Many clients have come to us with WordPress.com blogs, wanting us to do custom design work for them. While it is possible to do some basic customization there, we are so limited in what we can do with their layouts that we have chosen to work exclusively with self-hosted, WordPress.org websites and blogs.
If you are confused by the two different versions, you are certainly not alone! Today, we are comparing WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org so you can easily decide which route is best for your online presence.
Let’s start with the basics:
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a content management system (also called a CMS) that powers your site or blog, letting you manage everything without needing to learn a single line of code. There are other systems out there – like Wix, Squarespace, or Blogger – but WordPress is currently the most popular and powerful platform on the web.
If you would like to know the difference between our top two favorites, make sure to read our Blogger vs. WordPress post.
For your website or blog to be visible on the internet, you need three things:
- Web Hosting
- A CMS (WordPress)
- A Domain Name (optional, but highly recommended)
Think of it like building a house. Hosting is the plot of land you buy (your piece of the internet), the CMS (WordPress) is the house you build on that land, and the Domain is your street address so people can find you.
Pros and Cons of Self-Hosted WordPress (.org)
Below are a few essential pros and cons of managing your own self-hosted WordPress site.
Pros
- Complete control: You have total ownership and control over your site.
- Customization: You can use any custom theme you want (including Designer Blogs themes!).
- Endless features: All third-party plugins are available to you.
- Under the hood access: Complete control over your website’s coding and files.
- Monetization: Absolute freedom to use AdSense, affiliate links, and other ad networks.
Cons
- Cost: There are monthly or yearly web hosting costs (You can get started for just $1.99. Click here to learn more).
- Maintenance: You are responsible for handling your own spam control, site backups, and software upgrades.
The WordPress software itself is 100% free!
Web hosting is the part you need to pay for. If you would like to learn how to buy hosting, set up a domain, and WordPress for $1,99 a month check our guide on how to start a blog or website.
What is WordPress.com?
WordPress.com is simply a hosted version of the WordPress software. The main difference is that you do not need to buy your own separate web hosting. WordPress.com is a company that sells you access to WordPress already installed on their servers (this is a huge simplification, but it explains how it works).
This means you no longer need to worry about the technical side of hosting safety or maintenance. However, instead of paying a hosting company, you pay WordPress.com for access to basic features.
Getting a basic WordPress.com site is free, but you are very limited in what you can do. To get features similar to a self-hosted WordPress.org site, you need to pay for a premium plan, which currently ranges from $4 to $45 a month. If you are a massive enterprise, they even have a VIP package that starts at around $25,000 a year!
Pros and Cons of WordPress.com
To help you decide which route is better for you, here are a few pros and cons of using WordPress.com.
Pros
- Beginner-friendly: Free and incredibly easy to set up.
- Hands-off maintenance: Upgrades, spam protection, and security are all taken care of for you.
- Reliability: Your info is hosted on WordPress.com’s massive servers, so your site is much less likely to ever crash or go down under heavy traffic.
Cons
- Design limits: Tons of generic themes are available, but you cannot use a custom theme (like a Designer Blogs theme) unless you pay for a higher-tier plan.
- Paywalls: You need to upgrade to a Business plan to use some plugins.
- Ad restrictions: You require a premium package to run your own ads and fully monetize your site.
- Locked files: You do not have access to your core WordPress files.
- Scalability: For larger sites, upgrading their plans is ultimately more expensive than just using self-hosted WordPress.
WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org for Blogging
In our minds, WordPress.com is very similar to Blogger. You get a nice, simple, budget-friendly setup. But if you are a serious blogger who wants to own your content and have complete, unhindered control over your design, self-hosted (.org) is going to be the route you want to go.
For help getting a self-hosted WordPress.org blog set up, you can follow this step-by-step tutorial for instructions.
(And for those of you who are visual like me, here is an easy-to-pin image with a breakdown!)
Conclusion: Which WordPress is Better?
We generally do not recommend WordPress.com for serious bloggers because you quickly run into strict limitations when you want to customize your site. Ultimately, self-hosted WordPress offers total freedom and complete ownership of your content in the long run.
While the free version is fine for hobbyists wanting to test the waters, the sheer flexibility of having your own hosting makes it worth building a proper, self-hosted site right from day one.
If you are currently on the free platform and want to make the switch, check out our guide: How to Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to a Self-Hosted Domain
What do you think? Have you ever used WordPress.com or considered making the switch? Let us know in the comments!
If I decided to transfer my blog to WordPress.org would I lose my followers and content?
No. Your content and followers would transfer. If you are ordering from us, you’ll need to add the “content transfer” option to your order to have all of your content transferred over.
If I’ve already paid for a domain name through WordPress will it mess me up to go with bluehost or another self hosting site? Will I be able to pay the lower fee next year for my domain?
How can I transfer my WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
This tutorial will walk you through the process: https://www.designerblogs.com/how-to-start-a-blog/.
Once you have that set up, then we can help you transfer everything from your existing site over to your new self-hosted WordPress blog. Visit our blog accessories shop and purchase this option:
SITE CONTENT TRANSFER (WORDPRESS) = $100
Or if you plan to purchase a design from us then you can add that option to your order. Hope this helps!
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