5 Best Tools To Develop A Custom WordPress Plugin

WordPress plugins are one of the most important elements for a WordPress website. These are used to add various functionalities and features to an existing website.

WordPress itself offers a plethora of free and paid plugins, but it’s not always necessary that there will always be a plugin available that matches your exact needs.

Therefore, many businesses hire WordPress plugin developers to develop a custom plugin that fulfills their needs.

So, if you’re a plugin developer handling multiple client requirements, I am here to tell you about the 5 best tools to develop a custom WordPress plugin easily.

Top 5 WordPress Plugin Development Tools

There are many WordPress plugins you can get your hands on. These tools range from simplest to highest complexity. Here I’ve chosen the 5 best options to make your work more efficient and easier.

1. Hookr.io

Hooks are the core of the foundation of WordPress and allow you to use the functions built into the core of WordPress. Hookr.io allows you to easily expand the foundation that WordPress allows without making any changes to the core software.

It is one of the most popular plugin development tools. It contains an index of all the hooks and delivers them to your disposal.

2. The WordPress Plugin Boilerplate

Most plugins share a similar base architecture. The WordPress Plugin Boilerplate offers you a standard foundation that you can use to build custom plugins.

It saves your time and makes your work more efficient by creating dedicated files and directories that you can utilize for all your projects. Thus, you do not need to work from scratch all the time.

3. Webstorm

The Webstorm allows you to take full advantage of the powerful Javascript ecosystem. It offers you code auto-completion, a sophisticated navigation system, smart writing code, on-the-fly error detection, and refactoring.

It’s easy to use and is helpful for developing all kinds of WordPress plugins.

4. PHPUnit

You must already know that PHP powers WordPress. Thus, though you do not need to limit yourself to just PHP, most of the work you’ll be doing will include that language.

So how does PHPUnit helps you? It provides you with a framework to test your PHP code. It ensures that your code is bug-free and runs it across some hoops before you use it on a real WordPress website.

5. Notepad++

Last but not least on the list of our best plugin development tools is Notepad++. This tool is a text and source code editor. It is extremely useful for you especially if you’re a beginner.

It allows you to work with multiple open files in a single window, supports tabbed editing, is compatible with multiple major languages, and is loaded with more powerful editing components to make plugin development a breeze.

Bonus Read

There are hundreds of tools available in the market that you can use to develop WordPress plugins. But which ones are must-haves? That is why I've shortlisted these 5 best amazing tools to develop a WordPress plugin.

If you’re familiar with coding, these tools are bound to make your life easier. However, if you’re a businessman trying to develop a plugin for your WordPress website, then I’d recommend you take help from professionals to get the best results.

You may hire a developer who has the required skills to develop a plugin that your website needs. But before you go ahead and approach anyone randomly, I’d also advise you to do some research and learn everything about WordPress plugin developers.

Look at their portfolio, ask for their experience, and see if they have any experience with the tools I’ve mentioned above.