The difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org can be confusing, especially for a new webmaster or someone who is getting started in WordPress. Although WordPress is my personal favorite content management system and used by millions of users all over the world, the difference between WordPress.com and .org can be puzzling.
If you are new to WordPress or wanting to start your own website, don’t let the difference confuse or deter you. The two different iterations of WordPress exist to provide several different services for their users. Here’s the differences laid out for you below.
Difference Between WordPress .com and .org?
Let’s begin with WordPress.com which is a free hosted service, and very fast and simple to use. You can have a website up in seconds and you’ll be ready to go. While this is a completely free service and excellent for any beginning webmaster, the fact is you won’t have much access to anything. Because it’s hosted by WordPress, it’s extremely limited in what you can install or configure. This is done for the security of other users and the servers that run and host the service.
You won’t be able to modify much even when you pay for extra features or a pro account. You can’t upload your own theme or change any visual aspect to customize your website. Selling things through your website is not possible, nor can you serve ads through the service. This makes it a great idea for a simple blog meant for a small audience or a simple purpose.
WordPress.org is different in that it’s a self-hosted solution, meaning you can control and manage almost everything on your website. The .org side of WordPress is meant for a user who wants a powerful content management system with the features of any standalone hosting service. This service allows you to change, upload themes and sell products or services online.
This is the basic difference between WordPress.com and .org, although we’ll get more indepth later on. Want to learn about my own WordPress installation services or how to use WordPress? Subscribe to my blog today to get the latest in webmaster content and tutorials.
