People assume WordPress is free. And technically, the software is. But you still need somewhere to host it, a domain name, and if you go the WordPress.com route, a subscription plan. That adds up — especially once the renewal prices kick in.
This covers four routes: WordPress.com, self-hosted with Bluehost, Hostinger, and SiteGround. Real numbers, including what happens after the first-year discount disappears.
What you’re actually paying for
Before the numbers, here’s what makes up the total cost:
Hosting / Platform fee
The biggest line item. WordPress.com charges a monthly subscription. Self-hosted means renting server space from a hosting company.
Domain name
Your web address — like `yoursite.com`. Usually $10–15/year. Most hosts give you one free for the first year, but you pay for it starting year two.
Theme
WordPress has plenty of free themes. Premium ones run $50–150, usually a one-time purchase. Totally optional when starting out.
Plugins
Most essential plugins (SEO, contact forms, backups) have solid free versions. Paid plugins depend on what you need — plenty of sites run entirely on free ones.
SSL certificate
The thing that makes your site show `https://`. Every decent host includes this for free now. You shouldn't be paying extra for it.
WordPress.com pricing
WordPress.com doesn’t do first-year discounts. Whatever you pay in year one, you pay every year. That’s actually kind of refreshing compared to the hosting world.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Plugins? | Custom domain? | Ads? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | ✗ | ✗ (.wordpress.com) | Yes (their ads) |
| Personal | ~$4 | ~$48 | ✗ | ✓ | None |
| Premium | ~$8 | ~$96 | ✗ | ✓ | None |
| Business | ~$25 | ~$300 | ✓ (full access) | ✓ | None |
| Commerce | ~$45 | ~$540 | ✓ (+ ecommerce) | ✓ | None |
Here’s where people get tripped up: Personal and Premium sound like real upgrades, but neither lets you install plugins. If you need plugins — and most people eventually do — you’re looking at Business tier at $300/year. That’s the real decision point, not the $48 plan.
WordPress.com makes sense if you genuinely don’t want to deal with servers, updates, or anything technical. You’re paying a premium for that hands-off experience. If you want control, you’ll feel the ceiling pretty quickly.
Self-hosted WordPress: three host options
Self-hosted means you install WordPress on your own rented server space. You control everything. The tradeoff is you’re responsible for updates, backups, and the occasional issue that comes up.
Bluehost
See current Bluehost plans and pricing
| Plan | Yr 1 monthly | Renewal monthly | Renewal/year |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Site (recommended) | ~$2.79 | ~$9.99 | ~$108 |
| Starter | ~$4.79 | ~$11.99 | ~$144 |
| Business Essentials | ~$7.79 | ~$15.99 | ~$192 |
| eCommerce Essentials | ~$8.99 | ~$24.99 | ~$300 |
Bluehost is one of the few hosts WordPress officially recommends, and the onboarding shows — it’s built around getting WordPress running fast without a lot of friction. For a first site, that matters more than you’d think.
The One Site plan covers what you actually need to start: one website, free domain for year one, SSL, CDN, weekly backups, 24/7 chat support. Nothing excessive, but nothing missing either. Need multiple sites later? Starter handles up to 10.
The renewal gap is real — $2.79 goes to $9.99/month. Don’t budget based on the intro rate. The ongoing cost is ~$108/year and that’s the number to plan around.
Hostinger
See current Hostinger plans and pricing
| Plan | Yr 1 monthly | Yr 1 annual | Renewal monthly | Renewal/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (recommended) | ~$3.99 | ~$47.88 | ~$10.99 | ~$132 |
| Business | ~$4.99 | ~$59.88 | ~$16.99 | ~$204 |
| Cloud Startup | ~$9.99 | ~$119.88 | ~$25.99 | ~$312 |
Hostinger has quietly become a solid option. The backend (hPanel) is clean, performance is good, and $47.88 for your first year is one of the lowest real entry points you’ll find. Not budget-host-with-bad-support cheap — actually decent.
Premium caps you at 3 websites, which is fine if you’re building one. The Business plan handles up to 50 and adds daily backups and a CDN — worth the step up if reliability matters. One honest downside: support response times can lag during off-hours. If you’re the type who needs help at midnight, Bluehost is more consistent there.
Renewal goes from $3.99 to $10.99/month — a big percentage jump, though still reasonable in absolute terms. Know that going in.
SiteGround
| Plan | Yr 1 monthly | Yr 1 annual | Renewal monthly | Renewal/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StartUp | ~$2.99 | ~$35.88 | ~$17.99 | ~$215.88 |
| GrowBig | ~$4.99 | ~$59.88 | ~$29.99 | ~$359.88 |
| GoGeek | ~$7.99 | ~$95.88 | ~$44.99 | ~$539.88 |
SiteGround’s performance and support are legitimately good — faster load times, better security tooling, and a support team that actually knows WordPress. If you’re running a site where downtime costs you something real, it’s worth the extra spend.
The first year looks reasonable. Year two is where it gets uncomfortable. StartUp jumps from $2.99 to $17.99/month — six times the intro price. That’s not a modest increase, that’s a completely different cost structure. GrowBig goes from $4.99 to $29.99. Make your decision based on the renewal rate, not the promo. At ~$216/year after renewal, SiteGround’s entry plan costs more than Bluehost’s mid-tier plan. That gap compounds over time.
Three-year total cost
First-year pricing is marketing. Here’s what you actually spend:
| Option | Year 1 | Year 2+ | 3-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com Personal | ~$58 | ~$58 | ~$174 |
| WordPress.com Premium | ~$106 | ~$106 | ~$318 |
| WordPress.com Business | ~$315 | ~$315 | ~$945 |
| Self-hosted × Bluehost One Site | ~$44 | ~$123 | ~$290 |
| Self-hosted × Hostinger Premium | ~$48 | ~$147 | ~$342 |
| Self-hosted × SiteGround StartUp | ~$51 | ~$231 | ~$513 |
(WordPress.com totals include ~$15/year for a domain. Self-hosted includes domain renewal from year two. These are estimates — check current pricing before committing.)
A few things worth noting:
Bluehost is the cheapest self-hosted option over three years — $290 total. Hostinger is close at $342, but with a steeper renewal jump percentage-wise.
WordPress.com Business at $945 over three years costs more than three times Bluehost, and you still get less flexibility. If you need plugins, self-hosted almost always wins financially.
SiteGround’s $51 first year doesn’t tell the full story. By year three you’ve spent $513 — nearly double Bluehost. The performance difference is real, but it’s hard to justify unless your traffic level actually demands it.
Which option fits your situation
Just want a simple site, no technical involvement → WordPress.com Personal Around $58/year, everything managed for you. No plugins, but if you don’t need them, it’s a clean setup with no maintenance overhead.
First self-hosted site, want reliable support → Bluehost One Site plan is the lowest-friction way into self-hosted WordPress. Official WordPress recommendation, solid 24/7 support, $44 for year one, $108/year after.
Lowest entry cost, comfortable figuring things out yourself → Hostinger $47.88 for year one is hard to beat. Premium covers most starting needs. Support is fine, but not as responsive as Bluehost during off-hours.
Established site, performance actually matters → SiteGround Best speed and support quality of the three hosts. The renewal pricing is steep — makes more sense once you have real traffic that justifies the investment.
Need plugins, want zero server management → WordPress.com Business $300/year for hands-off plugin access. More expensive than self-hosted, but you’re paying to never think about infrastructure.
Costs people forget to budget for
Domain renewal: Free year one with most hosts, then $10–15/year. If you’re buying your domain separately — usually a smart move for flexibility — watch the renewal rate, not just the first-year price.
Backups: Entry plans sometimes have limited or manual backup options. A free plugin like UpdraftPlus handles this, but set it up immediately, not after something breaks.
SSL: Should be automatic on any reputable host in 2026. If a host is charging extra for SSL, that’s worth reconsidering.
Paid plugins: Most sites run fine on free plugins. But if you need something specific — advanced memberships, certain ecommerce features, premium SEO tools — budget $50–200/year for the ones that actually matter to your setup.
Ready to start
➡ Go to Bluehost
— Best for first-time self-hosters, official WordPress recommendation
➡ Go to Hostinger
— Lowest entry cost, solid performance
➡ Go to WordPress.com
— If you want zero server management