Millions of websites, ranging from blogs and tiny businesses to large news sites and corporations, are powered by WordPress. This tutorial will assist you in determining if WordPress.org or WordPress.com is the best option for your website and how they differ from each other.
Overview of the differences
Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org websites are powered by the same WordPress software. The hosting setup for your website is one of the major differences. A web hosting service enables you to publish your website and allows people to access it.
WordPress.com: Offers managed hosting, which enhances the speed, security, and functionality of your website. Numerous technical facets of your website are handled for you by managed hosting. For a variety of site kinds and price ranges, WordPress.com offers numerous plans with progressively stronger features.
WordPress.org: The WordPress source code is available for free download; upload it to your preferred hosting company. This approach is also known as “self-hosting” WordPress. Since hosting is not included in this option, you will need to find and pay for separate hosting as well as have greater technical knowledge in order to efficiently develop and maintain your website.
In simple terms, WordPress.com charges you a fee for hosting and managing your website. Although WordPress.org is free, it requires you to have a third-party host.
WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org comparison by features
| WordPress.com | WordPress.org | |
| Price | Price varies based on your needs and financial ability. With options including Free, Personal, Premium, Business, Commerce, and Enterprise, WordPress.com plans are made to accommodate a wide range of demands and budgets. Each plan adds special and beneficial features to your website. | You can get the WordPress software for free, but you’ll need to pay a third-party hosting company annually for your name and web hosting. |
| Technical skills | Simple enough for both newbies and seasoned experts to use. Wordpress.com optimizes website building and hosting in an all-in-one package. | More practical skills and intermediate technical knowledge are needed for customization, site maintenance, and configuration. |
| Hosting | Has in-built managed hosting. | You must pay for a third-party hosting service. |
| Performance | Plugins can be installed on an Enterprise, Business, or Commerce plan. Updates are handled automatically. Numerous built-in capabilities by default reduce the need for numerous plugins. Proactively stops possibly harmful plugins. | Website speed and performance depend on the third-party host you choose. |
| Security | Extremely safe from malware, hackers, and bugs. Free domain SSL, backups, and updates are all managed automatically. | Depends on your host and the package you pay for. |
| Features | Powerful tools help you create, operate, market, and monetize your website. | Varies greatly depending on your hosting package. |
| Plugins | Plugins can be installed on an Enterprise, Business, or Commerce plan. Updates are automatic. Numerous built-in capabilities by default reduce the need for numerous plugins. Automatically prevents potentially dangerous plugins. | Installing custom plugins is possible. However, depending on the plugin, this could put your website at risk. |
| Themes | Offers several beautiful, powerful, and customizable themes. Install unique themes, access additional customization options, or create your own with the right subscription. | You can install custom themes or even create your own. |
| Support | Videos, webinars, and helpful forums on WordPress.com are freely available for all plans. On paid plans, you’ll receive round-the-clock assistance from skilled engineers. | Lacks dedicated support. For assistance, check out the WordPress.org support forums or contact your hosting company. |
| Website ownership | You own your website’s content and can move it to another host whenever you want. | You own your website’s content and can migrate to another host whenever you want. |
WordPress.com overview
To get started with WordPress.com, register an account, select a plan based on your requirements and budgetary limits, and then launch your website. In addition to numerous lovely themes and integrated plugin capabilities, WordPress.com offers managed hosting for updates, security, and backups. This eliminates the need for you to download, pay for, and maintain these items individually. The extra tools that WordPress.com offers make it simple for you to create, manage, market, and make money from your website. There is a dedicated support team at WordPress.com to assist if you run into any problems with your website.
Whether you want to maintain a website for your business, start a free blog, build a portfolio, or even sell things online, WordPress.com’s range of plans offers solutions to fit your requirements at any level. The platform’s unparalleled managed hosting stack can be the ideal choice for you and your customers if you’re a developer or designer building websites for other people. Higher plan tiers give you access to developer-focused features like WP-CLI, GitHub Deployments, multi-site management, SFTP-SSH, and more.
WordPress.org overview
Getting started with WordPress.org involves downloading the software, paying for a hosting service, installing WordPress on your host’s web server, and building and maintaining your website independently . The services and costs offered by each third-party hosting provider will vary. To get the look and feel of your website, you’ll also need to find, set up, and maintain your own unique theme and any required plugins. Self-hosting This process is also known as self-hosting WordPress.
You can customize WordPress with great technical flexibility if you use self-hosted WordPress. This includes making complicated and unique code modifications that might not be possible with WordPress.com. It is also possible to modify the PHP environment. These kinds of adjustments and modifications are usually suitable for developers. WordPress self-hosting gives you further control over the kind and quality of website hosting as well as the amount of maintenance you perform.
Frequently asked questions about WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org
- Can I install custom themes and plugins on WordPress.com?
Yes, the Business, Commerce, and Enterprise plans allow theme and plugin customization.
- Can I move between the two platforms?
Yes, you can migrate your website from WordPress.com to WordPress.org or vice versa.
- How do I know whether a website is self-hosted or hosted on WordPress.com?
You can use Site Profiler for accurate results.
Final thoughts
Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org allow you to create and maintain websites using the powerful WordPress software. The primary distinction is whether you want to host your website on your own with a third-party hosting company or use WordPress.com’s award-winning managed hosting.
Our article. provides a deeper exploration of a few widespread misconceptions.
With WordPress.com, you can always start with a free plan and upgrade to one that best fits your needs as your website grows. Since you always control your content with WordPress, regardless of version, you can simply move your website to self-hosted WordPress anytime you want to give it a try.
