Framer Templates vs a Custom Design: How to Choose
Framer template or custom design? Template and plan prices read 6 Nov 2026, the CMS limit that picks your plan, and the licence terms in plain words.
WordPress
WordPress Website Cost in 2026: What the Software, the Hosting, the Build and the Plugins Really Add Up To
The software is free, and the site is not. Published guides put a WordPress website anywhere from $75 to $150,000, so this one separates the platform bill, the add-ons and the build, with plan prices read from the makers' pages and build ranges attributed. Checked 19 October 2026.
Key takeaways
- WordPress is free, and a WordPress site is not. WordPress.org lists the download as free and calls the project open source, WooCommerce says its core is free, and the costs come from hosting, a domain, add-ons and whoever builds it.
- Published ranges disagree widely. Freshy puts a freelancer-built business site at $1,200 to $5,000 and an agency build at $3,000 to $12,000, while OuterBox starts a professional small business site at $2,500 and a custom one at $10,000 to $35,000+.
- Check the renewal, not only the first price. WordPress.com's Business plan is $25 a month on yearly billing and renews at $28, and Hostinger's $2.49 a month hosting deal renews at $10.99.
- Add-ons are a yearly bill. Freshy says a fully featured small business site commonly spends $200 to $400 a year on plugin licences, and WooCommerce lists $29 to $299 a year per extension.
- Ecommerce is a different budget. WooCommerce's own page puts hosting at $25 to $350 a month for most stores, and published store builds start much higher than brochure sites.
- The build is where the spread comes from. A premium theme and a custom theme are different jobs, and Freshy lists $1,500 to $10,000+ for the second.
WordPress is free, and the site is not
Two different things share the name. WordPress.org is the open source software you can install on your own hosting, and its download page lists it as free. WordPress.com is a hosted service with paid plans, which bundles the software with hosting and support. Freshy's guide puts it well: "WordPress is free" is the most expensive sentence in web development, because the software costs nothing while the website does not.
That gives you two routes. Self-hosted WordPress means you buy hosting and a domain, install the software and add themes and plugins. WordPress.com means you pay one plan that covers hosting and the platform. Our comparison of Webflow and WordPress looks at the maintenance each route leaves with you.
What the guides say
In October 2026 we went through the pages ranking for this search. Their numbers differ since each one describes a different kind of project.
| Publisher (date) | Smallest budget | Mid-range freelancer | Agency or bespoke | Online store |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OuterBox (15 Sep 2026) | $100 to $1,000+ in the first year | $2,500 to $10,000+ | $10,000 to $35,000+ | $15,000 to $75,000+ |
| Freshy (17 Aug 2026) | $75 to $200 for a blog, $200 to $800 for a DIY business site | $1,200 to $5,000 | $3,000 to $12,000 | $3,000 to $15,000 |
| Elementor (29 Jun 2026) | $100 to $200 in the first year | $3,000 to $7,000 for a basic informational site | $7,000 to $15,000 for a custom business site | $8,000 to $25,000+ |
| cmsMinds (19 Mar 2026) | $500 to $1,500 with a pre-made theme | Freelancer $500 to $5,000 | $3,000 to $10,000 for a custom theme | Over $10,000 for a large store |
| WebFX | $100 and up | Freelancer $500 to $5,000 | Agency $3,000 to $100,000 | Not separated |
Three things stand out. First, the sellers differ: Elementor sells a page builder and hosting, Freshy and OuterBox are agencies, and cmsMinds is a development studio. Second, cmsMinds says a WordPress site costs from $1,000 to $10,000 on one line and from $500 to $5,000 on another, so even one page is not always consistent. Third, WebFX lists hosting at $3 to $800 a month in its component table, which is a range wide enough to say very little.
Treat each figure as a statement about what that seller builds. Our guide to website redesign cost shows the same pattern for redesigns. Thinking of leaving WordPress instead? See moving to Webflow.
Layer 1: the platform bill
WordPress.com plans
We read WordPress.com's pricing page on 19 October 2026. All prices are in US dollars, per month, excluding taxes.
| Plan | Yearly billing | Renews at | Monthly billing | Per year, yearly billing | Per year, monthly billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | $4 | $5 | $9 | $48 | $108 |
| Premium | $8 | $9 | $18 | $96 | $216 |
| Business | $25 | $28 | $40 | $300 | $480 |
| Commerce | $45 | $50 | $70 | $540 | $840 |
The two per-year columns are our own sums, each monthly price multiplied by 12. At the renewal price, Business costs $336 a year and Commerce $600. Business is the plan the page lists with SFTP and SSH access and GitHub deployments, and Commerce adds the WooCommerce hosting tools, according to the page. The free plan shows WordPress.com ads to visitors.
Self-hosted WordPress
If you host the site yourself, the cost is a hosting plan and a domain, and our WordPress hosting cost comparison sets six hosts side by side. Prices on hosts' own pages move with promotions, so read the renewal. Hostinger's WordPress hosting page, for example, listed its Premium plan on 19 October 2026 at $2.49 a month on a 48 month term, which is $119.52 for the term against a regular price of $585.12, and it renews at $10.99 a month, or $131.88 a year. WooCommerce's pricing page says hosting for most stores runs $25 to $350 a month.
A domain adds to this. Freshy gives $10 to $20 a year for a standard .com, and notes that a domain that is free in year one can renew at $18.
Layer 2: themes, builders and plugins
| Thing you buy | Listed price | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Free themes | $0 | Freshy lists Astra, GeneratePress and OceanWP |
| Premium themes | $50 to $120 a year | Freshy |
| Elementor Essential | $5 a month billed annually, $60 a year | Elementor, read 16 Oct 2026 |
| Divi and Divi Pro | $89 and $277 billed yearly | Elegant Themes, read 16 and 19 Oct 2026 |
| Plugin licences on a full small business site | $200 to $400 a year | Freshy |
| Individual premium plugins | $20 to $200 a year each | Freshy |
| WooCommerce extensions | $29 to $299 a year each | WooCommerce |
| Speed, security and backup plugins | WP Rocket $59, Sucuri $199 and UpdraftPlus Premium $70 a year | Elementor's guide, 29 Jun 2026 |
For a two-year comparison of licences and what each one restricts, read our guide to Elementor, Divi and a custom theme.
Layer 3: the build
Here the numbers swing furthest. Published ranges, by who does the building:
| Route | Published range | Source | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | $75 to $800 in the first year | Freshy | Your own time, a free or premium theme |
| Freelancer | $1,200 to $5,000, and complex projects up to $20,000 | Freshy | A premium-theme brochure site at the low end |
| Agency, standard | $3,000 to $12,000 | Freshy | Design, development, content and project management |
| Agency, substantial | $8,000 to $35,000 | Freshy | Several page types, integrations and SEO work |
| Custom theme | $1,500 to $10,000+ | Freshy | Code written for your site, not a general template |
| Developer by the hour | $25 to $150 | Freshy | Rates vary with experience and location |
Freshy says its figures come from over 2,400 client projects since 2011, which is a claim we cannot check. Weigh it as the seller's view.
Three first-year budgets
These combine figures above. They are our arithmetic and illustrations, not quotes.
| Route | Build | Platform | Add-ons | First-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY on WordPress.com Business | Your time | $300 | $0 | $300, with the domain free in year one |
| Freelancer-built, on WordPress.com Business | $1,200 to $5,000 | $300 | $200 to $400 | $1,700 to $5,700 |
| Agency-built, on WordPress.com Business | $3,000 to $12,000 | $300 | $200 to $400 | $3,500 to $12,700 |
Hosting on a self-managed plan would change the platform line, and a store would change almost every line.
What moves the price
- A premium theme or a custom one. Freshy lists the second at $1,500 to $10,000+.
- Page templates, not page count. Ten pages sharing one template come in far cheaper than ten separate layouts.
- Integrations. Forms, CRM and payments each add work. For a worked example, see our event services website guide.
- Ecommerce. OuterBox lists WooCommerce builds at $15,000 to $75,000+, and Elementor at $8,000 to $25,000+.
- Content. Supplying your own text and photos costs less than paying someone to produce them.
- Migration. Moving from another platform adds redirect and content work, which our redesign SEO checklist lists.
The running costs
Once the site is live, the bills continue: hosting or the plan, the domain, plugin licences and ongoing care. Elementor lists a maintenance service at $50 to $200 a month, and our guide to website maintenance cost lists six studios' published care plans. A WordPress site needs a named owner for updates to core, the theme, each plugin and the PHP version, whether that is a care plan or one person. Selling products? Our Shopify website cost guide prices that route.
How we price a WordPress project
Amariq builds WordPress sites, and every project is priced from its scope rather than hours worked. We open with a call about your goals. A written proposal then sets the scope, milestones and delivery date, and a WordPress build from an approved design usually runs four to eight weeks. Payment comes in three parts: 40% at the start, 30% once you approve the design and 30% ahead of launch. After the last invoice is paid, ownership of the design, copy and code we produce passes to you, and the accounts for your domain, hosting and analytics are registered under your name. See our WordPress development page and our guide to how long a redesign takes.
Related guides: website hosting cost.
Questions people ask
How much does a WordPress website cost?
The published guides we read run from about $75 a year for a DIY blog to $12,000 or more for an agency-built business site, and $15,000 or more for a WooCommerce store. A freelancer-built small business site is $1,200 to $5,000 in Freshy's guide.
Is WordPress really free?
The software is, since WordPress.org lists the download as free and calls it open source. Hosting, a domain, premium themes and plugins, and any help building the site are not.
How much does WordPress.com cost per month?
On 19 October 2026 the paid plans were Personal $4, Premium $8, Business $25 and Commerce $45 a month on yearly billing, or $9, $18, $40 and $70 billed monthly, before taxes. Yearly plans renew at a slightly higher price.
WordPress.com or WordPress.org: which is which?
WordPress.org is the free software you install on your own host. WordPress.com is a hosted service with paid plans that includes the hosting. Our Webflow vs WordPress guide compares the maintenance each leaves with you.
How much does a WordPress website cost per year to run?
On WordPress.com Business, $300 a year at the yearly price, plus any plugin licences. Freshy says a full small business site commonly spends $200 to $400 a year on plugin licences alone, and a care plan is extra.
Is WordPress cheaper than Webflow?
Platform bills land near each other; what differs is the upkeep you carry. Our guide to what a Webflow website costs prices Webflow's plans, and the comparison above shows WordPress.com's.
How much does a WooCommerce store cost?
WooCommerce itself is free, with hosting at $25 to $350 a month for most stores and extensions at $29 to $299 a year each, according to WooCommerce. Published build ranges are $15,000 to $75,000+ at OuterBox and $8,000 to $25,000+ at Elementor.
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