Who Owns WordPress

Search for “WordPress” and you’ll see wordpress.com, wordpress.org, hosting companies, and thousands of plugins and themes. It’s natural to ask: who actually owns WordPress, and who are you trusting when you build your site on it?

The short answer is that no single company owns the WordPress software. Instead, ownership is shared between a non-profit foundation, a for-profit company (Automattic), and a massive global open-source community. Understanding how these pieces fit together helps you make smarter decisions about hosting, support, and long-term risk.

If you’re still unsure what WordPress is at a basic level, start with this overview of what WordPress is and how it works, then come back here to see who stands behind it.

Step 1: Understand How Open Source Ownership Works

Why this step matters

You can’t understand who owns WordPress until you understand how open-source software works. WordPress is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which is very different from the way proprietary software (like many SaaS tools) is owned and controlled.

How open-source ownership works for WordPress

• Source code is public: The core WordPress code can be viewed, modified, and redistributed by anyone under the GPL.
• Many copyright holders: Individual contributors retain copyright for their contributions, but they license that code under the GPL so everyone else can use it.
• No single “software owner”: There isn’t one company that can close the source or suddenly “take WordPress away” from the community.

In practice, this means WordPress is more like a shared public resource—similar to a public standard—than a traditional product owned by a single vendor.

Checkpoint

At this point, you should understand that when people say “WordPress,” they are often talking about the GPL-licensed software project, not a product a company can simply sell or shut down.

Troubleshooting common misconceptions

• “Automattic owns WordPress”: Incorrect. Automattic contributes a lot to WordPress, but it doesn’t own the software.
• “WordPress is free, so nobody owns it”: Not quite. Many people own pieces of the code, but they’ve agreed to share it under the GPL license.

Step 2: Learn What the WordPress Foundation Owns

Why the foundation exists

The WordPress Foundation is a non-profit organization created to protect the WordPress project long-term. While it doesn’t own the software itself, it owns and manages key trademarks and branding related to WordPress.

What the WordPress Foundation actually owns

• WordPress trademarks: The word “WordPress” and the official logo are protected trademarks held by the foundation.
• Brand usage rules: The foundation defines how the WordPress name and logo can be used in domains, marketing, and products.
• Project stewardship: It helps ensure that WordPress remains free, open-source, and focused on the public good.

Checkpoint

You should now understand that the WordPress Foundation doesn’t “own” your site or the code you run, but it does control how the WordPress name and logo are used publicly.

Troubleshooting: using “WordPress” in your brand

• If you’re registering a domain, the general rule is not to use “wordpress” in the domain name. Use “wp” instead.
• If you’re launching a product or service, review the official trademark policy on WordPress.org or speak with a legal professional for specific advice.

Step 3: See How Automattic and WordPress.com Fit In

Who is Automattic?

Automattic is a for-profit company founded by Matt Mullenweg, who is also a co-founder of the WordPress project. Automattic runs WordPress.com as well as related products like Jetpack and SEO and UX, and where you will see it in daily work.”>WooCommerce.

What Automattic owns

• WordPress.com platform: The hosting platform, infrastructure, and code specific to WordPress.com are owned and operated by Automattic.
• Premium services: Paid plans, support, and additional features on WordPress.com are commercial products from Automattic.
• Some key plugins and services: Automattic owns and maintains several popular WordPress plugins and SaaS tools.

What Automattic does not own

• Automattic does not own the WordPress.org open-source software.
• Automattic does not own your self-hosted WordPress.org site.
• Automattic does not own the WordPress Foundation or its trademarks, even though there is close collaboration.

Checkpoint

By now, you should be able to clearly explain the difference between WordPress.com (a hosted service owned by Automattic) and WordPress.org (the open-source software and community).

Troubleshooting confusion between .com and .org

• If you log in at wordpress.com, you’re on Automattic’s hosted platform.
• If you log in at a URL like yourdomain.com/wp-admin, you’re using a self-hosted WordPress.org site.

Step 4: Recognize the Role of the WordPress Community

Why the community matters

Even with a foundation and a major company involved, much of WordPress’s power comes from its global community: developers, designers, translators, meetup organizers, documentation writers, and more. They all “own” WordPress in the sense that they shape its direction every day.

Who makes up the WordPress community

• Core contributors: Developers who write, review, and maintain the WordPress core code.
• Plugin and theme authors: Independent developers and companies who extend WordPress with add-ons.
• Agencies and freelancers: Professionals who build sites and solutions for clients on WordPress.
• Everyday site owners: Bloggers, store owners, and organizations who report bugs, ask questions, and support others.

If you want a guided starting point, this overview of WordPress guides and tutorials can help you explore the ecosystem one topic at a time.

Checkpoint

You should now see WordPress as a community-driven ecosystem, not a single product from a single vendor. That has huge implications for flexibility, longevity, and independence.

Troubleshooting expectations

• “There’s no single support phone number”: That’s normal for open-source software. You choose your own host, developer, or agency to support your site.
• “Different plugins feel inconsistent”: They’re often built by different companies or individuals. You’re free to choose the ones that best fit your needs.

Step 5: Decide Which “WordPress” You Actually Need

Why your choice of platform matters

Knowing who owns what is useful, but it really matters when you’re choosing where to run your WordPress site. Your choice affects who controls your data, who you pay, and where you get support.

Compare your main options

1. WordPress.com (Automattic-hosted): Easier for beginners, with hosting and many technical details handled for you. In exchange, you live inside Automattic’s platform and pricing model.
2. Self-hosted WordPress.org: You install WordPress on your own hosting. You have maximum control and flexibility, but you’re responsible for hosting, updates, backups, and security.
3. Managed WordPress hosting: A hosting company runs a tuned WordPress stack for you. You still own the site, but they handle more of the technical heavy lifting.

If you want to understand how hosting fits into this picture, read this breakdown of how WordPress hosting works before you commit to a provider.

Who owns what in each scenario

• You own: Your content, your media files, and your domain name (assuming you purchased it in your name).
• The host or platform owns: The servers, network, and proprietary parts of their platform.
• The WordPress project owns: The direction of the core software, via community governance and project leadership.
• The foundation owns: The WordPress trademarks and branding.

Checkpoint

By now, you should be able to answer: “Who owns my WordPress site?” The answer is: you own your content and business, while the software and platform are shared between the open-source project, your host, and (in the case of WordPress.com) Automattic.

Troubleshooting ownership and access issues

• If an agency controls your hosting, make sure your business name is on the hosting and domain accounts, not just theirs.
• Ensure you have admin access to your WordPress dashboard and backups stored in a location you control.
• If a provider refuses to give you access to your own site or data, treat that as a red flag and plan a migration.

Make Sense of Who Really Owns WordPress

WordPress doesn’t have a single owner the way many software products do. The software is open-source and collectively owned by contributors under the GPL. The WordPress name and logo are protected by the WordPress Foundation so the project remains focused on the public good. And Automattic operates WordPress.com and related commercial services built on top of the same core software.

As a site owner, your key takeaway is this: you own your content and your business, but you’re building on top of a shared, community-driven platform. That gives you enormous freedom to choose hosts, developers, and tools—without being locked into a single vendor.

When you understand who owns what, you can choose the right type of WordPress setup, negotiate better with agencies and hosts, and plan a long-term strategy that keeps your site under your control.

Further Reading

• What Is a WordPress?
• What Is Managed WordPress?
• How Much Is a WordPress Website?
• Best CMS Platforms Compared

Frequently Asked Questions