How Much Does WordPress Cost a Year?
If you’re asking how much does WordPress cost a year, you’re already thinking the right way—because the real cost isn’t just “WordPress is free.” The yearly budget comes from essentials like hosting and a domain, plus optional upgrades like premium themes, plugins, and maintenance.
In this guide, you’ll get a realistic annual breakdown so you can plan a budget that fits your site—whether you’re launching a simple business website or managing an online store.
If you want a predictable plan and a site built for performance, explore our WordPress Website Design & Development.
The Two Types of WordPress Costs: WordPress.com vs Self-Hosted
Your annual cost depends heavily on which WordPress you’re using:
WordPress.com (hosted)
- Hosting is bundled into the plan you choose
- Easier for beginners (less technical setup)
- Customization may be limited unless you’re on higher tiers
Self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org)
- You buy hosting + domain separately
- More flexibility with themes, plugins, and functionality
- You’re responsible for updates, security, and backups (or you hire someone)
If you want the flexibility to grow (SEO, custom landing pages, integrations), self-hosted is often the better long-term option—especially when paired with SEO & content support for long-term visibility.
External references for search and website fundamentals:
Annual Essentials: Domain, Hosting, SSL, and Email
These are the “baseline” yearly costs most sites should plan for:
Domain (yearly)
- Your site name (example.com). Usually billed annually.
Hosting (yearly)
- Your server environment. Better hosting typically improves speed, stability, and security.
SSL
- SSL enables https (security + trust). Some hosts include it, some charge depending on plan.
Business email
- Many businesses pay separately for professional email (you@yourdomain.com), depending on the provider.
Budget tip: Don’t choose hosting based on price alone. Cheap hosting can cost you more later in downtime, slow load speeds, and security cleanup.
If your site is a key growth channel, consider connecting it to ongoing tracking and optimization via Performance & Growth so you know what’s working—not just what’s live.
External resources that cover performance and site fundamentals:
Optional Costs: Themes, Plugins, and Page Builders
Optional costs are where budgets can range widely. You may spend nothing here—or invest in paid tools to save time and improve quality.
Themes
- Free themes can work for basic sites.
- Premium themes often provide better layouts, support, and design options.
Plugins
- Free plugins cover many needs.
- Paid plugins are common for serious businesses (advanced forms, security, backups, performance, SEO add-ons, memberships, etc.).
Page builders
- Page builders can make design easier for non-coders (drag-and-drop).
- Some businesses use them to create landing pages quickly without development delays.
Rule of thumb: pay for tools that (1) replace manual work, (2) improve performance/security, or (3) directly support leads/sales.
For lead capture and newsletter basics, Mailchimp is a popular starting point. If you want automated nurture sequences and follow-ups, see Email Marketing & Automation.
Business Site vs E-Commerce: Typical Yearly Budgets
A standard business website and an e-commerce store don’t have the same annual cost—because stores have more moving parts (payments, customer data, shipping/tax rules, and more frequent updates).
Typical yearly budget categories (what changes most):
- Business site: fewer plugins, simpler pages, lighter maintenance
- E-commerce site: more plugins/tools, added security considerations, more frequent updates, and ongoing testing to avoid checkout issues
If you’re considering e-commerce on WordPress, it helps to understand the platform ecosystem through WooCommerce, and compare hosted store approaches via Shopify—even if you ultimately choose WordPress.
If your store needs customer follow-up automations or CRM syncing, CRM Integration can help connect inquiries, purchases, and pipeline data in one place.
Maintenance Costs: Updates, Security, Backups, and Support
Maintenance is the part many site owners forget to budget for—until something breaks.
Annual maintenance typically includes:
- Updates (WordPress core + theme + plugins)
- Security (monitoring, hardening, spam protection)
- Backups (scheduled backups + restore testing)
- Support (fixes, small edits, troubleshooting conflicts)
Even small sites benefit from maintenance because outdated plugins are one of the most common causes of security problems and site issues.
If you want structured tracking and improvement after launch, consider Performance & Growth so you can make decisions based on real performance—not guesses.
External references for quality and search readiness:
How to Estimate Your Annual WordPress Cost in 5 Minutes
Here’s a quick way to estimate your yearly WordPress cost without overthinking it:
Step 1: Choose your WordPress type
- WordPress.com plan (annual subscription) OR
- Self-hosted WordPress (hosting + domain + tools)
Step 2: Add essentials
- Domain
- Hosting
- Email (if paid separately)
- SSL (if not included)
Step 3: Add “must-have” tools
- Security plugin/tool
- Backup tool
- Forms plugin (if needed)
- Performance/caching tool (if needed)
Step 4: Add “business growth” tools (only if needed)
- Email marketing automation
- CRM integration
- Advanced analytics/performance tracking
Step 5: Add maintenance
- DIY (your time) or paid support
If you want help estimating your real total cost based on your site goals and feature needs, start with our WordPress Website Design & Development or reach out via our Contact Us page.