WordPress: pricing, free plan, rights and setup

What it's for

Five of our notes use it as the site behind content and affiliate businesses.

• Blogs and content sites
• Affiliate review sites
• Ad-supported sites

Plans and prices

Read on the official pricing page on 17 October 2026. Prices change; check before you buy.

Free plan in real output

The software is free; hosting isn't. Free WordPress.com sites show WordPress.com ads to visitors (per the pricing page).

• Self-hosted: the software is free, so cost is hosting plus a domain.
• WordPress.com Personal billed yearly (US$4/mo) is the cheapest ad-free hosted option we saw.

Cost at your stage

Break-even: Personal at US$4/mo (billed yearly) is covered by a few affiliate sales a year.

Month-12 plan is our estimate of what a solo seller at steady weekly output needs, based on the plan limits above. Costs exclude tax.

Commercial use and output rights

Not a content generator. Open-source software; your content stays yours.

Your data and AI training: Not checked.

This is a summary of public terms, not legal advice. Terms change; re-read the clause before client work.

Hidden costs and gotchas

• WordPress.com plans are cheapest on 2- or 3-year terms (US$2.75–US$3.25/mo on Personal), so compare the term you're committing to.
• The free domain is for one year only.
• Self-hosting means you handle updates, backups and security.

First-hour setup

1. Choose WordPress.com or a host with one-click WordPress.
2. Pick a lightweight theme.
3. Set permalinks to post name.
4. Install an SEO plugin and a caching plugin (on hosts that allow plugins).
5. Publish your first 5 posts before thinking about design.

Competitors compared

Learning difficulty

2/5: Hosting, themes and plugins to manage.

When not to use it

For a single landing page, Carrd is simpler and cheaper.

Cheaper or free alternatives:

• Ghost: An owned site plus paid newsletter, 0% cut (trial only free plan)
• Webflow: Custom-designed marketing sites (yes free plan)
• Wix: Small-business sites with booking or stores (yes free plan)
• Squarespace: Good-looking sites for creatives (trial only free plan)

Which of our hustles use it

• Affiliate content for AI tools: The site that hosts your reviews and comparisons
• AI-assisted blog with ads: Blog platform with full control over ad placement
• Amazon Associates review site: The review site
• Pinterest affiliate marketing: Optional landing site you own
• Website flipping: The usual site platform

Price history

Each monthly check adds rows here. Older rows are never edited, so you can see when prices changed.

Sources

• WordPress.com pricing (read 17 October 2026)
• WordPress.org (read 17 October 2026)

Last verified 17 October 2026. Anything we couldn't confirm on an official page is marked "not published", "not shown" or "not verified".