How Much Does a WordPress Website Cost in 2026?
If you’re asking how much WordPress website cost in 2026, the honest answer is: it depends on who builds it (DIY vs freelancer vs agency) and what it needs to do (simple brochure site vs lead-gen vs e-commerce).
WordPress software itself can be free, but a real website includes costs like a domain, hosting, design, plugins, and ongoing maintenance. Below is a beginner-friendly budget guide so you can plan confidently—without overbuilding.
If you want a conversion-ready site built with a clear scope (and no surprise add-ons), start with Lugenix’s Website Design & WordPress Development.
WordPress Website Cost Breakdown: One-Time vs Ongoing
Think of WordPress costs in two buckets:
One-time or project costs (setup/build):
- Design + build (DIY time, freelancer project fee, or agency build)
- Theme or builder (if premium)
- Initial plugin setup (forms, backups, SEO basics, etc.)
- Content formatting (and sometimes content writing)
Ongoing costs (monthly/annual):
- Domain renewal (annual)
- Hosting (monthly/annual)
- Plugin/theme renewals (often annual)
- Maintenance, security, backups, and updates (monthly, if you outsource)
If you’re planning to grow traffic and leads after launch, budgeting for SEO foundations early is smart. You can explore Lugenix’s SEO & Content support, and reference Google’s SEO guidance at https://developers.google.com and https://support.google.com.
DIY Cost Range: Domain, Hosting, Theme, and Basic Plugins
DIY is the lowest-cash option, but it’s the highest time-and-learning option.
A basic DIY WordPress site is often described as starting around $100–$200 for the first year (domain + entry hosting + a premium theme/builder in some setups). Elementor
Other beginner-friendly cost guides commonly estimate hosting around $60–$180/year and domains around $10–$15/year, depending on provider and plan. TechRadar
DIY budgeting checklist (typical line items):
- Domain (annual)
- Hosting (monthly/annual)
- Theme (free or premium)
- Essential plugins (mostly free to start; premium if you need advanced features)
- SSL (often included with hosting, but not always)
Best-fit for: personal sites, early-stage businesses, and simple brochure sites—especially if you’re comfortable troubleshooting.
Freelancer Pricing: Typical Packages and What’s Included
Freelancers can be a strong middle ground: you get professional help without full agency overhead.
For small business websites, some market guides commonly cite freelancer project budgets in the $2,000–$15,000 range (depending on complexity and scope). HubSpot Blog
Other freelancer-focused resources cite smaller WordPress site builds around $1,500–$5,000 as a rough estimate for a basic small business website. Upwork
What’s usually included in a freelancer package (varies by provider):
- Theme setup or light customization
- Core pages (Home, About, Services, Contact)
- Basic forms and plugin setup
- Basic on-page SEO setup (titles, indexing settings, etc.)
What’s often not included unless specified:
- Copywriting, brand messaging, or content strategy
- Custom design systems and advanced UX work
- CRM/email automation integrations
If you want your site to capture leads and route them into a real follow-up system, consider CRM Integration as part of your scope.
Agency Pricing: Custom Design, Strategy, and Full Builds
Agencies are usually the best fit when you need a site that’s strategy-led, conversion-focused, and built to scale (especially if you want ongoing support).
Some published cost benchmarks for professional agencies cite ranges around $10,000–$145,000 for website design and development, depending on size and complexity. HubSpot Blog
That wide range is normal because agency builds often include more than “pages”—they include discovery, UX, conversion strategy, QA, performance work, and sometimes ongoing optimization.
What agency builds typically include (scope-dependent):
- Discovery and page planning (site architecture)
- Custom design or high-quality template customization
- Better performance and technical QA processes
- Analytics/tracking setup and launch support
- Optional retainers for updates, improvements, and marketing
If you want a post-launch plan to improve leads and conversions with data, Lugenix’s Performance & Growth service is built for ongoing optimization.
Ecommerce Costs: WooCommerce, Payments, and Extensions
E-commerce changes the budget because you’re adding:
- Product pages + category structure
- Cart, checkout, and customer account flows
- Payment processing setup
- Shipping, tax, and transactional email configuration
- Security and performance requirements (higher stakes)
WooCommerce itself is a popular WordPress e-commerce option, but many stores add paid extensions over time (subscriptions, bookings, advanced shipping rules, etc.). If you’re planning an online store, it’s smart to budget for:
- A stronger hosting plan (performance matters)
- Store-focused plugins/extensions (as needed)
- Email marketing for abandoned carts and retention
For WooCommerce ecosystem references, start at https://woocommerce.com. For email and lifecycle marketing, see https://mailchimp.com and https://hubspot.com.
Hidden Costs to Plan For: Maintenance, Security, and Content
This is where budgets get surprised—because WordPress isn’t “set and forget.”
Common hidden or underestimated costs:
- Plugin/theme renewals (often annual)
- Security monitoring and cleanup (if something breaks or gets compromised)
- Backups (and tested restores)
- Fixing plugin conflicts after updates
- Content creation (new landing pages, blogs, service pages)
- SEO tools and reporting (optional, but common)
Many cost guides also point out that beyond baseline hosting/domain, ongoing CMS-related costs can add up—especially when you include premium themes/plugins and ongoing work, sometimes landing in the $10–$100/month range depending on your stack and needs. TechRadar
If your question is still how much WordPress website cost, plan your budget by builder type (DIY vs freelancer vs agency) and then add your ongoing essentials (hosting/domain + maintenance). If you want a site that’s fast, conversion-ready, and built with a clear scope, explore Website Design & WordPress Development or reach out via Contact Us.