Today were going to look at something that causes a lot of confusion for users. The difference between WordPress.COM and WordPress.ORG.
First, let’s understand what the two have in common.
WordPress is a software that was originally designed to create blogs. It’s free and open source, which boosted its popularity to a point that an estimated 34 % of all websites run on WordPress. You can now create any kind of site, from a real estate marketplace to online magazines.
Because WordPress is a software, you need to install and run it on a web server, which leads us right to the main difference.
Main difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.org is the website where you can download the software for free
You then have to organize all the installation and web hosting yourself.
WordPress.com, is a paid service that completely takes care of installation and hosting for you.
Why Choose WordPress.org?
When you install and run WordPress yourself via WordPress.org, you have absolute control and flexibility over the themes you want to install, the exhaustive list of plugins to enhance your site and the customization options. In fact, very few other website, builders or content management systems come close to how flexible and scalable a WordPress.org website is.
Why Choose WordPress.com?
When your website is hosted on WordPress.com? The options are still great, but they can be limited depending on the price plan you choose.
For instance, you’ll need the expensive Business plan to install external plugins and have access to all SEO options Now. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s better to have less choice but an easier product to play with.
Just ask any Apple device owner out there versus Android or Windows users. So with WordPress.com the advantages have to do with Installation and setup. It only takes a few clicks to get started. Ease of maintenance and security, which is pretty much all done automatically for you. And, most importantly, access to email and live support.
Pricing Speaking of pricing let’s see how much it costs to run WordPress by yourself via WordPress.org.
Note that prices vary wildly, so this is a rough estimate.
- Web hosting between $5 to $40 per month.
- Domain name, around $15 per year.
- Then you should account for Premium themes which can cost between $ $40 to $150 and paid plugins, also within the same price range.
With WordPress.com, here are the available plans:
- Free Personal $5, a month which lets you choose a domain name.
- Premium $8 per month to access the paid Premium themes.
- Business $25 per month for live support and all plugins.
- E-Commerce $45 per month to run an online store.
The key takeaway is that, with WordPress.org you will have to invest a bit more time to set everything up and keep it running. The big benefit is that it can turn out much cheaper than WordPress.com in the long run. However, if you’ll end up requiring a developer because of the missing support, WordPress.org can also become a money pit.
I would recommend WordPress.com for smaller sites, where the Personal or Premium plan will most likely be enough.
Hope that will help you to see clearer.
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