Automattic launches free WordPress.com Education plan for students

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has announced the launch of WordPress.com Education, a free program designed for teachers and students. Announced at WordCamp US, the initiative aims to provide students with professional-grade web development tools directly within the classroom.

Unlike basic educational versions, the student plan includes 6 GB of storage, automatic backups, staging environments, plugin support, and technical tools such as SFTP/SSH, phpMyAdmin, and Studio Sync. Students also receive a WordPress.com domain and the option to choose a free .blog or .art domain extension. The program requires no credit card or conventional trial period.

A pilot program involving 5,000 students across 27 countries showed positive results, with 88.9% of educators reporting improved employability for their students and 81.5% noting growth in entrepreneurial skills. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between social media usage and professional web management, ensuring younger users are familiar with the content management systems that power approximately 43% of the web.