WampServer is a Windows web development environment. It allows you to create web applications with Apache2, PHP and a MySQL database. Alongside, PhpMyAdmin allows you to manage easily your databases.


DesktopServer is described as 'Choose fictional domain names to personalize each of your projects and create dozens of virtual servers in seconds. WordPress designers and developers seldom work on a single project. Now you can create multiple isolated sites for webdesign or just for quickly and safely testing' and is a IDE in the development category. There are nine alternatives to DesktopServer for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Web-based and MySQL Community Edition apps. The best DesktopServer alternative is WampServer, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like DesktopServer are Local by Flywheel, Laravel Valet, Theme Juice and InstantWP.
WampServer is a Windows web development environment. It allows you to create web applications with Apache2, PHP and a MySQL database. Alongside, PhpMyAdmin allows you to manage easily your databases.


Provides a simple, local development environment with a friendly GUI. Uses Docker under the hood, similar to Vagrant but less tech experience needed.


Valet is a Laravel development environment for Mac minimalists. No Vagrant, no hosts file. You can even share your sites publicly using local tunnels. Yeah, we like it too.




InstantWP is a complete standalone, portable WordPress development environment. It will turn almost any Windows or macOS machine into a WordPress development server. It will even run from a USB key.


WordPress Portable is a free program for Windows that automatically ships with everything needed to run WordPress locally. All you need to do is to extract the package contents on your system after download and start the WordPress Portable executable afterwards.
VertrigoServ is a complete free WAMP server allowing PHP development for Windows. It installs Apache 2.4, PHP, MySQL and PhpMyAdmin, both installing and setting up the environment.
Pressmatic is a robust local WordPress manager for Mac. All sites are isolated in individual Docker containers.

Zend Server is the #1 professional PHP stack. It is the most complete PHP distribution with a continuously updated set of advanced value-add features designed to optimize productivity, performance, scalability and reliability.