Well, did you ever contemplate that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are two different versions of the same WordPress platform? Yes, there are two genres of WordPress and this blog post is here to clear your every doubt regarding the first question in the paragraph.
- The fundamentals
WordPress.org
WordPress.org is a self-hosted Content Management System (CMS) platform for setting up your website. You just need to register a domain name and web hosting and then download WordPress.org to start your website. You can then customize the site, add new themes, set up Google analytics, initiate an online store and grow a community of your brand through membership programs. In short, you have your complete freedom while building your website with WordPress.org.
WordPress.com
It is very similar to other website builders like Wix where every default website building options are there. You simply need to click on them to create your web. There are various plans both free and paid, depending upon which you can unlock a variety of website improvement features.
- Setting up
WordPress.org
This open-source platform is 100% free for everyone. Get a domain name and web hosting from platforms like GoDaddy, BlueHost etc. and you are all set up to run your website at WordPress.org.
WordPress.com
For setting up a website in WordPress.com, there to no need to register a domain name and web hosting separately. Just sign in into the WordPress.com account and you are all done to run your website.
- Budget
WordPress.org
There is no separate cost for setting up a website on WordPress.org. You have to only pay for the domain and hosting charges.
WordPress.com
The root plan starts with a Free plan that renders your site name as sitename.wordpress.com. But this basic plan will keep on showing WordPress ads throughout the site. Then come the plans named Premium, Business and eCommerce. Each of them has its own benefits and even provides you with a free domain and hosting for a year.
- Themes and Appearance
WordPress.org
The official directory of WordPress.org has more than 7,500 free themes. Apart from these, thousands of premium themes are available on WordPress.org’s official directory. Several other sites also provide free and premium WordPress.org themes which you can easily install on your website.
WordPress.com
The number of available themes on WordPress.com depends upon the plan you chose while creating your website. While the Premium plan lets you choose from more than 200 themes, the Free and Personal plans have access to 150+ themes.
- Plugins
WordPress.org
There are 50,000+ plugins in WordPress.org. You can use as many WordPress plugins to your site as you want. There are both versions of free and paid plugins.
WordPress.com
Usage of plugins is allowed only if you have a Business or eCommerce plan (50,000+ plugins). Nevertheless, their use is restricted in other plans.
- Monetizing website
WordPress.org
You can easily customize your WordPress.org site for monetizing it by running ads.
WordPress.com
Premium plan is the least requirement when it comes to monetizing your website.
- Google Analytics
WordPress.org
WordPress.org allows you the easy installation of Google Analytics which in turn tracks your daily website traffic. You can see each and every traffic detail like visitors per page, bounce rates and session durations of your traffic through Google Analytics.
WordPress.com
Since the free plan of WordPress.com doesn’t allow plugins installation, you cannot enjoy the powerful benefits of Google Analytics here. However, this option is available with the premium plans of WordPress.com (Business or eCommerce plan).
- Customer support
WordPress.org
There is no direct support from the WordPress portal but the web hosting platforms do provide 24×7 customer support for your every need. Their customer care units are active all day over chat and mail to solve your every website hitch.
WordPress.com
There is no backend support for the Free plan. You will get support only if you are using a Personal plan and/or above.
- Website backup
WordPress.org
Data portability is super easy with WordPress.org. You can do the backup manually or take the help of WordPress plugins like UpDraft (both free and premium versions are available).
WordPress.com
Basic security options and basic back up features are available with WordPress.com for an easy back up of your site’s data.
Quick look:
| Features | WordPress.com | WordPress.org |
| Domain and Hosting | Available in Premium plans with WordPress | A third party like BlueHost provides domain and hosting |
| Coding skills | Not required | Basic knowledge is needed |
| Customization options | Limited | Fully flexible |
| Theme availability | Limited | 7,500+ themes available |
| Plugins | Available with Premium plans | 50,000+ plugins available |
| Google Analytics | Available with Premium plans | Yes |
| Blog monetizing | Restricted | 100 % |
| Customer support | Available with Premium plans | 24 x 7 over chat or email |
| Yearly Budget | Approx. 111 $ | Approx. 35 $ |
Frequently asked questions:
- What is the basic difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?
The basic difference lies in their hosting property. While WordPress.org is a self-hosted CMS (your host owns your site), WordPress.com is hosted by WordPress.com itself.
- Which one is better WordPress.org or WordPress.com?
Well, this entirely depends upon the individual and their purpose for which they are using WordPress. No doubt, WordPress.org has a larger scope and opportunities when compared to the latter. But WordPress.com also has its own ease of website making and functions.
- Which one should I chose; WordPress.com or WordPress.org?
If you own a business and want to make money through your website, WordPress.org is the best option. You can easily set up Google ads and then roll in some currency to your account. However, WordPress.org demands some basic technical skills and learning time of the WordPress settings.
On the other hand, if you own a blog or a website just out of your passion, WordPress.com is the pick for you. It’s easy to start and create with minimum coding knowledge. You can easily do your own in no time without the help of a website developer.
Though WordPress.com offers blog monetization, the costs are much higher than WordPress.org. Monetizing options are available in the Business plan at a yearly cost of $ 300 whereas, in WordPress.org, you can monetize it by merely spending an amount of $ 45 each year.
- Can I monetize the free version of WordPress.com?
No, the free version of WordPress.com doesn’t allow blog monetization. With WordPress.com, monetization options are very much narrowed and channelized. As mentioned previously, Business plans offer monetizing options; else you can join their WordAds program and then share your revenue with them.
- Can I move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
Yes, you can very easily move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org by following these easy steps.
- Do I need to learn coding for using WordPress.com or WordPress.org?
If you are using WordPress.com where the entire set up is built-in, there is no need to learn code or basic HTML. But for WordPress.org, you need to understand some basic features of the platform. This does not involve coding but ground knowledge of HTML will ease your way. Else, you can also do some trial and error with the customization to pick up the best look for your website.
For example, WordPress comes with a variety of blocks in its editors. Whether you are using Elementor or any other editor some of the popular editor blocks list the latest posts, media files, quotes, separator and paragraph. Often short codes need to be pasted while using plugins like WPForms or main menu sliders. No doubt all these theme customization demands some basic WordPress learning and practice.
- Which one is more costly; WordPress.com or WordPress.org?
The free version of WordPress.com allows you to have 3 GB of disk space. The minimum WordPress.com premium plan starts at 8 $ per month excluding the domain charges that labels about 15 $ a year. Therefore, you need to invest an amount of 111 $ each year to run your website on WordPress.com.
On the other hand, developing a website with WordPress.org can start at a price as low as 35 $ each year. The only major cost involved here is procuring a domain name and a web host. Look for some seasonal offers like New Year, Diwali and similar festivities where most of the service providers allow heavy discounts on the actual price.
- Who owns the website; myself or WordPress?
If you have built your website with WordPress.com, the ownership belongs to WordPress. But if you have dealt it with WordPress.org, the ownership is 100% yours.
It is so because it is you who brought the domain and hosting, security certificates, plugins and every other website necessities. Therefore, it is entirely you who owns the web (unless and otherwise you have used copyrighted documents and violated standard Government norms). This freedom is not there with WordPress.com where you need to abide by the WordPress policy, not aligning to which may cause WordPress to delete or shut down your site at their will.
To conclude
This blog post has only done a fair and little comparison between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. However, the utility of each solely depends on the motive of the user.
No doubt, the more powerful WordPress site for a serious business is the WordPress.org. But as explained earlier, if you are a newbie blogger who just wants to share your thoughts with a wider audience, WordPress.com is definitely the pick for you.
