Spinning up a fresh WordPress install can feel like setting up a whole workshop just to tighten one screw. When we only want to test a plugin, check a theme, or demo a feature for a client, speed matters. That’s where TasteWP comes in.
In our first look at TasteWP on InfluenceWP, we focused on what it’s like to use it with no warm-up. We checked the homepage promises, installed the Chrome extension, created demo sites from the WordPress repo, and built templates we can reuse.
Key Takeaways
- TasteWP is a service that creates a fresh WordPress site in minutes for plugin tests, theme demos, and client previews, without setting up hosting.
- The TasteWP Chrome extension can identify a site’s theme and plugins, then help start a new demo site, but “Create” uses TasteWP defaults unless you set options first.
- One-click demos work best from the WordPress plugin directory, and slug-based links also work for plugins and themes when you want a “try it now” demo link.
- Site Templates help standardize demo setups (WordPress version, PHP version, plugins, theme), and they reduced extra default plugins in our tests.
- Demo site expiration depends on login status (2 days logged out, 7 days logged in), paid plans can prevent expiration, and TasteWP says sites can be migrated.
How to Get the Best Deal on TasteWP
InfluenceWP has an exclusive TasteWP deal.
TasteWP—First Look Video
What TasteWP Is (And When We Use It)
TasteWP is a service for quickly spinning up WordPress sites. The core idea is simple, create a WordPress environment in minutes so we can test, demo, or build without setting up hosting every time.
From what we saw, the main use cases are practical:
- We can demo products for clients or prospects without building a full staging setup.
- We can tinker with WordPress, plugins, and themes in a safe throwaway install.
- We can clone or recreate setups on TasteWP, then share them.
- We can host temporarily, which is ideal for short testing windows.
- We can also host long-term with their paid options.
Using the TasteWP Chrome Extension to Identify WordPress Sites
One of the more interesting parts of TasteWP is the Chrome extension. It’s built for quick answers when we land on a site and want to know what it’s running, and it also includes shortcuts for creating a demo site.
After installing the extension, we tested it on WordPress.org. The scan surfaced useful details right away:
- It identified the theme being used, including version details.
- It listed plugins and related metadata.
- It included handy links (theme homepage, plugin author, plugin homepage).
The extension also included an option to create a WordPress site with a plugin installed. That’s where things got interesting, because it didn’t behave the way we expected at first.
What “Create” Means Inside the Extension
When we clicked the create option using the default settings, TasteWP spun up a new WordPress site. We expected it might attempt to clone what we were looking at (theme plus a specific plugin we saw on the scanned site).
Instead, it created a separate WordPress install using its own defaults. We noticed a set of plugins showing up that we didn’t explicitly select, and we kept seeing a default theme choice (often Twenty Twenty-Three in our tests). Once we noticed a small heading that referenced default settings, the behavior made more sense.
This is exactly why we like first looks. The tool may be doing what it intends, but the first-time experience can still surprise people.
Advanced Options Inside the Extension (And What We Could Change)
The extension includes an “Advanced options” area that lets us set parameters before creating a site. In our test, those options included:
- Choosing the WordPress version
- Choosing the PHP version (we tried setting PHP 8.4)
- Adjusting advanced wp-config style settings
- Selecting pre-installed plugins and themes
In theory, this is a strong setup. In practice, we had trouble getting those settings to persist. We could change options, but we didn’t see a clear way to save them in the extension workflow we used. That may be user error on our side, or it may be a limitation of the current extension flow.
Even with that quirk, the extension was still useful for quick “what is this site running?” checks.
How To Create One-Click WordPress Plugin Demos With TasteWP
The feature that immediately felt addictive was creating demo sites directly from the WordPress plugin directory. We opened the WordPress plugin repository, chose a plugin (we tested with Contact Form 7), and we saw a TasteWP button appear that allowed us to create a WordPress site with that plugin already installed.
The flow was straightforward:
- Open a plugin page in the WordPress repo.
- Use the TasteWP “Create a WordPress site” prompt.
- Wait for the demo site to spin up.
- Log into wp-admin and confirm the plugin is installed.
In our demo site, Contact Form 7 appeared alongside the default set of plugins we kept seeing in other spins. It worked, and it was fast. We repeated the same idea with another plugin (Classic Editor) and again saw the create option appear.
Theme Demos From the WordPress Repo (What Worked and What Didn’t)
TasteWP also describes the ability to spin up demos for themes from the WordPress theme directory. In our testing, that part was inconsistent when approached through the extension button method.
We tried multiple default themes, including newer ones, and we didn’t consistently see the same “create” option appear on theme pages the way it did on plugin pages. It looked like the one-click experience worked reliably for plugins but not for themes in the same interface.
That said, we did successfully spin up a theme demo using a different TasteWP method (more on that next). So the capability is there; it just wasn’t showing up consistently through the extension button on theme pages in our run.
How To Create TasteWP Demo Links Using WordPress.org Slugs
TasteWP also supports a simple approach for pre-installing a plugin or theme when creating a site. The idea is that if we know the WordPress.org slug, we can use it to generate a TasteWP site with that plugin or theme included.
For plugin creators, this is a big deal. It means we can offer a “try it now” link so users can test without installing anything locally.
Pro tip for plugin and theme creators: TasteWP’s slug-based links can be added to plugin readme files as a fast way to let users try your work on a fresh demo site.
We tested this by grabbing the slug from a plugin page (Contact Form 7) and using TasteWP’s documented pattern. When we loaded the adjusted link, TasteWP spun up a new WordPress site with the correct plugin installed.
We also tested the same approach for themes by using the theme slug (Twenty Twenty-Five). This method worked, and it gave us the quick “try the theme right now” experience we were looking for.
WP Directory Tools: Replace the Domain and Create a Demo
TasteWP also has a simple “directory tool” trick: if we’re on a plugin or theme page in the WordPress directory, we can replace wordpress.org in the URL with tastewp.com and load the page.
When we tried this method for a theme (again aiming for Twenty Twenty-Five), we hit a limit issue at first. TasteWP returned an error that suggested we had already created too many sites on our account. After deleting a few older demo sites, we tried again and it worked.
Once it spun up, we could tell the theme was active just by the look and colors. The site still came with the default plugins we’d been seeing, but the theme demo itself worked quickly.
If you plan to use TasteWP often, it’s worth keeping an eye on how many demo sites you’ve created and cleaning up old ones.
Building Repeatable Site Templates in TasteWP
The most practical feature for agency work was site templates. Templates let us pre-define the exact setup we want, then create new sites from that setup without redoing the same steps every time.
From the dashboard, we went to Site Templates and created a new template. The template builder included the pieces we care about:
- WordPress version selection (we chose latest)
- PHP version selection (we chose latest)
- Core installation type (single site, with an option for multisite)
- A searchable plugin picker (it appeared to search the WordPress repo)
- The ability to upload our own plugin zip file (not limited to the repo)
- Theme selection, including the ability to upload our own theme zip file
We created a template named “IWP”, added Contact Form 7, and then chose theme settings. We also found an option to “Use default WordPress theme,” which is exactly what we wanted for a clean, current baseline.
What We Noticed When Using Templates
When we used the template to create a site, it spun up quickly and gave us a cleaner result. The biggest win was that we no longer saw the same default bundle of extra plugins in every new install. We got the plugin we asked for (Contact Form 7) and a theme selection aligned with what we set.
We also noticed something odd while testing default theme behavior. Even when we expected the newest default theme, we sometimes saw Twenty Twenty-Three show up again. We didn’t chase down why during this first look, but since templates can install any selected theme (or uploaded theme), it’s still easy to standardize on the exact theme we want.
Templates also support editing after creation. We could modify plugins, change themes, and refine the setup without starting over.
Managing Sites From the TasteWP Dashboard
TasteWP’s dashboard made it easy to see the sites we spun up during testing, and it also exposed a set of tools that matter when we’re debugging or resetting a demo.
From the site manager area, we saw options to:
- Open the site and drop directly into it (a quick login experience)
- Reset a password
- Disable all plugins
- Download the debug log
- Change the PHP version after the site is created
- Delete the site
We also saw an “invitation” option in the interface, but we didn’t test it in this first look.
For day-to-day agency testing, “disable all plugins” and “download debug log” are small features that save time.
Site Recipes: Full Demo Blueprints You Can Reuse
Templates handle “install these plugins and this theme.” Site recipes go further.
TasteWP’s description of site recipes reads like a blueprint approach:
- We create a WordPress site as the base.
- We add a theme, plugins, and custom content.
- We tweak everything until the demo is right.
- We back up the site using a free plugin TasteWP provides.
- We upload that backup into TasteWP to finish the recipe.
After that, we can create future demo sites using the recipe instead of rebuilding a complex demo from scratch. If we sell a plugin, a theme, or a more complex product, a recipe-based demo can make onboarding easier because users see a real working example, not an empty install.
Final Thoughts on TasteWP
TasteWP gave us what we wanted most: fast WordPress installs for testing and demos, plus reusable templates when we need consistency.
The TasteWP Chrome extension, slug-based links, and the “replace the domain” directory trick all make it easy to go from idea to working site in minutes.
If you spend your days testing plugins, reviewing themes, or building demos, TasteWP is the kind of tool that can stay open in a tab all week.
Frequently Asked Questions About TasteWP WordPress Demo Sites
What Is TasteWP Used For?
TasteWP is used to spin up a WordPress install fast so we can test plugins, check themes, or demo features for a client. It saves time because we don’t need to set up hosting for each test.
How Long Do TasteWP Demo Sites Last?
If we create a site while not logged in, it lasts two days. If we’re logged in, it lasts seven days. Paid plans can keep sites from expiring.
Does The TasteWP Chrome Extension Clone The Site We Are Viewing?
In our testing, the extension did not clone the site we scanned. When we clicked “Create” with default settings, it made a new WordPress install with TasteWP defaults, including extra plugins and a default theme.
How Do We Create A TasteWP Demo With A Specific Plugin Or Theme Installed?
We can create demos from the WordPress directory in a few ways. The extension can add a “Create” button on plugin pages, slug-based URL patterns can install a plugin or theme by its WordPress.org slug, and replacing wordpress.org with tastewp.com on directory URLs can also trigger a demo flow.
Can We Migrate A TasteWP Site To Another Host?
TasteWP says yes. In WordPress terms, we can also migrate using a migration plugin, depending on our setup and destination host.