Short answer. An author website on WordPress needs three things: the WordPress software, which is free, a theme, which can be free, and hosting with a domain, which you pay for every year. The trap is renewal. One host we checked charges $3.99 a month in year one and $17.99 after, so look at the three-year total.
Key points
- WordPress itself is free software. You pay for hosting and a domain.
- Free themes from the WordPress.org directory are enough for an author site.
- SiteGround's StartUp plan: $3.99 a month for the first 12 months, then $17.99 (ex VAT, read 13 Oct 2026).
- WordPress.com is a different product from WordPress.org: it runs the hosting for you. Its Personal plan is $4 a month billed yearly, with a free domain for one year.
- If you hire the build, ours is a one-time $449 or $849 for an author website in WordPress, in your own account.
Why build an author website on WordPress?
Because you can leave. WordPress is free software that almost any web person can work on, so if you change designers, or a friend wants to update a cover, they log in and do it. Nothing has to be rebuilt. A closed site builder can be cheaper to start and harder to move later. Our own site, cleanpagepress.com, runs on WordPress.
What does the WordPress software cost?
Nothing. WordPress.org gives the software away under an open license, and its theme directory lists free themes anyone can install. The money goes to hosting, the domain and, if you want one, a paid theme or a designer. For an author site with books, a bio and a form, a free theme does the job.
There are two things called WordPress, and the prices below cover both. WordPress.org is the free software you install on a host such as SiteGround; you pick the host, and you can add any theme or plugin. WordPress.com is a hosted service: one plan price, and its pricing page says the plans are "fully managed with no separate hosting bill." On 13 October 2026 that page also said plugin installation is on every paid plan, Personal included. So on our numbers the cheaper row is a different kind of hosting, not the same thing for less. Check that your mailing list provider's form works with whichever you pick before you pay.
How much is hosting for an author website on WordPress?
It depends on the host and the year. SiteGround's StartUp plan, read on 13 October 2026, is $3.99 a month prepaid for 12 months, then "Renews at $17.99/mo." WordPress.com Personal is $4 a month billed yearly and includes a free domain for the first year. Both prices are as listed that day.
The first-year price is the one in the advert. The renewal price is the one you live with.
What does an author website on WordPress cost over three years?
Here is the hosting alone, at the prices listed on 13 October 2026, before tax:
| Hosting | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Three years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SiteGround StartUp | $47.88 | $215.88 | $215.88 | $479.64 |
| WordPress.com Personal (hosted for you) | $48 | $48 | $48 | $144 |
The WordPress.com row assumes the price stays the same at renewal, which its pricing page did not promise. SiteGround's price does not include a domain, so add one from year one; the free WordPress.com domain ends after year one. Add the build, once: your own time, or $449 or $849 from us.
Is the cheapest hosting the right pick?
Not always. Check three things before you buy: the renewal price, whether the domain is in your name, and whether you can add another user to the account so a designer can work without your password. Our post on what an author website costs explains why we build inside your account and never resell hosting.
Which theme should an author use?
A plain, fast theme with good phone layouts. You do not need one built for authors. You need covers that line up, a readable bio and a form that works on a small screen. Pick the theme last, after you know which author website pages you need.
What did building our own WordPress site teach us?
That blocks in the wrong order can bury a button on a phone. When our own site's first buttons sat too low on a phone screen, the theme was not broken. The order of the blocks was. We fixed the order, and we now check every author site at phone width before the author sees it.
How we do it for you: you buy the hosting and domain in your own name, add us as a user, and we build and phone-check the site. Tell us about your books and we reply with a page plan and the price.
Can you build it yourself?
Yes. With a free theme, a weekend and the hosting above, the cost is hosting, the domain and your time. If you get stuck on the phone layout, that is the part most worth paying for. Our post on one-page vs five-page author websites helps you size the job first.
What else do authors ask about WordPress author websites?
The software is. Hosting and the domain are not.
SiteGround StartUp renews at $17.99 a month after a $3.99 first year, as listed on 13 October 2026.
No. A free theme from the WordPress.org directory is enough for books, a bio and a form.
You, in your own name, so the site stays yours.
$449 for one page or $849 for five from us, one time, plus your hosting.
What should you do next?
Before you pay for hosting, find the renewal price on the plan page and multiply it by 24. Add the first year. That is your real three-year cost. When you have hosting, start on our author website page.
