The world's most popular CMS powering 43% of all websites. Free and open-source, but hosting, themes, plugins, and maintenance add up fast.
Advertised Price
$0
/month
Estimated True Cost
$105
/month (typical usage)
Surprise Factor
N/A×
more than expected
Confidence
78%
Data source: manual
What the pricing page doesn't tell you
WordPress.org is free but requires paid hosting. Shared hosting $5-15/mo, managed WordPress hosting $25-50/mo, VPS $20-80/mo.
Trigger: hosting > 0
+$25
/monthly
Most useful plugins are paid: SEO ($99/yr), security ($99/yr), forms ($49/yr), backups ($24/yr). Average site uses 5-10 paid plugins.
Trigger: plugins > 0
+$30
/monthly
Premium themes $50-200 one-time. Security updates, compatibility patches, and performance optimization require ongoing attention or a developer ($500-2K/yr).
Trigger: maintenance > 0
+$50
/monthly
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Key Limits | Overage Rules |
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