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Studio and Local, side by side.
Studio and Local (also called LocalWP, formerly Local by Flywheel) are both free desktop apps for local WordPress development. Local is a fine tool. Here is where the two differ, so you can pick the one that fits.
The short version: Studio is open source and made for working with AI agents. Local is a mature, closed-source app from WP Engine.
| Feature | Studio | Local |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free, with paid add-ons |
| Source code | Open source, GPLv2 or later | Closed source |
| How sites run | Native PHP with SQLite. No Docker, no VMs. | Its own web server, PHP and MySQL for each site |
| Database | SQLite by default. MySQL if you need it. | MySQL |
| Built-in AI agent | Studio Code | Not built in |
| Use your own agent | Plugin for Claude Code. MCP for Codex, Cursor and others. | Not built in |
| Command line | The Studio CLI covers every app feature, plus WP-CLI | WP-CLI in a site shell |
| Share a link | Preview sites | Live Links |
| Sync with hosts | WordPress.com, Pressable | WP Engine, Flywheel |
| Bring a site in | Backups, a live site pull, or any URL with Liberate | Zip backups and host pulls |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
When Local may suit you better
- You host on WP Engine or Flywheel and want to sync with them.
- You need MySQL plus an Apache or nginx setup that matches your server exactly.
- Your team already has a workflow built around it.
Moving from Local
- Export from Local.Right-click the site and export it as a .zip.
- Drop it into Studio.Drag the file onto the app, or run
studio import site.zip. - Keep working.Same content, same theme, same plugins.