The Best Free Tools for WordPress Developers

In order to stay productive, find new inspiration, and consistently create incredible work, every developer should have a collection of go-to tools to help them get the job done, day in and day out. Some of your favorite resources will likely have premium price tags or monthly memberships. But there are also a slew of tools that are completely free and can wildly improve your workflow.

To help you discover these magical freebies for your developer toolbox, here’s a list of some of the best free tools for web developers. Let us know which ones are your favorites in the comments!

ai2html

Calling all fans of Adobe Illustrator! This open-source script from Archie Tse and The New York Times can convert Illustrator files straight into HTML and CSS. (Yep, it’s that easy.) If you’re building websites with assets from Illustrator, this might just be a game-changer for your workflow. Check it out.

Blend

If you’ve been around the web at all this year (or even the last few), you’ve probably noticed that colorful gradients are quite the design trend. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to create a beautiful CSS3 gradient, there’s no better way than Blend. Simply choose the colors you want and with the click of a button, you’ll have the exact lines of code you need to implement it on your site. Try it out.

Build It With Me

Built It With Me is about to be your new favorite social site. The goal is simple – to connect designers and developers so they can build something wonderful together. You can browse either by ideas or people to find interesting new projects to work on, or at the very least be incredibly inspired. And if you’ve had an idea in your mind that you could use some help with, you might just even find your next partner! Check it out.

Challenge Hunt

If you’re the type of developer who’s also a major hackathon fan, this tool is for you. Challenge Hunt is an open-source aggregator that allows you to track your favorite challenge sites and keep everything in one place. Not only is it a lot of fun, but it can keep you focused on your goals. Add it to Chrome today.

Code Beautifully

This nifty site has all sorts of neat tools for developers to write efficient and beautiful code. From a CSS Validator to encryption/decryption tools to a JSON Viewer, Code Beautifully has a bunch of simple tools that will help make your workflow just that much easier. Give it a shot.

GTmetrix

When you’re developing websites, I’m guessing you want them to be fast. GTmetrix is a free tool to help you benchmark your site’s performance, plus it’ll even recommend a few actionable tips on ways to improve the speed. It’s a must for anyone developing custom sites! Check it out.

Local

If you’re a WordPress developer, developing sites locally is such an important step in the process. Local is a simple, speedy, and completely free local development application designed to simplify the workflow of designers and developers. Plus, it comes with a bunch of great tools to simplify your workflow.

OnDevice

For any developer aiming for a responsive design (which should be almost everyone these days!) OnDevice is a simple, free tool to test how your work will look across a variety of screens. The free account includes five devices, but if you’re interested in access to over 50, there’s also a pro version you can look into, as well! Check it out.

The Noun Project

This wonderful website has icons for just about anything you could need, all for free! With over one million icons, the opportunities really are endless. Not a fan of browser tools? No problem – there are also apps for Mac and Microsoft Office. Find icons you love here.

WakaTime

Have you ever wondered exactly how much time you spend coding or in your favorite development applications? WakaTime is a time-tracker specifically for programmers that integrates with the tools you commonly use on a daily basis. It allows you to track language usage, project stats, commit metrics, and so much more. Get started today.

That’s it for our list of free tools for WordPress developers, but I’m sure we’ve missed a few! What are some of your go-to apps, websites, browser extensions, or tools? Share your favorites with us in the comments!