What is the difference between Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org?
When I start to work with a new client building a website, and we set up a wordpress site, the question of what the differences are between Wordpress.com vs. the Wordpress.org often comes up. It is a valid question for those who have never worked in either, and is a bit confusing at first. So if you are thinking about Wordpress, you need to think carefully before you start.
Wordpress.com
Pro's
- It's free to set up, host and use
- It is very easy to use and a great way to learn Wordpress prior to putting out the money first for a domain name and hosting
- Hundreds of templates to choose from free!
- Wordpress.com automatically updates your site as they come out with new features, and they control spam for you.
- They perform back-ups for you
Con's
- Free templates are not always updated, or only rarely. As a newbie, it may be hard to tell which ones are or are not. This could cause major issues down the line when Wordpress does their updates. The older templates may loose some of their features or functions, or they may be clunky to use over time.
- Premium templates are not available for the Wordpress.com users.
- (Non)buyer beware! The name of your site will forever have the .wordpress.com after whatever name you pick.
- Although you have access to plugins, you can't upload additional ones not in the free sytem. This limits your options.
- If Wordpress doesn't like your content they can shut you down and you will loose all of your content. This is very rare indeed, but can happen. Radical politics, pornography or in sighting violence would be a more likely reason, but because you are on their servers and they are hosting you, they do have that control.
Wordpress.org
Pro's
- You have the ability to upload custom themes that are more SEO friendly, and give you more options that will match your style and needs. And there are more free themes available as well.
- You can upload any plug-ins that are available to Wordpress users.
- If you know coding, you can alter themes in the back office so they function even more to your specific needs.
- You can use a custom URL, so you can create SEO within the name of your site. Also, a custom name is easier to remember than a custom name with wordpress.com on the end of it.
Con's
- You will have to pay for hosting which can run around $5-10 per month. And you will have to find a hosting company like BlueHost or Hostgator.
- You will be responsible for back-ups, updates and spam.
- When purchasing a Premium theme you will have access to support. This is crucial to keeping the site going.
If you start in Wordpress.com for a learning experience and see just how easy it is, the transition for Wordpress.org will come more easily. And keeping the Wordpress.com site for testing and practice will allow you to keep your real site on Wordpress.org running without a hitch as you learn how to do things. Also keeping the free Wordpress.com will allow you to use the Jetpack Plugin, which has some great items to make life easier in Wordpress. It is now installed on new sites, but must be linked to a Wordpress.com site to activate it.
When I am assessing my clients needs and they want to actively participate in the functions of their websites, I always recommend Wordpress, because of the ease of use. I can show them how to easily post blogs and add pages, and can usually repair any isssues caused by their mistakes.
Wordpress has so much potential for anyone wanting an online presence. You can use it for simple things like sharing family photographs and information with password protection to full e-commerce sites. You can be as simple or as complicated as you like. You can have just one page or hundreds of pages. Assessing your needs before starting will let you know whether the free site will do, or if you need more functionality and/or creativity. I have set up both free and paid sites for people, depending on what their needs are.
Hopefully this will shed some light on What the differences are between Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org. If you have any questions that may help you assess which is best for your needs, just give me a call. Although I live in Hendersonville, NC I do work with businesses across the country.
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