Many people do not really know that wordpress.com and wordpress.org are actually two very different platforms though both of these offer the famous WordPress site-building and content management system, most WordPress beginners confuse WordPress.com and WordPress.org, which leads them to choose the wrong platform for their needs. Most people ask us on social media that which platform is better: WordPress.com Or WordPress.org. And we often do not know what to tell them because there is a saying that one man’s meat is another man’s poison.
This article is to help users to stop confusing their self because knowing the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org can help you make the right choice for your new website and WordPress hosting needs.
What Are WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
WordPress is the world’s most famous content management system, powering millions websites around the globe. It’s free and open source with the goal that it can be modified and shared by any user in the WordPress community.
wordPress.org (the real WordPress) It is an open-source and 100% free for anyone to use. The core WordPress software package can be downloaded by anyone from WordPress.org, or it can be installed as part of a hosting package from a web hosting provider. This is the reason it is referred to as self-hosted WordPress.
WordPress.com also supports WordPress. is a hosting service created by the co-founder of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg. And It’s run by a commercial company called Automattic with wordpress.com Users don’t have to download or install WordPress—it’s part of the hosting services that WordPress.com provides.
the main difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org arise from the differences between hosted and self-hosted websites, so choosing between them largely depends on the level of control a user wants over the design and management of their site.
The cost of using WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
WordPress.com allows you to set up a website entirely for free,however there are a few drawbacks to this:
- You can only place your site under a subdomain
- You cannot remove WordPress.com’s own ads and branding from your site
- You get limited disk space of 3GB
- You can’t monetize your blog or website
- You can’t install plugins or any themes that aren’t available on the platform by default
but if you want to use your site for commercial purpose, you will have to pay at least $8 / month on your WordPress.com plan + the cost of a custom domain name usually in the range of $15 / year. Altogether, this implies in any event $111 yearly to run a site on WordPress.com.
With WordPress.org you can dispatch a totally useful site at a cheap rate To get that going, you first a web host. you can buy them from namecheap.com and bluehost in a rush, simply go with Bluehost. They’re a regarded organization with huge amounts of choices for WordPress. with bluehost you can get
- You can get started at $2.95 / month
- You get a free domain name for the first year
- WordPress will be installed for you automatically
Comparing Features on WordPress.com and WordPress.org
Considering those differentiations, here’s a gander at how WordPress.com and WordPress.org stack up as far as key WordPress highlights.
Themes
Themes are the main features of a wordpress site and you cant create a wordpress site without installing a theme.With a premade theme all that’s needed is to add the content you want.The self-hosted version of WordPress allows users to install and change themes at will, and themes can come from any source. Both premium and free themes can be customized using tools on the site’s admin dashboard, or more experienced designers can work directly with its files to fully customize the site. Generally speaking, premium themes have more capabilities and customization features compared to free themes.
Plugins
WordPress.com states that clients don’t have to stress over introducing modules since the elements of numerous modules come preloaded with each site plan. These incorporate web based life sharing modules to build commitment, google analytics, contact forms, and more. But other plugins generally can’t be installed on a WordPress.com site, which limits the range of available options for professional users with specific needs.
Self-hosted WordPress is famous for its long list of premium and free plugins—bits of code designed by developers in the WordPress community to add specific functions that aren’t available in the basic WordPress install. Plugins can be used for things such as creating a contact form, building an online store, or adding a gallery to the site. Users can even fill the analytics gaps on their sites by installing Jetpack, an “all in one” social sharing plugin designed by WordPress.com.
Domain Names
When you choose a domain name, it becomes a site’s online identity, and most business experts advocate owning your own domain.
Self-hosted WordPress sites have custom domain names that clearly indicate the site isn’t being hosted on a third-party platform. But, unless you’re paying for premium to have a custom domain, a WordPress.com site always comes with the extension “WordPress.com” after your domain name.
WordPress.com and WordPress.org offer different ways to take advantage of the site building power of WordPress. For those who prefer to focus on creating content for a blog, WordPress.com takes care of everything else, with no need to be concerned with site maintenance and technical issues.