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One of the most often asked question by our users is “Do I have to pay to use WordPress?”. We tell them that WordPress is a free and open source software, which is usually followed by, “Why is WordPress Free?”. In this post, we will discuss why WordPress is free, the costs of running a WordPress site, and what’s the catch?

WordPress is Free

WordPress is an open source software. It is free in the sense of freedom not in the sense of free beer. You may ask what is the difference between these two? Open Source software comes with freedom for you to use, modify, build upon, and redistribute the software in any way you like. However, there might be costs involved somewhere. We will discuss the cost of using the open source WordPress software later in this article.

Why Don’t They Sell WordPress as a Software?

We often get asked why don’t people and companies behind WordPress sell it? If WordPress is as good as everyone says, then they would obviously make a lot more money by selling it. This statement would make sense, if a single company or individual owned WordPress.

WordPress is an open source community project where tens of thousands of talented people have made contributions to make it into a great software that it is today. There is a core team of developers that lead the project development, but anyone can contribute patches, report bugs, suggest features etc. Furthermore, project leaders change from one version to another. If you get involved into the community, then you can easily become a core contributor of WordPress.

The philosophy behind Open Source software movement is that software are not like other tangible products. Once a software is created, it can be copied many times with little cost. Let’s take example of a toy factory. Each toy manufactured has different parts and each part has a cost. The manufacturing cost of these parts can be calculated by the factory to decide a reasonable profit margin for the product. On the other hand the cost of creating a software and making copies of it is not the same. Some groups believe that with each copy sold, the profit margin of the software becomes more unfair.

To understand more about open source software, check out GNU’s Philosophy.

How do People Make Money with WordPress

The two main profitable parts of any open source software are products or services based on the same open source software.

People often confuse WordPress with WordPress.com. WordPress (often referred to self-hosted WordPress or WordPress.org) is a free blogging platform.


In May 2014, Automattic raised a series C investment round of $160 Million which valued the company at $1.16 Billion.


Some examples of successful multi-million dollar WordPress companies are:


Is WordPress Copyright Free?


It is released under GPL, so you are free to use, modify, and redistribute the code. You will have the copyright to modifications you make to the software not the entire code. GPL requires that any derivative work you release or distribute should be licensed under GPL as well. So while you may have the copyright to do anything you like, your derivative work automatically inherits the GPL license so others are free to use, modify, and redistribute your code in any way they choose.




The Content Published with WordPress also inherits GPL?


For example, if you are sharing your artwork on your blog, then you own full copyrights of it.


WordPress Trademark

The code of WordPress as a software is released under GPL but the words WordPress, WordCamp, and the WordPress Logo are registered trademarks owned by WordPress Foundation. To distinguish between a site or resource that is official or community run, the foundation asks folks to not use “WordPress” in their domain name.

This is the reason why our site is called WPBeginner instead of WordPressBeginner. Any site, training course, or resource that you run across that has WordPress in their domain name is probably being run by someone who does not know enough about WordPress. This means you probably shouldn’t pay them any of your money :)


Cost of using WordPress


You can use WordPress.com to create a free blog, but be aware that there are some differences – WordPress vs. WordPress.com [infographic].

The cost of using WordPress is relatively minimal and hold true for running any other type of website as well. The only real cost is web hosting and domain. WPBeginner users can get a domain name and web hosting for as low as $3.95/month from Bluehost or Siteground (both officially recommended WordPress hosting providers).

Related: How to Start a WordPress Blog (Ultimate Guide)

Additional costs would be commercial WordPress themes. However, you are not required to use those. There are 4000+ free WordPress themes that you can use.

People often use commercial plugins, but you are not required to use those as well. There are over 45,000 free WordPress plugins.

So why do people buy paid themes or plugins? Free themes are being used everywhere. To get a little more exclusive design and feel for the site, folks often purchase a commercial “premium” theme.

Another reason to purchase a paid theme or a plugin is to get support. Free theme or plugin providers are not required to offer support or updates because it is usually their passion project. However, paid plugin and theme shops offer regular support and updates because it is their business.

We hope that this article answers some questions about WordPress licensing, the costs of running a WordPress site, and the business around WordPress. Please feel free to add your comments, questions and feedback below.


Why You Should Use WordPress?


Why You Should Use WordPress




Let’s take a look at why you should use WordPress.

WordPress is Free as in Freedom



To run WordPress, all you need is a domain and web hosting. We recommend using either Bluehost or SiteGround because both of them offer our users a free domain and 50% off their hosting prices. Check out our guide on why is WordPress free?

WordPress is an open source software



WordPress is Easy to Use and Learn

WordPress is easy to use even for beginners


Our website WPBeginner has tons of articles written specifically for beginner level WordPress users. We have a detailed step by step guide on how to install WordPress and hundreds of other WordPress tutorials.


For any WordPress related issue, you can search the web or search our archives, and you will definitely find help.

WordPress is Extendable by Using Themes and Plugins

WordPress Themes





WordPress is Search Engine Friendly



WordPress is Easy To Manage


WordPress is Safe and Secure

WordPress is safe and secure


There are intruders out there who want to get their hands on as many sites as they could. On our websites, we use Sucuri to monitor security threats and we highly recommend them.

WordPress Can Handle Different Media Types

WordPress can handle all your media files



What ways to use WordPress?


  • Arcade
  • Blog
  • Content Management System (CMS)
  • Gallery
  • Portfolio
  • Rating Website
  • Shopping Store
  • Video Collection Site
  • Membership Site



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