One of the parts of WordPress that can problematize people is whether WordPress is free.

The answer can be complex, which is why people get confusing. A WordPress site can be free or have some cost attached, like WordPress plugins and WordPress themes. However, the WordPress software itself is free and always will be. Furthermore, this is not just about the financial cost of WordPress: it is also free in the sense that you are free to amend and extend it and use it as you wish.

Is WordPress Free? Key Facts to Know:

WordPress is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Anyone can download, edit, customize, use, and even sell the code if they release it under the GPL license.

The software itself is free, but you must pay for:

• Hosting
• support
• Updates of premium plugins/themes
• Premium themes
• Premium plugins

In this post, I will respond to these questions:

• Is WordPress free?
• Why is WordPress free?
• Which parts of WordPress are not free?

Free 

WordPress software is free. You can download a free WordPress version, and once you get it, you can use it or modify it as you see fit.

The software is published under the GNU (or GPL) General Public License, which is downloadable and free to change and use. This kind of software program is known as open-source.

The main parts of this license can be as follows:

1-You can use WordPress as you want, without limitations.

2-You can customize anything in WordPress with no limitations.

3-You can rebrand, repackage, sell and distribute WordPress with no limitations, but it is also under the GPL license.

The third point is essential. You can take WordPress, change it, repackage it, and sell it to other individuals at a profit, as long as you apply for the GPL license. This means your customers can pay for the code, but you have to give them access to it so they can change it themselves.

You can then download WordPress and change the code to create it work differently. WordPress began similar when Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little used and modified another open-source blogging system in 2003.

They created WordPress – originally still a blogging platform, but it has changed its content management system over the years.

Although you can change the WordPress core code, this is not good. If you want to change the core of WordPress, the best ways are to Create a Custom WordPress Plugin From Scratch or use an existing plugin.

In this way, when you update your WordPress, your codes are not missed because they are in your plugin.

Free2

WordPress will remain free because any company does not own it. It is owned by the nonprofit organization: “WordPress Foundation,” which was created to provide free access to the software. The WordPress Foundation does not make money by creating WordPress – it is all volunteer work. Its job is to provide a solid foundation for future generations and educate people about WordPress and its free software.

WordPress has so many plugins. Some are for free, and some are not. If you download or purchase the plugin, you are free to modify it.

How is WordPress funded?

Now that you have learned that a non-profit foundation runs WordPress and that hundreds of developers contribute on a free code basis, you may be wondering how this can happen.

After all, hosting a WordPress.org website itself costs money. Managing the infrastructure that allows big teams to work together on WordPress is expensive. And it takes time to impress people.

The reality is that thousands of companies, developers, and fans benefit from WordPress. They realize that without the support of people like themselves, WordPress wouldn’t exist, and they wouldn’t have this excellent software with which they earn a living. They prefer to give something back to the WordPress society: by contributing to the codebase and delivering support via the WordPress support forums.

How To Get A Free WordPress Website

One way to get free WordPress is to sign up for the free WordPress.com program. Automatic, a private company owns WordPress.com: it offers millions of websites on its servers, and if you join a free plan, you can get it for free.

There are restrictions. You do not have access to the code, you are limited in the themes you can use, and you do not have the permit to plug-ins. You can not use your domain name, and your site will include ads that you have no management over.

This is not a concern for some users, and they appreciate using WordPress.com to support their blog or a portfolio website. But if you want a full website, then you require more.

On the other hand, You can use paid WordPress.com plans. In this case, you can use your domain. But yet do not have access to your site code. That’s why it’s so professional to implement your WordPress site on your host. This will allow you to personalize your site completely. This is exactly what we do for our customers.