Landing pages · replacement recipe

Go from WordPress.com to WordPress (self-hosted)

The job: Website builder (Block editor, themes and patterns, Managed hosting, custom domain and SSL, Plugins, Blog and newsletter). Pick where you are today and where you want to land; the move below follows your pick.

From · what you pay for now
WordPress.com
WordPress.com Premium · $18/mo
Year one−$1,244modeled
To · your pickCosts more in year one
WordPress (self-hosted)
Self-hosted · $5/mo + 2 h upkeep a month
Change where you land

The money

$18/mo today $5/mo

WordPress.com Premium

Year one, net−$1,244
Pays back innever

Modeled from public list prices, with your time at $50 an hour. Show the math

Does it do the job? 4 of 4 covered

  • Block editor, themes and patterns
  • Managed hosting, custom domain and SSL
  • Plugins
  • Blog and newsletter

The work

Setup
About 4 h
Upkeep
2 h a month
Watch out
Check first: You only rely on: Block editor, themes and patterns, Managed hosting, custom domain and SSL, Plugins, Blog and newsletter

Make the move in four steps

  1. Export from WordPress.com

    Posts, pages and other site content. Format: XML (WXR); larger exports (about 1,000+ pages or posts) arrive by email as a .zip of XML files

    Export steps

  2. Set up WordPress (self-hosted)

    Suits someone comfortable running a server: the same WordPress software, free (GPL), with any plugin; backups and updates become your job.

    Details

  3. Switch links and integrations

    Point links, embeds and integrations at WordPress (self-hosted), then send a test through every one.

  4. Cancel WordPress.com

    Turn off renewal before your renewal date, once the new setup works. Access runs until: The expiration date, then a short grace period to renew….

    How to cancel WordPress.com
Open WordPress (self-hosted)How to cancel WordPress.com
Modeled, not measured. Savings use public prices and planning assumptions: the bill you stop paying, minus the new tool, your upkeep time and your setup time at $50/hour, over the first 12 months. Paths marked Tested by Stackcut were run end to end by us on our own products. They're our tests, not customer results. Check the must-haves in each recipe before you switch.

The whole recipe: 2 ways out, best first

What you use

  • Block editor, themes and patterns
  • Managed hosting, custom domain and SSL
  • Plugins
  • Blog and newsletter

Not covered

  • SEO tools
  • Visitor stats
  • Payment buttons and donations
  • Backups, SFTP/SSH and GitHub deploys

Check before switching

  • You only rely on: Block editor, themes and patterns, Managed hosting, custom domain and SSL, Plugins, Blog and newsletter
  • Export your data from WordPress.com before canceling

Agents: get_recipe("replace-wordpress-com") on the Stackcut MCP server.

2 ways out, best first

Open sourceWordPress (self-hosted)Costs $1,244 more in year one
$18/mo today → $5/mo + 2 h upkeep · setup 4 h
Covers 100% of the core features
Suits someone comfortable running a server: the same WordPress software, free (GPL), with any plugin; backups and updates become your job.
License: open_source
How we got this
You pay now: WordPress.com Premiumflat price$18/mo
New cost: WordPress (self-hosted)a small server (modeled)$5/mo
Your upkeep time2 h/mo × $50/h$100/mo
Difference each month$18 − $5 − $100−$87/mo
Over 12 months−$87 × 12−$1,044
Setup, once4 h × $50/h−$200
Year one−$1,044 − $200−$1,244
  • Not counting your time (28 h in year one): saves $156 in year one.

Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team

Sources: wordpress.comwordpress.orgwordpress.org
Open sourceGhostCosts $1,244 more in year one
$18/mo today → $5/mo + 2 h upkeep · setup 4 h
Covers 75% of the core features (not: Plugins)
Suits a blog or newsletter site: Ghost is open source (MIT) and free to self-host, with built-in newsletters, paid memberships and tips, but no WordPress plugins.
License: open_source
How we got this
You pay now: WordPress.com Premiumflat price$18/mo
New cost: Ghosta small server (modeled)$5/mo
Your upkeep time2 h/mo × $50/h$100/mo
Difference each month$18 − $5 − $100−$87/mo
Over 12 months−$87 × 12−$1,044
Setup, once4 h × $50/h−$200
Year one−$1,044 − $200−$1,244
  • Not counting your time (28 h in year one): saves $156 in year one.

Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team

Sources: wordpress.comraw.githubusercontent.com

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