On the note of WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org, most novices make the mistake of thinking that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are the same. Unfortunately, they’re not.
This wrong conception often leads beginners to choose the wrong blogging platform, and jumping ships in between could be more efficient, both financially and time-wise.
But it’s not just the novices; sometimes, even the pros do not know the key differences between these two websites. It doesn’t matter if you are a professional or a novice.
This guide on the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org will help you understand the key differences. With this understanding, you will be well on your way to choosing the right platform.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org Comparison
The best way to understand the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is to look at each individually.
WordPress.org
WordPress.org, aka “the real WordPress”, is that famous website platform you have heard all the great things about.
WordPress.org is an open-source software, meaning it’s 100% free for anyone worldwide.
The prerequisites are that you need a domain name and web hosting. This is the primary reason it is also called self-hosted WordPress.
Now, we will get to the real good stuff: the ultimate pros and cons of using WordPress.org to build your blog or website.
WordPress.org Benefits
Below are some benefits of choosing WordPress.org to create website and why it is our #1 pick as the best website builder!
With WordPress.org, users have complete control over their website. You can do anything you want and customize it to your liking.
It is free, open-source, and has little to no learning curve. WordPress is used by over 45.8% of all websites on the web.
With WordPress.org, you are the owner of your data. Your sites will only turn off if someone decides it is against their service’s terms. You, as a user, are in complete control of your website. Users can add free, paid, custom WordPress plugins/apps to their websites.
You also get the flexibility to customize your website design to your taste. You can also add any of the themes (free or premium) that you like.
Modifications are straightforward with WordPress.org and may be one of its core strengths.
WordPress.org offers its users a compelling way to make money. The users can choose to run their ads; this way, they do not have to share their revenue with anyone else.
Tools like Google Analytics can also be used for custom analytics and tracking. Also, you can use your own self-hosted WordPress to establish a digital store to sell your products digitally, accept card payments, and ship/deliver the goods directly from your website.
You can use self-hosted WordPress to launch an online store to sell products digitally, accept card payments, and ship/deliver the goods right from your website.
You can also create membership sites and list memberships for premium content, courses, etc and build an online community around your website.
WordPress.org Cons
There are little to no cons of using the self-hosted WordPress.org site.
Like all other websites, you will also need a web hosting service to kickstart your online journey. Hosting is where your web files and folders are stored on the internet. The cost of hosting is around $3-$10 per month.
As your website swells and gains more traffic, the cost of your hosting plans increases simultaneously. But by then, you will be making enough money to cover such costs.
Other than that, you will also need to install the WordPress software itself first. Luckily, the most popular website hosting companies offer super easy 1-click installation options for WordPress sites.
You are responsible for all of the updates and backups. You can effortlessly update your WordPress website by clicking the update button within one click. Regarding the backups, you can always use the automatic plugins that make your job easier.
The cost of the WordPress.org website fluctuates based on what you are trying to build (eCommerce store, simple blog, portfolio website, membership site, etc). There are also other factors like the free templates, the premium ones, and the premium plugins. Free plugins, etc.
You can create your website on a low budget for as low as $46 per year.
WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a hosting service created by the co-founder Matt Mullenweg of the company Automattic. Because these two have the same founders, people often confuse WordPress.com with the WordPress.org software.
The WordPress.com hosting service offers 6 different pricing plans to its users:
| Free | Very limited |
| Personal | $48/year |
| Premium | $96/year |
| Business | $300/year |
| Ecommerce | $540/year |
| VIP | $5000/year |
Let’s now take a quick look at the pros and cons of WordPress.com.
WordPress.com Benefits
The free WordPress.com platform is an excellent choice for bloggers who want to start their website for fun. This can also include beginning blogs for their pets, families, etc. Here are some benefits of using WordPress.com.
The tool is free initially for up to 3GB of storage, and after that, you will have to make a switch to a paid three-tiered plan:
| Personal Plan | 6GB | $48 |
| Premium Plan | 13GB | $96 |
| Business Plan | 200GB | $300 |
Another good thing for the people, especially those who do not want to worry about the technical side of things, like, let’s say, updating or taking regular backups. WordPress.com is an excellent choice for you to do both things!
WordPress.com Cons
Like everything else, WordPress.com has its limitations. Here are some of the disadvantages of WordPress.com. WordPress.com places ads on all websites, and the users see them.
This is okay, but you don’t make any money from it, which is a bummer! If you do not want your site visitors to see those ads, you need to switch to the pro plan, which starts from $48 per year.
Users are also not allowed to display ads on their websites, which limits their ability to monetize their traffic; however, if you own a website that sees a lot of high-volume traffic, then you can choose to apply for their advertising program, which is called the WordAds using which you can share some revenue with them.
The Premium and Business plan owners can use WordAds right away! Users also are not able to upload the plugins. The free plan users get in-built features like that of the Jetpack plugin, which comes pre-activated.
Meanwhile, business plan users can install from a collection of plugins. Business plan costs $300 per month. With the VIP plan, users can install plugins of their choice. The VIP plan starts from $5000 per month.
Talking about themes, the free plan users get minimal options, whereas the privilege of choice can be exercised only by the Premium and the Business plan owners. Also, the customization options are far more limited for the free plan users. With the Premium and Business plans, the users can access custom CSS.
Free users also do not get the option to install Google Analytics or other powerful tracking platforms, whereas Business plan owners can! Another bummer!
Free WordPress.com sites come with the WordPress.com branded subdomains like (https://yourwebsite.wordpress.com). Users will require a paid plan to avail of a custom domain name, which will look like (https://yourwebsite.com).
Sites created on WordPress.com display the “Powered by WordPress.com” link, generally near the website’s footer. You can always upgrade to the business plan to get rid of it. Also, it would help if you switched to the eCommerce plan to get the ecommerce features like integrated payment gateways.
Not to mention that users can also not build membership websites with WordPress.com. Also, the users must be extra careful when creating their website with WordPress.com since they can delete it anytime if they think it violates their terms of service.
As long as you are a free plan user, you cannot use all the features that WordPress.com offers.
Read Also: Important WordPress Metrics Every Business Owner Should Keep A Track Of
Conclusion: WordPress.com Vs WordPress.org
The best way to make sense of all the WordPress.org Vs. WordPress.com jazz is the analogy of owning a house versus renting one.
WordPress.com is like renting a house, whereas, with WordPress.org, you own one! With the latter, you have limited flexibility and power, which you can later exercise both the power and the flexibility to your heart’s content.
WordPress.org, the self-hosted website, is best for bloggers or business owners selling products or services. Simply put, WordPress has options for every single need!
You also get ecommerce plans with WordPress.com, but the customizations offered by WordPress.org are unbeatable. Beginners who always want to try something new should use the WordPress.com free website as it is pretty straightforward, and beginners usually do not need to worry about customization and different options.
Lastly, you can also visit the evergreen WordPress community and learn more about the software there.
FAQs: WordPress.com Vs WordPress.org
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which is Better?
If you are a blogger making content for fun, don’t bother about all the customization options with WordPress.org. It will simply complicate things.
Please go with WordPress.com instead; with time, if you feel the need, you can always make a switch. However, WordPress.org is a far better option for professional bloggers, business owners, and even big brands like Disney.
Can I Monetize a Free WordPress.com Website?
WordPress.com does not allow its users to run ads on a free plan. However, if your website is counted as high-traffic, you can join the WordAds program and share your ad revenue with WordPress.com.
Users can also add affiliate links to your website, but that’s about it. You have very restricted options to monetize your WordPress.com website. Meanwhile, with WordPress.org, you have total control over your CMS, resulting in unlimited ways to monetize your new website.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which one is better for Ecommerce?
WordPress.org offers the quickest and easiest way to build an eCommerce website. Users can use WooCommerce to make their store or choose from other WordPress eCommerce, membership, and LMS plugins.
WordPress.com also offers a dedicated eCommerce plan which starts at $540 per year, which is a hefty amount if you are beginning. It is still limited in features, and you’ll have to follow WordPress.com’s terms of service for your eCommerce store.
How do I start a website using wordpress?
To start a WordPress website, you need a domain name and WordPress hosting. A Domain is your website’s address on the internet, such as google.com, yourwebaddress.com, etc. Web hosting is where all your files are basically stored on the internet.
Nestify offers some excellent hosting plans, the absolute best fit for everyone, from the absolute beginners to the pros! It also offers a dedicated Woocommerce hosting, high-traffic hosting, and three more solutions. Click here to take a quick peek!
