Tohidul Pappu
WordPress is the most popular website builder right now. However, when you first start learning about WordPress, you may be perplexed by the distinction between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
In truth, despite their similar names, WordPress.com and WordPress.org are two wholly separate website solutions created by two unique companies. As a result, distinguishing between them is critical in order to select the best option for your online business.
WordPress.com is a hosted blogging service that allows you to establish a website using the WordPress software, whereas WordPress.org is the self-hosted version that allows you to design and run your own website.
In this post, I will present an in-depth comparison of WordPress.org vs WordPress.com and assist you in deciding which is ideal for your requirements.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
|
100% free to download |
Require you to buy your own domain and hosting |
|
Allow updating custom plugins |
Have to setup and install yourself |
|
Unlimited Customization |
You’ll be responsible for Backup, updating, managing, and maintaining your website server |
|
Access to more premium and free theme |
|
|
Make money by running your own ads without sharing the revenue |
|
|
Using Google Analytics for tracking and analytics |
|
|
Full control of files and codes |
|
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
|
Easy to set up, no messing with hosting, installation, or server |
Paid upgrades for advanced customization, google analytics integration, domain name changing |
|
Let you build a website quickly |
Not allow to sell ads on your website, have to apply for their advertising program called WordAds where you share revenue with them. |
|
Easy to customize and manage your store |
Unable to upload plugins |
|
Won’t have to worry about Updates or Backups |
Limited number of free themes and doesn’t let you create your own |
|
Don’t need a lot of technical resources |
Limited extension possibilities |
|
100% Free |
Doesn’t give you full control of the site. |
The WordPress.org version is a free and open-source website solution that you must install and build yourself following the provided tutorials. This can help you keep costs down, but it also means that clients may not receive specialized assistance when using the product.
However, WordPress.org offers a strong community to assist users if they encounter any issues. You will get guidance and recommendations from developers and other experienced users here. WordPress.org also provides substantial online documentation to its clients.
WordPress.com’s free plan does not include any expert help. You must search the community forums, FAQs posted by other users, or online documentation for the information.
If you want further assistance, you may subscribe to the Personal or Premium plan to receive email and live chat support. You will enjoy a 24/7 priority live chat service if you have a Business plan or above.
Notably, only eCommerce plan customers will receive full WordPress.com assistance, including individual one-on-one professional support sessions.
WordPress.org and WordPress.com both require some technical skills to utilize. This is especially true for the former since it enables users to go deeper into the underlying code to modify their website. With coding abilities or the assistance of a developer, you may completely construct a new website from scratch to meet your primary business objectives.
The process of creating a website with WordPress.com is far more simplified when compared to the open-source version. It’s a full-featured hosting solution that’s meant to provide consumers with everything they need to get started online. In just a few minutes, you can quickly set up and establish a website.
This WordPress version has a plethora of paid and free themes that are fully responsive and cross-platform compatible. WordPress.org’s marketplace now has over 10,000 themes, giving customers a wide range of alternatives.
WordPress.org themes are available in thousands, whilst WordPress.com themes are available in hundreds.
Also, the plan you pick on WordPress.com will impact how many theme settings you have direct access to. If you choose the Free or Personal plan, you will get access to over 150 free themes. However, if you subscribe to a Paid, Business, or eCommerce plan, you’ll have access to the same free themes as well as over 200 premium themes.
You may also tweak your chosen theme with additional color schemes, background patterns, and CSS.
It would be an exaggeration to argue that WordPress.org has the most extensive plugin marketplace among website systems. Its marketplace has over 60,000 free and commercial plugins, allowing you to enhance and expand the functionality of your website.
Similar to themes, the breadth of plugin possibilities on WordPress.com is totally based on your purchasing plan.
You will only have the default built-in features if you are a Free, Personal, or Premium user. If you wish to add plugins and enhance the functionality of your store, you must upgrade to a Business or eCommerce account, which provides access to over 50,000 WordPress plugins.
Notably, WordPress.org offers its customers limitless customization options, which is one of the most significant advantages of adopting this platform to grow into the digital world.
All plugins, extensions, and themes may be customized and written to improve the appearance and functionality of your website. This allows you more control over the layout of your website as well as the flexibility to add specialized functionality to meet the demands of your organization.
Because you’re using WordPress.com, you’ll be limited to what the platform allows you to accomplish. The software is restricted based on your membership level.
As a result, unlike WordPress.org, you cannot freely change your store.
WordPress.org was designed as a blogging platform and does not include any eCommerce functionality.
You may, however, start your online company by installing third-party plugins such as WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, WP eCommerce, Ecwid, and others. These eCommerce WordPress plugins act as a link that converts your WordPress site into an eCommerce store.
Integrating your WordPress website with other eCommerce systems such as Shopify or BigCommerce is also quite doable.
To sell on WordPress.com, you must subscribe to their eCommerce plan, which costs $59/month if paid monthly or $45/month if paid yearly.
This plan allows you to sell an infinite number of items, provides powerful SEO tools and automated site backup, takes payments from 60+ countries, and connects with leading shipping carriers.
Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org offer comprehensive SEO tools, the most well-known of which is Yoast SEO. Using this plugin’s excellent SEO features, you may greatly improve your store.
Please keep in mind that the Yoast SEO plugin may only be installed on WordPress.com if you have a Business or Ecommerce subscription. Aside from that, even without third-party plugins, WordPress.com is an SEO-friendly platform. Users have complete control over SEO information and files, alt tags, headers, and 301 redirects in the free edition.
If you’re in a competitive niche, WordPress.org is the superior alternative. Because of its open-source nature, users have total control over SEO, allowing you to make some manual modifications to boost SEO performance that the hosted solution does not allow.
If you already have a website but want to add a blog as a new feature to it, WordPress.org can assist.
There are several blogging plugins available that will allow you to make posts, including social sharing, and include a comments area. Posts can also be tagged and classified.
WordPress.com, as we already know, is a platform particularly created to assist you in creating a blog. For this reason alone, it is the clear choice for anybody in need of a blogging site, whether personal or professional.
All of the features are available for you to utilize. It’s also a far less expensive option to maintain a blog because you don’t have to deal with hosting and security certifications individually.
WordPress.org software is designed to meet all current standards and security needs. In truth, WordPress that has been properly installed is fairly secure on its own. It is not easy for a hacker to break into.
It is, however, your responsibility to manage website upkeep. You must ensure that your store’s data is properly backed up and that you stay up to speed on software changes.
Because you must manually update your business, this procedure might take a long time and effort. There’s also a potential that the upgrade procedure can slow down your site’s loading speed.
Meanwhile, WordPress.com will handle all security and maintenance concerns for its users.
There’s no need to worry about upgrades, plugin compatibility, or reading release notes. The WordPress self-hosted version will monitor and upgrade all security fixes and the newest versions for your store, reducing downtime and ensuring that your sites are always up to date.
As a result, WordPress.com requires far less upkeep than an open-source platform.
Beginners may be confused by the similarities of the two domain names: WordPress.com versus WordPress.org. Hopefully, you now grasp the distinctions between the two aforementioned website builders.
If you have any confusion or if you want to create a website for your brand/Business, Please contact us
Founder of TIWebView www.tohidul.info
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Hi, I’m Tohidul Pappu, an experienced web developer with a great portfolio, having successfully developed over 500 live websites. I enjoy sharing my knowledge to help others who want to work in web development by offering advice, guidance, and solutions the problems along the way.
