What’s the Difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?
I know that WordPress has quite a buzz these days, but perhaps you didn’t know there are TWO WordPresses. Huh?
There is WordPress.org and then there’s WordPress.com. Let’s go over the basic differences…
WordPress.org provides free blogging software. You can install themes and plugins, run advertisements, edit the database, and modify the source code. While the software is free, it must be installed on a web server and there is usually a monthly hosting fee. You have to purchase your domain name, i.e., angelswithus.org. You are fully responsible for the management of your WordPress.org website – but you also own your site. WordPress.org allows for greater flexibility and functionality through plugins, and the ability to customize code.
With WordPress.com you do not have to download software, pay for hosting, or manage a web server. When you sign up for a WordPress.com blog, you get a free domain name like “spirit.wordpress.com” (or, for a fee, you can have a domain name without the “wordpress.” portion). You can choose a free theme, but your choices are limited and only basic design customization is allowed; you cannot upload a custom theme. You do not control the software or the database, you cannot upload plugins, and you cannot change the code (again, for a fee you can get some options here). For no charge, WordPress.com provides web hosting, 3GB of database storage, backups, automatic software upgrades, community support forums, etc. Not to mention WordPress.com advertising and banners (ugh — and not professional).
There is much information on the Web about the differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. You can check out the WordPress.com site for the finer details distinguishing WordPress.org and WordPress.com. And, you can review the various WordPress.com plans and pricing at WordPress.com.
How to choose which WordPress solution is best for you?
Here are some points to think about when deciding on a WordPress solution:
- What’s the purpose of your blog website?
- How technically inclined are you or do you want to become so that you can use the more advanced, and fun, features of WordPress.org?
- How much time do you have/want to spend on learning this stuff?
- Will you use the software frequently enough to retain what you’ve learned in order to effectively manage your own site as well as to grow your knowledge to enhance your website?
- What are the features you want included in your site and which solution will be able to provide them?
WordPress.com is great if you are looking to keep an online journal or for small clubs and the like. I say if you’re interested in a business site, at some point in the future you will end up with a WordPress.org website. Save yourself the fuss, hassle, and perhaps even money to make the change later on and opt for WordPress.org straight from the gecko!
5 good questions but for greater clarity, could each question have a suggestion? Such as : What’s the purpose of your blog website? [here add if you are making a photo site, you would be better off with wp.org and if you are making an interactive talking site you would be better off with wp.com (right or wrong?),]
How technically inclined are you or do you want to become so that you can use the more advanced, and fun, features of WordPress.org? [here, add- wp.org is more liberating for geeks but wp.com is clearer for technophobes right or wrong (?)]
How much time do you have/want to spend on learning this stuff? [here add- wp.com takes less time to learn (right or wrong?]
Will you use the software frequently enough to retain what you’ve learned in order to effectively manage your own site as well as to grow your knowledge to enhance your website? [here add that for people making their living from web services, wp.org offers greater expertise while for those using the web to advertise other services, wp.com may be preferable (right or wrong?]
What are the features you want included in your site and which solution will be able to provide them? [here add- wp.com does not offer the option to add a PayPal button so if you want online sales, you will need to use wp.org (right or wrong?)] These are 5 guesses from me, and if my guess are correct, then I already understand your points, but if my guesses are not correct, then there may be some confusion about what you are saying here.
Dear Thom – Thanks for your most valuable and intelligent comment, with suggestions, to this post about the difference between WordPress.COM and WordPress.ORG.
– What’s the purpose of your blog website? Yes, we could distinguish between types of sites… if you’re showcasing your artwork, you want to have as much flexibility as possible in presenting it, just as you would want in your gallery. Or, we could make a simpler, more general, guideline: If your site is biz-related, you want .ORG for its robustness, etc. and, if your site is for journaling, a social club, and the like, the .COM should be just fine.
– Re: How technically inclined are you or do you want to become… You got it! “wp.org is more liberating for geeks but wp.com is clearer for technophobes right or wrong.” But, I’d say, it’s also more rewarding for folks who might not ‘officially’ be described as geeks :) And, that’ because it IS user friendly, but let’s keep in mind that like any new knowledge or craft, one must learn it, then practice it.
– How much time do you have/want to spend on learning this stuff? You could say that wp.com takes less time to learn and that’s because there’s less to it. But you could spend a little bit more time than that with wp.org and the benefits would be worth it (depending on one’s responses to the points in choosing a WordPress solution).
– Will you use the software frequently enough to retain what you’ve learned in order to effectively manage your own site as well as to grow your knowledge to enhance your website? WP.org is definitely user-friendly enough and valuable for people in numbers far more than just those making their living from web services. I guess an additional question is: How sophisticated do you want your site and do you want to add enhancements over time? I’d like to reiterate my philosophy about websites (found elsewhere on this site), and, that is, websites should be ‘living’ and not static. The search engines love that – and readers do too!
– What are the features you want included in your site and which solution will be able to provide them? FYI, you should be able to add a PayPal button to a wp.com site since it’s simply a link to your PayPal account. But, you cannot add plugins to a wp.com site. Plugins are tools that extend the functionality of WordPress. The core of WordPress.org is designed to be lean, to maximize flexibility, and to minimize code bloat. Plugins offer custom functions and features so that each user can tailor their site to their specific needs. For instance, there are plugins for: organizing events, managing slideshows, rotating images, etc. Thousands, literally! When I’m looking to accomplish something I’ve not yet encountered while working on a WordPress site, I can be heard to say “There MUST be a plugin!” And, indeed there always is.
The bottom line is this: if one is serious about having robustness, flexibility, capability, room for development, etc. in getting information out on the Internet, then the dot org is the way to go. As noted in the last paragraph of my original post, “… if you’re interested in a business site, at some point in the future you will end up with a WordPress.org website. Save yourself the fuss, hassle, and perhaps even money to make the change later on and opt for WordPress.org straight from the gecko!”
Thom, you are obviously detail-oriented, discerning, and savvy – I say, you want to go with WordPress dot ORG!