Can I use WordPress for free with my own domain?

If I want to use my own domain, is there any way to do it for free?

WordPress.org is free, but you need hosting. If you want something easy, WP Engine is an option, or you can get hosting for around $6 from GoDaddy. You still need to pay for the domain, but you can find coupons to get one for $0.99 for the first year.

@Meech
A lot of people recommend third-party hosting like GreenGeeks instead of GoDaddy.

@Meech
I got a domain from GoDaddy and hosting from Digital Ocean. Do I set up WordPress through Digital Ocean’s dashboard or install it separately?

Juliana said:
@Meech
I got a domain from GoDaddy and hosting from Digital Ocean. Do I set up WordPress through Digital Ocean’s dashboard or install it separately?

You might want to get help from someone who knows what they’re doing. It sounds like you’re too lost to figure it out alone.

@Oliver_james
You don’t need to hire anyone, but you should check wordpress.org and watch some YouTube tutorials. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it, setting up WordPress will be easy.

@Oliver_james
If you don’t want to spend money on a pro, at least check YouTube tutorials.

Juliana said:
@Meech
I got a domain from GoDaddy and hosting from Digital Ocean. Do I set up WordPress through Digital Ocean’s dashboard or install it separately?

Your domain is on GoDaddy, but your hosting is on Digital Ocean. To connect them, go to your GoDaddy account, find the DNS settings, and add an A record that points to your Digital Ocean server’s IP address. Once WordPress is installed, you should be able to log in and start building your site.

@Vivian
I followed your steps, but I’m stuck. Digital Ocean has no button or link for WordPress. Should I go directly to wordpress.org to edit my site?

Juliana said:
@Vivian
I followed your steps, but I’m stuck. Digital Ocean has no button or link for WordPress. Should I go directly to wordpress.org to edit my site?

  1. Go to GoDaddy’s DNS settings and add an A record pointing to your Digital Ocean IP.
  2. Install WordPress on Digital Ocean using their one-click installer.
  3. After installing, you should be able to access your site via your domain.
  4. Once your domain is pointing to Digital Ocean, log in to WordPress by going to You are being redirected....
  5. It may take some time for DNS changes to fully update, so be patient.

@Vivian
I’ll try this when I get home. Thanks for the help.

@Vivian
I followed everything, but I got stuck at step 2. Digital Ocean’s site says ‘Getting started after deploying WordPress,’ but I haven’t even installed it yet. What do I do first?

Juliana said:
@Vivian
I followed everything, but I got stuck at step 2. Digital Ocean’s site says ‘Getting started after deploying WordPress,’ but I haven’t even installed it yet. What do I do first?

If you’re struggling with this, GoDaddy’s WordPress hosting might be a better choice. Digital Ocean requires manual setup, while GoDaddy handles most of it for you.

@Vivian
Weird thing happened. Earlier, the WordPress setup button on Digital Ocean kept leading me to another purchase page. But now, I clicked it again, and it actually opened the WordPress dashboard, and my site is live. I think Digital Ocean messed up.

@Juliana
Sometimes Digital Ocean takes time to process things. It sounds like everything is working now, so you should be good to go.

@Vivian
Digital Ocean says I need to log into SSH before anything works, but my site is already live. Feels like they don’t know what they’re talking about.

WordPress.org is free, but you need hosting. WordPress.com is not free with a custom domain. You’ll have to pay for hosting somewhere, even with WordPress.org.

Ezri said:
WordPress.org is free, but you need hosting. WordPress.com is not free with a custom domain. You’ll have to pay for hosting somewhere, even with WordPress.org.

So I have to pay for a domain, WordPress itself, and hosting? That’s three payments?

@Juliana
You don’t pay for WordPress itself. The CMS is free. You just need to pay for the domain and hosting.

Domains cost money. Hosting costs money. Cheap hosting is usually slow. You also might need SSL for security and email services.