WordPress.com Review
Hosted WordPress with a free plan and paid tiers that unlock plugins, themes, and ecommerce
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Looking for a WordPress.com alternative? See our ranked comparison.→What is WordPress.com?
WordPress.com is Automattic's hosted version of WordPress. You get a site, hosting, and updates handled for you, instead of installing WordPress yourself on a server you manage.
The free plan works for a basic blog but caps you at 1 GB of storage, a wordpress.com subdomain, and WordPress.com ads on your pages. Moving to Personal at $9 a month removes the ads, adds a free domain for a year, and already unlocks the full 60,000+ plugin marketplace, which is available on every paid plan, not just the top one.
Business at $40 a month (or $25 billed annually) is really aimed at developers: SFTP/SSH, WP-CLI, GitHub deployments, a staging site, and real-time backups.
Commerce adds WooCommerce for selling products, and Enterprise is a custom quote for large, high-traffic sites.
WordPress.com screenshots
Who it's for
- ✓ Founders and marketers who want a working site live today without touching code or a server
- ✓ Bloggers and small businesses who are fine using WordPress.com's own theme and plugin marketplace
- ✓ Teams that already know WordPress and want managed hosting instead of running their own
Who should look elsewhere
- ✗ Teams that need server-level access, like direct database work, PHP version control, or custom code deployment, since those tools are gated behind the $40/month Business plan
- ✗ Anyone who wants a simple visual, drag-and-drop builder without WordPress's page and block editor learning curve
- ✗ Sites planning heavy media libraries on a budget, since 50 GB is the cap even on Business and Commerce
Pros
- + Free plan lets you launch and test a site with no credit card
- + Business and Commerce plans include real-time backups, SFTP/SSH, and Git deploys, which most website builders don't offer
- + Access to the full 60,000+ plugin marketplace on any paid plan, not just the top tier
- + Built-in migration path to self-hosted WordPress if you outgrow the platform
Cons
- – Developer tools like SFTP/SSH, WP-CLI, GitHub deployments, staging sites, and real-time backups are locked out until you pay for Business at $40/month (or $25/month annual), a steep jump from Premium at $18
- – Storage tops out at 50 GB even on the $70/month Commerce plan; more space costs extra
- – Pricing structure has changed abruptly before, including a 2022 rollout that set the free plan at just 500 MB of storage and removed monthly billing with little warning, which still shows up in reviews as a trust issue
- – Free plan sites show WordPress.com ads to visitors until you upgrade to Personal or above
WordPress.com pricing
At about $9/month to start, it is one of the cheaper options in Website Builders.
| Plan | Price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 1 GB storage · WordPress.com subdomain · Basic 7-day stats · Ads may appear on your site |
| Personal | $9/mo | 6 GB storage · Free domain for one year · No ads for visitors · Install any of 60,000+ plugins · Dozens of premium themes |
| Premium | $18/mo | 13 GB storage · Install any of 60,000+ plugins · Premium stats and analytics · Video hosting · Accept payments via PayPal or Stripe |
| Business | $40/mo | 50 GB storage · SFTP/SSH, WP-CLI, and GitHub deployments · Free staging site · 24/7 priority support · Real-time backups |
| Commerce | $70/mo | 50 GB storage · WooCommerce built in · Sell in 60+ countries · All Business features |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom infrastructure and support for high-traffic sites |
Prices above are monthly billing. Paying annually cuts these to $4 (Personal), $8 (Premium), $25 (Business), and $45 (Commerce) per month, and 2 or 3-year terms drop further. Enterprise is quote-only, so no public number. WordPress.com also offers a no-questions-asked refund window instead of a free trial.
Pricing verified July 7, 2026 · source
How WordPress.com's pricing compares
WordPress.com next to its closest alternatives on entry price, billing, and whether pricing is public.
| Tool | Starting price | Billing | Free option | Pricing disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com | $9/mo | tiered | Yes | Partly public |
| Webflow | $15/site/mo | tiered | Yes | Partly public |
| Framer | $10/site/mo | tiered | Yes | Partly public |
| Wix | $17/mo | tiered | Yes | Partly public |
| Squarespace | $19/mo | tiered | Trial (14 days, no credit card required) | Public |
| Carrd | $9/yr | tiered | Yes | Public |
| Typedream | $15/mo | per-site | Yes | Public |
Is WordPress.com still actively developed?
Last significant update: July 2026. Changelog update added the ability to customize newsletter signup forms and get domain help directly in the support chat widget.
Top WordPress.com alternatives
WordPress.com FAQ
Is WordPress.com free?+
Yes, there's a free plan with 1 GB of storage and a wordpress.com subdomain, but it can show ads and doesn't let you use your own domain.
Can I install any WordPress plugin on WordPress.com?+
Yes, on any paid plan. Personal, Premium, Business, and Commerce all include access to WordPress.com's marketplace of 60,000+ plugins. Only the Free plan blocks plugin installs.
How much does WordPress.com cost per year?+
Billed annually, plans run $4/month for Personal, $8/month for Premium, $25/month for Business, and $45/month for Commerce. Monthly billing costs more per month.
Does WordPress.com offer a free trial?+
No free trial. Instead it has a no-questions-asked refund policy if you cancel within the refund window on a paid plan.