WordPress.com Vs WordPress.org – Key Differences & Comparison

WordPress.org
7 min read

The difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org may stump many people, leading them to make an ill-informed decision! Picking the wrong option for your business could lead to a wasted investment and a website that doesn’t convert.

1) Overview

Before explaining the key differences and comparing these two platforms, let’s start by giving a brief outline of them.

WordPress.org

Self-hosted website platform, users will have to arrange hosting and domain name. 

Features

  • Not-for-profit organization 
  • Completely open source and free platform 
  • Offers self-hosting or third-party hosting 
Pros
  • Users own their website and all the data on it.
  • Multiple monetization opportunities with no profit-sharing in place 
  • Create an eCommerce website to sell products conveniently 
  • Leverage the help of tools such as Google Analytics 
Cons
  • All aspects of updates, backup, and hosting, are up to the owner. WordPress development services may need to be taken up by the website owner. 
  • The owner will also have to be extremely well-informed about what type of theme, hosting, and plugin would best suit your website.  

WordPress.com

All-in-one solution that takes care of hosting and domain name. Alternatively, you can find a WordPress development company virtually anywhere! 

Features

  • For-profit website platform 
  • Offers hosting plans and free plan 
  • Resource for learning and using WordPress
  • Multiple WordPress development services are available 
Pros
  • Everything is taken care of by WordPress, including updates, backup, etc. 
  • Great if you have minimal requirements. 
Cons
  • Users have to select a paid plan to gain access to certain features, including premium themes, plugins, and tools.
  • The WordPress branding will be persistent unless an upgraded plan is bought.
  • Monetization opportunities are slim as the company does not sell ad space on its platform.  

2) Pricing 

WordPress.com offers an impressive array of plans, 6 to be exact! Take a look at how much they all cost, just know the features rise accordingly. 

  • Free 
  • Personal – $48
  • Premium – $96
  • Business – $300
  • eCommerce – $540
  • VIP – $5000

WordPress.org

WordPress.org doesn’t give users plans, however, users do have flexibility in the amount they wish to spend on each of the factors that contribute to website quality.  

  • Domain – $10 – $15 yearly 
  • Hosting – $30 – $300 yearly 
  • Security – $5 – $250 yearly 
  • Premium plugins – $10 – $1000 yearly 
  • Premium themes –  $35 – $200 yearly 

In total, the cost starts from $90 yearly. 

WordPress.com

The WordPress.com platform does offer a free plan but, the features are rather limited when selecting this plan. 

Free WordPress.com Plan Limitations

  • Limited storage (up to 3 GB)
  • Premium themes and certain plugins are limited to upgraded plans 
  • WordPress ads and ‘Powered by WordPress’ tag
  • WordPress.com is not an effective learning platform 
  • The website can be removed if it violates the Terms of Service 

3) Support

If anything were to go wrong, support would be the first place that you would look to get any help. A WordPress website development company is always on hand to help with the process. Other than that, let’s see what options are available to users of both WordPress.com and WordPress.org. 

WordPress.com

Support can be availed from WordPress.com through email or live chat options, only available to users of certain WordPress plans.  

WordPress.org

Users can receive much support externally through forums and developer groups. Another place where you can seek support is a professional WordPress development company in India. Alternatively, you can get official support if you have a premium WordPress.com plan. 

4) Customization

The ability to customize a website ensures that a website is more suited to the preferences of web visitors and customers.   

WordPress.com

Users of WordPress.com cannot customize their website in any way, be it theme, plugins, or any other aspect.  

WordPress.org

WordPress.org websites are highly customizable meaning that users can customize their themes, plugins, and more. This highly customizable environment is one of the greatest advantages of WordPress.org.  

5) Themes 

A theme will help to make a website more appealing to look at and use. It is a common misconception that the fancier or more premium themes are much more effective. This is false as most times, they tend to make using the website more complex.      

WordPress.com

Users can only pick from the existing array of themes, these themes cannot be customized, and other custom themes cannot be uploaded. 

WordPress.org

On the other hand, WordPress.org does offer much leeway when it comes to themes. There are several free themes available, and users can update existing themes as well as upload custom themes.      

6) Plugins

A plugin is what makes a website more functional as each plugin comes equipped to fulfill a certain feature on the website.      

More Plugins = More Functionality 

WordPress.com

Although there are over 50,000 plugins to access. But, users cannot access it unless they opt for the business or eCommerce plans.   

WordPress.org 

Automatically, users will have access to 59,000 free and paid plugins available to owners of WordPress.org websites. Plus, there is the option to include custom plugins as well. 

7) Security 

Security is an important feature that every website must consider irrespective of the hosting partner chosen. 

WordPress.com

When it comes to WordPress.com, security is already managed by the platform. Website owners will not have to carry out any further actions.     

WordPress.org 

All users of WordPress.org will have to manually manage any attempts to uphold security on their website. This can probably be done with the help of a plugin. 

8) Updates 

Keeping all software on your website (themes, plugins, tools, etc.) updated will go a long way in ensuring that your website looks appealing as well as keeping it performing optimally. 

WordPress.com

WordPress.com will take care of getting websites up-to-date. The platform will alert you of major updates to themes and plugins, thereafter, it will be a one-click update. 

WordPress.org 

Since website owners have to handle much of their website management and maintenance, updates are up to the website owner to do. Failure to make these updates can affect your website.    

9) SEO Friendliness  

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has risen to become one of the biggest features of importance in owning a website. It is what helps a website to rank, or be more visible to prospective customers or target audiences.   

WordPress.com & WordPress.org 

Regardless of which one you choose, both are fairly SEO-friendly regardless of whether or not there are any plugins installed. 

If on a business or eCommerce plan, users can utilize the Yoast SEO plugin to facilitate better SEO activities. 

10) Blogging 

WordPress was originally developed as a content management system (CMS)! This is why it makes sense that your website, incorporates a blog, regardless of the purpose of your website. 

However, WordPress.org does come out on top. The ability to easily access a wider range of plugins makes it the better-suited option for prioritizing a blog.   

Which is Better: WordPress.com or WordPress.org? 

The two are very distinct solutions: one catering to users who have coding experience and another that is for people lacking technical skills and knowledge. Hence, your requirements are directly what influenced which of them is better for you. 

WordPress.com is the better solution for individuals who don’t have technical or coding experience. It takes care of all the technical areas of handling a website.     

WordPress.org is best for people who are looking for ultimate customization.  

Every WordPress website development company ensures the website developed is according to the exact requirements passed on by the client. Since requirements can vary greatly, a single type of website cannot be suitable for everyone.   

Get in Touch

Conclusion 

As you can see, directly comparing WordPress.org and WordPress.com is not a fair comparison. The reason is that there are some extreme differences between the two making it almost impossible to put them on level ground.

WordPress is the future of the internet, with its total share growing consistently each year. If you are ready to get your WordPress website up and running, contact Artoon Solutions, an expert custom WordPress development company, and pass on your requirements. 

To approach us for a time or cost estimation just go ahead and share a Scope of Work (SOP) with us, or Contact us.

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