A WordPress website in 2026 costs roughly $50–$200 in year one if you build it yourself, according to WebGomu in its 2026 cost guide. Hiring help raises the build to $300–$8,000-plus, plus $10–$150 a month to run, per a 2026 Dev.to small-business guide. WordPress is free publishing software you install on paid hosting to publish pages, posts and stores.
WordPress.org notes the core software is free under GPLv2 or later in its license details. You still buy a domain and hosting separately. That split explains why two sites with the same software can cost very different totals.
Table of Contents
- What do you pay for on a self-hosted site?
- How much is WordPress.com?
- How much do a store and premium plugins add?
- What do hired help and upkeep cost?
- What price catches buyers by surprise?
What do you pay for on a self-hosted site?
A self-hosted site means you install free WordPress on hosting you rent. WebGomu puts year-one DIY cost at $50–$200 when the owner does setup. That covers a $10–$20 per year domain and $36–$180 per year shared hosting.
Most hosts now include free SSL. A simple blog can stay near the low end with one domain and basic shared hosting. A business site rises fast once you add paid themes, plugins and setup help.
How much is WordPress.com?
WordPress.com is hosted for you, with a monthly or yearly fee instead of separate hosting. An October 2026 check by eSEOspace lists yearly prices in its WordPress.com pricing check at $0 Free, $4 Personal, $8 Premium, $25 Business and $45 Commerce. Monthly billing costs $9, $18, $40 and $70 for the paid tiers.
Free and low tiers fit a hobby page or simple portfolio. Business and Commerce fit users who need plugins, themes and store tools without managing hosting. Pick by the features you need, not only the starting price.
How much do a store and premium plugins add?
WooCommerce states its core platform is free with 0% revenue share on its official pricing page. Most stores still pay $25–$350 per month for hosting of their choice plus $29–$299 per year per extension. Payment processing is extra.
A 2026 PluginTheme.net study of 3,987 premium products found an average price of $58.18. WooCommerce plugins averaged highest at $61.00. A store with two paid extensions can therefore add about $60–$600 per year before hosting and transaction fees.
What do hired help and upkeep cost?
A 2026 Dev.to small-business guide puts hired builds at $300–$800 from a budget shop. An experienced freelancer runs $500–$3,000. A US or UK agency runs $2,500–$8,000-plus.
Yearly upkeep varies as much as the build. Zarla, citing WPBeginner and Codeable data from March 2026, puts full upkeep at about $735–$4,095 per year with managed hosting at $30–$100 per month. Bare-minimum DIY runs about $111 per year.
- Choose DIY or freelancer for a simple brochure site with few updates.
- Choose an agency for custom design, integrations or strict deadlines.
- Budget managed hosting plus paid updates when downtime would cost sales.
What price catches buyers by surprise?
Introductory rates often renew higher and exclude tax. WooCommerce and Pluginhive guidance notes store totals also exclude payment fees such as about 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
A $25 per month host or store plan can look cheap until renewal, tax and fees apply. Ask for the renewal price, tax treatment and transaction fee before you approve a budget. Compare year-two cost, not only year-one cost.
