WordPress's 2026 Sticker Shock: $1,200 to $9,700 Real Annual Costs
Your WordPress site isn't free—it's a $1,200 to $9,700 annual trap. Hosting renewals balloon 320%, plugins spike post-acquisition, and vulnerabilities explode.
theAIcatchupApr 08, 20263 min read
⚡ Key Takeaways
Hosting renewals average 320% markup over intro prices𝕏
Plugin costs up 15-167% after acquisitions by holding companies𝕏
11,334 new vulnerabilities in 2025 signal massive maintenance burden𝕏
The 60-Second TL;DR
Hosting renewals average 320% markup over intro prices
Plugin costs up 15-167% after acquisitions by holding companies
11,334 new vulnerabilities in 2025 signal massive maintenance burden