For many years, there has been confusion between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Users often ask this question – what is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. If you are new to WordPress, you must be having the same question. We will help you understand the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. In this article, we are going to discuss WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. We will find out the benefits and drawbacks of these two WordPress platforms. Besides, we will help you choose the better option between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
WordPress is perhaps the best and most preferred CMS (content management system) in the world. And that is why it has around 39% of the market share, i.e. there are 39 WordPress websites in every 100 websites in the world. WordPress was released in 2003. And since then, it has been immensely popular as a web builder tool. Today people who want to build a new website always prefer WordPress.
Despite WordPress’s popularity, there is one thing users often get confused with. And that is – WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. Most of them do not know the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org; therefore, they choose the wrong platform. WordPress.com and WordPress.org are two different platforms, although both are provided by WordPress. Let’s first understand what WordPress.com and WordPress.org are. And then we will find out how they are different from each other.
WordPress.org
WordPress.org, also known simply as WordPress, is a free and open-source CMS software that you can download and install on your own web host to build a website. Being a free content management system, it does not cost you anything. However, you need to purchase a hosting account (a web server) to use it.
Benefits of WordPress.org
- Since WordPress.org is a software, you get full control of your website. You can do anything you want, and customize your website as desired.
- Your website will never be turned off due to any reason unless you are doing something illegal. So your website and its data are always safe.
- You get plenty of WordPress theme options (free and premium ones). Besides, you can easily customize your website’s theme as desired.
- If you choose WordPress.org, you get unlimited plugins support as well. You can easily add any free, paid, and/or custom plugin to your website. You might be interested in these free WordPress plugins you should start using today.
- With WordPress.org, you can create an online store aka eCommerce website to sell your products (digital and physical) and services online.
- You can easily monetize your website by running your own ads, and you do not need to share revenue with anyone.
Drawbacks of WordPress.org
- The setup process of WordPress software is a bit difficult and lengthy as compared to WordPress.com.
- As your website grows, this will also increase the cost of your web hosting.
- There is no support provided by WordPress.org itself, although your WordPress web hosting provider can provide you that.
- You have to take care of the software updates. Besides, you are responsible for your website’s backups.
WordPress.com
On the other hand, WordPress.com is a complete all-in-one platform on which you can easily a website or blog. Unlike WordPress.org, you do not need to download anything to build a website on WordPress.com. Even you do not need any external hosting or external domain name. All you need to do is create your WordPress account, and then you can start building your website or blog right after that.
Benefits of WordPress.com
- The real benefit of using WordPress.com is that it makes website creation very simple. You do not need to download anything on your computer.
- The setup process of WordPress.com is easy and straightforward as compared to WordPress.org.
- Since WordPress.com is free, it is perfect for those who want to start a free blog.
- Besides free, WordPress.com comes with 5 service hosting plans – Personal ($48 per year), Premium ($96 per year), Business ($300 per year), eCommerce ($540 per year), and VIP (starting at $5000 per month).
- If you choose WordPress.com, you do not need to worry about the updates and backups. WordPress.com itself takes care of that.
- If you choose a personal hosting plan (not free), you get email and live chat support.
Drawbacks of WordPress.com
- If you choose a free plan, your website or blog will be a sub-domain of WordPress.com, i.e. yoursite.wordpress.com. Besides, your website will display WordPress ads, and it will have limited storage space.
- In WordPress.com, you get a limited number of themes (150+ free themes and 200+ premium themes). And you cannot use custom themes.
- With the free plan of WordPress.com, you get Jetpack features pre-activated. Even the business plan will allow you to use only a few plugins (as per the compatibility). Although the VIP plan allows you to install plugins, it will cost you $5000 per month.
- You cannot put ads on your website so monetizing your site could be a bit difficult. But if your website’s traffic is high, you can apply for WordAds, their advertising program.
After learning what WordPress.com and WordPress.org are, let’s find out the difference between these two WordPress platforms.
Difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org
Although WordPress.com and WordPress.org both are part of WordPress, there are enough differences between them:
- If we talk about the cost comparison, then WordPress.com seems to be a better option than WordPress.org. If you want to start a free blog or website, you can easily do that with WordPress.com. On the other hand, WordPress.org is available for free download but you have to buy a hosting plan and a domain name.
- You get full theme and plugin support in WordPress.org. You can use any theme (free or premium) and customize your website as desired. Besides, you can upload any plugin (free, paid, or custom) that you want to use. On the other hand, if you choose WordPress.com, you get limited theme support. And you cannot upload any plugin. You have to upgrade your account to get unlimited theme and plugin support.
- WordPress.org is the best option to monetize a website. With WordPress.org, you can sell as many ads as you want, and you do not have to share your earnings with anyone. On the other hand, WordPress.com offers a very limited monetization option.
- If you create a website on WordPress.com, you do not get full control over your site’s SEO because you cannot install any SEO plugin. But WordPress.org gives you full SEO control. You can install the best SEO plugins like Yoast SEO to improve your site’s Google ranking.
- You cannot create an eCommerce store with WordPress.com. But WordPress.org allows you to build an eCommerce site to sell your products and services online.
- There would be no maintenance if you choose WordPress.com. All the maintenance tasks including backups, updates, optimization, etc. are handled by the Automattic staff. On the other hand, if you choose WordPress.org, it will be your responsibility to maintain your site.
Conclusion
We hope, after reading this article on WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, the confusion you had earlier is now cleared up. The article has nicely explained what WordPress.com and WordPress.org are, what their benefits and drawbacks are, and how they are different from each other. Now it is up to you which WordPress platform you would like to choose.