This is the list of tools I use in my WordPress projects. I focus on the tools that make web projects more efficient, secure, lightweight, and simple.
Content Management System (CMS):
- WordPress – an open-source, highly customizable CMS
Web host:
- Krystal – a UK-based web host with data centers in the US. Krystal uses 100% renewable energy to run its data centers.
Code & file supporting tools:
- Brackets – An open-source code editor
- Local – A tool that enables local web development on your computer
- FileZilla – A File Transfer Protocol (FTP) that enables file transferring over the internet
Themes:
- Neve – “Neve is a super fast, easily customizable, multi-purpose theme. It’s perfect for blogs, small business, startups, agencies, firms, e-commerce shops (WooCommerce storefront) as well as personal portfolio sites and most types of projects.”
- Astra – “Astra is fast, fully customizable & beautiful WordPress theme suitable for blog, personal portfolio, business website and WooCommerce storefront. It is very lightweight (less than 50KB on frontend) and offers unparalleled speed.”
- Mission News Child (Pro) – A news theme that is easily customizable and responsive
Plugins:
- Image & performance optimization
- Smush – compresses, resizes, and lazy loads images
- W3 Total Cache – caches files, speeds up load time
- Page builders
- E-commerce
- WooCommerce – enables online shopping, making a storefront
- WooCommerce Payment – enables online payments
- Security
- Akismet Anti-Spam – blocks spam
- Others
- All-in-One WP Migration – backs up, imports, exports websites
- Contact Form 7 – makes a contact form
- Duplicate Page – simplifies page building
- WP Google Map Pro – enables Google Map integration and location marking
3rd-party tools integrated with WordPress
- Google Analytics – tracks website traffic
- MailerLite – enables email signup and automation
- Mailchimp – allows email signup and automation
- MailPoet – an email management plugin that allows WooCommerce email customizing and prevents emails from landing in the spam box.
Tools for workflow and collaboration
- Notion – a project management software
- Figma – a free wireframes maker
- Canva – a free tool for making graphics
- Google Docs – an online document editing software
Tools that help monitor web carbon emissions and page weight
- Website carbon calculator – rates how green or dirty my projects are
- Ecograder – gives me actionable steps to green up my websites
- GTMetrix – rates websites performance and page weight
- Chrome Developer Tool – helps me debug my websites