WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: The Beginner’s Guide To Choosing The Right Blogging Platform
Maybe you’re one of those who have a regular 9-to-5 job but want to use blogging either as an emotional outlet or to supplement your income.
Maybe you’re a remote worker who wants to make the jump from freelancing to passive earning via blogging. Either way, there’s a good chance you’ll be asking yourself these questions very soon.
WordPress.com or WordPress.org? Which one should you choose?
Apparently, this still confuses some people, especially but not limited to those who are new to the world of CRMs and website building.
It sounds like a digital version of the chicken or egg argument except that for this one, choosing right can actually make you a winner!
Whatever your reasons, if you’re starting a blog or building a website and are planning to use WordPress, read this first.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- What WordPress.com and WordPress.org are
- The pros and cons of the two
- How to choose which one fits your needs perfectly
What’s the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?
WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a popularly-used blogging platform hosted by Automattic. Their versatile plans include Free, Personal, Premium and Business Tiers. The higher the price, the better the features they can provide.
WordPress.org
Occasionally referred to as the real WordPress, this generally points to the open-source CMS software that you can download from the WordPress.org website.
After downloading and designing your website, you have to install it on a web server, usually that of a third-party web host.
It has more advanced features compared to what WordPress.com provides. Examples are an easy-to-customize template system and advanced plugin architecture.
It’s currently the most popular and widely used content-managing system (CMS) in the world.
Pros and Cons
WordPress.com (Free)
Pros:
- Free hosting
- Free subdomain name
- Free Themes
- Simple custom options for background color, images, etc.
- 3 GB storage space for your media and content
- Paid Plans also come relatively cheap and have better features than the Free option.
- The WP support staff takes care of all site maintenance. This covers:
- updates
- backups
- optimization, etc.
Cons:
- Limited Theme Support
- You can’t customize existing themes or upload new ones. You can only use what’s available from their collection
- No Plugins Allowed
- Fewer Monetization options
- You’re not allowed to sell ads on your website
- com places ads on your site that you can’t earn from and don’t have any control over
- You have to pay to remove “Powered by” branding links on your website
- Can’t install Google Analytics
- Very limited SEO control
- You can’t use it to create an online store
- You also can’t create a membership site
WordPress.Org
Pros:
- Full Theme Support
- All Plugins Allowed, including WordPress Automation Software that can make managing your blog a lot more convenient
- A lot more freedom to monetize your blog or website
- Unlimited SEO Features
- Install Google Analytics and others like Kissmetrics, etc. for maximum traffic insights
- Create your online store
- design and customize it to your heart’s content
- sell digital or physical goods or services
- accept different modes of payment such as PayPal, credit cards, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, etc
- Create membership access
- *easily collaborate with your team
- *set access levels, site restrictions, learning management systems, etc
Cons:
You are responsible for:
- Installing WordPress updates
- Backing Up your site on a regular basis
- Installing Spam Control options
- Keeping your site optimized
- As the No.1 CMS, it’s always under threat of attack from hackers and other online perps
- You have to be vigilant and on top of your site security
- No Support
- You have to visit the WP community forum for answers
- Not very newbie-friendly
WordPress.org and WordPress.com: Which one do you need?
That depends on what your needs are.
What’s the purpose of the website you’re building?
Will it be a personal website detailing your adventures with your pets? Will it be your online journal or breathing space?
Or will you be using it for business instead? Do you plan to turn it into an e-commerce website to sell your stuff? Find clients? Monetize your website or your blog?
Your goals should figure the most in your choice of a website builder.
Choosing the correct platform to use is part of what makes a good blog.
Our Take
If you are a beginner at creating websites and are planning to use your website for personal purposes, WordPress.com is the choice for you.
Its free option is the first and best consideration, with the technical support coming at a close second.
However, if you are planning to use your website for business and generate profits from it, you should totally go for WordPress.org.
This option does require you to sign up with a third-party web hosting provider. However, the advantages listed above will make things a lot easier and more exciting for you.
Web hosting solutions you can check out:
PCMag.com recommends these top hosting providers:
HostGator Web Hosting
1&1 Web Hosting
InMotion Web Hosting
GoDaddy Web Hosting
SiteGround Web Hosting
DreamHost Web Hosting
A2 Web Hosting
Bluehost Web Hosting
Media Temple Web Hosting
Arvixe Web Hosting
With WordPress.org, you’ll have more freedom design-wise as well as have access to SEO tools and other plugins and themes you need in order to make a marketable blog or website.
Conclusion
We have, as much as we can, attempted to meet the initial objectives of this article, which were to explain the major differences and pros and cons of both WordPress.com and WordPress.org as well as help you make the right choice between them.
There are, of course, other solutions that you can check and try out. Still, we hope to have helped in clearing up any questions you may have about the two.
If you have any more questions or suggestions, please feel free to drop it in the comments section below. We will appreciate your insights and be happy to hear from you.
Richard Witt
November 22, 2017 @ 6:34 pm
Yes, I love wordpress. The .org version is the way to go. The .com version is really a waste of time and will cost you more later to convert. I’d rather have a higher ramp up and more professional looking site that converts better.
Kevin Ocasio
November 22, 2017 @ 7:20 pm
Hi again, Rich. Thanks for always reading my articles and leaving a comment. You’re awesome! And I totally agree. WordPress.com would probably be a good practice ground for total beginners. But for professional goals, WordPress.org is the only right choice.
Cheers,
Kevin
Yasar Ali
November 22, 2017 @ 11:44 pm
Great & Worth Appreciating Post Kevin!
I like WordPress (org) and Bluehost the most to get started with and my suggestion to my fellow bloggers and blog readers would be the same!
Worth Appreciate!
Yasar
Susan Velez
November 24, 2017 @ 7:27 am
Hi Kevin,
It’s so easy for new bloggers to get the 2 versions confused. I still speak to people who don’t understand which version of WordPress they’re using.
I personally prefer to use the WordPress.org version. Like you said, if you’re trying to build a business and monetize your blog, then that’s the best way to go.
Plus, you get so many options when it comes to customizing and using plugins and themes.
It does come with a little bit of a learning curve, but in my opinion, it’s definitely worth it.
Thanks for sharing these tips.
Have a great day 🙂
Susan
Donna Merrill
November 24, 2017 @ 3:49 pm
Hi Kevin,
I do believe that WordPress.com is great for those who want to write a journal for themselves and things like that.
But if someone wants to use WordPress as part of their business plan, .org is a must. With all the plugins available, it makes things so easy for us.
If we every want to monetize our blog WP.org is the way!
-Donna
Rachel
November 29, 2017 @ 7:41 am
Hey Kevin!! Awesome article!! Cheers!
Mgr
November 29, 2017 @ 10:06 am
very nice article , i prefer wordpress.org its cheaper and better
Paul
November 29, 2017 @ 7:29 pm
For bloggers out there who are using wordpress.com if you want to make a professional website,blog or weblog, i suggest you choose a self hosted wordpress.org because you have fully control of the customization and it is very affordable compare to wordpress.com
vinayak
November 30, 2017 @ 10:47 am
Great Bro Awesome Thanks
Monojit Dey
December 4, 2017 @ 10:40 am
Hi,Kevin Ocasio
Very good article,Really helpful,Thanks for sharing this information,
Keep up the good work.
niraj
December 6, 2017 @ 6:46 am
hii kevin please tell me how can i get free hosting
Jared
December 6, 2017 @ 1:17 pm
Awesome informative article. Although WordPress.com is free there are many drawbacks that should be taken into consideration such as the lack of SEO. One of the reasons I prefer WordPress.org is the unlimited SEO features as you said. Great job Kevin!
Md Alfaaz
December 9, 2017 @ 11:19 pm
Wow! Great post. Learned a lot about WordPress.com and WordPres.org. I prefer wordpress.org because of plugins. It has many plugins to help in every work. And it has no lack of seo features. Thanks Kevin.
Ryan Biddulph
December 12, 2017 @ 4:47 pm
Nice review Kevin. If you are a newbie with a tiny interest in blogging, go with .com 😉 If you are a newbie with a little more than a tiny interest in blogging, go with .org. Only because the .com crowd soon learns that if they want to grow anything with their blog – readers, traffic, etc – .org is the only option, for about 1,000 reasons. Thanks for sharing the benefits of each platform.
Ryan
Jane
December 13, 2017 @ 1:52 am
Hey Kevin,
That’s a nice comparison of the two great platforms. Both have their share of pluses and minuses.
I believe one can use the .com for personal journaling of sorts and the .org for professional/business websites.
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Jane.
NICOLA Geldorf
March 4, 2018 @ 5:49 am
Hi Kevin,
I enjoyed reading your article my question is simply what is a newbie to do?
do to unfortunate circumstances I had to leave all the jobs I knew behind, then thought I could use all these experiences and start a new career in writing.I know enough about computers to get in trouble what should I do?
Sanjay
October 11, 2018 @ 12:36 am
I started my blogging with WordPress.Com later when the site started hitting traffic, I just moved to WordPress CMS for better monetization.
One thing I noticed, WordPress CMS is still open source offering a variety of features and makes continuous new features like Gutenberg etc