WordPress pricing: WordPress.com plans and the cost of self-hosting

WordPress comes in two forms with very different bills: WordPress.com, a hosted service with plans, and the free WordPress software you run on your own hosting.

We.Inc is free to start, no credit card. AI building from $20/mo.

The short answer

WordPress.com is free on a wordpress.com address, then costs $4 (Personal), $8 (Premium), $25 (Business) or $45 (Commerce) a month billed annually, or $9, $18, $40 and $70 month to month, as listed on wordpress.com/pricing on September 25, 2026.

The WordPress software from wordpress.org is free. If you self-host, you pay a hosting company, a domain registrar and any premium themes or plugins instead, and you look after updates, backups and security.

We re-checked these WordPress.com prices on wordpress.com/pricing on October 28, 2026 and they were unchanged. On WordPress.com the plan price is also the hosting price, because hosting is included. If you take payments, WordPress.com adds its own fee on top of Stripe's: 10% on Free, 8% on Personal, 4% on Premium, 2% on Business and 0% on Commerce.

WordPress.com plans at a glance

FreePersonalPremiumBusinessCommerce
Billed annually$0$4/mo$8/mo$25/mo$45/mo
Billed monthly$0$9/mo$18/mo$40/mo$70/mo
First year (annual billing)$0$48$96$300$540
Three years (annual, no price change)$0$144$288$900$1,620

Prices checked September 2026 (September 25) on each vendor's own pricing page, in US dollars. Vendors change prices often, so confirm on their page before you buy.

Pros and cons

WordPress.com

Best for: Bloggers and small businesses who want WordPress without running their own server

Price: Free plan; Personal $4, Premium $8, Business $25, Commerce $45 a month billed annually ($9, $18, $40, $70 month to month)

Pros: Free plan to start; Low entry price on annual billing; Hosting, updates and security handled for you; The same WordPress editor used across the web

Cons: Month-to-month billing costs roughly double; Features you may expect from WordPress depend on the plan, so check before you pick; Costs rise quickly on Business and Commerce

Self-hosted WordPress (wordpress.org)

Best for: People who want full ownership and are comfortable looking after a site

Price: The software is free; you pay for hosting, a domain, and any premium themes or plugins

Pros: Free, open-source software; Move to any host at any time; Any theme or plugin you like; Huge pool of developers

Cons: Updates, backups and security are your job; Hosting prices vary widely and often rise at renewal; Premium themes and plugins add up

We.Inc

Best for: People who want to describe a site or web app in plain English and have AI build it

Price: Free plan: up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, no AI. AI building from $20/mo (Starter, 250 credits). Pro $49/mo, Max $99/mo.

Pros: Describe what you want in chat and AI builds a full, editable site or app; Edit by clicking on the page, by asking in chat, or in a real code editor; Export the React and TypeScript code to GitHub, so you are never locked in; Unlimited sites on paid plans, custom domains from Starter

Cons: The free plan is templates only; AI building needs a paid plan; Newer platform with a smaller app marketplace than the big names; Store features are simpler than a dedicated ecommerce platform

Verdict by buyer

A personal blog or hobby site: the WordPress.com free plan. A small business site on its own domain that you never want to maintain: a WordPress.com paid plan on annual billing; check wordpress.com/pricing for which plan includes the features you need. A site you want to fully own and move freely, and you or a developer can look after it: self-hosted WordPress. A store: WordPress.com Commerce, or WooCommerce on self-hosted WordPress.

WordPress.com or self-hosted: what you actually pay for

On WordPress.com the plan fee covers hosting, security updates and support, so the table above is close to your real cost apart from the domain after any first-year offer. Self-hosting turns one bill into several: hosting, a domain, premium themes or plugins if you want them, and your own time (or a developer's) for updates and fixes.

We do not quote self-hosting prices here because they vary so much by host and renew at different rates. Ask any host for the renewal price, not just the first-term offer, and add it to our website cost calculator alongside the domain and plugins.

How much does WordPress hosting cost?

It depends on which WordPress you mean. On WordPress.com, hosting is part of the plan, so the hosting cost is the plan price: $4, $8, $25 or $45 a month billed annually for Personal, Premium, Business and Commerce, or $0 on the free plan with a wordpress.com address (checked October 24, 2026).

For self-hosted WordPress from wordpress.org, hosting is bought separately from a hosting company, and prices vary widely by host, plan type (shared, managed WordPress or a private server) and term. Many hosts advertise a lower first-term price than they charge at renewal, so compare renewal prices and what is included, such as backups, a security certificate and staging, before you sign up.

WordPress pricing for big companies

Large organisations rarely use the self-serve plans. On wordpress.com/pricing, the Enterprise option has no listed price and links to WordPress VIP, Automattic's enterprise WordPress service, so pricing there is arranged with their sales team (checked October 24, 2026). The other common route for big companies is self-hosted WordPress on enterprise hosting, with costs set by the host and by the agency or in-house team that builds and maintains the site.

A five-task test to run before you pay for WordPress

Prices only tell you half the story. The fairest way to judge WordPress is to give it the same small job you would give any builder: a five-page website for a local service business (home, services, about, reviews and contact).

1. Build the service list with a price or short description for each service. 2. Add a quote request form and send yourself a test entry to check it arrives. 3. Connect a custom domain and confirm the site loads on it with a padlock. 4. Change one piece of content, such as a new service or opening hours, and time how long it takes. 5. Check the result on a phone.

Note which plan each step needed. That tells you the plan you will really pay for, which is often not the cheapest one advertised. When the site is live, run it through our free website grader to check search basics and speed.

Ownership and moving away

WordPress is open-source software, so a self-hosted site is fully yours: you can back it up and move it to another host whenever you like. WordPress.com sites can also be exported to self-hosted WordPress using WordPress's export tools, which makes WordPress one of the easier platforms to leave if your needs change.

When WordPress wins, and when it does not

WordPress wins for heavy publishing, specific plugins and full ownership. It is less of a fit if you want a finished business site without learning a system or looking after one.

If you are pricing WordPress for a small business site

Most people comparing WordPress.com plans want a handful of pages on their own domain, not a publishing system. For that job, the WordPress bill is rarely the whole cost: there is the theme to pick, the plugins to choose and the hours spent arranging blocks.

We.Inc takes a different route. You describe the business in a few sentences and the AI writes the pages, which you then change by clicking on them or asking in chat. AI building starts at $20 a month on Starter (250 credits), with your own domain. If your plan is a large blog or a site built around specific plugins, stay with WordPress; that is where it is strongest.

Who wrote this and how

We.Inc makes a competing website builder, so read this with that in mind. Every price on this page comes from the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown, with a link to it. We say where the other option is the better choice, and we do not publish scores for tests we have not run.

Start from a template

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How much does WordPress cost per month?

WordPress.com costs $4, $8, $25 or $45 a month billed annually for Personal, Premium, Business and Commerce, or $9, $18, $40 and $70 month to month, as listed on wordpress.com/pricing on September 25, 2026. There is also a free plan.

How much does WordPress hosting cost?

On WordPress.com, hosting is included in the plan: free, or $4, $8, $25 or $45 a month billed annually (checked October 24, 2026). Self-hosted WordPress hosting is sold by separate hosting companies at prices that vary by host and plan, so compare renewal prices, not only the first-term offer.

How much does WordPress cost for a big company?

WordPress.com does not list an enterprise price; its Enterprise option links to WordPress VIP, where pricing is arranged with sales. Self-hosted WordPress for a large company costs whatever its hosting, development and maintenance cost, which varies widely.

Is WordPress free?

The WordPress software is free to download from wordpress.org, but running it needs hosting and a domain, which cost money. WordPress.com also has a free plan on a wordpress.com address.

What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org pricing?

WordPress.com charges one plan fee that includes hosting. WordPress.org is the free software; you pay a hosting company, a domain registrar and any premium themes or plugins separately.

How much does a WordPress site cost over three years?

On WordPress.com with annual billing and no price change: $144 on Personal, $288 on Premium, $900 on Business or $1,620 on Commerce, before domain renewal. Self-hosted costs depend on your host and plugins.

Is WordPress cheaper than Squarespace or Wix?

At entry level, yes: WordPress.com Personal is $4 a month billed annually, against $12 for Squarespace Basic and $17 for Wix Light in our September 2026 US checks. Compare the plan you would actually need, not just the cheapest one.

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