Local WordPress on Mac and Windows

Rig offers a one-click local WordPress workflow on Mac and Windows: isolated MySQL, php built-in server, and local HTTPS without a full LEMP container per site. It fits freelancers and agencies who also run Node, Laravel, or client previews the same day — one control plane for every process, not a WordPress-only silo. Share a LAN QR or password-protected Live Link when a client needs five minutes on staging, not a deployed box. Unified logs cover WordPress and the rest of the stack. WP-CLI and wp_inspect via the local MCP hub let Cursor inventory themes, plugins, and WooCommerce without leaving the editor. For deep WP Engine-style cloning and PHP hot-swap, Local by WP Engine may still win; Rig wins when WordPress is one project among many and you want MCP and multi-service logs in the same window.

How is this different from Local by WP Engine?

Local is a dedicated WordPress studio. Rig is a control plane for every process, with WordPress as one recipe beside Node, Laravel, and AI tooling.

Can I preview WordPress for a client?

Yes. Use LAN QR or a Live Link on userig.app with optional password and expiry — without deploying staging infrastructure.

https://userig.app/local-wordpress

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Local WordPress

A fresh WordPress site in one click.

No MAMP, no Docker file to write by hand, no “which PHP version does this theme need.” Rig installs WordPress on your Mac or Windows PC and gives you WP-CLI, the database and HTTPS without leaving the app.

Download for Mac or WindowsRig vs Local

Free forever on your computer. Pay only for Mesh (Pro, $15 a month).

rig / new project / wordpresslive
Name the siteclient-blogPick PHP + MySQL8.3 · MySQL 8Installdone
mysqlisolated databaseRunning
wordpressphp -S · client-blog.testRunning
httpslocal certificateOn

client-blog.test is live · WordPress installed, admin created

Three steps

From nothing to client-blog.test.

Setting up WordPress locally usually means a stack of tools before you write a line of theme code. In Rig it is a short form.

  1. 01

    Name the site

    Call it client-blog. Rig picks the folder and the local domain.

  2. 02

    Pick PHP + MySQL

    Choose the PHP version (8.3 here) and MySQL 8. Each site gets its own isolated database.

  3. 03

    Done: client-blog.test is live

    WordPress installed, admin created, local HTTPS on. Open it in your browser.

Why not the usual way

WordPress is rarely the only project.

Most freelancers and agencies run WordPress for one client, then Node or Laravel for the next, on the same day. A WordPress-only tool leaves the rest in terminal tabs.

The usual setup
  • MAMP or a hand-written Docker file per site
  • A full container stack for every WordPress install
  • WP-CLI, the database client and the logs in separate places
  • A staging server just to show the client
WordPress in Rig
  • One-click WordPress with isolated MySQL and local HTTPS
  • PHP's built-in server, beside your Node and Laravel projects on one board
  • WP-CLI, Adminer and merged logs in the same window
  • LAN QR or a Live Link instead of a staging deploy
Everything's in reach

WP-CLI and the database, without opening a terminal.

The jobs you do on every WordPress site, like listing plugins, adding an editor or changing the site URL, are one click or one line away.

WP-CLI, built in

Run wp commands against the right site and the right database, without remembering which PHP or which folder.

01
rig / client-blog / wp-clilive
$ wp plugin list
woocommerce · active · 9.3.1
$ wp user create editor editor@client.com
Success: Created user 2.
$ wp search-replace old.url new.url
Success: Made 214 replacements.

Database

Browse tables, run a query, or export a dump. Rig opens the database in Adminer or a client of your choice, with no separate login to remember.

02
rig / client-blog / databaselive
Engine
Adminer 6.0
Footprint
492 KB, one PHP file
Databases
MySQL · MariaDB · Postgres · SQLite
Exposure
loopback only, per-session token
Status
open

Adminer open at 127.0.0.1:52817 · per-session token

The database, without another login

Adminer, vendored, loopback only.

One 492 KB PHP file covers MySQL, MariaDB, Postgres and SQLite. Rig starts it on a random local port with a per-session token, and kills it the moment the project stops. It is never bound beyond your own computer.

  • Engine: Adminer 6.0
  • No password to remember
  • Random local port
  • Stops with the project
Show the client

A Live Link for a WordPress site nobody deployed yet.

Clients want to see the site before you have bought hosting. Share client-blog.test as a real HTTPS link, or a LAN QR code on the same Wi-Fi. They review it before there's any hosting to pay for.

  • Optional password
  • Set an expiry
  • LAN QR on the same Wi-Fi
  • Nothing to deploy

Client previews for freelancers →Rig for agencies →

Cursor & Claude

Your AI tool can read the WordPress site.

An assistant that cannot see the site guesses which plugins are installed. Through Rig's local MCP hub, Cursor or Claude can list themes, plugins, post types and WooCommerce, open Adminer, and prepare a Live Link, with your yes before anything changes.

wp_inspect, not a raw shell

Scoped tools that know it is a WordPress project. Mutating WP-CLI commands and Live Links need confirmation.

03
cursor · rig mcplive
you › what's on this WordPress site?
cursor › wp_inspect client-blog → theme, plugins, post types
cursor › WooCommerce active · 3 custom post types
cursor › open_adminer · loopback only
cursor › Mapped. Want a Live Link for the client?

create_projectwp_inspectwp_runopen_adminershare_live_link

Cursor & Claude MCP →AI & MCP →

Honest comparisons

When Local by WP Engine is still the right tool.

WordPress all day

If you only ever build WordPress and want deep WP Engine-style cloning and PHP hot-swap, Local may still suit you better.

WordPress among many

If WordPress sits beside Node, Laravel and AI tooling, Rig gives you one control plane with MCP and merged logs.

Rig vs Local

A side-by-side look at both, without the marketing.

Rig vs Local
Questions

Fair questions

How is this different from Local by WP Engine?

Local is a dedicated WordPress studio. Rig is a control plane for every process, with WordPress as one recipe beside Node, Laravel, and AI tooling.

Can I preview WordPress for a client?

Yes. Use LAN QR or a Live Link on userig.app with optional password and expiry — without deploying staging infrastructure.

Other workflows

Rig for the way you work

Mac process manager

Every local process, its port and its log in one window, with crashes restarted for you.

See the workflow

Laravel + Valet

Keep Valet's .test domains. Rig watches the queue workers, Horizon and logs underneath.

See the workflow

Cursor & Claude MCP

Your AI assistant reads real ports, logs and health instead of guessing from your code.

See the workflow

For freelancers

Show a client the work running on your computer with a link, not a staging deploy.

See the workflow

For solo developers

Every side project on one board, back up after a reboot without touching a terminal.

See the workflow

Full stack local dev

Web, API, database and workers started in the right order with one button.

See the workflow

From nothing to a running site in a minute.

One desktop app, with the WordPress install wizard built in. macOS 13+ or Windows 11 · no credit card.

Download for Mac or Windows — it's freeSee all features