What does a WordPress site really cost to run each year?
WordPress itself costs nothing to download. That is why the yearly bill catches so many owners by surprise. The cost sits in everything around it, such as hosting, the domain name, a care plan, paid plugin licences and the odd repair. Most owners pay these in separate small amounts through the year and never see them as one total. Below is each line item and a way to add up your own real number.
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The short answer
WordPress costs nothing to download, but running a WordPress site has a yearly bill. It is made up of hosting, the domain name, a care plan for updates and backups, yearly licences for paid plugins, the theme and any page builder, plus repair bills in a bad year. To find your own figure, add up last year's invoices and card charges. WaTo Consulting in Adelaide suggests dividing that total by 12, then comparing it with a code site, which has only hosting, a domain and paid changes.
What goes into the yearly bill
Hosting
Hosting is the rented space on a computer that keeps your site on the internet. It is billed by the month or the year. WordPress needs a database and regular housekeeping, so some hosts sell a dearer plan built for it.
The domain name
Your domain name is your web address, like yourbusiness.com.au. It renews every year or every few years. It is a small amount, but it is often billed by a different company from your hosting, so it gets missed in the count.
A care or maintenance plan
WordPress, the theme and each plugin need regular updates. A care plan pays someone to run those updates, keep backups and check the site for security problems. If you do this yourself, the cost is your own time.
Yearly licences
Plugins are add-ons that give the site extra features. Many of them are paid for by the year. So are many themes, which control the look, and page builders, which make the layouts. Each one is a separate renewal.
A security or backup add-on
Some sites pay for a separate security service or an off-site backup service on top of the hosting. Check whether your care plan or your host already covers the same job, because some owners pay for it twice.
The unplanned ones
Emergency repairs and hack clean-ups do not come with a renewal date. They turn up as a one-off invoice after an update clashes or someone breaks in. Our guide on why WordPress sites break explains the usual causes.
Who this guide is for
- You own a WordPress site and have never seen all of its costs added up in one place.
- A plugin or theme renewal has just arrived and it is dearer than you remember.
- You are about to pay for a new WordPress site and want to know what it costs after the build.
- You are deciding whether to keep your current site or replace it, and need a real number to compare.
How to add up your own number
- Gather last year's invoices and card statements. Go back a full 12 months. Search your email for the words renewal, licence, subscription and hosting. Then check the business card statement, because many plugin makers bill in US dollars and send only a short receipt.
- List every renewal. Write down each item, who bills it, how much it was and when it comes around again. Include the hosting, the domain name, the care plan and every plugin, theme or page builder licence you can find.
- Check whose account each licence is in. Licences often sit in the original developer's account. You may be paying through their invoice, or the licence may have lapsed without anyone telling you. Ask your developer for a list. A lapsed licence is a cost you have not been charged yet.
- Allow for the renewal price. Many licences are discounted for the first year and dearer when they renew. If the site is less than a year old, look up the renewal price on the maker's website and use that figure, not the one you paid at the start.
- Add the repair bills, then divide by 12. Put in any emergency repair or clean-up invoices from the same 12 months. Add the lot together and divide by 12. That monthly figure is what the site really costs you, and it is the number to compare against any other option.
How a code site compares, and how WaTo can help
- A code site is plain web pages without plugins or a database. Its running costs are hosting, the domain name and paid changes when you want them. There are no licences to renew and there is no update round. A suggested starting range to build a small one of 3 to 5 pages is $3,000 to $3,500 plus GST.
- WordPress earns its running cost on the right site. A shop or a membership site needs things a code site does not do, and the licences and upkeep pay for real features. A suggested starting range for a WordPress build with us is $7,000 to $10,000 plus GST. Our website platforms page compares the choices.
- If you keep the site, we can look after it. A website maintenance plan covers the updates, backups and security checks. Managed WordPress hosting puts the hosting and the care under one bill, which makes next year's count simpler.
- If the number looks high for what the site does, our WordPress rebuild turns a typical site into a code site in about a week. We will not promise a saving. Bring your yearly figure and we will go through it with you.
- We maintain, host and repair WordPress sites, and we also rebuild them. Hosting is on our own Australian servers. We have been Adelaide owned and operated since 2001.
Related questions
Is WordPress really free?
The WordPress software is free to download and use. A working business site needs more than the software. It needs hosting, a domain name, usually some paid plugins or a paid theme, and someone to keep it all updated. Those are where the yearly cost comes from.
Why did my plugin renewal cost more than last year?
Many plugin and theme makers discount the first year to win new customers, then charge the full price on renewal. That is a normal way to sell software and the full price is usually shown on their website. It does mean the first year is a poor guide to what the site costs after that.
Can I cut the cost by skipping the updates or the care plan?
You can, and the bill goes down for a while. The risk goes up, because a site that is not updated builds up known security holes. One clean-up can cost more than the care you skipped. Our guide on keeping WordPress updated covers why.
Who owns the licences on my site?
Whoever's account they were bought in. Often that is the developer who built the site, which is convenient until you part ways. Ask for a list of every licence, the account it is in and its renewal date. If you ever move the site, you will need to buy or transfer them.
Is a code site always cheaper to run?
Not always, and we will not promise it is. A code site has fewer bills, but each change is paid work, so a site that changes every week can cost more that way. Our guide on your options for leaving WordPress compares the paths.
What is a normal yearly cost for a WordPress site in Australia?
It varies too much for one honest figure. A small site with two paid plugins costs far less to run than a shop with a dozen. The host, the care plan and the number of licences all move the total. Your own invoices give a better answer than any average.
How WaTo can help with this
Want a second pair of eyes on your number?
Once you have added up what your WordPress site costs each year, get in touch or call us on (08) 7123 0805 to book a call. Tell us the figure, what the site does and how often it changes. We can then talk through whether to keep it as it is, have it maintained or rebuild it.
Mon to Fri, 8:30am to 5pm
