The WordPress.com Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about WordPress.com in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

WordPress.com

The Insider’s Guide

Hosted WordPress with themes, plugins and a free plan

WordPress.com, as pictured on wordpress.com

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among website and landing page builders, read from WordPress.com’s own pages.

Made by Automattic Inc. · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com

3.4GPA

01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from WordPress.com’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on WordPress.com’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

3.4

GPA, above 30 of the 30 other website and landing page builders we grade

WordPress.com is Automattic's hosted version of WordPress, so a site gets themes, the block editor and the plugin library without a separate hosting bill. Every paid plan can install plugins and connect a free domain for the first year on yearly or longer billing. Business adds developer access and real-time backups, and Commerce adds WooCommerce store tools.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about WordPress.com, taken from its own pages and our grades.

1
Best for WordPress without running your own server
WordPress.com gives you real WordPress, themes and more than 60,000 plugins included, without a hosting bill to manage.
2
Paid plans start at $4 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $4 per site / month, billed yearly ($9 billed monthly).
3
There is a free plan
a wordpress.com subdomain, 1 GB of storage, unlimited pages and posts and 7 days of basic stats. Visitors see WordPress.com ads, and plugins need a paid plan.
4
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux.
5
Themes and the block editor
Sites are built from free and premium themes in the WordPress block editor, with unlimited pages, posts and users on every plan.
6
Plugins on every paid plan
Personal and above can install any of more than 60,000 plugins from the marketplace or upload one directly. The free plan cannot.
7
AI site builder and assistant
A guided builder creates a site through a chat, within usage limits. Business and Commerce add the WordPress AI Assistant for content, design and site management.
8
A 3.4 GPA, above 30 of 30
That is against the other website and landing page builders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
9
Keep it
To replace WordPress.com you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

WordPress.com at a glance

Pricing: Free plan, from $4 per site / month, billed yearly ($9 billed monthly)
Free plan: Yes
Free trial: None stated
Runs on: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Made by: Automattic Inc.
Category: Website & Landing Page Builders
Our grade: 3.4 GPA, very good
Store rating: 4.6 on the App Store, 22,281 ratings

The report card

Best for WordPress without running your own server

WordPress.com gives you real WordPress, themes and more than 60,000 plugins included, without a hosting bill to manage. Personal is $4 a month on yearly billing, which is about as cheap as a proper site gets. Backups and developer tools wait for Business at $25, and the free plan shows ads to your visitors.

ToolGPA report cardWordPress.comGraded Oct 17, 2026

Subject	Grade	Comment
Value for money	A	Personal is $4 a month for one site on yearly billing ($9 monthly), with your own domain, no ads and plugin installs. That's under 60% of this category's cheapest quarter ($5.40). Payment buttons need Premium, which is still only $8.
Free plan and trial	C	Free for good with unlimited pages and posts, but it's on a wordpress.com address with 1 GB of storage, WordPress.com ads shown to your visitors and no plugins. Fine for a hobby blog, not a business.
Features	A	Every paid plan can install any of more than 60,000 plugins, which no other builder here matches. Add themes, the block editor, WooCommerce on Commerce, and SSH, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments on Business, and it covers the whole job and then some.
Ease of use	B	4.62 from about 22,300 App Store ratings. The AI builder gets a site going through a chat, but with plugins and themes in the mix there's more to choose and set than in a closed builder.
Platforms and integrations	A	Web, iPhone and Android, plus WordPress Studio on Mac, Windows and Linux for building sites locally. Plugins connect it to almost anything, alongside WooCommerce, Jetpack, PayPal, Stripe and GitHub.

Grade point averageVery good, out of 4.03.4

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who WordPress.com is for

Great if you blog a lot and want WordPress without looking after a server
Handy when the site needs one particular plugin or theme that only WordPress has
A treat if you're a developer who wants SSH, WP-CLI and Git on managed hosting

Who it is not for

Pricey if you pay monthly, since Personal is $9 a month against $4 billed yearly
Pricey if you want real-time backups and developer access, which start on Business at $25 a month
Tight if you're staying free, as visitors see ads and plugins are locked

Good to know

Good for

Bloggers and writers who want WordPress without running a server
Sites that need a specific WordPress plugin or theme
Developers who want SSH, WP-CLI and Git on managed hosting

Worth knowing

The free plan shows WordPress.com ads to visitors and cannot use a custom domain or plugins.
Monthly billing costs more than double the yearly rate on Personal and Premium and does not include the free first-year domain.
Backups, developer tools and priority support start on Business at $25 a month billed yearly.
The desktop app, WordPress Studio, is for building sites locally; site management on the go uses the Jetpack mobile app.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

A month to start. There is a free plan too

WordPress.com has a free plan. Paid plans start at $4 per site / month, billed yearly ($9 billed monthly).

Free
$0
A wordpress.com subdomain, 1 GB of storage and basic stats, with WordPress.com ads shown to visitors.
Personal
$4
per site / month, billed yearly ($9 billed monthly)
6 GB of storage, no ads, all premium themes, plugin installs and the AI site builder. $2.75 a month if paid every 3 years.
Premium
$8
per site / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)
13 GB of storage, premium stats with UTM tracking, PayPal and Stripe payment buttons and video uploads. $5.50 a month if paid every 3 years.
Business
$25
per site / month, billed yearly ($40 billed monthly)
50 GB, priority support, SFTP/SSH, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments, real-time backups, VideoPress and email marketing to 500 subscribers.
Commerce
$45
per site / month, billed yearly ($70 billed monthly)
Everything in Business plus WooCommerce store extensions, abandoned-cart emails and selling in 60+ countries with no transaction fee.
Enterprise
Custom
WordPress VIP hosting for large organizations, priced through sales.

The free plan

a wordpress.com subdomain, 1 GB of storage, unlimited pages and posts and 7 days of basic stats. Visitors see WordPress.com ads, and plugins need a paid plan.

Read from wordpress.com on Oct 17, 2026.

Ways to pay less

Annual discount
Pay yearly to save 35% to 55% over monthly
Personal is $4 a month billed yearly against $9 monthly; Premium $8 against $18; Business $25 against $40; Commerce $45 against $70.
Stated on wordpress.com
Other savings
Pay every 2 or 3 years for a lower monthly rate
Paying every 3 years brings Personal to $2.75 a month ($99), Premium to $5.50 ($198), Business to $17.50 ($630) and Commerce to $31.50 ($1,134).
Stated on wordpress.com
Other savings
Free domain for the first year
Yearly and multi-year paid plans include a custom domain such as .com, .net or .org free for the first year. Monthly plans do not.
Stated on wordpress.com

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android

Hosted WordPress with themes, plugins and a free plan. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, templates, no-code, email campaigns.

Web, iPhone and Android, plus WordPress Studio on Mac, Windows and Linux for building sites locally.

From our grade for platforms and integrations

Themes and the block editor: Sites are built from free and premium themes in the WordPress block editor, with unlimited pages, posts and users on every plan.
Plugins on every paid plan: Personal and above can install any of more than 60,000 plugins from the marketplace or upload one directly. The free plan cannot.
AI site builder and assistant: A guided builder creates a site through a chat, within usage limits. Business and Commerce add the WordPress AI Assistant for content, design and site management.
Managed hosting and security: Every plan includes a global CDN, SSL, a firewall, malware removal and managed updates. Real-time backups and one-click restores start on Business.
Developer access: Business and Commerce add SFTP and SSH, WP-CLI, Git commands and GitHub deployments. WordPress Studio, a free desktop app, runs WordPress sites locally.
WooCommerce store: Commerce bundles WooCommerce extensions for unlimited products, upsells, bulk discounts and inventory, and accepts 135+ currencies.

Where it runs

Web
macOS
Windows
Linux
iOS
Android

What it works with

WooCommerce
Jetpack
PayPal
Stripe
MailPoet
Titan
GitHub

WordPress.com is made by Automattic Inc.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

30/30

Other website and landing page builders it is graded above

WordPress.com's GPA of 3.4 is higher than 30 of the 30 other website and landing page builders we grade.

It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 30 of 30) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 5).

Its paid plans start at $4 a month, against a middle price of $14 for the category: 2 of the 29 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 31 website and landing page builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. WordPress.com’s own letter is outlined.

AValue for money
Above 29 of 30
CFree plan and trial
Above 5 of 30
AFeatures
Above 29 of 30
BEase of use
Above 27 of 30
APlatforms and integrations
Above 30 of 30

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 30 website and landing page builders. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. WordPress.com is the marked dot.

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace WordPress.com you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.4 is higher than 30 of the 30 other website and landing page builders we grade. It costs $48 a year.

What you could make

Templates: an app builder makes this well.

What you could not

A builder that other people can use without writing code.
Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
It plugs into other products, WooCommerce, Jetpack and PayPal among them.
AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
The depth: we grade its features A, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. WordPress.com’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, GoDaddy Website Builder and Hostinger AI Builder

The 5 tools WordPress.com is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

2.6GPA
Squarespace
Free trial · from $19/mo
Template-based website builder with an online store and invoicing.
- WordPress.com has a free plan. Squarespace does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only WordPress.com lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- WordPress.com also covers no-code and email campaigns.
WordPress.com and Squarespace compared in full
2.8GPA
Wix
Free plan · from $17/mo
Drag-and-drop website builder with an AI agent and business apps.
- Only WordPress.com lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- WordPress.com also covers email campaigns.
- Wix also covers AI agents.
WordPress.com and Wix compared in full
2.4GPA
Webflow
Free plan · from $15/mo
Visual website builder with a CMS, hosting and code-level control.
- Only WordPress.com lists iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- WordPress.com also covers templates and email campaigns.
- Webflow also covers forms.
WordPress.com and Webflow compared in full
2.2GPA
GoDaddy Website Builder
Free plan
Template website builder with marketing tools and a free plan.
- Only WordPress.com lists Android, macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- WordPress.com also covers no-code and email campaigns.
- GoDaddy Website Builder also covers forms.
WordPress.com and GoDaddy Website Builder compared in full
2.6GPA
Hostinger AI Builder
Free trial · from $10.99/mo
AI website and web app builder bundled with Hostinger hosting.
- WordPress.com has a free plan. Hostinger AI Builder does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only WordPress.com lists iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- WordPress.com also covers templates and email campaigns.
WordPress.com and Hostinger AI Builder compared in full

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is WordPress.com free?

WordPress.com has a free plan. a wordpress.com subdomain, 1 GB of storage, unlimited pages and posts and 7 days of basic stats.

How much does WordPress.com cost?

WordPress.com lists 6 plans. Free: $0.

What platforms does WordPress.com work on?

WordPress.com is available on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux.

Does WordPress.com offer any discounts?

WordPress.com publicly lists the following: Pay yearly to save 35% to 55% over monthly; Pay every 2 or 3 years for a lower monthly rate; Free domain for the first year.

How is WordPress.com rated?

WordPress.com's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 22,281 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026.

Is WordPress.com open source?

WordPress.com is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.

What does WordPress.com integrate with?

WordPress.com's listing names WooCommerce, Jetpack, PayPal, Stripe, MailPoet, Titan and GitHub.

Who makes WordPress.com?

WordPress.com is made by Automattic Inc.

What are the alternatives to WordPress.com?

The closest alternatives to WordPress.com in our directory are Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, GoDaddy Website Builder and Hostinger AI Builder.

How does WordPress.com compare with other website and landing page builders?

WordPress.com's GPA of 3.4 is higher than 30 of the 30 other website and landing page builders we grade.

Is WordPress.com good value for money?

ToolGPA grades WordPress.com A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $4 a month, against a middle price of $14 for the category: 2 of the 29 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of WordPress.com?

To replace WordPress.com you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from WordPress.com’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from WordPress.com's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Automattic Inc. Prices change, so check wordpress.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

1,880

Tools graded, in 47 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

1,880
tools graded
47
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "WordPress.com: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/wordpress-com

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The best-graded website and landing page builders after WordPress.com, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

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Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what WordPress.com’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. WordPress.com is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Automattic Inc. Prices and plans change: check wordpress.com before you buy.