Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just diving into WordPress, staying updated with the right tools can make or break your workflow. As we move through 2025, WordPress continues to evolve rapidly—with Full Site Editing (FSE), headless builds, and performance-first development becoming the norm.
In this post, we’ll explore essential WordPress development tools and plugins that can boost your productivity, improve site performance, and streamline your development process.
🔧 Development Tools Every WordPress Developer Should Use
1. Local WP (by Flywheel)
A top choice for spinning up local WordPress environments quickly. It supports PHP version switching, SSL, MailHog, and integrates with WP-CLI.
Why it’s great in 2025: Improved container-based architecture and support for collaborative workflows.
2. WP-CLI
The WordPress Command Line Interface is a must-have for scripting, managing multisite installs, and automating tasks like updates, database migrations, or user management.
Pro tip: Combine with Git hooks to automate deployments.
3. DevKinsta
Built by Kinsta, DevKinsta is great for local development with Docker, especially if you’re deploying to Kinsta’s hosting environment.
Why developers love it: Built-in email testing, database manager, and one-click pushing to staging environments.
4. Theme Check
Helps you ensure your themes comply with WordPress.org’s theme review standards. Perfect for building themes you plan to submit or reuse.
🔌 Must-Have WordPress Plugins for Developers (2025 Edition)
1. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)
Still a favorite in 2025 for creating flexible content structures. ACF now plays even better with FSE and block-based themes.
Bonus: ACF Blocks now supports custom JavaScript and styles per block.
2. Query Monitor
Troubleshooting slow performance or debugging issues? Query Monitor shows database queries, hooks, conditionals, and PHP errors in real-time.
3. WP Migrate (formerly Migrate DB Pro)
Simplifies migrating databases, files, themes, and plugins between environments. Vital for staging-to-production workflows.
New in 2025: Better integration with headless WordPress setups and WP Engine environments.
4. User Switching
Quickly switch between user accounts in your WordPress install—ideal for testing role-specific views and permissions.
5. Redux Framework
For developers building theme options or plugin settings pages. Redux continues to evolve with better Gutenberg integration and React support.
🧠 Bonus Tools & Resources
- Postman / Insomnia: For testing REST API endpoints, especially when working headless or with mobile apps.
- Code Snippets Plugin: Add custom PHP code without touching functions.php.
- GitHub + GitHub Actions: Automate tests and deployment from your WordPress repo.
🚀 Final Thoughts
2025 is a year where modern WordPress development is more about efficiency, modularity, and embracing new tech like REST APIs, GraphQL, and React. With the right set of tools and plugins, you can streamline your workflow, cut down on debugging time, and ship better experiences faster.
Want more in-depth tutorials on any of the tools above? Let us know in the comments or hit us up at webblog.in.
