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.
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.
| Free | Personal | Premium | Business | Commerce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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
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
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 $50/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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Where We.Inc fits: the free plan publishes up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, with no AI and no custom domain, and needs no credit card. AI building, where you describe the site and it is written for you, starts at $20 a month (Starter, 250 credits); Pro is $50 and Max is $99.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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We.Inc is an AI-powered website builder you can resell under your own brand. Launch a branded client dashboard, bill on Stripe Connect, and deliver AI-generated websites in minutes. White-label plans start at $99 a month for 25 client sites, with a 7-day free trial and no per-site fees.