WordPress.org and WordPress.com: What’s the difference?

WordPress is an open-source platform, meaning anyone can view, modify, and share its software for free. While this is great for developers, not everyone is willing to learn web development to set up their website.

WordPress.com is WordPress’ solution to this problem. This platform uses a freemium business model, allowing users to set up a simple website or blog for free, much like a website builder. WordPress provides the hosting and offers a few simple options for functionality and customization.

On the free plan, WordPress.com is fairly limited. A free user’s website will have WordPress in its URL and at the bottom of each page, and most of the features of WordPress aren’t available. Users can pay for subscriptions that give them access to more of the features of the CMS, such as the ability to install other plugins or host a custom URL through WordPress—but these subscriptions can be expensive.

For users who want functionality for free, WordPress.org is the better option. This site allows you to download WordPress for free and set it up yourself, including customizing it with whatever plugins, themes, and extensions you want. Although it’s less straightforward, this option offers all the user-friendly and versatile customization options of WordPress for free.

If you choose to use the open-source software available for download on WordPress.org, you’ll need to learn the basics of the programming side of the platform or work with a developer. When building a website using WordPress.org, you’ll also need to purchase your own hosting.