Is Joomla free?
Yes. Joomla is free, open-source software. You only pay for hosting, a domain name, and any paid templates or extensions you choose.
What "free" means for Joomla
Joomla is open-source software released under the GNU General Public License (GPL, version 2 or later). You can download it, use it for as many sites as you like, change it, and use it for client or commercial work without paying a licence fee.
What you do pay for is everything around it: web hosting, a domain name, and any paid templates, extensions or support you choose. Many templates and extensions are free too; paid ones usually charge for updates and support, not for the right to use the code.
What a typical site costs
- Hosting: from a few dollars a month for shared hosting to more for managed or VPS hosting.
- Domain name: usually 10–20 USD a year.
- Template and extensions: free, or a yearly subscription for updates and support.
- Your time or a developer: setting up, writing content, and keeping the site updated.
Good to know
- Free also means no vendor lock-in: your content stays in your own database, and you can move hosts at any time.
- Joomla is built and maintained by volunteers. Help on the official forum is free; professional support is something you buy from a company of your choice.
Sources
- Joomla Licenses – Joomla User Guide
- Introduction to Joomla! – Joomla User Guide
- Joomla Core Features – Joomla User Guide
