About WordPress.com
Overview
WordPress.com is a hosted version of the open source WordPress software. It bundles managed hosting, domains, themes, plugins, and support so you can build a website, blog, newsletter, or online store without technical setup.
The company's stated mission is to democratize publishing and ecommerce one website at a time. You keep ownership of your content, data, and followers.
Key Benefits
- Managed WordPress hosting includes unmetered bandwidth, a global CDN, and firewall, encryption, brute force, and DDoS protection.
- Every plan includes unlimited pages, posts, users, and visitors, so sites grow without caps.
- Hundreds of pre-made themes and block patterns give you a design starting point you can customize.
- Paid plans let you install any of over 60,000 plugins or upload your own.
- The Happiness team provides real human support, and free support is included on paid plans.
- You can start on a free plan and upgrade when you need a custom domain, no ads, or more storage.
How It Works
You pick a plan or start free, then choose a domain and a theme or pattern. You can also chat with the AI guided website builder to create and launch a site in minutes. Then you add content with the block editor, extend the site with plugins on a paid plan, and publish.
Use Cases
- Bloggers publish posts and join the Reader community to find other writers and readers.
- Newsletter creators send new posts by email with unlimited subscribers on the free start.
- Small business owners accept payments with PayPal and Stripe payment buttons on a Premium plan.
- Photographers and video creators host galleries and 4K videos with VideoPress.
- Agencies use agency hosting and site migration to manage client WordPress sites.
- Enterprise teams run high-traffic sites on WordPress VIP.
Why Choose This Product
WordPress.com comes from the people who work on WordPress, and it pairs hosting, domains, and tools in one account. Free sites show WordPress.com ads to visitors, and plugin installation requires a paid plan.
WordPress.com Pros & Cons
- Free plan available
- Unmetered bandwidth on all plans
- Over 60,000 plugins on paid plans
- Real human support from the Happiness team
- You keep ownership of your content and data
- Free sites display WordPress.com ads to visitors
- Plugins require a paid plan
- AI guided website builder has usage limits
Key Features
Managed WordPress Hosting
Hosting includes unmetered bandwidth, a global CDN, firewalls, encryption, and brute force and DDoS protection.
Themes and Patterns
Choose from hundreds of professionally designed themes and pre-built block patterns to lay out pages and posts.
Block Editor
Drag-and-drop tools let you arrange and organize content and media.
AI Website Builder
A guided builder lets you create and launch a site in minutes by chatting with AI, with usage limits.
Plugin Marketplace
Paid plans let you install any of over 60,000 plugins or upload a plugin directly.
Custom Domains
Paid annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year, and .com, .org, and .net start at $13 per year.
Newsletters
New posts can go out automatically as an email newsletter, with unlimited subscribers on the free start.
VideoPress
Host videos with 4K resolution, picture-in-picture, chapters, subtitles, and playback speed options.
SEO and Social Tools
Built-in SEO tools and automatic sharing of new posts to Facebook, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.
Payment Buttons
Premium plans collect payments and donations with PayPal and Stripe.
WordPress.com Pricing
View full pricing →- Start with a free plan
- Free sites display WordPress.com ads to visitors
- 6 GB storage
- Unlimited pages, posts, users, and visitors
- Free domain for one year
- No ads for visitors
- Free support
- Plugin installation
- 13 GB storage
- All premium themes
- Premium stats and analytics
- Payment buttons with PayPal and Stripe
- Video uploads
- Free domain for one year
- 50 GB storage
- Unlimited pages, posts, users, and visitors
- Free domain for one year
- No ads for visitors
- Priority support
| Feature | Free Free | Personal $9/mo | Premium $18/mo | Business $40/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start with a free plan | ||||
| Free sites display WordPress.com ads to visitors | ||||
| 6 GB storage | ||||
| Unlimited pages, posts, users, and visitors | ||||
| Free domain for one year | ||||
| No ads for visitors | ||||
| Free support | ||||
| Plugin installation | ||||
| 13 GB storage | ||||
| All premium themes | ||||
| Premium stats and analytics | ||||
| Payment buttons with PayPal and Stripe | ||||
| Video uploads | ||||
| 50 GB storage | ||||
| Priority support |
Pricing extracted from the product website and may change. Check the source for current details.
Frequently asked questions about WordPress.com
Is WordPress.com free?
WordPress.com offers a free plan. Free sites show WordPress.com ads to visitors. Paid plans (Personal, Premium, Business) add features such as no ads, a free domain for the first year, and plugin support.
How much does WordPress.com cost?
On the pricing page, monthly billing is US$9 for Personal, US$18 for Premium, and US$40 for Business. Longer billing terms lower the per-month price. Enterprise WordPress VIP starts at $25,000 per year.
Can I use plugins on WordPress.com?
Yes, on any paid plan. You can install any of over 60,000 plugins from the WordPress.com marketplace or upload a plugin directly to your site.
Do I get a free domain?
Paid annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year. You can also buy domains separately, and .com, .org, and .net extensions start at $13 per year.
Does WordPress.com limit traffic or bandwidth?
No. WordPress.com offers unmetered bandwidth on all plans, and paid plans include unlimited pages, posts, users, and visitors.
Can I build a site with AI on WordPress.com?
Yes. A guided website builder lets you create and launch a site in minutes by chatting with AI, subject to usage limits.