How Much Does WordPress Cost To Run?
BeginnerQuick Answer
TL;DR
WordPress software is free, but running a WordPress site costs $50–$500/month for small-to-mid-size sites and $500–$5,000+/month for larger ones. The main costs are hosting ($10–$500/mo), premium themes ($50–$200 one-time), plugins ($200–$2,000/yr), and developer maintenance ($500–$5,000/mo). Many organizations underestimate WordPress's true total cost of ownership.
Key Takeaways
- WordPress.org software is free, but hosting, plugins, themes, and maintenance are not.
- A basic small business site costs $500–$3,000/year to run; a complex site can cost $30,000–$100,000+/year.
- Developer maintenance is often the largest ongoing cost — security updates, plugin conflicts, and performance tuning require regular attention.
- WordPress.com (the hosted service) has its own pricing: $4–$45/month, but with significant limitations on the lower tiers.
- Hidden costs include security incidents, plugin incompatibilities, and performance optimization work.