There are lots of questions around the internet about whether WordPress is free or not. So, in this quick guide, I’m going to directly cover this most frequently asked question by beginners.
With almost 5 years of experience with WordPress, I will share what WordPress costs in reality.
So, before I answer, Is WordPress Free? Firstly I have to clarify that there are two versions of the WordPress platform: WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
Because of this, some people might get confused and start having questions like Is WordPress Free or not? So, let’s first briefly understand the basic difference between these two platforms.
WordPress.com and WordPress.org
WordPress.com is the hosted version of the open-source WordPress platform. It means WordPress.com comes with its hosting. It offers you a free plan as well as paid plans to create and host a site on WordPress.com
On the other hand, WordPress.org is an open-source platform that is free to use. You can download and install WordPress.org for free. Most websites are built using WordPress.org because it’s an open-source platform. But WordPress.org does not come with hosting.
It means, that to build a website on WordPress.org you must purchase a hosting and domain name. These two are required costs for creating a website with WordPress.org. Apart from these required costs, there are some optional costs as well such as Paid theme, paid plugins, Website development, and design costs.
Now, let’s answer your question.
Is WordPress Free?
So, the answer is yes, WordPress.org is free to download and install. But you can’t build a Website on it for free. Because for building a website on WordPress.org you have to purchase a hosting and domain from third-party providers which costs money based on their plans.
I hope this helps. Still having questions, drop them in comments!