenberg editor is indeed a revolutionary improvement to the WordPress platform.

However due to this massive change, some users are reluctant to update their sites right away, fearing that something would not work, or it may break their website.

Gutenberg was developed over a long period with enough time for theme and plugin developers to make their products Gutenberg compatible. All top WordPress plugins are already fully compatible with Gutenberg and most themes would work without a hiccup.

However, to avoid any conflicts you may want to test your site with Gutenberg and WordPress 5.0. This would allow you to find if any of your plugins or theme are incompatible. You can also catch unexpected errors and fix them before updating your live site.

That being said, now let’s go ahead and check how to test your website for updating to Gutenberg or WordPress 5.0 step-by-step.

Step 1: Create a Complete Backup of Your Website

You must always create a complete back of your WordPress website before any major update. Backups protect you against any unfortunate damage that can happen during the update process.

Keeping regular website backups is important even if you aren’t updating your site because they can save you in catastrophic situations like malware attack, hacking, etc.

There are plenty of WordPress backup plugins that you can choose from. We recommend using UpdraftPlus because it allows you to setup automatic backups and store them on a remote location.

Step 2: Test Your Site on Local Server or Staging Site

After you’ve created a complete backup of your website, you are now ready to test your website with WordPress 5.0 and the new Gutenberg editor.

There are two common methods to test new updates without actually affecting your live site.

Test your website on a local server installed on your computer
Test your website on a staging server

Both options allow you to test WordPress 5.0 with the new Gutenberg editor with your existing content, plugin, and themes.

1. Test Your Website on Local Server

Using a local server simply means installing your WordPress site on your personal computer with a software like WAMP or MAMP (for Mac).

In this method, you’ll first move a copy of your live WordPress site to local server using a migration plugin like Duplicator.

Then on the local site, you can update to WordPress 5.0 and test out all your plugins / themes for compatibility with the new editor.

You can also make changes on the local site and upload it to your live site when you are done.

If you didn’t need to make any changes to the local site, and everything seemed ok, then you can go ahead and update your live site to WordPress 5.0.

2. Test Your Website on Staging Environment

A staging site is a separate development version of your website where you can try out new features.

It’s usually a sub-domain of your site that’s restricted from public access. It’s where you can test new updates, themes, plugins, or use it for all your development. Once you’ve tested everything necessary, you can then upload it to your live site.

Most top WordPress hosting companies offer 1-click staging site installation from your hosting account.

If your site is hosted with Bluehost, then you’ll find an option to create a staging site under the Bluehost menu in your WordPress admin dashboard.

You can also create 1-click staging sites on WPEngine and SiteGround. If you are not using any of these hosting companies, then you should ask your host because they may offer this feature.

If your hosting service doesn’t have staging site installation feature, then you can still do it manually on your own. Here’s our step by step tutorial on how to create a staging environment in WordPress.

Step 3: Install the Classic Editor Plugin

The most significant change in WordPress 5.0 is the new Gutenberg editor.

This means that if you were to run into any issues, then it’ll likely be caused by a plugin or theme’s incompatibility with the new editor.

It is also possible that you may not like the new editor.

Luckily, you can update to WordPress 5.0 and still keep the classic WordPress editor.

You can simply disable Gutenberg by installing the Classic Editor plugin on your WordPress site. Doing this will allow you to safely update to WordPress 5.0, while still keeping the classic editor that you’re familiar with.

Classic Editor is an official WordPress plugin from WordPress core contributors to allow you to switch back to the classic editor. With this plugin, you can hide the Gutenberg editor and create content the same way as before.

If you had to install Classic Editor because a theme or plugin wasn’t working after updating to WordPress 5.0, then you still have work to do.

You need to reach out to the theme or plugin developer and request them to make it compatible with the latest WordPress release.

If you don’t get a positive response, then you need to find an alternative theme or plugin to replace incompatible ones.

Step 4. Things to Do After Updating to Gutenberg in WordPress 5.0+

If you are just starting your first WordPress blog, then you are in luck. You’ll quickly get used to the awesome new block editor which is faster, modern, and incredibly powerful.

On the other hand, if you have been using WordPress for a while, then the new editor is an exciting new experience for you.

Most of us are used to working with the old editor and have setup our workflows around it.

Good news is that you can still do all the things you did in the old editor with Gutenberg, and then some more.

To help you learn new features, we have created a complete Gutenberg tutorial it shows how to use new block editor and create visually stunning content for your site.

We hope this article helped you to learn how to test your WordPress site for updating to Gutenberg or WordPress 5.0. For troubleshooting common errors you may encounter, check out our guide on most common WordPress errors and how to fix them.

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