Wondering how much does it cost to start a blog in 2025?
Or how much does it cost to build a self-hosted WordPress blog?
If yes, you are in the right place.
The question I got from my audience when I refer to starting a blog is the start-up cost. So this post is an official answer to the question so that in the future I send them directly to this page.
You need money to make money. Right?
No matters the business you want to start (online or offline) you will need a start-up capital to get started.
Thankfully, starting a blog or online business doesn’t cost a lot of money like brick and mortar businesses.
While certain starters though to start a free blog or website with a free blogging platform like Blogger, WordPress.com (just to name a few) is a great idea, I think that if you want to really build a profitable blogging business, building your business home on rented land is not the best way to go.
Unless it is a hobby blog, you will need not only to get a few bucks out of your pocket to invest but also to decide where you spend your money to get your business up and rolling.
It is not an option, but a necessity.
Though you are aware and you want to really start a blog that can generate cash flow for you.
Hence the question…
how much does it take to create a self-hosted website on WordPress?
But before we get to the point and try to figure out the real cost of starting a blog, let me be honest with you.
There is no standard answer to this question because it depends on the way you want to start.
The cost can be under $100 or $500 +.
But don’t worry! I will be answering this answer with low-budget starters in and high-budget starters in mind.
But first and foremost,…
What is a self-hosted blog?
WordPress is a free CSM (Content Management System) everyone can use. But in order to get a website or blog live and be found on the world wide web space and also be accessible to your audience or readers, you have to host it on a server.
So…
A self-hosted blog means you host your blog files on your own private server (the costly way) or you host it on a third-party web host provider’s server (the lowest cost).
In other words, self-host your blog means building your blog by installing WordPress.org either on your own server or on a third-party web host provider server in exchange for a small hosting fee.
If you are on a budget and you want to self-host your blog, using web host providers like Bluehost or Hostgator is a great idea. They offer quality service for a low entrance fee.
Recommended: Top best web host providers for bloggers.
What is required to start a self-hosted WordPress blog?
To start a self-hosted web host, you need mainly 2 things:
A domain name: A domain name is your address on the internet. This is the way internet users can find you online. It is what people can tape on their browser and access to your site.
The mine is sowyourseedtoday.com. And anyone who tape this address on Google land directly on my website.
Recommended: how to choose a domain name for your blog?
A web hosting: A web hosting is a service that hosts your website files (images, text, videos, etc) on their servers and also keeps it live and accessible to your audience 24/7. Without a web host, no one can access your site.
If you have a domain name and don’t have a web host provider to host your site, you don’t have a website.
If you have a web host and don’t have a domain name you don’t have a self-hosted website.
Now you know what is required to build a self-hosted WordPress blog, let’s now find out how much does it cost to start a blog with WordPress.
I am on a budget – how much does it cost for me?
If you are on a budget and you want to start your own blog you just need a domain name and web hosting service as explained above.
Domain name varies from company. And it goes the same for web hosting.
Plus for hosting, there are several hosting packages to choose from and how much it will cost you to get started depends on the hosting plan you choose.
We will use Bluehost and HostGator for this guide.
In this guide, I will be using the basic plan and these 2 web hosting companies as references so that you can choose the best one that fits your budget.
Web hosting cost with Bluehost ($68.46 – 71.28)
Bluehost is a reliable and popular web host out there.
Its basic plan costs $$2.95 per month if you decide to pay for 3 years. That I found enough to monetize your site and don’t have to get money out of your pocket to pay at the renewal.
As you can see, for 3 years of hosting with Bluehost, you just pay $118.08 and that includes a domain name.
If you choose to pay for one year, it will cost you about $72 (a domain name included).
PS: Domain privacy protects your privacy from the public. So it is important to check this box.
PSS: You can instead of registering your domain name with Bluehost register it with a stand-alone domain name registrar company like NameCheap.
It costs only $9.06 per year (ICAN fee included)/ The best part is that what Bluehost charges for $11.88 or year, you get it free with Namecheap.
Register your domain name with Namecheap here!
You will be saving more money if you choose this option. But if you want to have all your eggs in one basket or to avoid the hassle of logging in here and there to manage your business, you can register your domain name with Bluehost when creating your hosting account.
To sum up, here is the cost to get started with Bluehost based on your choice:
Going with Bluehost for domain name + hosting for 1-year costs around $72 and around $118.08 for 3 years of hosting. With this choice, you save yourself the hassle of managing your business from multiple accounts.
Going with Namecheap for domain name + Bluehost for hosting costs about $68.46 for one year and about $115.26. This choice saves you more money in the short and even long term as the renewal price of your domain name is the same.
PSSS: Bluehost from time to time offers a discount on hosting. When creating your account, you can see a pop-up like this one below.
As you can see, the Bluehost discount can go up to 70%. With this discount, you pay $2.65 per month instead of $2.95. All you have to do is to click on the “claim savings” button.
With this discount, you will be paying only $35.40 for the first year.
To have an idea of how much it costs to start a self-hosted blog with Bluehost, you have to make the calculation with the discount price instead.
Update: Bluehost offer a discount (70% Off) at the time of this update. That is $2.95 per month ($35.40 for your first year).
How much does it cost to start a blog with Hostgator?
Just like with Bluehost, the start-up cost of your self-hosted blog with Hostgator depends on the hosting plans you choose, and also either you want to register your domain name with Namecheap or with HostGator on the go.
A self-hosted blog costs with HostGator for 3 years costs about $121.29 (domain name included).
If you choose to pay for one year, it will cost you about $66.47 (a domain name included).
Now if you choose to register your domain name on Namecheap and then point it to the HostGator servers to create your website, you have to replace the $14.95 add-on fee with $9.06 (your domain name cost on Namecheap).
Remember I told you in the previous section that you get free domain privacy protection or whois guard with Namecheap.
Going with HostGator for domain name + hosting for 1-year costs around $66.47 and around $121.46 for 3 years of hosting.
Going with Namecheap for domain name + HostGator for hosting for 1-year costs around $56.46 and around $107.89 for 3 years of hosting.
For this guide, I will stop here. But if you want to continue with the price comparison to find out which one is the cheapest to choose, you can check out my top best web hosting provider for small businesses.
I am not on a budget – how much does it cost for me?
If you are not on a budget and you want to start a self-hosted WordPress blog, there are certain add-ons or extra services you can add to your business start-up cost.
Know that blogging is a business. And the more you invest in it (time, money, and energy), the higher the return.
So if you are capable to invest in your blogging business on the go, do it.
Also, note that it is not the tools that will make your business profitable, but it helps. The most important thing is the way you work and treat your business.
Though if you are ready to invest a lot of money in your business, you are ready to put the work in too.
Here is what you can add to your blogging business start-up cost to “speed up your success”:
- Education,
- A premium WordPress theme,
- A WordPress premium keyword research tool,
- An email marketing tool,
SEO & affiliate marketing training cost (price varies)
Education is important for your business success. If you don’t have money to invest, you have to learn things by yourself with free resources out there on the web for free.
But if you have money to invest in your education on day one, go for it. It will save you costly mistakes and speed up your paths to success.
Unfortunately, there is no standard cost for training because the price varies from one company to another one.
You can check out my top best affiliate marketing training courses to pick one and get started.
Invest in A premium WordPress theme ($47 – $69)
Investing in premium WordPress is also a good idea as it offers you good performance and more features to build a nice-looking site.
A premium WordPress theme price range from $47 to $69.
Personally, I use Astra Pro because:
- it offers good performance,
- it offers many customization options,
- it is a fast-loading and highlight WordPress theme,
- it was built with a good SEO in mind,
- it is a mobile-friendly theme.
You can read my Astra Pro theme review for more information.
Premium keyword research costs ($25 per month to $99 per month)
A keyword research tool is a blogging tool you must consider if you are not tight on budget.
There are free keyword research tools like Ubersuggest to use. But as you know free tools are some limitations.
Investing in a premium keyword research tool is worth it and it will help you to grow your business faster.
Here are premium keyword research tools to consider if you have money to invest in.
Jaaxy powered by Wealthy Affiliate,
PS: If money is not an issue to start your business, I suggest you go with Wealthy Affiliate. You will not only save more money but also be getting more value for your money.
It is an all-in-one platform where you get:
- access to an evergreen affiliate marketing training and SEO course,
- Weekly webinars,
- A managed WordPress hosting that is better than shared hosting,
- a premium keyword research tool ($19 per month value),
- Online entrepreneurs community for networking, and more.
This is the platform I use myself and it costs only $49 per month. It also offers a yearly membership that costs $495 and an option to try it for free.
You can read my Wealthy Affiliate unbiased review for more information.
Invest in an email marketing tool
An email marketing tool will help you to build an email list and engage your future readers with email marketing.
While you need readers in order to be able to generate leads, I suggest you set up your lead generation campaign on the go.
Note that for every visitor you get on your website, the chance you have to him back on your site is relatively low.
But once you have the email address of this visitor, you can send an email to him each time to publish a new blog post.
It is this way you will build an engaging audience for your business.
Thankfully there are free email marketing tools like Aweber, Getresponse, Mailchimp, and Moosend you can use to build your email list for free.
In case you want to access for feature, you can upgrade to the premium version.
FAQs
What is a self-hosted WordPress blog?
A self-hosted WordPress blog is a website built with WorsPress.org and hosted on your own server or a third-party hosting provider’s server and built with your own domain name.
How to start a self-hosted blog on WordPress?
To start a self-hosted blog on WordPress, you just need a domain name and a web host that will store your website files on their servers and also make it live 24/7. You can start a WordPress blog with Bluehost by following my complete guide.
What are the best hosting providers to start a blog?
There are many web hosting providers out there and most of them offer great features. The best one to choose depends on your budget and the features you value the most. You can check out my top best web hosting providers for small businesses to pick one and get started.
How much does it cost to start a blog in Nigeria?
The start-up cost for a blog is not more than $100 for one year – no matter if you are in Nigeria or in India. You can see with the example above that even with under $70 you can start a blog.
Does it cost money to become a blogger?
The short answer is yes and no. Yes, if you want to make money with your blog and want to treat it as a business. No, in case you just want to be a hobby blogger. Note that you can be a blogger using a free blogging platform like wordpress.com or blogger. But you are limited in terms of monetization. You can read this post about why you shouldn’t start a free blog for more information.
Why should I start a blog?
There a several reasons one can start a blog. Starting a blog can help you add another income stream to your existing salary. It can also give your business more visibility and a cutting-edge advantage over your competition. You can read this post to find 10 reasons you should start a blog.
How do beginner bloggers make money?
One of the easiest way beginners bloggers can make money blogging is through affiliate marketing. Even with a little traffic, if your website is well optimized for conversion, you can start making money with your blog. You can find out ways to make money with your blog here.
Final thoughts on how much it costs to start a blog with WordPress…
The cost of starting a blog depends on the way you want to start.
If you are on a budget, you can start a blog with Bluehost for only $35.40.
If you have money to invest in your business you can add useful blogging resources such as a premium WordPress theme, keyword research tool, etc on the go.
I hope this post answered your question about how much does it costs to start a self-hosted blog.
From now, you have an idea of the start-up cost of your blogging business.
Now it is up to you!
Take a BOLD ACTION TODAY, and I am sure you will read the fruits soon!
To your success!
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