WordPress pricing in 2024: Is it worth the cost?

Cat McAlpine

BLUEPRINT

Updated 12:13 p.m. UTC April 29, 2024

Editorial Note: Blueprint may earn a commission from affiliate partner links featured here on our site. This commission does not influence our editors' opinions or evaluations. Please view our full advertiser disclosure policy.

WordPress is a well-known web hosting service employed by large enterprises like Time, Disney and CNN. But for individuals and smaller businesses, WordPress can also be an excellent option, offering a free plan and five different paid tiers with varying features and highlights.

The free option provides some monetization options for your site, like gated content and paid subscribers. Higher tiers offer benefits like customization of templates, the ability to add plugins, centralized site management and increased storage.

But which option is best suited for you, and is it worth the cost? Read on as we take a deep dive into WordPress pricing, comparing its tiers and value.

Who is WordPress best for?

WordPress’ best features are available at its higher tiers, most notably its large and varying library of plugins that allow for advanced customization. WordPress is best suited for businesses that want to develop their own custom website, whether or not they plan to provide e-commerce.

Web developers will find that WordPress provides a staging site, real-time backups and advanced security measures. For those looking to host e-commerce sites, WordPress is also an excellent option, with a large suite of international e-commerce features available in the Entrepreneur plan.

Featured website builder offers

Wix

Learn More

Via Wix’s website

Monthly fee

$17

Free domain

For one year

Drag-and-drop builder

Yes

Web.com

Learn More

Via Web.com’s website

Monthly fee

$19.99

Free domain

Only when paying annually

Drag-and-drop builder

Yes

Squarespace

Learn More

Via Squarespace’s website

Monthly fee

$23

Free domain

For one year

Drag-and-drop builder

Yes

WordPress pricing overview

	Free plan	Starter plan	Explorer plan	Creator plan	Entrepreneur plan
Monthly cost	$0	$9	$18	$40	$70
Storage	1 GB	6 GB	13 GB	Starts at 50 GB	Starts at 50 GB
Free domain for one year	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pay with PayPal	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Auto shares to social	30 shares per month	30 shares per month	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Install and update plugins	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
SEO tools	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

WordPress provides five separate payment tiers before the Enterprise level, ranging from free to $45 per month when billed annually. It also offers a Cloud plan in partnership with Bluehost for $65 per month, but this option links out directly to Bluehost for purchase through them.

The Free plan includes several tools to support revenue but also takes the largest fee out of each transaction. Beyond the Free plan, every paid tier includes a free year of domain hosting and added complexity and depth of features.

Free plan

WordPress offers its Free plan with its most basic features available. Choose from any of the available themes to build unlimited pages and manage your site with unlimited users. You can use the free version of the platform for e-commerce, but WordPress will take a hefty 10% and a processing fee from each transaction.

The Free plan includes some minor features to support monetization, like gated content, paid subscribers, donations and tips. Visitor stats, contact forms and limited shares of social media are also included. If you want a custom domain, though, you’ll have to pay for it.

The Free plan is a good option if you want to start an e-commerce business but don’t have much up-front capital. WordPress’ Free plan also suits users who are exploring different website hosting options or need a straightforward website to host something like a portfolio or blog.

Starter plan

The Starter plan includes everything offered in the Free plan. The greatest value of the Starter plan is the ad-free user experience and the addition of a custom domain, free for one year. This feature is the same for all tiers above Starter. If you’re looking for a professional touch to your website but aren’t ready for a big investment, the Starter Plan is best for you.

Additionally, at this level, WordPress’ commission fee goes down to 8% per transaction and it provides email support. The upgrade from the Free plan to the Starter plan boasts the least amount of features for any upgrade, so if you’re looking for a more robust website, you’ll need to turn to the higher tiers. Luckily, the Starter plan is still relatively affordable at $9 per month.

Explorer plan

Including the features of the lower tiers, the Explorer plan is $18 per month. Its most notable feature is the ability to customize themes with color and font choices and a reduced 4% commission fee for transactions. This plan also allows for 4K video hosting, advanced site analytics and a site activity log, improving your website management experience.

At this level, users have access to better support as well, with live chat. For the more casual user, this tier is the best overall value. The Explorer plan includes customization and premium themes, some limited monetization options with a lower commission fee and unlimited shares to social media.

These features can all support a growing business, expanding your brand awareness and developing a unique website catered to your tastes. If you’re sold on using WordPress to host your site, this is where we recommend you start.

Creator plan

WordPress markets the Creator plan as the best option for devs. With all the features of the lower tiers, the highlight of the creator plan is its ability to utilize plugins and its heightened security features. For companies looking to develop a fully custom website, this is the best option, starting at $40 per month.

Plugins are WordPress’ best overall feature, allowing you to customize the way your site functions on both the front and backends. It’s what they’re known for, and the more than 58,000 plugins available for WordPress are a testament to the feature.

The Creator plan also has unlimited bandwidth, Web Application Firewalls (WAF), a free staging site, centralized site management and a 2% commission fee. Developers can rest assured that the Creator plan has real-time backups, one-click restores and integrated SEO tools.

Entrepreneur plan

The Entrepreneur plan is the best option for websites looking to host large-scale, international business. In addition to all the features available at lower tiers, the Entrepreneur plan includes premium store themes, unlimited products, tools to help manage stock and order quantities, loyalty programs, shipping integrations and a 0% commission fee. This is the final tier before the Enterprise level and is priced at $70 per month.

Additional costs

Additional storage for your website is available at the Creator and Entrepreneur levels for a fee. Upgrading to 100 GB adds an additional $50.00 per month. For 150 GB of storage, expect to pay an extra $83.33 monthly. 150 GB is the cap on WordPress’ storage. However, you can only add extra storage if you are paying for your plan annually, not monthly.

Also, keep in mind the additional cost of buying a domain once your free year is over.

Bottom line: Is WordPress worth it?

If you’re willing to pay for the mid- or upper-tiers, then WordPress can be a great solution for your website. However, with advertisements and no customization, the lower tier options don’t provide a user experience or product comparable to competitors like Squarespace or Square.

E-commerce is best supported at the highest payment tier, while lower tiers have limited features and high commission fees. For businesses with a web developer already on staff and looking to develop their own custom site, WordPress is an affordable and popular solution.

With its expansive library of plug-ins and automatic updates, WordPress is one of the best choices on the market for professionally hosting your website. For those looking for more user-friendly building tools that enable attractive, personal websites, it’s best to look for other options.

Featured website builder offers

Wix

Learn More

Via Wix’s website

Monthly fee

$17

Free domain

For one year

Drag-and-drop builder

Yes

Web.com

Learn More

Via Web.com’s website

Monthly fee

$19.99

Free domain

Only when paying annually

Drag-and-drop builder

Yes

Squarespace

Learn More

Via Squarespace’s website

Monthly fee

$23

Free domain

For one year

Drag-and-drop builder

Yes

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

There are five monthly payment tiers that range from $0 to $45 per month when billed annually. Each payment tier comes with different features, so review them carefully before deciding what you need and how much it will cost you.

Yes, you can start a WordPress website for free, and your site will always be available.

It depends. If you choose any of the paid plans with WordPress, you get a free domain for one year. After that, you’ll have to pay for it. The free version of the website does not offer this feature.

It depends on your skill set. WordPress has pre-built templates and advanced customization capabilities with HTML and plug-ins, making it a good option for those new to web building or experienced web developers. For those finding themselves wanting easy customization with a drag-and-drop style builder, WordPress may be more difficult to use.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Cat McAlpine

BLUEPRINT

Cat McAlpine is a writer and marketer based in Columbus, OH. She uses her expertise to support small businesses and arts organizations in her city.

Sierra Campbell

BLUEPRINT

Sierra Campbell is a small business editor for USA Today Blueprint. She specializes in writing, editing and fact-checking content centered around helping businesses. She has worked as a digital content and show producer for several local TV stations, an editor for U.S. News & World Report and a freelance writer and editor for many companies. Sierra prides herself in delivering accurate and up-to-date information to readers. Her expertise includes credit card processing companies, e-commerce platforms, payroll software, accounting software and virtual private networks (VPNs). She also owns Editing by Sierra, where she offers editing services to writers of all backgrounds, including self-published and traditionally published authors.