Data · Pricing
WordPress.com Pricing (2026)
This page lists what WordPress.com's hosted plans actually charge — every tier, both billing cycles, and what unlocks plugins vs what doesn't. Note this covers WordPress.com (the hosted service), not self-hosted WordPress.org, which is free software but requires paying for your own hosting separately. For other builders, see our Wix and Squarespace pricing pages.
The short version: WordPress.com runs from free to $45/month, and the single most important line to know is that plugins — the feature most people associate with WordPress — only unlock at Business ($25/month) and above.
Prices reflect WordPress.com's published US plans as of August 2026 and change over time — treat this as a comparative snapshot, not a live quote.
WordPress.com plans at a glance (US pricing)
| Plan | Per month (annual billing) | Per month (monthly billing) | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | wordpress.com subdomain, no SEO tools, ads shown |
| Personal | $4 | $9 | Custom domain (free 1st year), removes ads |
| Premium | $8 | $18 | Adds SEO tools, more design options |
| Business | $25 | $40 | Adds plugins, ecommerce, multilingual |
| Commerce | $45 | $70 | Deeper WooCommerce store tooling |
What each plan actually includes
The tier that matters most is the jump to Business — that's where WordPress.com stops being a hosted blogging tool and starts being an actual WordPress install you can extend.
Free — $0
The free plan gives you a working blog on a wordpress.com subdomain, with WordPress.com's own ads shown to visitors and no SEO tools. It's genuinely useful for a personal blog you're not monetizing, but not for a business front door.
Personal — $4/mo annual ($9 monthly)
Personal buys a custom domain (free the first year) and drops the ads — the cheapest way to get a "real" WordPress.com site. Still no SEO tools and no plugins here.
Premium — $8/mo annual ($18 monthly)
Premium adds SEO tools and more design flexibility on top of Personal. It's aimed at serious bloggers and content sites that want more control over layout and discoverability, but still can't install third-party plugins.
Business — $25/mo annual ($40 monthly)
Business is the plan most people actually want when they say "I want WordPress": it unlocks the plugin and theme marketplace, adds ecommerce, and supports multilingual sites. If plugins are the reason you're choosing WordPress.com over a simpler builder, this is the tier to budget for — not Personal or Premium.
Commerce — $45/mo annual ($70 monthly)
Commerce builds on Business with deeper WooCommerce integration for stores that need more than the basic ecommerce tools. Most small stores are fine on Business; Commerce is for stores that already know they need WooCommerce's extended feature set.
Annual vs monthly billing
WordPress.com's annual discounts are among the steepest we track: about 56% off Personal ($4 vs $9), 56% off Premium ($8 vs $18), 38% off Business ($25 vs $40), and 36% off Commerce ($45 vs $70).
That means monthly billing on WordPress.com is unusually expensive relative to the annual rate compared to other builders — if you're fairly sure you'll stick with the platform past a trial period, annual billing pays for itself fast here.
Is WordPress.com worth it?
For content-heavy sites and blogs, WordPress.com's Personal and Premium tiers are cheap and capable. The catch that trips people up: if you came expecting "the WordPress plugin ecosystem," that only exists from Business ($25/month) up — Personal and Premium are closer to a standard website builder with a blog focus. Compare against a design-first alternative in our Squarespace vs WordPress comparison or against Wix vs WordPress if you're undecided.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants plugin flexibility without paying $25+/month should look at self-hosted WordPress.org instead (free software, but you manage your own hosting) — WordPress.com's cheap tiers deliberately don't include it.
How to pay less
- Commit to annual billing if you're staying past a trial. The discount here (up to 56%) is larger than on most competing builders.
- Don't buy Business just for SEO tools. Premium already includes those — Business is worth it specifically for plugins, ecommerce, or multilingual support.
- Claim the free first-year domain on any paid annual plan, but check the renewal price before registering through WordPress.com.
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