Myth: "WordPress is free, so building a site costs nothing"

Myth: "WordPress is free, so building a site costs nothing"

The WordPress software itself is genuinely free, and that's wonderful. But "free software" and "free website" are two different things, and beginners often get surprised.

To actually put your site online you'll need:
— A domain (your web address, like yoursite.com) around 10 to 15 dollars a year
— Hosting (the company that stores your site) often 50 to 150 dollars a year
— Sometimes a paid theme or plugin for features you want

Think of WordPress as a free recipe. The recipe costs nothing, but you still buy the ingredients.

None of this is a scam, it's just the real cost of being online. Budget around 100 dollars for your first year and you'll be comfortable.

In plain words: free software, paid address and storage.