Quick Summary (TL;DR)
WordPress now has two official AI solutions: the WordPress AI Assistant (built into WordPress.com and Jetpack) and the WordPress MCP Adapter (open-source bridge to AI tools like Claude Desktop). While these are great steps forward, they have significant limitations: the AI Assistant requires WordPress.com or expensive Jetpack subscriptions, and the MCP Adapter is read-only by default, requires SSH access, and has no page builder support.
Respira fills the gap by providing full read+write operations, working on any hosting (even shared), supporting 11+ page builders with intelligence, and adding the critical duplicate-before-edit safety workflow that official WordPress tools don’t have.
The relationship: Official WordPress tools democratize AI access. Respira makes it safe and powerful for production use.
What is WordPress Native AI?
WordPress has two official AI initiatives that overlap with what Respira does:
1. WordPress AI Assistant (Automattic)
Launched in early 2025 and continuously improved, the WordPress AI Assistant is built directly into WordPress.com and available via Jetpack for self-hosted sites.
Features:
- Content generation (posts, pages, product descriptions)
- Image editing and generation
- SEO suggestions and meta descriptions
- Layout recommendations
- Media library AI tagging
- Conversational interface inside wp-admin
How It Works:
- Available in WordPress.com admin or via Jetpack plugin
- Click AI button in editor or media library
- Describe what you want
- AI generates content directly in your site
- Edit or regenerate as needed
Pricing:
- WordPress.com Free: Limited AI features
- WordPress.com Personal: $4/month - basic AI
- WordPress.com Premium: $8/month - more AI capabilities
- WordPress.com Business: $25/month - full AI features
- Jetpack AI: $12/month add-on for self-hosted WordPress
Limitations:
- ✗ Requires WordPress.com hosting OR Jetpack subscription
- ✗ No page builder support (Elementor, Divi, etc.)
- ✗ Edits live content directly (no safety workflow)
- ✗ No audit logs or rollback capability
- ✗ Can’t use external AI tools (Cursor, Claude Code, etc.)
2. WordPress MCP Adapter (WordPress Core Team)
Released in February 2026, the WordPress MCP Adapter is an open-source tool that bridges WordPress’s Abilities API to the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing AI tools like Claude Desktop, Cursor, and others to interact with WordPress.
Features:
- Read WordPress data (posts, pages, users, etc.)
- Query site structure
- Search content
- Access taxonomies and metadata
- Extensible via WordPress Abilities API
How It Works:
- Install MCP adapter via npm or clone from GitHub
- Configure with WordPress site URL and credentials
- Connect to MCP-compatible AI tool (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
- AI can now read your WordPress data
- Limited write operations (requires additional configuration)
Pricing:
- Free (open source, MIT license)
Limitations:
- ✗ Read-only by default (safe but limited)
- ✗ Requires SSH access to server (won’t work on shared hosting)
- ✗ No page builder support or intelligence
- ✗ No safety workflows or approval system
- ✗ Command-line setup (technical barrier)
- ✗ Write operations require custom development
What is Respira for WordPress?
Respira is a professional safety layer that bridges AI coding assistants (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex) to WordPress with full read+write capabilities, page builder intelligence, and a duplicate-before-edit workflow.
Key Features:
- Full Read + Write: Create, edit, delete pages across WordPress
- 11+ Page Builder Support: Elementor, Divi, Gutenberg, Bricks, Oxygen, WPBakery, Beaver Builder, Brizy, Visual Composer, Thrive Architect, Breakdance
- Page Builder Intelligence: Teaches AI the correct syntax (200+ Divi modules, all Elementor widgets, etc.)
- Duplicate-Before-Edit: AI never touches live pages - creates safe copies first
- Works on Any Hosting: No SSH required, even shared hosting
- Approval Workflow: Review all changes before publishing
- Complete Audit Logs: Track every AI change
- One-Click Rollback: Restore any previous version
- MCP Compatible: Works with Cursor, Claude Code, and any MCP tool
How It Works:
- Install Respira plugin (one-click from dashboard)
- Connect to AI tool via MCP (Cursor, Claude Code, etc.)
- Tell AI what you want in plain English
- AI creates duplicate pages with changes
- Review in WordPress admin
- Approve when ready - live pages never touched
Pricing:
- Starter: €19/year (1 site)
- Agency: €199/year (20 sites)
- 7-day free trial, no credit card required
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | WordPress AI Assistant | WordPress MCP Adapter | Respira for WordPress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability | WordPress.com or Jetpack | Self-hosted WP | Any WordPress installation |
| Hosting Requirements | WordPress.com OR Jetpack | SSH access required | Any hosting (even shared, no SSH) |
| Setup Difficulty | None (built-in) | Technical (command line) | Easy (plugin install) |
| Read Operations | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Write Operations | ✓ Yes (live edits) | ⚠️ Limited / read-only default | ✓ Yes (safe duplicates) |
| Page Builder Support | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✓ 11+ builders with intelligence |
| Safety Workflow | ✗ Edits live content | ✗ No (read-only default safer) | ✓ Duplicate-before-edit |
| Approval System | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Review before publish |
| Audit Logs | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Complete change history |
| Rollback | ✗ Manual restore | ✗ Manual restore | ✓ One-click to any version |
| AI Tools Compatible | Built-in only | Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc. | Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, any MCP tool |
| Works Without SSH | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Price (1 site) | $48-300/year | Free | €19/year (~$21) |
| Price (10 sites) | $480-3,000/year | Free (but hosting costs) | |
| Official WordPress | ✓ Yes (Automattic) | ✓ Yes (Core team) | ✗ No (third-party) |
Why WordPress Native AI Isn’t Enough
Let’s be clear: WordPress’s official AI tools are good - they’re lowering barriers and democratizing AI access for millions of users. But they have significant limitations for professional use.
WordPress.com AI Assistant: Great for Content, Limited for Sites
What it does well:
- ✓ Easy content generation inside editor
- ✓ No setup required (if you’re on WordPress.com)
- ✓ Built-in, officially supported
- ✓ Regular updates and improvements
Where it falls short:
- ✗ Requires WordPress.com or Jetpack - not available for standard self-hosted WordPress without subscription
- ✗ No page builder support - can’t intelligently edit Elementor, Divi, Bricks layouts
- ✗ Edits live content - no safety net, no review before publish
- ✗ No audit logs - can’t track what AI changed or when
- ✗ Can’t use external AI tools - locked into WordPress’s built-in AI only
- ✗ Expensive for multiple sites - Business plan at $25/month per site = $300/year per site
Who it’s good for:
- Personal bloggers on WordPress.com
- Simple content websites with no page builders
- Users who don’t need professional safety workflows
Who it’s NOT good for:
- Agencies managing client sites
- Self-hosted WordPress users (without expensive Jetpack)
- Anyone using page builders (Elementor, Divi, etc.)
- Teams needing approval workflows and audit logs
WordPress MCP Adapter: Promising, But Read-Only
The WordPress MCP Adapter is an exciting development - it represents WordPress’s commitment to the AI ecosystem and MCP standard. But it’s not a production-ready editing tool.
What it does well:
- ✓ Open source and free
- ✓ Works with multiple AI tools (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
- ✓ Extensible via WordPress Abilities API
- ✓ Officially supported by WordPress core team
Where it falls short:
- ✗ Read-only by default - great for querying data, can’t edit pages safely
- ✗ Requires SSH access - won’t work on shared hosting (GoDaddy, Bluehost, etc.)
- ✗ No page builder support - doesn’t understand Elementor, Divi, or other builders
- ✗ Technical setup - command line, configuration files, not for average users
- ✗ No safety workflows - if you enable writes, edits are live (no duplicate-before-edit)
- ✗ No audit logs or rollback - manual version control only
Who it’s good for:
- Developers who want to read WordPress data in AI tools
- Technical users with SSH access
- Research and analysis use cases
- Custom development projects
Who it’s NOT good for:
- Shared hosting users (no SSH)
- Non-technical WordPress users
- Production editing workflows
- Anyone needing safety and approval processes
Respira: The Professional Production Layer
Respira was built specifically to solve the problems that official WordPress tools don’t address:
Respira’s advantages:
- ✓ Full read + write operations - not just reading data
- ✓ Works on any hosting - shared, VPS, managed WordPress, anywhere
- ✓ Page builder intelligence - understands Elementor, Divi, Gutenberg, Bricks, etc.
- ✓ Duplicate-before-edit safety - live pages never touched until approved
- ✓ One-click setup - plugin install, no command line or SSH
- ✓ Professional workflows - approval, audit logs, rollback
- ✓ Multi-site friendly - 1 license for 20 sites (Agency plan)
The positioning: Respira doesn’t compete with WordPress’s official tools - it complements them. Official tools democratize AI access. Respira adds professional safety and power.
When to Use WordPress Native AI
WordPress.com AI Assistant - Use When:
- ✓ You’re already on WordPress.com (not self-hosted)
- ✓ You mainly write blog posts and simple content
- ✓ You don’t use page builders
- ✓ You’re okay with live edits (no safety net needed)
- ✓ You don’t manage multiple sites professionally
- ✓ Budget allows for $25/month per site (Business plan)
Example use cases:
- Personal blog content generation
- Quick post drafting
- SEO meta descriptions
- Image alt text generation
- Single-site content work
WordPress MCP Adapter - Use When:
- ✓ You want to read WordPress data in AI tools like Claude Desktop
- ✓ You have SSH access to your server
- ✓ You’re comfortable with command-line setup
- ✓ You’re building custom AI integrations
- ✓ You need to query WordPress data for analysis
- ✓ You’re okay with read-only (or willing to develop custom writes)
Example use cases:
- Research: “Show me all posts tagged ‘AI’ from last year”
- Analysis: “What are my most popular categories?”
- Content audit: “List all posts without featured images”
- Development: Building custom AI workflows with WordPress data
When to Use Respira
Respira - Use When:
- ✓ You need full read + write operations safely
- ✓ You use page builders (Elementor, Divi, Gutenberg, Bricks, etc.)
- ✓ Safety is critical - duplicate-before-edit workflow essential
- ✓ You’re on shared hosting (no SSH access)
- ✓ You want to use external AI tools (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex)
- ✓ You need audit logs and approval workflows
- ✓ You manage multiple sites professionally (agencies, freelancers)
- ✓ You want one-click setup (no technical configuration)
Example use cases:
- Update contact forms across 30 pages (multiple builders)
- Client sites needing approval before changes go live
- Batch editing hero sections site-wide
- Color scheme updates across Elementor + Divi pages
- Safety-critical production site edits
- Agency management of 10-20 client sites
Real-World Scenarios
Scenario 1: Update Contact Info Across 50 Pages
WordPress AI Assistant:
- Can’t do it efficiently
- Would need to edit each page manually with AI
- Changes go live immediately
- No batch processing
- Estimated time: 3-4 hours
WordPress MCP Adapter:
- Can read pages to find contact info
- Can’t batch edit (read-only default)
- Would need custom development for writes
- No page builder intelligence
Respira:
- Tell AI: “Update phone number on all pages with contact forms to (555) 123-4567”
- AI finds all 50 pages, creates duplicates, makes changes
- Review duplicates, approve all at once
- Estimated time: 10-15 minutes
- Live pages never touched
Winner: Respira (50× faster, infinitely safer)
Scenario 2: Client on Cheap Shared Hosting (No SSH)
WordPress AI Assistant:
- Requires WordPress.com hosting OR
- Jetpack subscription ($12+/month)
- Additional cost barrier
WordPress MCP Adapter:
- Won’t work at all (requires SSH)
- Client would need to upgrade hosting
- Not an option for most budget clients
Respira:
- Works perfectly on any shared hosting
- No SSH or special access needed
- REST API only (always available)
- No hosting upgrade required
Winner: Respira (only option that works)
Scenario 3: Complex Elementor Layout Changes
WordPress AI Assistant:
- No Elementor support
- Would only work on basic editor content
- Can’t intelligently edit Elementor JSON
WordPress MCP Adapter:
- No page builder intelligence
- Doesn’t understand Elementor structure
- Would see raw JSON (not useful)
Respira:
- Full Elementor intelligence (all widgets, settings, modules)
- Understands Elementor’s 200+ widgets
- Can make complex layout changes safely
- Creates duplicates for review
Winner: Respira (others can’t compete)
Scenario 4: Research and Content Analysis
WordPress AI Assistant:
- Limited querying capabilities
- Mainly for content generation, not analysis
WordPress MCP Adapter:
- ✓ Perfect for this use case
- Read-only is ideal for research
- Can query complex data
- Works great in Claude Desktop
Respira:
- ✓ Can also do this via MCP
- Overkill if you only need read-only
- Better suited for read+write workflows
Winner: WordPress MCP Adapter (designed for this)
Scenario 5: Quick Blog Post Draft
WordPress AI Assistant:
- ✓ Perfect for this use case
- Built-in, fast, easy
- Good for quick content generation
- If you’re already on WordPress.com
WordPress MCP Adapter:
- Can read existing posts
- Not designed for content creation
Respira:
- ✓ Can do this via connected AI tools
- More setup than built-in solution
- Better for complex or batch operations
Winner: WordPress AI Assistant (simplest for this use case)
Can You Use Multiple Tools Together?
Yes! And you probably should.
The three tools solve different problems and complement each other:
The Ideal Setup for Professional WordPress Users:
Use WordPress MCP Adapter for:
- Reading and analyzing WordPress data
- Research: “Show me all posts from Category X”
- Content audits
- Querying complex site data
Use WordPress.com AI (if applicable) for:
- Quick single-post content generation
- If you’re on WordPress.com already
- Simple text tweaks inside editor
Use Respira for:
- All production page editing
- Batch updates across multiple pages
- Page builder editing (Elementor, Divi, etc.)
- Client sites requiring safety and approval
- Multi-site agency management
Example workflow:
- Use WordPress MCP to analyze: “Which pages have no meta descriptions?”
- Use Respira to safely add meta descriptions to all 20 pages at once
- Review duplicates, approve changes
- Use WordPress AI for quick blog post draft on one of those pages
Each tool in its lane = maximum productivity + safety.
Pricing Comparison: Total Cost
Let’s compare real costs for different scenarios.
Personal Site (1 site)
WordPress AI Assistant:
- WordPress.com Business: $25/month = $300/year
- Or Jetpack AI: $12/month = $144/year
- Total: $144-300/year
WordPress MCP Adapter:
- Free (open source)
- But requires hosting with SSH (~$10-20/month)
- Total: $120-240/year in hosting costs
Respira:
- Starter: €19/year = ~$21/year
- Works on any hosting (even $5/month shared)
- Total: ~$21/year + existing hosting
Savings with Respira: $99-279/year
Small Agency (10 sites)
WordPress AI Assistant:
- 10 sites × $300/year (Business plan) = $3,000/year
- Or 10 sites × $144/year (Jetpack AI) = $1,440/year
- Total: $1,440-3,000/year
WordPress MCP Adapter:
- Free software
- But each site needs SSH hosting (~$15/month average)
- 10 sites × $180/year = $1,800/year
- Total: $1,800/year in hosting costs
Respira:
- Agency plan: €199/year = ~$215/year
- Covers all 10 sites
- Works on existing hosting
- Total: ~$215/year
Savings with Respira: $1,225-2,785/year
Medium Agency (20 sites)
WordPress AI Assistant:
- 20 sites × $300/year = $6,000/year
- Or 20 sites × $144/year = $2,880/year
- Total: $2,880-6,000/year
WordPress MCP Adapter:
- Free software
- 20 sites with SSH hosting = $3,600/year
- Total: $3,600/year
Respira:
- Agency plan: €199/year = ~$215/year
- Covers all 20 sites
- Total: ~$215/year
Savings with Respira: $2,665-5,785/year
Bottom Line
WordPress’s official AI tools are a great start - they’re democratizing AI access and pushing the ecosystem forward. The WordPress core team deserves credit for their MCP Adapter and Automattic deserves credit for building AI into WordPress.com.
But official tools have gaps:
- WordPress AI Assistant: Expensive, limited to WordPress.com/Jetpack, no page builders
- WordPress MCP Adapter: Read-only, requires SSH, no safety workflows
Respira fills these gaps:
- Works on any hosting (even shared)
- Full read + write with safety (duplicate-before-edit)
- Page builder intelligence (11+ builders)
- Professional workflows (approval, audit, rollback)
- Agency-friendly pricing
The relationship: Official WordPress tools make AI accessible. Respira makes it safe and powerful for production use.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose WordPress AI Assistant if:
- You’re on WordPress.com already
- You only write simple blog posts
- You don’t use page builders
- You don’t need safety workflows
- Budget allows $25/month per site
Choose WordPress MCP Adapter if:
- You want to read/analyze WordPress data in AI tools
- You have SSH access
- You’re comfortable with command-line setup
- Read-only is enough for your use case
- You’re building custom AI integrations
Choose Respira if:
- You need full read+write operations safely
- You use page builders (Elementor, Divi, etc.)
- You’re on shared hosting (no SSH)
- Safety is critical (duplicate-before-edit)
- You manage multiple sites professionally
- You want audit logs and approval workflows
Use Multiple Tools if:
- You’re a professional agency or developer
- Different tools for different use cases
- MCP for reading data + Respira for safe editing
- Maximum flexibility and capability
Start Your Free Trial
Try Respira free for 7 days - no credit card required.
Works with 11+ page builders. Connects to Cursor, Claude Code, or any MCP-compatible AI tool. Duplicate-before-edit safety workflow. Works on any hosting.
Compare Respira with Other AI WordPress Tools
Exploring your options? Read our other detailed comparisons:
- Respira vs Elementor AI - Page builder AI assistant comparison
- Respira vs CodeWP - Code generation vs safe page editing
Or jump directly to Respira pricing →
Last Updated: February 2026
Author: Mihai Dragomirescu, Founder of Respira
Keywords: Respira vs WordPress AI, WordPress MCP alternative, WordPress native AI comparison, WordPress AI safety, WordPress MCP Adapter, official WordPress AI tools 2026