WordPress comes in two forms: the free software you host yourself, and WordPress.com, which hosts it for you. Here is who each suits and what it costs.
We.Inc is free to start, no credit card. AI building from $20/mo.
WordPress can do almost anything a website needs, and you can take it anywhere, because the software is free and open source. The cost of that freedom is upkeep: themes, plugins and updates need someone to look after them.
WordPress.com removes most of that work. On September 25, 2026 it listed a free plan and Personal $4, Premium $8, Business $25 and Commerce $45 a month billed annually. Self-hosting the free software means paying a host and a domain instead.
| WordPress | |
|---|---|
| WordPress.com price (Sept 25, 2026) | Free plan; Personal $4, Premium $8, Business $25, Commerce $45 a month billed annually ($9, $18, $40, $70 month to month) |
| Self-hosted | Software free; you pay for hosting, a domain and any premium themes or plugins |
| Free plan | Yes on WordPress.com, on a wordpress.com address |
| Best for | Blogs, content-heavy sites and anyone who wants to own and move their site |
| Watch out for | Plugin and theme upkeep; some features need a higher WordPress.com plan |
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: Content-heavy sites and owners who want full control
Price: Free plan; Personal $4, Premium $8, Business $25, Commerce $45 a month billed annually ($9, $18, $40, $70 month to month)
Pros: Open-source software you can host anywhere; Huge choice of themes and plugins; Strong for blogs and content; Built-in export of posts and pages
Cons: Someone has to keep themes and plugins updated; Costs add up with premium plugins and hosting; More to learn than a drag-and-drop builder; Plugin choice varies by WordPress.com plan
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 blogger or publisher: WordPress is a strong fit, and WordPress.com is the easy start. A local service business that wants a five-page site and no upkeep: a hosted website builder is usually simpler. A business with a developer or agency on hand: self-hosted WordPress gives the most control. Someone who wants the site written for them from a description: look at an AI website builder.
Freedom. There is a theme or plugin for nearly every need, the content editor is good for writing, and because the software is open source you are never locked to one host. Almost every web developer knows it, so help is easy to hire.
Everything you add is something to maintain. Plugins need updates, some conflict with each other, and a site that is not kept up to date is a security risk. On WordPress.com, installing your own plugins needs a higher plan, so check which plan covers what you need before you build.
WordPress.com plan fees only, using the annual prices listed on September 25, 2026 and assuming no change: Personal is $48 a year and $144 over three years; Premium $96 and $288; Business $300 and $900; Commerce $540 and $1,620. Month to month costs more ($9 to $70 a month).
Self-hosted WordPress has no plan fee, but you pay a host, a domain and any premium themes or plugins, and those prices vary widely. Add your own figures in our website cost calculator.
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.
Use the same rubric for every tool you try, WordPress and We.Inc included, so neither gets a head start. For each of the five tasks give 2 points if it worked on the plan you intend to buy, 1 if it needed a higher plan, an add-on or several retries, and 0 if you could not do it. Keep a note of the time each task took. We have not published scores of our own because we have not run this test yet; the rubric is here so your comparison is fair.
This is where WordPress is strongest. The built-in export tool downloads your posts and pages, and a self-hosted site can be copied to another host whole, with its theme and plugins. WordPress.com sites can also be exported to self-hosted WordPress. Support depends on the route: WordPress.com offers support on paid plans, while self-hosted help comes from your host, your developer or the community.
If you want a finished business site with no updates to manage, a hosted builder fits better.
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.
Yes, if someone will keep it updated or you use WordPress.com. For a simple site with no upkeep, a hosted builder is usually easier.
The software is free. WordPress.com listed Personal $4, Premium $8, Business $25 and Commerce $45 a month billed annually on September 25, 2026, with a free plan.
WordPress.org is the free software you install on your own hosting. WordPress.com is a hosted service that runs it for you, with plans.
Yes. WordPress has a built-in export, and a self-hosted site can be moved whole to another host.
No. We.Inc makes a competing website builder, so we link our sources and say where WordPress is the better choice.
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