Key highlights:
- WordPress is free, but additional costs apply: While WordPress.org is free, you must budget for web hosting, a domain name, premium themes and plugins to create a fully functional site.
- Web hosting drives major costs: Hosting options range from budget shared hosting ($3–$9/month) to more robust options. These include managed WordPress hosting ($3–$60/month) and VPS hosting ($50–$150/month).
- Domains are affordable: A custom domain name typically costs between $3 and $20 per year, with some hosting providers offering a free domain for the first year.
- Premium themes and plugins add value: Investing in premium themes and plugins can significantly enhance your site’s design and functionality, with costs ranging from $30 to $100 each.
- Ongoing maintenance is essential: Be prepared for additional, ongoing costs like security upgrades, plugin renewals and hosting plan upgrades as your website grows.
WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) globally, powering millions of websites.
Whether you’re a beginner building a personal blog or an experienced developer creating a custom site, WordPress offers flexible options.
It’s free to download, but the absolute WordPress pricing depends on the additional services needed, such as web hosting, premium themes, plugins and domain registration.
The WordPress cost includes various factors, from hosting and domain names to SSL certificates and ongoing maintenance.
While WordPress allows users to create highly customizable websites, understanding these costs is essential to budgeting your project.
WordPress pricing: Costs to build a WordPress website
Setting up a WordPress.org website is free (as stated above), but transforming it into a fully functional site incurs essential costs.
Before diving into the specifics, let’s clarify the pricing differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com— two popular choices for building a WordPress site.
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com pricing
Choosing between WordPress.org and WordPress.com depends on your budget, customization needs and preferred level of control.
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Feature | WordPress.org | WordPress.com |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | WordPress.org is free to download, but you’ll need to budget for essential components like web hosting, a domain name and premium themes or plugins, which typically range from $50 to $200+ per year, depending on your needs. | Free and paid plans available: Free Plan: Basic features with a WordPress.com subdomain. Personal Plan: $4/month for basic blogs, no ads. Premium Plan: $8/month for more customization and no ads. Business Plan: $25/month with custom plugins and themes support, ideal for small businesses. eCommerce Plan: $45/month with additional features for online stores. |
| Flexibility | WordPress.org offers full control over your site, allowing you to install any plugins, use custom themes and access advanced customization options to tailor your website exactly to your needs. | WordPress.com provides more limited control over themes and plugins, especially on lower-tier plans. Full custom themes and plugin support are only available on the Business and eCommerce plans, offering users more customization options at those higher levels. |
| Who It’s For | WordPress.org is ideal for users who want a self-hosted, highly customizable site and are comfortable managing their own hosting, security and maintenance requirements. | WordPress.com is best suited for users who prefer a managed solution, where WordPress takes care of hosting, security and maintenance, offering a more hands-off experience. |
WordPress.org provides greater flexibility and control, ideal for those comfortable managing all aspects of a website.
WordPress.com is simpler to set up and maintain, making it a good choice for users who prefer a more hands-off approach.
Now, let’s break down the costs of building a WordPress.org website, including web hosting, domain names, themes, plugins and SSL certificates.
Domain name
- What it is: A domain name is the web address users type in to reach your site (e.g., www.bluehost.com).
- Importance: Your domain gives your website a unique identity, making it memorable and easier for users to find.
- Costs: Many hosting providers include a free domain for the first year, but annual renewal costs generally range between $10 and $20.
- Considerations: Renewing your domain is crucial to retain your web address. Premium or highly sought-after domains can be more expensive, so checking availability early is wise.
Web hosting
- What it is: Hosting allows your WordPress website to be accessible online by providing the server resources necessary for your site to function smoothly.
- Importance: Quality hosting affects your site’s performance, loading speed and uptime, which are all essential for a good user experience.
- Costs: Hosting costs vary widely, depending on the service and features, with basic plans starting around $3 to $5 per month. Advanced hosting options offer more resources and higher performance and can cost $20 per month.
- Considerations: Ensure your hosting plan aligns with your website’s goals and anticipated traffic. Starting with a basic plan is common, but larger or high-traffic sites need more robust hosting solutions.
Themes
- What it is: A WordPress theme controls the design and layout of your website, determining its visual style.
- Importance: A well-designed theme enhances user experience and brand alignment, with premium themes offering more customization and flexibility.
- Costs: While free themes are available, premium themes typically cost between $30 and $100. These often come with advanced design options, better support and regular updates for compatibility with WordPress.
- Considerations: Choose a theme that aligns with your brand’s look and needs. Premium themes such as Astra and WonderTheme provide extensive design control without requiring coding skills.
Plugins
- What they are: Plugins are software add-ons that enhance your site’s functionality, allowing you to add features like SEO optimization, eCommerce or social media integration.
- Importance: Plugins enable you to extend your site’s capabilities, from performance optimization to user engagement tools.
- Costs: Many essential plugins are free, but premium WordPress plugins (around $30–$100 each) offer more advanced features and dedicated support. Examples include WooCommerce (for eCommerce) and WP Rocket (for speed optimization).
- Considerations: Only use necessary plugins to avoid slowing down your site. Premium plugins often receive regular updates, providing better security and support.
SSL certificate
- What it is: An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate encrypts data between your site and its users, ensuring secure information transfer.
- Importance: An SSL certificate is essential for building trust with visitors, especially for sites handling sensitive information. It also enhances SEO, as secure sites rank higher.
- Costs: Many hosting providers offer free SSL certificates, but purchasing one independently ranges from $10 to $70 annually. Premium SSLs with advanced security features may cost more.
- Considerations: For most sites, a free SSL certificate is sufficient. However, for eCommerce sites, a premium SSL can provide added security.
WordPress pricing: Have you secured a domain name yet?
Your domain name is your website’s unique identity, and securing the right one is critical in building your WordPress site.
Many hosting providers, like Bluehost, offer a free domain name for the first year with their hosting packages. This makes it easy to start without extra costs.
If you own a custom domain, connecting it to your WordPress website is simple.
Just follow your hosting provider’s instructions to ensure smooth integration. Remember that maintaining your domain name will require periodic renewals to keep it active.
WordPress pricing: Different types of hosting plans
Selecting the right hosting plan is critical in determining the overall WordPress pricing.
Hosting options range from shared hosting for smaller sites to managed WordPress hosting. There are also more robust solutions, like VPS and dedicated hosting. (We will discuss each in more detail later.)
Each option has its pricing structure and features tailored to different traffic, security and customization needs.
At Bluehost, we provide a range of WordPress hosting options tailored to suit different website needs:
- WordPress hosting plans: These include Basic, Choice Plus, Online Store and Cloud plans, offering flexibility and features to accommodate everyone from personal bloggers to growing businesses. Our plans include essential tools like free SSL certificates, automatic updates and 24/7 customer support, ensuring your website runs smoothly and securely.
- WooCommerce hosting plans: If you’re building an eCommerce website, Bluehost offers specialized WooCommerce hosting plans, including the Online Store and Online Store + Marketplace options. These plans are for online stores. They offer pre-installed WooCommerce, secure payments and inventory tools. It makes it easy to start selling online.
Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans are perfect for any need. They have everything you need to build, manage and grow your WordPress site. They suit both beginners and those needing advanced features for a growing business.
Hosting options for WordPress websites: An in-depth guide
Whenever it comes to building a WordPress website, choosing an appropriate web hosting plan is crucial for the success of your project.
WordPress has hosting solutions for any need and budget. They can suit a small business site, a large eCommerce site and a custom website.
From affordable shared hosting to powerful dedicated servers, understanding and evaluating your options will help you manage your WordPress website costs efficiently.
Shared hosting: A budget-friendly solution for new users
For those just getting started, shared hosting is an excellent entry point.
This type of hosting allows your WordPress site to share server resources with other websites, which keeps costs low.
It’s perfect for personal blogs, small websites or anyone on a budget.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | A budget-friendly solution for new users, ideal for personal blogs, small websites or anyone on a budget. |
| Cost | Starts as low as $3–$5/month; standard rates can increase to $10–$20/month over time. |
| Features | Basic hosting plans include a free domain for the first year, sufficient storage space and access to free plugins. |
| Performance | Suitable for beginners, but may slow down during high traffic. If other sites on the server experience traffic spikes, it could impact your site’s speed. |
| Security | Provides essential security, but additional plugins (free and premium) are often recommended for enhanced protection. |
| Support | Typically includes live chat support for troubleshooting, though it may not cover WordPress-specific issues. |
| Growth Potential | Affordable for small business websites, but upgrading to a more robust hosting solution may be necessary as your site grows. |
While shared hosting is affordable for small business websites, growing sites may need to upgrade to a more robust hosting solution over time.
Managed WordPress hosting: Tailored for WordPress users
Managed WordPress hosting is designed specifically to cater to the needs of WordPress sites.
It offers enhanced performance, security and expert support to ensure your site runs smoothly.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Tailored for WordPress users, focusing on enhanced performance, security and expert support to keep your site running smoothly. |
| Cost | Ranges from $19.99 to $60/month, based on the level of service and features included. |
| Performance | Optimized servers for WordPress ensure faster load times and effective traffic management, ideal for growing eCommerce sites. |
| Security | Comes with automated updates, daily backups and advanced security features to guard against WordPress-specific threats. |
| Management | Includes handling core updates, plugin installations and regular maintenance, allowing you to focus on content rather than technical tasks. |
| Support | Offers expert support tailored to WordPress, ensuring quick resolution of issues related to plugins, updates or themes. |
| Growth Potential | Ideal for anyone aiming to build a fully functional WordPress website without needing to manage the backend. |
This is an excellent option for anyone looking to create a fully functional WordPress website without worrying about backend management.
VPS hosting: Greater control and stability
If your website has outgrown shared hosting, VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server) offers more control and dedicated resources at a reasonable price.
This option works the best for WordPress users who need more power without the total cost of a dedicated server hosting environment.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Greater control and stability for websites that have outgrown shared hosting; ideal for WordPress users needing more power without the cost of dedicated server hosting. |
| Cost | Generally ranges from $20 to $80/month, offering better value for WordPress websites compared to shared hosting. |
| Performance | Provides dedicated resources, ensuring your site’s stability and speed aren’t impacted by other sites on the server. |
| Customization | Allows for custom plugin installations, settings tweaks and greater control over the server environment. |
| Security | Enhanced security features compared to shared hosting, with options to install advanced WordPress security plugins. |
| Support | May include more specialized chat support, along with assistance for WordPress installations, updates and customizations, depending on the provider. |
| Growth Potential | Balances cost and performance well, making it suitable for growing websites needing better scalability and control. |
This option balances cost and performance well, making it ideal for growing websites that need better scalability and control.
Dedicated hosting: The powerhouse solution
Dedicated server hosting is the ultimate solution for large, robust WordPress sites or high-traffic eCommerce websites.
With a dedicated server, you will have complete control over the server environment, ensuring maximum performance and security.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | The powerhouse solution for large, robust WordPress sites or high-traffic eCommerce websites, offering maximum control, performance and security. |
| Cost | Starts at $100/month or more; one of the most expensive options but offers unparalleled performance and control. |
| Performance | Exclusively utilizes the server, ensuring it can handle massive traffic without slowdowns, making it ideal for high-traffic businesses. |
| Security | Full control over security measures, allowing for custom security solutions and the installation of premium plugins to safeguard your data. |
| Customization | Enables custom themes, Google Analytics optimization and extensive server setting adjustments to match your site’s specific needs. |
| Support | Typically includes priority support, providing access to specialized assistance whenever needed. |
| Growth Potential | Ideal for businesses requiring the highest level of performance and customization; the best choice for sites with advanced demands and heavy traffic. |
If your business needs the highest level of performance and customization, dedicated hosting is the best choice.
WooCommerce hosting: Powering your eCommerce site
Choosing the right hosting plan is crucial when building an eCommerce website with WooCommerce.
Many third-party hosting providers offer WooCommerce-specific plans with optimized settings and features for online stores.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Designed specifically to power eCommerce sites built with WooCommerce, offering optimized settings and features for online stores. |
| Cost | Ranges from $7 to $32/month, depending on features like enhanced security and additional plugins. |
| Features | Includes pre-configured settings for product management, secure payments and store customization, providing a seamless customer shopping experience. |
| Performance | Optimized to handle WooCommerce’s unique demands, ensuring smooth operation and fast load times, even with a growing product catalog. |
| Security | Enhanced security features tailored for eCommerce, protecting transactions and customer data effectively. |
| Support | Typically offers support with WooCommerce-specific knowledge, assisting with store setup, product management and payment integration. |
| Growth Potential | WooCommerce hosting simplifies online store creation and management, allowing you to focus on business growth. |
WooCommerce hosting makes creating and managing an online store easy with WordPress, allowing you to focus on growing your business.
WordPress pricing: Premium themes
While WordPress offers numerous free themes, many users prefer investing in premium WordPress themes for advanced design options, flexibility and support.
A premium theme typically ranges from $30 to $100, depending on its developer and features.
These themes provide more customization options, better security and regular updates, ensuring your WordPress website stays modern and functional.
WordPress pricing: Premium plugins
You’ll likely need to install additional WordPress plugins to unlock advanced features.
Some are free, but premium plugins are the way to go for more specialized functions. Here are some examples:
- WooCommerce for eCommerce sites: $30–$100
- WP Rocket for performance optimization: $50–$100
- Sucuri or WordFence for security: $30–$99
If you host your site with Bluehost, you get Yoast SEO, one of the most popular SEO plugins, for free.
This plugin helps you optimize your website’s content for search engines, improving visibility and rankings.
This comes bundled with Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans. This saves you the cost of purchasing a separate SEO tool while ensuring your site is optimized for search engine success.
WordPress pricing: SSL certificate
A secure website is essential, and most hosting providers include a free SSL certificate as part of their WordPress hosting plans.
If not, you’ll need to purchase one separately, which can cost between $10 and $70 per year.
SSL certificates protect your site and reassure users that their data is safe.
WordPress pricing: Cost breakdown for different website types
Understanding WordPress pricing for different website types can help you plan for essential features without overspending.
Let’s take a look at the prices of each:
| Website Type | Cost Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business Websites | $100–$500 per year | An affordable option for small businesses aiming for a professional online presence. Includes costs for a domain name ($10–$20/year), shared hosting ($3–$5/month), premium themes and plugins ($30–$100), SSL ($10–$70/year) and basic maintenance. |
| Blogs | $50–$300 per year | Cost-effective for personal or niche blogging. Domain name ($10–$20/year), shared hosting ($3–$5/month), optional managed hosting ($10–$20/month), premium themes ($30–$60), essential plugins and minimal maintenance. |
| eCommerce Websites | $300–$1,500+ per year | Requires advanced hosting and tools for transaction handling and security. Includes domain ($10–$20/year), managed/WooCommerce hosting ($20–$30/month), premium eCommerce plugins, SSL ($10–$70/year), WooCommerce themes ($50–$100) and additional costs for security and transaction fees. |
| Custom Websites | $500–$5,000+ depending on complexity | For highly customized sites with unique functionality or design. Includes domain ($10–$20/year), VPS or dedicated hosting ($20–$100+/month), custom development and WordPress developer ($500–$5,000+), specialized plugins, premium SSL ($10–$70/year) and advanced security. Monthly support may add $50–$200+. |
Each website type has different cost considerations based on its function, complexity and audience size.
Identifying your website’s primary needs will help guide your budgeting strategy and ensure you invest in the right resources for long-term success.
WordPress pricing: Hidden costs to keep in mind
Beyond the initial setup, there are ongoing expenses that will affect the overall WordPress website cost:
Website maintenance
Regular updates, backups and security checks are important to keep your site running smoothly.
Some tasks may require premium services or plugins, especially if you prefer automated solutions.
Additionally, scheduling periodic performance checks or hiring professionals for thorough site audits can add to the maintenance costs.
eCommerce functionality
Adding eCommerce functionality to your WordPress site introduces additional costs.
Paid plugins for payment gateways, inventory management and shipping plugins are standard.
Many small business websites that sell products rely on these features to manage transactions, enhance security and handle logistics smoothly.
Premium support
While community forums offer support through the WordPress community, some users prefer to invest in premium support services.
Business plans from third-party hosting providers may include expert support for issues like installing WordPress or troubleshooting advanced WordPress theme customizations.
Opting for premium support ensures faster resolutions to any problems.
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
If your own website has a global audience, investing in a CDN is crucial for fast load times.
Some third-party hosting providers offer essential CDN services in their free plan. Still, advanced CDN services can improve performance for more significant sites and are often part of higher-tier business plans.
Email Hosting
If your custom domain name requires professional email addresses (e.g., [email protected]), many domain registrars and hosting providers charge separately for email hosting.
While some free plans include essential email services, businesses often opt for more advanced packages to project a professional image.
Security enhancements
Beyond essential SSL certificates, investing in advanced security solutions is crucial, particularly for eCommerce functionality.
WordPress powers many websites. So, keeping your custom WordPress website secure through paid plugins or professional security services is vital to protecting sensitive information.
Hosting plan upgrades
As your site grows, you may need to upgrade from a free plan or basic shared hosting to a better solution. This can raise the cost of a WordPress website.
Moving to managed hosting, VPS or dedicated servers provides better scalability and performance but comes at a higher cost.
License renewals for paid plugins and themes
Many paid themes and paid plugins require annual renewals to ensure continued access to updates and support.
This can add to your long-term WordPress website costs, especially as your site evolves and requires more complex functionality.
Payment processing fees for eCommerce
If you run an eCommerce site, the transaction fees from payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal will add to your ongoing costs.
This is another factor influencing the cost of WordPress sites for online businesses.
Summing up – Ready to launch your WordPress site?
No matter your needs, there’s always a WordPress website pricing option that can fit any budget.
Whether starting with a free WordPress theme and shared hosting or opting for premium plugins and managed hosting, understanding these costs will help you budget effectively.
Ready to get started? Bluehost WordPress Hosting offers various hosting plans to meet your site’s needs.
From affordable shared hosting for beginners to advanced managed WordPress hosting for faster performance and more control, Bluehost has you covered.
FAQs
While WordPress.org is free to download and use, building a fully functional WordPress website often incurs additional costs. These include web hosting, domain registration, premium themes, plugins and SSL certificates. So, although the core software is free, the total WordPress pricing will vary depending on the services and features you choose to add.
Yes, paying for additional WordPress services like premium hosting, themes and plugins can be highly beneficial. Investing in these extras improves your site’s performance, security and customization options. The WordPress pricing for premium features often translates to a more professional, user-friendly and scalable website, especially for businesses and larger projects.
The total price and cost of a custom WordPress website may differ greatly depending on your requirements. While introductory WordPress pricing may cost a few hundred dollars, complex custom websites involving developers, advanced themes and specialized plugins can range from $500 to $5,000. Ongoing maintenance and updates can also contribute to the overall cost.
Beyond the initial setup, hidden costs in WordPress pricing include website maintenance, plugin and theme renewals, security enhancements and hosting plan upgrades. Additionally, if you’re running an eCommerce site, payment processing fees and other operational expenses can increase the total cost over time.
To minimize WordPress pricing, you can start with free themes, plugins and affordable shared hosting plans. Several hosting providers also provide a free domain for the first year, making launching a WordPress site on a tight budget more manageable. However, remember that free solutions from your hosting provider may have limitations in terms of performance, security and features.
