WordPress is the most popular open-source Content Management System (CMS) in the market. However, many people get confused about the difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org when first learning about WordPress.
In this article, LitExtension – #1 eCommerce Migration Service aims to clarify the differences between WordPress.org vs WordPress.com and help you choose the right one for your specific needs. Here is our agenda today:
- The ideal use case for WordPress.com vs WordPress.org;
- Overview of WordPress.com and WordPress.org;
- Breakdown of key differences between the two solutions.
Let’s get in!
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: Which Version Is for You?
At a glance, both WordPress.com vs WordPress.org offer excellent website-building capabilities, yet each caters to different business needs. Thus, the ideal choice depends entirely on your specific goals, technical comfort level, and budget.
If you are running personal blogs, hobby websites or seeking simplicity, we highly recommend WordPress.com. With the free version, you can share your content with the world at no initial cost, requiring minimal effort and upkeep. Those who wish to have more customization control and avoid the WordPress subdomain can always upgrade to a paid plan.
On the other hand, WordPress.org is a perfect option for businesses, dedicated bloggers, or any website requiring flexibility, scalability, and control. It offers vast customization options through themes and plugins. In our professional view, WordPress.org is unquestionably the superior platform. It's the go-to choice for even well-known brands like Disney.
An Overview of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
A quick note:
- WordPress.com is a ready-to-use platform where they handle the setup and technical details.
- WordPress.org gives you the tools to build a website from scratch on your own hosting.
Therefore, the inner workings of both WordPress.com vs WordPress.org are very similar.
To start with, WordPress.com is a for-profit-hosted blogging service that was launched in 2005. It is built on the open-source WordPress platform, with additional plugins and modifications added. Since the service is hosted, users do not have to worry about those hosting-related matters.
Meanwhile, WordPress.org is a self-hosted content management system (CMS), which means you have to download and install the software onto your computer and find your own hosting provider. It's considered the more advanced version of WordPress.com, which provides endless customization possibilities.
No matter which version of WordPress you choose, there are always both pros & cons of each option. By taking a keen look at these, it will be much easier for you to make the decision between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org:
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Note: You can always start on WordPress.com and migrate to WordPress.org later if needed. | ||
Key Differences Between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
Here comes the most important section of the article. In this section, we will review all the key factors that make the two WordPress versions different. Then on, you will have a closer look at each solution's features and decide what is best for your business.
Before going further into the details, we have concluded a comprehensive breakdown for your convenience:
#1. Pricing
WordPress.com offers a subscription-based model for its users. It has different pricing tiers with additional features depending on your plan, ranging from $0 to $70 per month (monthly paid). If you choose to pay annually, you can receive up to 55% discounts. Each plan already includes an SSL certificate, web hosting, and domain name (excluded from the free plan).
WordPress.com offers a free domain name for the first year with all annual and multi-year plans. For those of you subscribing to its monthly plans, you will have to pay separate domain registration fee, costing between $12 and $89 per year. This pricing range is quite similar to the WordPress.org option.
Notably, while WordPress.com does provide a free plan, users are limited to accessing some advanced features. For instance, you have to pay for the upgraded plans to use premium WordPress WooCommerce themes, integrate with Google Analytics, or place ads on your website. Plus, your website will also be a subdomain of WordPress.com.
As discussed, WordPress.org is an open-source platform, which means you can download and install it free of charge. You can also upgrade your WordPress.org website without worrying about monthly or annual fees.
While the platform is free, do keep in mind that you’ll have to incur hosting, domain name, and SSL certificate costs. Normally, the cost will start as follows:
- A domain name: $9-$20/ year (~0.75-$1.6/ month)
- A hosting solution: $10-$40/ month
- An SSL certificate: $0-$65/ year (~$0-5.4/ month).
This means you must pay at least $10/ month for a WordPress.org site.
The Verdict
WordPress.com appears to be a more cost-effective option. Thus, it would suit those starting their website or business with a lower budget.
#2. Ease of Installation
When setting up a website, WordPress.com offers a much more straightforward process compared to the open-source version. It provides a comprehensive hosting solution designed to cater to all user needs for getting online. All you have to do is follow its step-by-step guidelines at the start and navigate through the left-hand sidebar for more advanced functions. Hence, you can focus on your content immediately without getting bogged down by technical details.
For the hands-on user, WordPress.org is the foundation of WordPress, providing open-source software for building self-hosted websites. This platform allows users to delve into the underlying code to align with their primary business goals.
While it offers maximum customization freedom, it requires more technical involvement. In WordPress platform checklist, you will need to find a hosting provider, install WordPress, and handle ongoing maintenance. After you finish the setup process, you can access the WordPress.org admin dashboard. As the image below shows, it is similar to the WordPress.com version.
The Verdict
In this competition between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, WordPress.com is the clear winner in terms of ease of installation due to its simplified process and less of technical knowledge required. If you are not confident with technical and coding knowledge, this is definitely your go-to option.
#3. Customization
The customization level for WordPress.com sites depends on your subscription level. In fact, the free plan doesn't offer much branding customization. For instance, if you're creating a photographer's portfolio, you won't be able to install a specialized photography theme on the free plan.
Additionally, direct code modification is generally not allowed when it comes to code access, which may limit the extent of customization possible. Therefore, it's important to be aware of these limitations when working with WordPress.com, as they may impact your ability to make extensive edits compared to WordPress.org.
One of the greatest benefits of using WordPress.org is its flexibility. You have full control over your website's files and database, empowering you to tailor its appearance and functionality to your needs. This means you can:
- Choose from thousands of free and premium themes, or create your own entirely from scratch;
- Extend your website's capabilities with a vast repository of free and premium plugins;
- Modify code directly, enabling the creation of truly unique and highly specialized websites.
With this unlimited customization potential, WordPress.org is the perfect platform for scaling your presence. As your website attracts more traffic or needs more complex functionality, you won't encounter technical limitations. For example, if you own a small online shop, you can expand into a full-fledged marketplace without requiring a site rebuild.
The Verdict
It is obvious that WordPress.org is the undisputed champion when it comes to customization between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. This makes the platform ideal for businesses seeking unique online identities or those planning future growth and expansion.
#4. Speed & Performance
WordPress.com generally offers faster load times due to its managed hosting environment, optimized servers, and streamlined platform. By handling infrastructure and updates automatically, WordPress.com ensures a smoother performance experience for users.
Additionally, it already comes with a number of built-in features, thus eliminating your need to install multiple plugins. The platform will block any potentially risky plugins proactively.
In contrast, WordPress.org's performance is largely dependent on the chosen hosting provider. High-quality hosting plans can deliver exceptional speed, while lower-tier options may struggle. You can control your WordPress speed and performance through caching plugins, image compression tools, and code optimization techniques.
The Verdict
If consistent, reliable speed is a top priority, merchants on WordPress.org need to carefully select a reputable web hosting provider. In the meantime, for users who prioritize a simple setup and don't have the technical expertise to manage hosting, WordPress.com can offer a good balance of speed and ease of use.
#5. Security & Backup
WordPress.com will take care of all the security-related tasks and maintenance issues for its users. You don’t have to worry about updates, plugin compatibility, or checking release notes. The WordPress self-hosted version will manage and upgrade all the security patches and the latest versions for your store, greatly reducing downtime and ensuring your sites stay up to date.
Conversely, the security level of your website on WordPress.org will depend mainly on your host and hosting package. If you are handling the website on your own, you will need to ensure that your store’s data is backed up correctly and keep up with software updates.
This process can take you a great deal of time and effort, as you have to update your store manually. Additionally, there is also a chance that the update process might affect your site’s loading time.
Sometimes, you'll also need to put your WordPress site into maintenance mode. This might be to switch to another WordPress theme, test a newly installed WordPress plugin, or make some minor cosmetic tweaks.
The Verdict
By putting WordPress.com vs WordPress.org in the security competition, we can see that the first one provides better security features for easier management. If you prioritize convenience and peace of mind, WordPress.com's managed security is ideal.
#6. Themes & Design
Themes on WordPress.com generally prioritize ease of use and a simple setup process. They offer a collection of free and premium options. While there's a decent variety, the selection is rather restrictive.
You can customize your selected theme with extended color schemes, background designs, and CSS. However, you might have limited options to modify the theme code directly. This can hinder extensive visual customizations. Therefore, if you want custom-made templates, you should consider working with WordPress web design services.
With WordPress.org, you gain access to a boundless world of themes. Thousands of free themes reside in the official WordPress.org directory, while premium marketplaces like ThemeForest offer even more options with extensive features and dedicated support.
This platform grants you complete customization freedom – you can modify theme code directly, use child themes for safer updates, or even create your own theme entirely. Whether you seek a simple, minimalist design or a feature-rich theme for a complex website, you'll likely find it on WordPress.org.
The Verdict
Regarding theme quantity and flexibility between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, WordPress.org gives you access to a vast universe of themes. For businesses seeking a highly customized and feature-rich website, WordPress.org provides the necessary flexibility.
#7. Plugins
Plugin options are available on WordPress.com, depending on your pricing plan. Free, Personal, and Premium users can only access default built-in features. To install plugins and expand your store's functionality, you'll need to upgrade to the Business or eCommerce plan.
WordPress.com offers a curated selection of pre-approved plugins to ensure a certain level of quality. Still, the number of available plugins remains fairly limited. It prioritizes a streamlined experience and focuses on preventing issues caused by poorly coded plugins.
When it comes to plugins, it would be no exaggeration to say that WordPress.org has the most robust marketplace among website solutions. Its marketplace offers a wide range of over 59,000 free and paid plugins, which allow you to enhance and expand your website’s functionality.
WordPress.org gives you full control over extending your site's functionality, but this control also requires more technical attentiveness to maintain your site smoothly. This also means you need to ensure plugin compatibility and manage potential conflicts.
The Verdict
There's no clear-cut winner when it comes to WordPress.com vs WordPress.org plugins. Even though WordPress.org offers more plugins, it is still a better fit for businesses comfortable managing potential technical challenges.
#8. eCommerce Features
To sell on WordPress.com, you’ll need to sign up for its Entrepreneur plan. This option lets you sell unlimited products, accepts payments in 60+ countries with 0% transaction fee, and even integrates with top shipping carriers. Though you can get the WooCommerce plugin integration in the Creator plan, there’s less room for customization.
In contrast, WordPress.org doesn’t come with any built-in eCommerce features. However, you can still start your online business by installing third-party plugins such as WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, WP eCommerce, Ecwid, etc. These WordPress plugins for eCommerce serve as a bridge that turns your WordPress site into an eCommerce store.
For both WordPress versions, we recommend integrating with WooCommerce. It is the ultimate eCommerce solution for WordPress users. You can customize every aspect of your store, from product displays to checkout processes. And every task can be easily performed from your WordPress admin dashboard.
Here is our quick WooCommerce tutorial video to help you quickly start selling online:
The Verdict
Between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, WordPress.org is slightly better when coming to the eCommerce aspect. This is because WordPress.com only allows eCommerce integration from their Creator plans upward, resulting in more expensive pricing. So, if you are on a tight budget, WordPress.org is the final answer.
#9. SEO Functions
WordPress.com is still an SEO-friendly platform, even without integrating third-party plugins. The free version gives users great control over SEO metadata and files, alt tags, headers, and 301 redirects. What’s more, WordPress.com handles some basic SEO best practices automatically, such as generating sitemaps and ensuring mobile responsiveness.
If you’re looking for SEO plugins, some might be available. These plugins often focus on ease of use rather than in-depth customization.
Unlike WordPress.com's limitations, WordPress.org lets you choose from a vast array of SEO plugins. This means you can find plugins dedicated to specific tasks like XML sitemap generation, image optimization, or structured data implementation.
Some popular plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math provide control over:
- Meta Titles & Descriptions: Craft compelling snippets that appear in search results.
- On-Page Optimization: Receive content analysis and suggestions for keyword placement, heading structure, and readability.
- Technical SEO: Adjust robots.txt files, manage redirects, and establish canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content issues.
While plugins offer guidance, achieving the best SEO results requires understanding underlying concepts to make informed decisions. Yet, with greater freedom comes the potential for plugin conflicts that could negatively affect your site's performance.
The Verdict
WordPress.org gives you significantly more control over optimizing your website's visibility in search engines compared to WordPress.com. Thanks to this, larger businesses can freely install more plugins to advance their SEO functions.
#10. Blogging & Monetization
WordPress.com is perfect for starting a personal blog. Users can easily create a blog website with many essential features. These include the ability to create and schedule posts, a blog management dashboard, a comment management system, and the ability to embed images, videos, and links.
It is also a cost-effective option for anyone wanting to build a blogging site, eliminating the need to arrange hosting and security certificates individually. However, it's worth noting that if you intend to generate income from blogging, there may be some limitations on ads and affiliate links with lower-tier plans.
If you need a website for reasons other than blogging but would like to add a blog as an additional feature, WordPress.org would be a suitable option. The open-source nature of WordPress.org makes it an ideal option for you to have full control over the design and functionality. You can get access to plenty of blogging plugins on its marketplace to create a blog page on your current website easily.
What's more, if you're using Yoast, you can get a direct SEO analysis for bog improvement to improve your SEO score. Also, WordPress.org offers complete freedom to monetize your blog through any method you choose, such as ads, sponsored content, memberships, and more.
The Verdict
In fact, since both WordPress.com vs WordPress.org were originally built to create blogs, there's no clear answer for who's the winner. If your primary focus is a personal blog, WordPress.com offers an easy and budget-friendly solution. However, for businesses seeking a versatile website with a blog component or full monetization options, WordPress.org is the superior platform due to its extensive customization and plugin capabilities.
#11. Help & Support
WordPress.com takes a tiered approach to support with the level of assistance directly linked to your chosen plan. Support on the free plan is primarily self-directed. You'll rely heavily on community forums, FAQs created by other users, and online documentation to resolve issues.
If you need more help, you can upgrade to the Starter or Explorer plan to receive email and live chat support. From the Creator plan and above, you can access 24/7 priority live chat support.
Unlike WordPress.com's tiered support, WordPress.org is supported by its active community and resources. In this open-source version, “community is key.”
The official WordPress.org forums, where experienced users and developers offer guidance, provide a wealth of knowledge. Extensive online documentation with tutorials and guides is also available. Besides, many web hosting providers offer technical support specifically for WordPress-related issues, helping with installation, updates, and basic troubleshooting.
The Verdict
It's a tie between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. Neither platform is a clear-cut winner in terms of support. But, if you don't have a separate technical team, WordPress.com still provides more premium support.
Can You Switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
Many new website owners begin their journey with WordPress.com, attracted by its simplicity. Nevertheless, as their needs evolve, the platform's limitations become apparent. They crave the unfettered customization and functionality offered by “the Real WordPress”—WordPress.org.
The good news? You can seamlessly migrate your website from WordPress.com to WordPress.org and retain all your valuable content!
While migrating might seem daunting, LitExtension simplifies the process. With our leading eCommerce migration services, you can move your entire store, including products, customers, orders, categories, and more, without any data loss. Our advanced mapping technology guarantees accurate data transfer, preserving your website's integrity.
Beyond data migration, we offer additional services like theme installation, plugin configuration, and SEO optimization to help you get your new WordPress.org site up and running smoothly.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org Alternatives
While both versions of WordPress dominate the content management system (CMS) market, there are still other compelling alternatives exist. These platforms offer varying degrees of user-friendliness, customization, and pricing structures, catering to diverse website needs. You can take a look at our overview of all the options as follows:
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WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: FAQs
What is different between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
The key difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is who's actually hosting your website. With WordPress.org, you host your own site. On the other hand, with WordPress.com, WordPress.com takes care of all of this for you—easier to get started with but less freedom.
Does WordPress.org cost money?
The WordPress.org software itself is free. However, you'll typically incur costs for web hosting, a domain name, and potentially for premium themes or plugins.
Is WordPress not free anymore?
The core WordPress software (used for WordPress.org) remains free and open-source. WordPress.com offers a free plan with limitations and paid plans that unlock more features.
Can I use WordPress.org if I already have a domain?
Yes! You can easily connect your existing domain name to your WordPress.org website by updating your domain's DNS settings.
Final Words
The similarity of the two domain names, WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, might cause confusion for beginners. Hopefully, by now, you can clearly get the answer to the question: “Should I use WordPress.com or WordPress.org?”. Remember that your final choice should be based on your business needs and budget.
Want to learn more about WordPress? We have all the insights you need in our related blog posts and community group. Check them out now!
