What is EtchWP?

Etch is a promising new tool that is going to make building WordPress sites much easier, especially for hobbyists and those who feels the current system is frustrating. While WordPress has been the go-to platform for years, many users have become dissatisfied with its newer features, particularly the Gutenberg block editor. Gutenberg was supposed to make creating websites more flexible, but even after several years, many people feel it's not delivering what they need. This has led a lot of users to stick with the older Classic Editor, which shows just how much resistance there is to the changes.

Etch is being developed to address these problems. Created by Kevin Geary, a WordPress expert with nearly 20 years of experience, Etch is designed to work alongside WordPress to make it simpler and more intuitive. Instead of being a brand-new system or a complicated page builder, Etch will eventually be a plugin that improves the way WordPress works. The goal is to give users an easier way to manage key features like custom fields and post types without having to dive into complex tools or coding.

As Etch is still in development, it’s being built with input from early adopters to ensure it meets the needs of real users. The plan is for Etch to roll out in phases over the next few years. In its first year, it will focus on helping users build basic marketing sites. As development continues, Etch will expand to support more complex websites and even e-commerce platforms. Eventually, the aim is for Etch to become the main tool people use to build WordPress sites, offering a unified and efficient way to handle everything from start to finish.

Once complete, Etch promises to simplify the whole website-building process. It’s expected to bring all the tools you need into one easy-to-use interface, so you won’t have to switch between multiple plugins or systems to get your site up and running. You’ll be able to create custom blocks and fields for your website, and whatever you build will work seamlessly with WordPress, making it easy for you—or even clients—to edit later.

Another big advantage Etch plans to offer is better performance for your site. It’s being designed with clean, efficient code in mind, so your site should run faster and avoid getting bogged down by unnecessary features. Built on modern technology like Svelte 5, Etch will aim to provide a lightweight yet powerful solution to keep your website performing at its best.

In short, Etch has the potential to be a game-changer for WordPress users, especially for those who are just starting out or who build sites as a hobby. Once it's fully developed, Etch should make WordPress much easier to use, taking the hassle out of website building and helping users create better, faster sites without the need for complex tools or coding knowledge. It’s an exciting project that could reshape how we build WordPress sites in the future.