Are you confused in selecting between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org?
Then you are in the right place.
Check out this post and learn about the difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – What’s the Difference?
There are high chance that if you are reading this post, then you probably heard the term WordPress and it is also possible that sometimes you may be confused between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.
WordPress is the web software you can use to create your blog or website. WordPress was released in 2003. Since the first version of WordPress, it has been widely used as a blogging platform.
There are many plugins available in WordPress by which WordPress can be used to create complicated websites. You can create an online store with the help of WordPress. WordPress is open source. So that means anyone can use and modify it freely.
Facts about WordPress
- Currently, 75 million websites are running on WordPress. Some of those sites include Mashable, CNN, TechCrunch, Forbes, Sony, Coca-Cola, etc. You can check how many big websites are using WordPress.org.
- WordPress has a collection of more than 30,000 themes.
- WordPress has 19,000 plugins in its repository.
- WordPress is open source software so anyone can use and update it as per his need.
- WordPress beats Joomla and Drupal when it comes to usage.
Advantages of WordPress
- Easy: WordPress is very easy to learn. Any layman person can learn WordPress and build a website. There is no need to write a single line of code to develop a website using WordPress.
- Easy to install: WordPress is very easy to install on any host. The installation of WordPress on a host takes hardly 5 minutes.
- Huge Community: WordPress has a high quality of developers. If you are facing any issues regarding WordPress, then you can contact this vast community.
- Themes and Plugins: There are 30,000 themes, and 19,000 plugins available in the WordPress repository. These themes and plugins are free and premium. Anyone can use these free themes and plugins.
There are two versions of WordPress available. These versions are wordpress.com and wordpress.org.
Newbie always looks confused between these two versions of WordPress. So let’s see both versions of WordPress with their advantages and disadvantages.
At the end of this post, we will also give short tips on which version to choose in which situation.
WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a commercial version of WordPress. It is created by Automatic. If you want to create your website with WordPress.com, then it will provide you with a domain and hosting for free. So that you can focus on your content and make it more useful.
The Domain of WordPress.com will look like this: domainname.wordpress.com.
There are several advantages and disadvantages of WordPress.com. So it is better to know the pros and cons before you create your website with WordPress.com.
Check out: Blogger vs WordPress – Find Out the Best Platform
Advantages of WordPress.com
- It’s Free: com is completely free. If you want to start your own blog and share your knowledge with your readers, then there is no need to pay money for it. You can start your blog with WordPress.com and share your knowledge.
- Spam is not a Problem: in the case of WordPress.com, you don’t need to worry about spam comments. All these things are handled by preinstalled plugins.
- Freedom of Upgrades: Whenever any new version of WordPress is available, it will upgrade your version automatically. So you don’t require any special skills to enhance your website.
- Backup: WordPress.com will take automatic backup of your website. So you don’t need to take a backup of your site daily.
- Support: There are many active members at the forum. So in the case of trouble, you can contact them through the forum and get help from them.
- It’s very simple: it is so simple that even a layman person can start his blog with this platform. You don’t require any knowledge of HTML, CSS, or PHP.
Disadvantages of WordPress.com
- No Advertising: if you want to make money out of your blog, then WordPress.com is not for you. WordPress.com does not allow you to add ads to your blog. So you can’t apply for Google Adsense.
- Limited Customization of Themes: There are many themes available on WordPress.com. But you cannot use your theme. You also can’t be able to edit its CSS. So there is a limited number of options available for the Customization of the theme.
- No Plugin Uploads: You cannot upload any plugins to the WordPress.com blog. This is a great limitation of it. Because of plugins, WordPress can achieve its real power.
- Paid Upgrades: If your blog goes beyond certain conditions, then you need to buy pay upgrades for it. There are some conditions on visitors, content, and page views.
WordPress.org
WordPress.org is a complete solution for people like you and me who want to make money through their blog, promote their small business online, or any other users like creating an online E-commerce site.
WordPress.org removes all the limitations of WordPress.com. To create a blog using WordPress.org you need to have a domain name and hosting with you.
Once you have a domain and hosting account, you can install WordPress on your hosting account and start your self-hosted blog.
You can have full control over your blog on WordPress.org. You can get all the advantages of WordPress on WordPress.org.
There are certain responsibilities that will also come with these benefits. The following are the responsibilities in the case of a self-hosted WordPress blog:
- You need to update your version of WordPress by yourself.
- You need to pay some amount for the domain and host.
- You need to protect your blog from spam comments.
- You need to take regular backups of your blog.
- You need to make sure that your blog will run 24*7 even if the traffic on your blog will be incensed.
- Check out the complete features of WordPress.org here.
| Elements Series | WordPress.com | WordPress.org |
|---|---|---|
| Cost and knowledge | It is free and does not require much technical knowledge. | it is not free and requires some technical knowledge. |
| Themes | You can use only those themes which are available in WordPress. You cannot modify themes. | You can use any theme you want. You also can change the CSS of the theme as per your requirements |
| Plugins | You cannot use any plugin. | You can use any plugin to enhance your blog. |
| Backup and security | It is done automatically | You need to take periodic backup, and you need to protect your blog from different threats. |
| Server | Your blog will be on a powerful server. So you don’t need to worry about downtime. | You must maintain a good server to maintain a good performance of your blog. |
| Monetize from blog | You cannot make money using your blog. | You can make money using your blog. |
| Control | You don’t have full control over your blog. | You have full control of your blog. |
Which is Better: WordPress.com or WordPress.org?
Now you know that both WordPress.com and WordPress.org have their advantages and disadvantages. So now the question is what to choose.
The answer is simple.
If you want to create your blog to share your knowledge, and you don’t want to monetize your blog, you can create it with the help of WordPress.com.
But if you want to make money from your blog and create your identity across the world then you should go for WordPress.org.
With WordPress.org, you have complete control of your blog. So there are certain responsibilities that also come.
If you are ready to take responsibility, then you can definitely go for WordPress.org. So if you are willing to pay and dedicated to work on your blog, then you should choose WordPress.org. Otherwise, you can go for WordPress.com.
It is also a better option first to try a free version of WordPress and then start your self-hosted blog.
We are also using WordPress.org for our blog with Hostarmada. You will get a free .com domain with unlimited space hosting for one-year validity for both domains and hosting at reasonable prices.
You can get help from these guides. So our suggestion is to get a self-hosted blog instead of a WordPress.com blog if you are looking for long-term blogging.
If you are thinking about a self-hosted blog then Blogloud would love to help you and be ready to give you easy-to-follow steps with proper guidance for more information contact us.
Officially Recommended for WordPress.org Users
Web-Hosting and Top Domains: Godaddy
Best Themes: GeneratePress
Final Words
So in the end, it is all about what you want, what you handle, and what you are most comfortable with.
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Good luck with your own self-hosted blog where you are the owner of everything. 🙂
