Can Flock run WordPress?

Yes. Point Flock at a WordPress folder and it is served on its .test domain like any PHP project. Install MySQL or MariaDB for its database.

Does Flock have something like Live Links?

Yes. flock share gives any site a temporary public URL through a Cloudflare tunnel, optionally limited to certain email addresses.

Yes, Local is free, and WP Engine sells hosting next to it. Flock is free too, with no paid parts.

Comparison

Flock vs Local

Local is the friendliest way to run WordPress on your computer. The moment you start a Laravel app, you need more: Redis or Valkey for queues, PostgreSQL, Node per project, and your code in your own folders. Flock serves all of it, WordPress included.

Download Flock Switching from Local

Side by side

Row by row, no fine print.

Flock

Local

Price: Yes: Free, open source, no account; Yes: Free
Platforms: Yes: macOS, Windows and Linux, native apps; Yes: macOS, Windows and Linux
Runs natively: Yes: Native processes, no VM or containers; Yes: Native processes
PHP versions: Yes: 8.1 to 8.5 side by side; Yes: Up to 8.5, WordPress only
PHP per project: Yes: Pinned in .flockrc or isolated per site; Yes: Per site
.test domains: Yes: Built-in DNS, subdomains included; Yes: Automatic .local per WordPress site
Trusted HTTPS: Yes: Root limited to .test, no warnings; Partly: One-click trust, manual on macOS
Databases: Yes: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB; Partly: MySQL only
Cache, search, storage: Yes: Valkey, Meilisearch, Typesense, RustFS; No: Not included
Database UI: No: Use your own client; Yes: Adminer built in
Mail catcher: Yes: An inbox per app, HTML preview; Yes: Mailpit
Dumps and logs: Yes: Per-request timeline and Laravel log; No: Not included
Xdebug: Yes: Turns on when you set a breakpoint; Yes: Toggle per site
Node.js: Yes: Per project from .nvmrc; No: Headless add-on only
Other languages: No: PHP and Node.js only; No: PHP, for WordPress
FrankenPHP and Octane: Yes: Per site, with Octane worker mode; No: nginx or Apache
Public preview link: Yes: Cloudflare tunnel, one command; Yes: Live Links
AI agentic development: Yes: Built-in MCP server; No: Third-party MCP only

The score

16 Flock

10 Local

of 18 rows covered in full, for free.

Flock16/18: 16 of 18 rows
Local10/18: 10 of 18 rows

Where Flock shines

Any PHP project

Laravel, Symfony, Statamic, Craft or WordPress, from any folder, with no import step.
Every database

PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Valkey and Meilisearch, not only MySQL.

Where Local shines

Made for WordPress

Blueprints, WP-CLI and one-click sites make a new WordPress install trivial.
Live Links

Persistent preview links built for testing as a team.

Built in Partly or by hand $ Paid tier Not available

Compared in October 2026 from each tool's own website. Something out of date? Tell us on GitHub.

Which one fits

Pick the tool, not the hype.

Choose Flock if…

You build Laravel or other PHP apps, not only WordPress.
You need PostgreSQL, Valkey or Meilisearch.
You want projects in your own folders, served right away.
You run Vite and npm, with Node pinned per project.

Choose Local if…

You only build WordPress sites.
You clone sites from WP Engine or Flywheel hosting.
You reuse the same starter site through Blueprints.

FAQ

Flock and Local, answered.

: Yes. Point Flock at a WordPress folder and it is served on its .test domain like any PHP project. Install MySQL or MariaDB for its database.
: Yes. flock share gives any site a temporary public URL through a Cloudflare tunnel, optionally limited to certain email addresses.
: Yes, Local is free, and WP Engine sells hosting next to it. Flock is free too, with no paid parts.

More comparisons

Flock vs Laravel Herd Flock vs Laragon Flock vs XAMPP Flock vs AppServ Flock vs ServBay Flock vs FlyEnv Flock vs Docker (Laravel Sail) Flock vs Lerd Flock vs Yerd Flock vs EnvKit

Join the flock.

Install Flock, park your code folder and open https://your-app.test.

Download Flock Star on GitHub