WordPress is free. At least, that's what they tell you. The reality is very different. Between hosting, themes, plugins, security, and maintenance, a WordPress website can cost significantly more over 3 years than most business owners realise. And by the time you add it all up, you might find that a bespoke alternative would have been cheaper — and better.
Here's the full, honest breakdown of WordPress pricing in the UK for 2026 — both WordPress.com (hosted) and self-hosted WordPress.org — so you can make an informed decision.
WordPress.com Plans: What You Actually Pay
WordPress.com is the hosted version — you sign up, pick a plan, and build your site on their platform. Here's what the plans look like in 2026:
- Free plan — WordPress.com subdomain, WordPress ads on your site, 1GB storage. Not suitable for any real business.
- Personal: ~£4/month — Custom domain, 6GB storage, email support. Still shows WordPress branding. Very limited design options.
- Premium: ~£8/month — Advanced design tools, 13GB storage, Google Analytics integration. Still limited by the template system.
- Business: ~£25/month — Plugin access, 50GB storage, SFTP/SSH access. This is the minimum most businesses need for real functionality.
- Commerce: ~£45/month — E-commerce features, payment processing, premium themes. Required if you're selling online.
The catch? The free and cheaper plans are essentially unusable for a professional business. You need the Business plan (£25/month) minimum to install plugins, which is what makes WordPress actually useful. That's £900 over 3 years just for the platform — before you've built anything.
Self-Hosted WordPress: The Hidden Cost Stack
Self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org) is where most serious businesses end up. The software itself is free, but everything around it costs money:
Hosting: £5–£30/month
Cheap shared hosting (£5–£10/month) is slow and unreliable. Managed WordPress hosting from providers like WP Engine or Kinsta runs £20–£30/month but gives you proper speed and security. Over 3 years: £180–£1,080.
Domain Name: £10–£15/year
A .co.uk or .com domain. Straightforward cost that applies to any website. Over 3 years: £30–£45.
Premium Theme: £0–£200 (one-off)
Free themes exist but look generic. A decent premium theme from ThemeForest or StudioPress costs £40–£200. Some require annual renewal for updates and support.
Plugins: £0–£500/year
WordPress relies heavily on plugins for basic functionality. A typical small business site needs:
- SEO plugin (Yoast/RankMath Pro) — £80–£200/year
- Security plugin (Wordfence/Sucuri) — £80–£200/year
- Backup plugin (UpdraftPlus) — £50–£70/year
- Forms plugin (Gravity Forms) — £50–£200/year
- Speed optimisation (WP Rocket) — £50–£60/year
- Page builder (Elementor Pro) — £50–£200/year
That's £360–£930 per year in plugin costs alone. Over 3 years: £1,080–£2,790. And every plugin is a potential security vulnerability and performance drag.
Maintenance: £50–£200/month
WordPress requires regular updates — core software, themes, and plugins all need updating, and updates can break things. If you're not technical, you'll need someone to manage this. Over 3 years: £1,800–£7,200.
Security: £0–£300/year
WordPress powers 43% of the web, making it the #1 target for hackers. SSL certificates, firewalls, malware scanning, and hack recovery all cost money. A single hack can cost £500–£2,000+ to fix, plus lost business and reputation damage.
The Real 3-Year Cost of WordPress
Let's add it up for a self-hosted WordPress site with proper hosting, essential plugins, and basic maintenance:
- Hosting (managed): £720–£1,080
- Domain: £30–£45
- Theme: £40–£200
- Plugins: £1,080–£2,790
- Maintenance: £1,800–£7,200
- Security: £0–£900
- Developer setup/customisation: £500–£3,000 (one-off)
Total 3-year cost: £4,170–£15,215
Even at the conservative end, you're looking at over £4,000 for what most people think is a “free” platform. And that doesn't include the time you spend fighting with updates, troubleshooting plugin conflicts, or recovering from a hack.
The uncomfortable truth: WordPress isn't free. It's free to download. But running a professional WordPress site costs £1,500–£5,000+ per year when you account for everything. Over 3 years, a bespoke website with no recurring platform fees often works out cheaper.
When WordPress Actually Makes Sense
WordPress isn't bad for everyone. It makes genuine sense when:
- You publish content daily — News sites, magazines, and content-heavy blogs benefit from WordPress's editorial workflow
- Non-technical staff need to edit regularly — WordPress's admin panel is familiar to many people
- You need a massive plugin ecosystem — Specific integrations that only exist as WordPress plugins
- Budget is extremely tight — If you genuinely cannot afford anything else, WordPress.com's cheaper plans get you online
When a Bespoke Website Is Actually Cheaper
For most small businesses with 5–15 pages, a bespoke website eliminates most of the recurring costs that make WordPress expensive. You can read the full comparison in our WordPress vs custom-built guide.
- No plugin costs — Everything is built into the code
- No security vulnerabilities from third-party plugins
- No ongoing maintenance fees — Static or server-rendered sites don't need constant updates
- No platform fees — You own the code, host it anywhere
- Better performance — Faster sites rank higher and convert more visitors
For a deeper look at what websites cost in the UK across all options, see our complete UK website pricing guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WordPress really free?
The WordPress.org software is free to download. But you need hosting, a domain, a theme, plugins, and ongoing maintenance to run a professional site. These costs add up to £1,500–£5,000+ per year. WordPress.com has free and paid plans, but the free tier is unsuitable for business use.
What are the hidden costs of WordPress?
The biggest hidden costs are premium plugins (£300–£900/year), maintenance and updates (£600–£2,400/year), security monitoring and hack recovery, and performance optimisation. Most business owners don't budget for these when they hear “WordPress is free”.
What are the alternatives to WordPress for a UK business?
Wix and Squarespace are popular but have their own limitations and costs. A bespoke website built with modern frameworks like Next.js offers better performance, SEO, and long-term value for most small businesses. The right choice depends on your needs, budget, and how much ongoing control you want.
Should I use WordPress.com or WordPress.org?
WordPress.com is easier but more limited and more expensive for what you get. WordPress.org gives you full control but requires technical knowledge to manage. If you're not technical and don't want to manage hosting, security, and updates, consider whether a bespoke solution might be simpler and more cost-effective.
Find Out What a Bespoke Website Would Cost
If the true cost of WordPress has you rethinking your options, we can help. Visit our services page to see what's included in a bespoke build, or get a free quote by taking our 60-second quiz. No obligation, no jargon — just a clear answer on what your website would cost.
