WordPress is the easiest way to create a website no matter what type of content. But despite the popularity of WordPress, there is a question that still confuses many new users: Is WordPress.com the same as WordPress.org? Or what’s the difference between the two?
If you search for the word “WordPress” on Google, the two websites will rank 1st and 2nd. If you are new to WordPress, you may not know which one to use. First, there is WordPress.com, a hosted solution. Second, you have WordPress.org, also called self-hosted WordPress. Beginners often confuse WordPress.com with WordPress.org, causing them to choose the wrong blogging platform for their needs. Even those who know they are two different platforms are not aware of the differences between them. Most of the websites used today prefer WordPress.org (self-hosted version).
In this article, we’ll examine the main differences between WordPress.org vs WordPress.com so you can choose the right platform for your needs.
WordPress.org Benefits
With WordPress.org, you host your own site. With WordPress.org, you have total control of your website. You are free to do whatever you want and do all the customization you need. Also, WordPress.org has much better customization options. You can use the free or paid website themes you want, install all the paid and free plugins and do whatever you want with your site.
Here are some of the benefits of choosing WordPress.org to build your website.
WordPress software is free, open source and very easy to use.
- You can customize the design of your website as you wish. You can create completely custom designs or change anything you want.
- You own your website and all of its data. You are in complete control. Your website will not be shut down unless you do something illegal.
- You can create an online store to sell digital or physical products, accept credit card payments.
- You can add paid, free and custom WordPress plugins or themes to your website.
- You can earn money from your WordPress site by running your own ads.
- You can use powerful tools like Google Analytics for custom analysis and tracking.
- You can also create membership system and sites and sell these contents to your online users.
There are few downsides to using the self-hosted WordPress.org site.
- You will need web hosting to install and configure the files you download from WordPress.org. This is where both WordPress and your website files are stored on the internet. The cost may vary according to your needs. Although the initial cost is very affordable per month, as your website grows and gets more traffic, web hosting costs will increase as expected.
- You are responsible for updates and backups. You can easily update your WordPress site in a few minutes by simply clicking the “update” button. In the same way, you can take advantage of the opportunities offered by WordPress for backups. There are also hundreds of WordPress backup plugins that allow you to set up and set up automatic backups.
WordPress.com Benefits
The free WordPress.com platform is a good choice for hobby bloggers new to WordPress.
Some of the advantages of using WordPress.com include:
- You won’t have to worry about updates or backups. WordPress.com will take care of this.
- Free for up to 3GB space. You will need to upgrade to a paid plan for more.
WordPress.com has more disadvantages than WordPress.org.
- If you are using the free version of WordPress.com, WordPress.com may place ads on your website.
- You are not allowed to sell ads on your website, which severely limits the ways you can make money from your site. In short, you share your income with them.
- You cannot upload custom themes. Free plan users can only install from a limited collection of free themes.
- You may not be allowed to install all plugins you find on the market.
- WordPress.com does not offer any eCommerce features or integrated payment gateways unless you switch to a paid eCommerce plan.
- You cannot create your web domain address the way you want in your free WordPress.com account.
We highly recommend using the self-hosted WordPress.org. It provides instant access to all WordPress features and functionality without any restrictions.