Is WordPress Really Free To Use?
Why Don't They Charge Money for it?
It’s true that the organization that designs and maintains WordPress does not charge people to use it. You can simply go online and download the current version of the software. This may not make allot of since at first. If you tried to use Squarespace or Wix they would want to charge you a monthly fee to use their program. The difference is that Squarespace and Wix are designed from the beginning by a single company to build a Website design platform. They hired employees, paid them an hourly wage and gave them a set task to accomplish. WordPress from the beginning was set up as an open source software. Meaning that it is upgraded and maintained by its millions and millions of world wide users. There are many countries, organizations, and well known companies that use WordPress to run their website. So they have a vested interest in making sure the program runs correctly. Also there are multi million dollar companies that have been formed to give users particular add on services that they find useful. It is important to their business that WordPress runs correctly and stays competitive in the market place. Or people will stop buying their products. Other people help maintain WordPress because they believe heavily in the power of free speech and giving people a way of expressing their thoughts to the world. To them the internet is like the modern day printing press and it is important for a functional and free society.
As you can see there is a large variety of people who contribute to WordPress on a daily basis. It would be very difficult to track each of these people down in the real world and give them a weekly check for their contributions. But don’t worry they are making money in other ways to put food on table and WordPress isn’t going anywhere. I don’t want you getting the wrong ideas through. WordPress is not just anarchy randomly hoping things get done. They have people who volunteer to contribute more than normal. These people fix everyday issues and they help roll out the new versions of WordPress in the future. So overall Word Press has been a widely used and reliable platform long before Wix Or Squarespace was an option. They are still a great option even today.
The Philosophy Behind Open Source Software.
At the end of the day Open Source Software is just words written on a screen, except those words are written in a language that computers can read. It can be copied and read by a million computers or just one computer without using any physical resources. When you make a teddy bear for example the resources that went into making that teddy bear can only be enjoyed by one person. If you wanted to make a second teddy bear, then you would need to get more fabric, thread and stuffing to make that additional bear. But WordPress can be downloaded and used millions of times without using any physical resources. The people who designed the software see it as an overall net positive for humanity if they have free access to this product. Some people also design assesories for WordPress that people can buy if they so choose.
How Do People Make Money with WordPress?
Basic WordPress is free to use and it comes with a long list of features that you can use for free. But you can also download different apps and themes that make your website do particular things. Sometimes these apps cost money or they cost money after the trial period is over. Some coders have started multi million dollar companies if they designed a product for WordPress that addresses an issue WordPress users have. But their pool of potential clients is larger if they aren’t already spending their money paying for the right to use WordPress. Some Hosting companies even offer Speciality designed WordPress Hosting Packages, that have been tailored to WordPress customers.Some examples of successful multi-million dollar WordPress companies are:
- WPEngine – a managed WordPress hosting company that has raised over $290 million dollars and now also own StudioPress commercial themes.
- Awesome Motive – led by Syed Balkhi is another multi-million dollar company based around WordPress. The company manages WPBeginner, OptinMonster, WPForms, MonsterInsights, SeedProd, and other popular WordPress plugins.
- Yoast – is the company behind the popular WordPress SEO plugin that’s used by over 5 million websites.
- ElegantThemes – multi-million dollar theme company behind the popular drag & drop page builder: Divi and several other plugins.
Good WordPress developers and consultants also make a comfortable full-time income by building custom websites, around WordPress for their clients.
Is WordPress Copyright Free?
WordPress has a CopyLeft protections. Meaning that you are free to use the WordPress Code. You can also modify and redistribute this modified code and it is covered. Premium Themes and Plugins are partially covered under GPL. The PHP and HTML coding inside a Theme or Plugin that use extensively WordPress functionality are therefor covered under GLP. But the Images, CSS and Javascript coding used inside them is not covered. While this is overall accepted by most members of the community it’s best not to split hairs and just act like the whole thing is covered. Overall if you have any questions just look up the WordPress community Guidelines and get a concrete answer.
The WordPress Trademark.
The code of WordPress as a software is released under GPL but the words WordPress, WordCamp, and the WordPress logo are registered trademarks owned by the WordPress Foundation.
To distinguish between a site or resource that is official or community run, the foundation asks folks to not use “WordPress” in their domain name.
Any website, training course, or resource that you see has WordPress in their domain name is probably being run by someone who doesn’t know enough about WordPress. This means you probably shouldn’t pay them any of your money.
Most legit businesses built around WordPress are aware of the trademark policies, and they respect the rules.
The Content Published With WordPress Also Inherits GPL?
But any content you add to your WordPress Website is 100% owned by you. You are free to apply for a personal copy write for that work if you choose to do that.
No, you are entitled to license your content any way you like. Unless the content you are publishing is actually a derivative work of WordPress or any other GPL licensed work.
For example, if you are sharing your articles, photos, or any other artwork on your blog, then you own full copyrights of it.
However, if you are writing a blog post showing people how to use a WordPress function with examples, then that particular blog post could be licensed differently. The code used in examples is actually derivative work and automatically inherits the GPL license.
Cost Of Using WordPress.
So at the end of the day what are the costs of making a WordPress website. Every website needs two things to work properly. A domain name and a hosting package. The good news is that WordPress is not tied down to a single platform. So you are free to search the internet and find the offer that is best for you. For example if your website is a Blog you can host your website on WordPress.com for free. You can move around your WordPress website whenever you like, so if money is an issue it will give you the most bang for your buck.
The basic download of WordPress comes with +6,000 free website themes to choose from. There are also Premium Themes that you can pay a small fee to use if you really like one. There are also +54,000 free plugins for you to choose from. Like with the Themes are is also Premium Plugins if you really like one. They can be purchased for a small fee. The great advantage that WordPress give you is options. You can really adjust the website to fit your budget whatever it is.
