Why is WordPress Free? What’s the Catch?
WordPress is open source software. What this means is that it is free in the sense of freedom. You enjoy the freedom to use, modify, build upon as well as redistribute the software without having to pay any fees. However, there are certain costs involved in certain areas. What is more is that WordPress.org is free whereas WordPress.com is not.
How do you make money on WordPress?
The two main sources of income for open source software are the products and services that are based on the open source software. WordPress.com is a VIP service that costs more than $5,000 for setup and hosting. With WordPress.org, developers benefit by selling premium plugins, commercial themes and by offering WordPress hosting. Some of the most successful WordPress multi-million dollar companies include:
- WPEngine
- Awesome Motive
- Yoast
- ElegantThemes
Other people who benefit are good WordPress developers who make good money by building applications, websites and plugins for clients on WordPress. Most of these developers earn six-figures per year.
Is WordPress copyright free?
WordPress.org is not copyright free. It has been licensed in a manner that allows everyone to use. Contributions made to the WordPress software are, however, copyrighted. The software is released under the GPL which makes it free to use, redistribute and modify. You get copyright to the modifications you make but not to the whole code. It is required that every derivative work that you distribute or release be under the GPL license.
Themes and plugins
The WordPress plugins are also GPLs. The CSS, Javascript and images used in the plugins and themes are excluded. The PHP and HTML is derivative work thus licensed under the GPL.
Content published
The content you publish with WordPress doesn’t inherit GPL. The publisher can license the content in any way he likes. When sharing articles, videos, photos and any other artwork, you own the full copyright to that content. However, if your post shows people how to use WordPress functions, the post can be licensed differently. This is because the code you use in your examples will be derivative work hence it inherits the GPL license.
WordPress Trademark
Although the WordPress code is released under the GPL license, the words WordCamp, WordPress and WordPress logo are all registered trademarks. They belong to the WordPress Foundation. The foundation prohibits the use of WordPress in the domain name. You can, however, use WP.
Although it is free to use WordPress.org, costs come in when you buy premium plugins and themes. You will also spend money on a domain name and hosting. Hiring a WordPress developer also costs money.