Wordpress.com review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
WordPress.com suits beginners and small businesses who want hosting, a site and a store in one account, with paid plans starting at $9 a month. Watch the store side of the bill, because the ecommerce plan costs $70 and transaction fees run 0% to 10%.
Key facts
- Best for
- One account for a free site, paid hosting and a store
- Price from
- $9 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- E-commerce plan price
- $70 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Transaction fee
- 0% to 10% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Builder type
- Site, Store (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Automattic Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2005 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre, Chat, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free plan
- Official website
- wordpress.com
Web hosting
- Intro price
- $2.75 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Hosting types
- Managed WordPress hosting, Free hosted website, Ecommerce hosting, Agency hosting, Enterprise hosting (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 14 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Free-SSL, Backups, Staging, CDN, Email (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Uptime guarantee
- 99.99% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Data centres
- 28+ data centers, 6 continents (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Intro price term (months)
- 36 months (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Automattic Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2005 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre, Chat, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free plan
Domain registrars
- Free WHOIS privacy
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Domain endings
- from 350 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 14 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Automattic Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2005 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre, Chat, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free plan
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
Pros and cons
Pros
- A free plan is included, so a first site can go live before you pay anything.
- Features bundle free ssl, backups and staging into the plans instead of selling them as add-ons.
- Hosting is spread across 28+ data centers and 6 continents and carries an uptime guarantee of 99.99%.
- Hosting types cover managed WordPress hosting, free hosted website and ecommerce hosting, so one account stretches from a first site to agency work.
Cons
- Transaction fees of 0% to 10% apply, so payment costs can land on top of the plan.
- The ecommerce plan costs $70, above the field median €11.40.
- Support runs on help centre, chat and community only, so there is no phone line for problems that need a person fast.
Who it suits
- First-time site owners who want hosting handled for them on a free plan.
- Small businesses selling online who want the site and the store in one place.
- Buyers who care about included security, backups and uptime rather than add-on pricing.
Who should look elsewhere
- Ko-fi, if you mainly need a storefront and payments, with plans from $12.
- Mitienda Uruguay, if you bill in Uruguayan pesos, with plans from UYU 400.
- Shafrik, if your budget is in West African CFA francs, with plans from XOF 9,900.
Plans and pricing
WordPress.com runs a free plan for the basics, so you can put a site online before you pay. Paid plans start at $9 a month, and the ecommerce plan, which adds store tools, is priced at $70. Transaction fees run 0% to 10%, so what you take in payments decides the real cost of selling.
How Wordpress.com compares
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.2- 9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 8.6- 9.1 vs 9.4
- 9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.2- 9.1 vs 9.1
- 9.1 vs 9.2
- 9.1 vs 8.6
- 9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 9.5
9.1 vs 9.4
9.1 vs 9.4
9.1 vs 9.3- 9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.1
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free plan on WordPress.com?+
Yes, a free plan is included for a basic site, so you can publish before you pay. When you outgrow it, paid plans start at $9 a month, and the plan you pick decides which extras such as staging and email you get.
What does hosting cost, and what applies after the intro term?+
Hosting intro pricing sits at $2.75 over a 36 term, and paid plans start at $9 a month. That introductory rate covers the stated term only, so check the figure you would pay on renewal before you commit.
How much is the store plan?+
The ecommerce plan is priced at $70, and the median for that plan across the field is €11.40. Transaction fees run 0% to 10%, so the volume you take can matter as much as the plan itself.
What comes included with hosting?+
The plans list free ssl, backups and staging as part of the package, so free SSL, backups, staging, a CDN and email sit in the plan rather than as separate purchases. The uptime promise behind that hosting is 99.99%.
How do you get help?+
Support runs on help centre, chat and community, so you get a help centre, chat and a community forum. There is no phone line among help centre, chat and community, so keep your own notes for anything unusual.
Where does the hosting run?+
Hosting spans 28+ data centers and 6 continents, and the uptime guarantee is 99.99%. The company behind it is Automattic Inc., registered in the US and running since 2005, so a site can be placed near most of your visitors.
Can I register a domain with my site?+
Domains sit in the same account, with from 350 to choose from and free WHOIS privacy included. Budget the name on top of the $9 plan, so the entry price is not the whole bill when you want your own address.
Can I get my money back if hosting is not right for me?+
Hosting plans carry a 14 money-back window, and the median across the site is 30, so you can try the service on your own site before you commit to it longer.
Sources
- automattic.com/about checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience
“to democratize publishing, commerce, and messaging so anyone with a story can tell it, anyone with a product can sell it”
- automattic.com/affiliates checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Domain endings
“350+ domain extensions from .com to specialty top-level domains”
- automattic.com/press checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters, Legal entity
“Founded: August 2005”
- wordpress.com/hosting checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Data centres, Hosting types, Intro price, Intro price term (months), Money-back period, Uptime guarantee
“A global CDN across 28+ data centers on 6 continents serves your content from the location closest to each visitor.”
- wordpress.com/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: E-commerce plan price, Features, Free plan, Pricing model, Price from, Transaction fee
“Commerce US$70 per month”
- wordpress.com/support/contact checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“Get answers from our AI assistant, with access to 24/7 expert human support on paid plans”
- wordpress.com/support/domains/domain-registrations-and-pr... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free WHOIS privacy
“All domains registered at WordPress.com come with privacy protection free of charge”
- wordpress.com/themes checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Builder type
“Choose from thousands of free and premium themes to launch your blog, portfolio, store, or business”
Compiled from 8 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.