A WordPress website has two kinds of cost. The first is running costs: the hosting and domain that keep the site online, any paid themes or plugins, and ongoing maintenance. The second is the one-off development cost of designing and building the site. WordPress itself is free, open-source software, so the total depends almost entirely on the site you need.
With Shreeji Software, WordPress website development starts at $699 for a Starter site, $1,499 for a Business site and $2,999+ for a Custom build, and WooCommerce stores use our eCommerce packages, which start at $1,199. Running costs are separate and paid to your providers. This guide explains each cost, what changes the price and how to get an accurate quote.
WordPress website cost at a glance
| Cost | What it covers | Who you pay | One-off or ongoing |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress software | The content management system itself | Nobody: it is free and open source | Free |
| Hosting | The server that runs your website | Your hosting provider | Ongoing |
| Domain | Your website address | Your domain registrar | Ongoing (renewed) |
| Theme | The design framework, free or paid | The theme developer, if paid | Free, one-off or renewing license |
| Plugins | Extra features such as forms, SEO, booking or eCommerce | Plugin developers, if paid | Free, one-off or renewing license |
| Payment processing | Card and wallet payments, for online stores | Your payment provider | Per transaction |
| Design and development | Planning, design, build, content upload and testing | Your developer or agency | One-off |
| Maintenance | Updates, backups, security checks and small changes | You, your developer or a care plan | Ongoing |
WordPress running costs
The WordPress software
WordPress is open-source software licensed under the GPL, and you can download it for free. There is no license fee for the core software, whatever the size of your business.
Hosting and domain
To run a self-hosted WordPress website, you need your own hosting and a domain. WordPress.org recommends a host that supports PHP 8.3 or greater, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11 or greater, and HTTPS. Hosting plans range from basic shared hosting to managed WordPress and dedicated servers, and the right choice depends on your traffic, the number of plugins and whether you run an online store. Domains are renewed regularly, so treat both as ongoing costs.
Themes
Many good themes are free. Paid themes add more layouts, settings and support, and some are sold as a one-off purchase while others renew. A custom design is built around your brand rather than a template, which affects the development cost rather than a theme fee.
Plugins
Plugins add features such as contact forms, SEO settings, caching, booking, memberships and eCommerce. Many are free; premium plugins and add-ons are paid, and licensing terms differ between developers, so check whether each license is one-off or renews before you commit. Our guide to essential WordPress plugins for business websites covers the common choices.
Payment processing for online stores
If you sell online, your payment provider charges processing fees on each transaction. WooCommerce, the eCommerce plugin for WordPress, is free, but the payment gateway you connect to it sets its own fees, which vary by provider, country and currency.
What affects WordPress development cost
Development is usually the largest one-off cost, and it depends on scope. These factors change the price most:
- Number of pages and templates: a five-page brochure site needs far less design and testing than a site with many page types.
- Theme setup or custom design: configuring a premium theme is quicker than designing every page around your brand.
- Page building: Elementor or block-editor builds that your team can edit, with advanced sections where needed.
- Content: whether your text and images are ready, and how much content needs to be uploaded.
- Forms and integrations: enquiry forms, email marketing, CRM, analytics and other tools you want connected.
- Advanced functionality: booking, memberships, APIs or custom features built for your business.
- eCommerce: whether you sell a few products or run a full WooCommerce store.
- Redesign or migration: moving content, keeping URLs and protecting search visibility.
- Performance and SEO foundations: speed optimization and a technical SEO setup.
- Timeline: tight deadlines can change how the work is planned.
WordPress website costs by type of site
Simple business website
A small business that needs a professional presence, such as a service company or consultant, often needs a handful of pages, a contact form and a clean, responsive design. Our Starter package ($699) covers up to 5 pages with WordPress setup, premium theme configuration, responsive design, contact forms, basic SEO setup, essential plugin configuration, content upload and speed basics.
Growing business website
Brands with more content usually want a custom design, a blog and connected tools. Our Business package ($1,499) covers up to 10 pages with custom WordPress design, Elementor or block-editor development, advanced sections, blog setup, forms and integrations, an SEO-ready structure, performance optimization and analytics integration.
Custom website with advanced functionality
Some businesses need more than pages: booking, memberships, API connections or a fully custom build. Our Custom package ($2,999+) includes a fully custom WordPress website, advanced functionality, custom integrations, membership, booking or API features where required, advanced performance optimization, migration support and a technical SEO foundation. A business website that also sells a few products may fit here, with WooCommerce added where required.
WooCommerce online store
When the website is mainly a store, the build uses our eCommerce packages, because product structure, payments, shipping and conversion matter more than page count:
- Starter ($1,199): store setup, responsive storefront, up to 10 products, payment integration, shipping setup and essential plugins
- Growth ($2,499): custom eCommerce design, up to 30 products, advanced product and collection UX, payment and shipping integrations, speed optimization and SEO foundation
- Scale ($4,999+): advanced eCommerce development, custom storefront, ERP, CRM and API integrations where required, advanced product functionality, migration support and technical SEO
There is no single WooCommerce price. The number of products and variations, payment and shipping rules, integrations and custom features all change the scope, so every store is quoted after we review your requirements.
Redesigning an existing WordPress site
If you already have a WordPress website, a redesign can either refresh the current installation or rebuild it cleanly. The cost depends on how much content moves across, whether the page structure changes and how much custom functionality the old site has. A good redesign keeps your content and URLs where they still make sense, and redirects the ones that change, so you protect the search visibility you have already earned. Bring a list of your most-visited pages and any features you rely on, so they are not missed in the new design.
Shreeji Software's WordPress pricing explained
Our WordPress development prices are starting prices for design and development:
| Package | Starts at | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $699 | Small businesses that need a professional website, up to 5 pages |
| Business | $1,499 | Growing brands with more content and custom design, up to 10 pages |
| Custom | $2,999+ | Advanced functionality, integrations and WooCommerce where required |
These are one-off development fees. They do not include hosting, your domain, paid themes or plugin licenses, payment processing fees or ongoing maintenance, which you pay directly or agree separately. The site includes 7 days of free post-launch support. Final pricing depends on your scope and requirements, so we confirm the price after reviewing what you need.
Ongoing costs after launch
Once the site is live, budget for:
- Hosting and domain renewals
- Theme and plugin licenses that renew, if you use paid ones
- Maintenance: WordPress, theme and plugin updates, backups, security checks and small content changes
- New features or pages as your business grows
You can handle maintenance in-house, ask us about a care plan, which is quoted separately, or hire a dedicated WordPress developer if you have a steady stream of updates and new features.
Common WordPress budgeting mistakes
- Budgeting only for the build. Hosting, the domain, licenses and maintenance continue after launch, so plan for them from the start.
- Choosing hosting on price alone. An online store or a busy site needs hosting that matches its traffic and plugins; very basic plans can slow the site down as it grows.
- Installing more plugins than you need. Every plugin adds updates to manage and another possible conflict. Use plugins for clear needs, and remove the ones you no longer use.
- Leaving content until the end. Missing text and images are a common cause of delays. Prepare content early, or agree in advance who will write it.
- Skipping maintenance. Outdated WordPress, themes and plugins are harder and more expensive to fix later than to keep up to date.
- Not keeping accounts in your name. Register the domain, hosting and paid licenses to your business, so you stay in control. With Shreeji Software, every design and line of code created for your project belongs to you once it is paid for.
When WordPress is the right choice
WordPress suits businesses that want full control of their website and content: service businesses, B2B companies, publishers and brands that rely on content marketing. It is flexible enough for custom features, and your team can update pages without a developer once the site is set up.
It is less suitable if you want hosting, security and updates handled entirely for you. For a store, that is the main trade-off between WooCommerce and a hosted platform, which our Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison explains in detail. If you are pricing a hosted store instead, see our Shopify store cost guide.
How to get an accurate WordPress quote
The more clearly you describe the project, the more accurate the quote. Before you ask for one, prepare:
- A list of the pages you need, or a rough sitemap
- Whether your content (text, images, logo) is ready
- Two or three websites you like, and what you like about them
- The features you need: forms, booking, memberships, blog, multiple languages
- The tools to connect, such as your CRM, email marketing or analytics
- For a store: the number of products, variations, payment methods and shipping rules
- Whether you already have hosting and a domain
- Your timeline and a budget range
Building your WordPress website with Shreeji Software
Shreeji Software is an in-house team with more than 15 years of experience building websites and online stores. We plan, design and build custom WordPress websites and WooCommerce stores, connect your tools and train your team to manage the content. See our WordPress development services, or browse real WordPress sites in our portfolio.
