Having trouble understanding the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org (also known as self-hosted WordPress)?
Since they have the same name, it is easy to think that they are the same. However, although they are closely related and both allow you to build websites, WordPress.com and WordPress.org are very different tools, so it is important that you understand the difference. difference and which one is more suitable for your situation.
Table of Contents
In general, WordPress.org hosts the WordPress open source software (also known as self-hosted WordPress). The software is free, allows almost complete freedom (in terms of development, usage and data control) and can be integrated with external plugins and themes. When most people say “WordPress”, they mean WordPress.org. WordPress.com is a custom implementation of the open source WordPress software. And while it seems simpler to install, it’s more expensive and limited in terms of freedom of third-party development, control, use, and integration.
However, there are many important differences that arise from this dynamic, which is why we have written a comprehensive comparison of the two. We will start by introducing you to both platforms and their pros and cons. Then we’ll help you decide which is right for you and share some tips to get you started.
Also, you might want to know the difference between WordPress and website builders to help you better understand which one is best for you.
What is WordPress.org?
WordPress.org is the home of free and open source WordPress software. You or anyone else can download the WordPress software from WordPress.org and install it on your own web server. You can also modify the software as you like – it’s 100% up to you to do with it as you please.
Because you need to install the WordPress.org software on the server hosting your own website to run it, WordPress.org is also commonly referred to as self-hosted WordPress.
Again, when people say “WordPress”, they are usually referring to WordPress.org, not WordPress.com.
With WordPress.org you get all the flexibility of a content management system of WordPress. You will be able to install any of the tens of thousands of WordPress themes and plugins:
Themes
Control the look and feel of your WordPress site. Think of a theme as the “clothing” of your site.
Plugins
These add new functionality to your website. Plugins allow you to add any functionality you can imagine to your website. For example, do you want to design your website using an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder? Just install the Elementor plugin and start creating.
You also have full access to all the underlying code of the website. If you’re a beginner, this may not be appealing at the moment.But as your website grows, it’s very important. This means you can always fully customize your website (or at least rent a home) to suit your needs. development will do it for you).
Finally, you can choose your own hosting so you can choose a budget hosting provider to cut costs and have 100% control over your website.
You can use any web hosting service, allowing you to choose very cheap hosting to start with. You can literally edit anything on your site – there’s no arbitrary limit to what you can do. There’s no limit to the type of content you can create (as long as you comply with government laws, of course!).
Cons of WordPress.org
You will need to find a host for your WordPress.org site. Luckily, there are many reliable and tested hosting providers that can satisfy almost any user.
With the amount of freedom WordPress.org offers comes responsibility. You are responsible for maintaining your website (unless you are paying for a premium managed WordPress host).You should back up your data, update your WordPress software, etc.
You are also responsible for the security of your website (unless you are paying for a premium managed WordPress host). You should implement security best practices and possibly use security plugins.
You don’t have to be a developer to maintain and secure a self-hosted WordPress site.
WordPress.org Costs
The only unavoidable cost of running a self-hosted WordPress site is Web hosting – on the low end you can pay less than $5 per month, this should work once you get started. Domain -This costs about $10 per year, but some hosts give you a domain name for free. All in all, this means that the base cost of a self-hosted WordPress site is around $70 per year. However, this does not include any premium themes or plugins that you may want to use, and you may need more expensive hosting as your site grows.
Most web hosts also allow you to host multiple WordPress sites. As a result, the “per site” cost will decrease if you plan to create multiple sites.
What is WordPress.com?
WordPress.com is a for-profit company that provides users with an easier way to install software. Just as a good hosting provider offers additional security and maintenance services for a price, WordPress.com assumes that responsibility on its own – for a price. It is owned by Automattic, a company founded by the co-founder of the open source software WordPress (hence the similar name).
You can think of WordPress.com as a specific implementation of the WordPress open source software. All WordPress.com sites use the WordPress.org software, but not all WordPress.org sites are on WordPress.com (in fact, most WordPress.org sites are self-hosted). storage).
WordPress.com Free / Cheap vs Business Plan
Previously, the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org was very clear. If you want to use your own themes and plugins, your only option is to use WordPress.org, making it the de facto choice for anyone who wants the full flexibility of WordPress.
This distinction became much less obvious when in 2017 WordPress.com updated its Business and eCommerce plans to allow users to install their own themes and plugins.
Now the WordPress.com Business plan type falls between self-hosted WordPress and the free WordPress.com plan. The Business plan still doesn’t give you as much flexibility as self-hosted WordPress, but it does give you much more flexibility than WordPress.com’s free plans.
Connect to your server and access your website files via SFTP.
Edit your wp-config.php file ‘one main WordPress configuration file’.
The biggest benefit of WordPress.com is about simplicity
WordPress.com offers its own hosting, so there’s no need to search for a hosting provider. outside when registering a new account.
You are not responsible for maintenance or security – WordPress.com handles all of that for you. This means you can simply sit back and focus on creating content. This of course has a cost.
Cons of WordPress.com
The main downside of WordPress.com is that you lose a lot of the flexibility of the WordPress software in exchange for the simplicity of WordPress.com. Some of the biggest problems here are:
You cannot install your own themes and plugins unless you pay for the Enterprise or eCommerce plans.
You may not add certain types of codes, access your website via FTP, or make other such changes unless you pay for the Enterprise or eCommerce plans.
The Business WordPress.com plan is a bit expensive – if you want to install your own themes/plugins, you can find cheaper options with self-hosted WordPress (especially for multi-site).
You are subject to the WordPress.com Terms of Service. While these conditions aren’t too strict, they limit the type of content your site can have.
From the list above, you can see that most of the biggest downsides apply to the free and cheap WordPress.com plans. Simply put, the WordPress.com business plan removes a lot of the arbitrary restrictions that WordPress.com places on the WordPress software. However, there are still more advanced limitations, like no WP-CLI, no cron jobs, etc. WordPress.com also bans many plugins.
WordPress.com cost
You can create a free website on WordPress.com subdomain (yourite.wordpress.com) or you can pay $48 per year to use custom domain own. However, these plans are very limited. Most notably, you cannot install your own themes and plugins on these packages.
To be able to install your own themes/plugins you will have to pay at least $300 per year for the Business plan. You will also have to pay for your domain name after the first year, and this does not include any premium themes or plugins that you may want to use.
These prices are per site – the cost will be the same for each site you launch.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org - Which is better for you?
Deciding between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is really a three-way decision because WordPress.com is completely different between the free/cheap plans and the Business and E-Commerce plans.
Let’s first discuss the free/cheap plans compared to WordPress.org, then we’ll move on to the Business plan.
WordPress.org vs Free/Cheap WordPress.com
Plan When it comes to WordPress.org and WordPress.com limited plans, the answer is almost always to use self-hosted WordPress. Not being able to install WordPress themes and plugins removes a lot of the factors that make WordPress so popular.
For example, on WordPress.com’s free/cheap plans, you won’t be able to install Elementor to design your site or use the Hello theme.
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com Business Plan
Choosing between self-hosted WordPress and the WordPress.com Business plan is a more nuanced decision as the WordPress.com Business plan addresses many of the shortcomings of the WordPress.com Business plans. Free package.
For example, you will be able to install Elementor on both the WordPress Business plan and the self-hosted WordPress.com, and you can also use the Hello theme on both.
One of the most important factors here is price. For most people, choosing to go with self-hosted WordPress will be much cheaper than paying for the WordPress.com Business plan, especially when you are just starting out.
With self-hosted WordPress, you can host multiple low-traffic websites for less than $100 per year in total. However, with the WordPress.com Business plan, you will have to pay at least $300 per year per website.
If you’re willing to pay that premium for WordPress.com’s nifty nature when it comes to security and maintenance, that could make the WordPress.com Business plan a good choice. However, for most people, the trade-off is not worth it.
Another important consideration is that even with the Business plan, you are still subject to the WordPress.com Terms of Service. If you violate these terms, they may delete your account (and your website). If you come across any of the WordPress.com Guidelines of Use themes, you will definitely want to use self-hosted WordPress to avoid any issues.
Finally, if you’re a developer, WordPress.com still imposes some restrictions on you.You can use SFTP to access the database, but you can’t use cron jobs, WP-CLI, etc. advanced features cannot be used.
Basically, unless you value simplicity and are willing to pay a premium (and sacrifice some flexibility), self-hosted WordPress is probably the better choice.
How to Start a WordPress.org Site
Creating a self-hosted WordPress site requires a few extra steps compared to creating a WordPress.com site. However, WordPress is so popular that most web hosts still make it very easy to install.
To get started, you first need to purchase web hosting and a domain name. A web hosting service powers the WordPress software, and a domain name is the permanent “address” of your WordPress site on the internet.
How to Choose WordPress Hosting
Our Recommended WordPress Hosting
Most web hosts also allow you to purchase a domain name as part of the signup process (such as Bluehost). Some offer free domain names for the first year).
Almost all web hosts offer a WordPress installer tool when you sign up for web hosting. This tool allows you to install WordPress software in just a few clicks. From there, you can log into your WordPress dashboard and start building your website.
To create a WordPress.com site, go to WordPress.com and register an account.
During the signup process, you can choose to use a free WordPress.com subdomain (such as yoursite.wordpress.com) or your own domain name (such as yoursite.com).
You can also choose between a free/low cost plan or a WordPress.com Business plan. Be aware that if you choose a plan below the Business plan, you won’t be able to install your own themes and plugins, making the WordPress software much less flexible.
If you want to use Elementor for your website’s visual design, choose at least the Business plan.
Can I switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
Yes! If you started on WordPress.com, you can later migrate your site to WordPress.org. You can even move all your content and change your domain name (or redirect your domain name to a new website).
The basic process is:
Exporting content from WordPress.com.
Importing content into self-hosted WordPress using built-in tools.
Set up redirects as needed to direct all visitors from your old WordPress.com site to your new self-hosted WordPress site.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org?
Understanding the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is confusing for many new WordPress users. As a reminder,
WordPress.org
Home of the open source, free and non-commercial WordPress software. Anyone can get this software and use it as they like.
WordPress.com
A custom implementation of the WordPress.org software operated by a commercial company. The free plan is severely limited.
For most users, WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress, is the best choice as it offers the full flexibility of WordPress at a very low cost.
Elementor can be used to build websites for both self-hosted WordPress and WordPress.com business plans. However, if you’re on a WordPress.com plan below the Business plan, you won’t be able to install your own themes and plugins. In other words, you can’t use Elementor.
Conclusion
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org The main difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is that wordpress.com is completely free to start and you won’t need any domain name or external hosting whereas wordpress.org It’s free, but you’ll need a hosting account (a web host) to use it, which usually comes with a price tag.