After 15+ years building WordPress sites, I’ve settled into a dev stack that’s clean, fast, and dependable. Whether I’m creating a personal project like jonimms.com or building complex client functionality, these are the tools I trust day-to-day.
This post isn’t about trendy tools — it’s what I actually use, and why. No fluff. Just results.
🧠 Code Editor: PhpStorm
PhpStorm is my daily driver. Its deep WordPress integration, intelligent autocompletion, and rock-solid debugging make it worth every penny. I’ve tried VS Code (great tool), but for serious theme/plugin work, PhpStorm’s refactoring and search tools are unbeatable.
🧪 Local Development: Local by Flywheel
I run all my local projects in Local — the Flywheel-backed app that spins up WordPress installs in seconds. I can easily swap PHP versions, test against different environments, and keep everything isolated.
I also use WP-CLI within Local — to scaffold plugins, activate themes, export content, and more. It’s fast, scriptable, and essential for speeding up common tasks.
🎨 Themes: Frost or WP Rig
For most projects, I use Frost — a modern block theme with great structure and full site editing support. It’s lean, well-designed, and perfect for content-first sites.
But if I’m building a high-performance or heavily custom site, I go with WP Rig, the theme framework from Google-backed contributors. It’s optimized for performance, accessibility, and extensibility — with build tools and Sass baked in.
🔌 Must-Have Plugins
- Yoast SEO – Handles metadata, XML sitemaps, and SEO basics so I don’t have to.
- Gravity Forms – The most flexible form plugin on the market. I integrate it with webhooks, CRMs, AI workflows, and more.
- Site Kit by Google – Connects GA, Search Console, and AdSense in a couple of clicks. Great visibility without extra bloat.
- Essential Blocks – Gives me a ton of useful blocks out the box — buttons, testimonials, accordions — which saves time building from scratch.
📌 Wrap-Up
If you’re setting up your dev stack or just looking for battle-tested tools that don’t get in your way — this setup has served me well across dozens of sites.
Want to share your stack or ask questions about mine? Drop a comment or reach out on my contact form.
Thanks for reading — and happy building. 🛠️
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