WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

Written: October 20, 2015
Updated: August 17, 2021

Wait, there are two of them? Why yes, yes there are! This could be very confusing for the new blogger or website owner. There are some major differences between the two and it’s best to get it right the first time. Some of the main and very important differences are: ownership, cost, freedom and limitations, maintenance and development.

WordPress.com

Just like Blogger, WordPress.com is free and is hosted on their own servers. WordPress.com is perfect for the casual or hobbyist blogger who simply wants a creative outlet.

Pros:

• It’s free for 3GB of space
• No hosting fees
• No custom domain fees
• No maintenance or security worries, the folks at WordPress.com takes care of it all: updates, backups, optimization, spam fighting, and more
• Built-in plugin like features
• A repository of free themes to choose from
• You can start and stop blogging at any time and your blog will always be there
• Free WordPress.com community support

Cons:

• You have no ownership to your blog, it’s owned and maintained by Automattic
• Your blog address will, by default, include WordPress.com
• You (or a designer) can not upload any custom free or paid themes
• You (or a designer) can not use any free, paid or custom plugins
• You (or a designer) can not customize the css or modify the PHP code behind your site
• Limited ways to customize the look and feel of the free theme
• Limited selection of free themes, so everyone looks the same
• No FTP access
• Ads are not allowed unless you receive over 25,000 views per month
• Can not track your stats with Google Analytics
• WordPress.com displays ads on your site unless your visitor is logged in
• No real eCommerce capabilities

Premium Plan Upgrade: $99 per year

Please note: Pricing IS approximate as of this post date!

A Premium Plan upgrade includes your own domain name, powerful customization options, and lots of space for audio and video. Learn more about the Premium Upgrade here.

• Custom Domain Name/Address: Yes
• eCommerce Capabilities: No
• Space: 13GB
• Ad Removal: Yes
• Can Customize Design: Yes
• VideoPress: Yes
• Premium Themes: No
• Google Analytics: No
• Type of Support: Direct Email

Business Plan Upgrade: $299 per year

Please note: Pricing IS approximate as of this post date!

A Business Plan upgrade includes your own domain name, powerful customization options, lots of space for audio and video, live chat support, and unlimited access to our premium themes. Learn more about the Business Upgrade here.

• Custom Domain Name/Address: Yes
• eCommerce Capabilities: Yes
• Space: Unlimited
• Ad Removal: Yes
• Can Customize Design: Yes
• VideoPress: Yes
• Premium Themes: Unlimited
• Google Analytics: Yes
• Type of Support: Live Chat

WordPress.org

WordPress is the option you want to choose if you want a more “professional” website and want to show off your professional photo galleries, have lots of recipes to share, or want to sell your products and SO much more!

Pros:

• You own your own site.
• You can monetize your blog/site the way you want, there are no forced advertising.
• You have complete freedom and control of every aspect of your blog/site.
• You have access to a ton of Free and Premium WordPress Themes.
• Your blog/site can be customized to whatever you want.
• You can install WordPress plugins to transform your blog into almost anything you can imagine and almost all of them are free.
• You don’t have to pay any licensing fees as WordPress is an open-source software.
• If compatible, you can add any custom scripts or codes to your blog/site.
• You get a huge SEO advantage when compared to free hosted blogs.
• You can transform your blog/site into an eCommerce or membership website.
• You get FTP access
• The WordPress software is free and very easy to install, one click!

Cons:

• You have to buy a domain name which can cost you approximately $10-15 per year.
• You have to buy a web hosting plan which can cost at least $100 per year. You can always select a once a month payment plan to make it easier.
• WordPress is a full fledged Content Management System; therefore, features are much more extensive than Blogger and there is going to be more to learn.
• You may find it difficult to learn if you are totally new to blogging. But you can always get help from the official WordPress.org Support Forum (they’re really nice).
• You are responsible for the security and maintenance of your blog/site. There are free plugins for that!
• You have to make sure that the WordPress software and all your plugins are up-to-date otherwise it may be vulnerable to attacks. It’s not hard and can be done in few clicks.
• You are responsible for backing up your whole site regularly in case it breaks
• You have to fight spam as spam is a big problem for WordPress.org users. There are free plugins for that!
• You are responsible for resolving problems with your site and server if they arise

WordPress is better for a long-term, professional commitment. Yes, there is alot to learn and some money to be spent, but in the long run for a business, it’s worth the cost.

Conclusion

If you just want a simple site or blog for your personal use or hobby, don’t want to fuss with regular maintenance or security and don’t want to customize your site too much, then WordPress.com is your best bet.

If you plan on developing a eCommerce, membership, social media or large business site and need full control over your site, the design, plugins, files and database with total freedom to change and tweak to your heart’s content, then WordPress.org is the way to go because in the long run it will be cheaper and will offer more flexibility.