What Is The Price of WordPress?

Many websites nowadays are powered by WordPress, a content management system (CMS) that is increasingly common. For this reason, anyone creating a website—for personal or professional use—must be aware of its cost.

What is the price of WordPress then? Our experts go over the various costs related to utilizing the CMS in this article, along with the various payment options for WordPress.com and WordPress.org websites. 

Table of Contents 

• WordPress.com and WordPress.org: What Are They?

• WordPress Price Breakdown

• Does WordPress Make Sense to Use?

• Alternatives to WordPress

• Final Thoughts on WordPress Cost

WordPress.com and WordPress.org: What Are They?

The hosting company is the primary distinction between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. A hosted service called WordPress.com enables the creation of websites using the WordPress program. Although it is easy to use and perfect for novices, there aren't many customizing possibilities. 

However, WordPress.org is a self-hosted platform that offers complete control over all website aspects. It has more extensive customization and monetization options from the outset and is meant for experienced users.

Pricing for WordPress.com

WordPress price plans are designed to meet various company requirements.

Perfect for personal use, the free plan comes with free themes, 1 GB of storage, and an SSL certificate. It does, however, provide very few customizing choices.

When paid annually, the Personal plan costs $4 per month. Best-in-class hosting, 6 GB of storage, an SSL certificate, free themes, the option to take payments, and limitless email support are all included. You also get a free domain for a year. Additionally, it is best suited for individual use.

The ideal choice for independent contractors is the $8/month (yearly) Premium plan. It offers greater customization choices along with all the benefits of a personal plan. It also provides live chat assistance, premium themes, ad revenue potential, and connection with Google Analytics.

The Business plan is perfect for small enterprises because it only costs $25 per month (when invoiced annually). It includes all of the features of the plans listed above plus access to over 50,000 plugins, sophisticated SEO tools, automated backups, SSH, SFTP, WP-CLI, and database access.

The eCommerce plan, which is primarily meant for online stores, is the most advanced of all the WordPress premium plans, and it costs $45 per month (when billed annually). With this package, you can offer quality design solutions specifically suited for online businesses, seamlessly link with top shipping carriers, and accept payments from more than 60 countries. 

Pricing for WordPress.org

In theory, WordPress.org is free, but hosting is not free. The majority of hosting companies provide monthly plans that range from $3 to $100, based on a number of variables like security, speed, bandwidth, and availability of support. Dream Host and HostGator are suggested by the WordPress Platform as complimentary services.

While some hosting providers may need you to buy a domain name separately for $12 to $15 per year, the majority of hosting firms offer domain names in their packages.

Furthermore, even though WordPress.org offers free customizable themes, you might wish to purchase a premium theme based on your company's demands. Premium themes can cost anywhere from $20 to hundreds of dollars, and customizing them will raise the price even further. 

Last but not least, WordPress.org has built-in SEO tools that initially suffice to fulfill basic needs. However, as your needs expand, you can find yourself in need of more sophisticated solutions, which have an additional fee.

WordPress Price Breakdown

A WordPress website's development costs must be understood in order to create an efficient budget. The price of the domain name, web hosting, SSL certificates, themes, plugins, continuing site maintenance, and design are important things to take into account. 

Let's examine these important cost factors in more detail:

1. Domain Name: $25/year to $0.99

Your website address is provided by your domain name. In order to make it easier for clients to discover you, it should include your business name. Depending on the top-level domains, the cost of the domain name varies from $0.99 to $14.99 annually (TLDs). The most widely used TLDs, or generic top-level domains (gTLDs), are the.com ,.net, and.org suffixes. Due to their popularity, these three extensions are the priciest.

Other generic extensions like. tech.online, or. live are excellent substitutes that are less expensive and still give your domain name a distinctive and memorable quality.

Another popular extension is country code top-level domains (ccTLD), which are specific codes assigned to countries worldwide (for example, .us for the United States or .uk for the United Kingdom). Their prices typically range from $5.50 to $23.99 per year.

2. Web Hosting: Monthly Rates: $1.99 to $77.99

Since WordPress.org is a self-hosted platform, purchasing a web hosting package is required in order to launch and maintain your website. Although your domain name acts as the URL for your website, hosting gives you server space and shows all of your website's content to visitors.

Pricing for hosting is based on its kind:

WordPress hosting: Designed specifically for WordPress websites, it provides automatic updates, one-click installations, and a staff of WordPress experts for assistance. 

The monthly cost varies from $1.99 to $11.59 per month.

Shared hosting: This is a reasonable choice for small business and personal websites, ranging in price from $1.99 to $3.99 a month. 

Hosting for virtual private servers (VPS) divides a single server into several separate virtual servers. It costs between $3.49 to $77.99 a month and is a great choice for websites with moderate to high traffic.

Cloud hosting: This kind divides the workload among several servers to minimize downtime; in the event that one fails, another takes over to keep your website up and running. The cost of cloud hosting can range from $9.99 to $29.99.

In conclusion, the monthly cost of hosting might range from $1.99 to $77.99, contingent upon the type and provider.

3. SSL Certificates: From $7 to $1,000 a year, an SSL certificate is a security protocol that encrypts data being transferred between clients and servers, guaranteeing confidentiality and protection of such data. Your web address will begin with the HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) tag, followed by a tiny padlock icon if your website is SSL-certified.

Although most hosting companies give an SSL certificate with their package, you can utilize a third-party SSL to increase security. Three different kinds of SSL certificates are offered:

Organization Validated (OV SSL), Extended Validation (EV SSL), and Domain Validated (DV SSL)

While the encryption levels offered by SSL certificates are the same, the processes for screening and verification needed to receive the certificate may differ. 

4. Enhanced Themes: $200 to $2 per license

With so many free and premium themes available on WordPress, you may pick one that best suits your demands as a business and your desired style. The cost of a premium theme license varies from $2 to $200. You can browse the newest or most well-liked themes in each category and arrange them according to features, layouts, or the kind of website they are intended for.

It's crucial to remember that paid and free WordPress themes are not inherently worse than one another because they are both subject to quality control checks by the WordPress team. Nevertheless, premium themes come with more features, frequent updates, and round-the-clock support—all of which are essential for websites with higher standards.

Many websites nowadays are powered by WordPress, a content management system (CMS) that is increasingly common. For this reason, anyone creating a website—for personal or professional use—must be aware of its cost.

What is the price of WordPress then? Our experts go over the various costs related to utilizing the CMS in this article, along with the various payment options for WordPress.com and WordPress.org websites. 

However, WordPress.org is a self-hosted platform that offers complete control over all website aspects. It has more extensive customization and monetization options from the outset and is meant for experienced users. 

5. Premium Plugins: One-time or recurring fees ranging from $5 to $1,000

Plugins for WordPress websites are programs that extend the functionality and offer new functionalities. These are divided into three groups:

Plugins that are free of charge have fewer functionalities than those that are paid for.

Plugins that are freemium: These offer the most basic functionality without charge, but charge for more sophisticated capabilities.

Plugins that are premium: They come with a ton of functionality, frequent updates, and customer service.

Plugins that are freemium or premium usually range in price from $5 to $1,000. They have various price structures, like annual subscriptions or one-time fees. 

6. $50 to $300 per hour for website design and maintenance

While creating a WordPress website, cost considerations for website design and upkeep are essential. Web development is included in the estimated price; agencies or freelancers can handle this task. Even though it can be a one-time expense, the cost of website design varies based on the team that creates it:

$50 to $100 per hour for freelancers

$150 to $300 per hour for the agency

The same holds for the upkeep of WordPress websites:

$30 to $80 per hour for freelancers

$100 to $200 per hour for the agency

A WordPress website's overall cost is determined by its size and necessary features. Generally speaking, a small business website or personal blog will cost less than an enterprise-level website or a major eCommerce store.

Does WordPress Make Sense to Use?

Indeed, WordPress is well worth the money. It is affordable, adaptable, and SEO-friendly. Along with the numerous advantages of WordPress, here are a few additional major factors contributing to its popularity:

Versatility: You may build intricate eCommerce websites or straightforward blogs using the WordPress platform. You are able to expand and modify your website in accordance with your business needs because of its numerous features and plugins.

SEO-friendliness: WordPress's structure improves SEO efforts, which raises your website's search engine ranking and increases visitors.

Cost-effectiveness: Building a WordPress website can be done for free for simple requirements. On the other hand, you can access advanced functionality with premium alternatives if your requirements are more stringent. Additionally, you can modify the final pricing to suit your budget and add other plugins for additional functionality. 

But, in addition to its benefits, WordPress has a few drawbacks to take into account:

Usually, you need to install a specific plugin to use each feature. There is no shortage of plugins, however some may cause your website to load more slowly.

WordPress is still vulnerable to hacker attacks despite its continuous security updates.

Even though you are in charge of all the premium feature prices, WordPress websites need ongoing maintenance, which can add to your monthly expenses.

Alternatives to WordPress

The most popular content management system is WordPress, but not everyone can benefit from the greatest solutions. For some kinds of websites, some alternatives to WordPress can accomplish more. 

Choose a platform for your website based on its intended usage, modification requirements, available funds, and technical expertise. You can also hire a seasoned WordPress development company to evaluate the platform for you.

In any case, these are our top five selections:

1. Drupal 

Websites for governments, educational institutions, and multinational corporations are the main markets for the Drupal content management system. Together, WordPress and Drupal account for 60% of CMS market share. Drupal is free, but users are still responsible for paying for hosting and domain registration.

2. Joomla

For every kind of website, Joomla is an open-source, self-hosted content management system. It offers over 8,000 extensions, versatile designs, cutting-edge security measures, and translations into 70 languages. Joomla is free, however, because it is a self-hosted platform, you will need to pay for web hosting and a domain name.

3. Wix

Beginners can use this hosted website builder because it doesn't require any prior coding experience. It is perfect for tiny web enterprises and offers eCommerce features. options for business and e-commerce websites range in price from $17 to $35 a month, while options for personal and professional websites cost between $4.50 and $26. 

4. Squared

This website builder has gained popularity due to its eye-catching template designs. It has a video studio, integrated marketing tools, blogging, and eCommerce features. A free plan is not available for Squarespace. There are four premium versions available: $16 for Personal use, $26 for Business use, $35 for Basic Commerce, and $54 for Advanced Commerce each month.

5. The Shopify

This website builder was created specifically for online retailers. In addition to eCommerce features, it offers blogging capabilities, drop shipping support, and visually appealing mobile-responsive themes. There isn't a free version of Shopify. There are three monthly subscriptions available: $29 for Basic Shopify, $79 for Shopify, and $299 for Advanced Shopify.

Final Thoughts on WordPress Cost

What is the price of WordPress then? As you've seen, depending on your business needs, it may be free, but it may also cost you thousands of dollars.

Use as many free plugins as you can and start with the most basic features and free themes while creating a WordPress website. When you need to scale or your website becomes more visible, you can use premium features and templates to upgrade.

With an estimated cost for WordPress website creation in hand, you can now plan your budget and get started, either on your own or with help from a WordPress web design service.