Laradock vs Local WP

What is Local WP?

Local WP (formerly Local by Flywheel, now from WP Engine) is a free desktop application, for macOS, Windows, and Linux, built specifically for WordPress local development. You click "Create a new site," and within about two minutes you have a fully working WordPress install with SSL, WP-CLI, and one-click access to phpMyAdmin, Mailhog, and other add-ons, all through a graphical interface, no command line required.

It is the most widely used WordPress-specific local tool, and integrates tightly with WP Engine/Flywheel hosting for pushing and pulling sites. This page compares that GUI-first, WordPress-only tool to Laradock's framework-agnostic, file-based approach.

Local WP is purpose-built for one thing and does it extremely well: WordPress, through a polished GUI, with zero configuration. Laradock is purpose-built for everything: any PHP project, through plain files and Docker Compose, with more setup but no ceiling on what it can run.

TL;DR: pick Local WP if you only build WordPress sites and want the smoothest possible GUI experience, especially if you host on WP Engine or Flywheel. Pick Laradock if you work across multiple frameworks, prefer file-based configuration over a GUI, or need services beyond WordPress's usual stack.

Setting up a WordPress site with Local WP

1. Download and install the Local WP app.
2. Click Create a new site, name it, choose PHP/MySQL/web-server versions (or accept the defaults), and click through the wizard.
3. Local WP builds the environment and opens your new WordPress install, admin credentials included, at a local .local domain.

Sharing or deploying: right-click the site for Export (a zip with wp-content plus a database dump) to hand to a teammate, or use Live Link / WP Engine's Local Connect to push straight to a WP Engine or Flywheel hosting account.

The same thing with Laradock

cd my-site
git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git
cd laradock && cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d apache2 mysql phpmyadmin workspace
docker compose exec workspace bash   # wp-cli, composer, php all live here

WordPress itself is not bundled, you download it into your project folder (or install via wp core download inside the workspace) the same way you would on any host. In exchange, you get a stack that is not locked to WordPress: the identical docker compose up -d {service} command starts Redis, Elasticsearch, a queue, or any of Laradock's 100+ other services, and the whole setup is plain text files instead of app state.

Side by side

	Local WP	Laradock
Interface	Desktop GUI app	Command line, plain files
Scope	WordPress only	Any PHP project
Setup	Click "Create a new site"	git clone + docker compose up
WordPress install	Bundled, one click	You install WordPress yourself (standard wp-cli/download)
Site config	Stored in the app	Plain .env + compose files
Push to production	Live Link / Local Connect (WP Engine, Flywheel)	Any host; you own the deploy pipeline
Extra services	Curated add-ons (Mailhog, phpMyAdmin, ...)	100+ services, one command each
Non-WordPress projects	Not supported	Fully supported
Price	Free (WP Migrate Pro paid add-on for advanced push/pull)	Free, MIT

Choose Local WP if...

• You build WordPress sites exclusively and want the smoothest, most GUI-driven workflow available.
• You host on WP Engine or Flywheel and want native one-click deploys.
• You would rather click through a wizard than edit configuration files.

Choose Laradock if...

• You work across multiple frameworks or CMSs, not just WordPress.
• You prefer plain, version-controllable config files over app-managed state.
• You need services outside WordPress's usual stack (queues, search clusters, local LLMs) or a non-WP-Engine hosting target.

Already on Local WP? Migrating takes minutes

1. Export your site in Local WP: right-click the site → Export site; you get a zip with wp-content and a database dump.
2. Stop the site in Local WP (or quit the app) so its ports free up.
3. Add Laradock next to a new project folder: git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git && cd laradock && cp .env.example .env
4. Start your stack: docker compose up -d apache2 mysql phpmyadmin workspace
5. Unzip the export, copy wp-content into your project's WordPress install, and import the database dump via phpMyAdmin (localhost:8081) or docker compose exec -T mysql mysql -uroot -proot default < dump.sql.
6. Update wp-config.php: set DB_HOST to mysql (not localhost), and the credentials from mysql/defaults.env (or your .env overrides).
7. Your site now answers at http://localhost instead of Local WP's .local domain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Local WP free?

Yes, Local WP is free. WP Migrate Pro, used for advanced push/pull syncing with a live site, is a separate paid add-on.

Does Local WP work with frameworks other than WordPress?

No, Local WP is purpose-built exclusively for WordPress. For other PHP frameworks or a mixed-stack workflow, you need a framework-agnostic tool like Laradock.

Does Local WP use Docker?

Local WP's newer default mode ("Lightning") uses lightweight native services for speed, with an optional container-based mode for older sites; either way, it is managed entirely through the app rather than files you edit directly, unlike Laradock's plain Docker Compose files.

Can I deploy directly from Local WP to production?

Yes, if you host on WP Engine or Flywheel: Local WP's Live Link and Local Connect features push a local site straight to those hosting platforms. For other hosts, you export and deploy manually.

How do I move a Local WP site to Docker?

Export the site from Local WP (zip with wp-content and a database dump), then follow the migration steps above; expect about 10-15 minutes depending on site size.

See the full landscape, including DDEV, Sail, Herd and XAMPP: Laradock vs Others. Ready to try it? Getting Started takes about five minutes.