WordPress.com Vs WordPress.org, which one is the best for you, and what is the difference between these two. Let’s take a deep dive.
However, both these two have been created by the same company called Automatic. These two are powered by the same CMS (content management system).
But these two have some big differences according to the development environment.
WordPress.Com
In this platform, you do not have access to the hosting account, cPanel, FTP, or any other file system.
You can not modify any code on the website. And even, you can’t upload (with a free account) your own written theme or plugin.
That means, your website will look very similar to hundreds of other websites. Because most of the WordPress.Com users are using the same theme and design.
You can just signup for an account for free and start building your website or blog.
But the free account has limitations. The first limitation of a free account is not having a custom domain name. The domain name will look like “your_site_name.wordpress.com.”
They host all the websites on their own hosting and you will only have access to the wp-admin dashboard.
Once you subscribe to any of their premium packages, they will allow you to add your custom/business domain. For a more detailed comparison among packages, see their pricing.
WordPress.Org
It’s a self-hosted website. You have full access to the file system, you can edit code, upload any theme & plugin. It’s peace of mind building the website using it (self-hosted).
This is the main difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
In order to create a website using it (.org), you have to get a domain & hosting. There are a lot of domain & hosting companies out there. And you can choose any of them based on your budget.
Always try to buy your domain & hosting from two different companies, just to keep things separate. You can always point your domain to your hosting using Nameservers.
And try to avoid buying hosting from those companies that are famous for selling domains, or domain-selling is their main business.
You can also experiment/build your website in your localhost (on your computer). And once you are satisfied, then you can migrate it to the live hosting (URL).
Which is the Best for You
Definitely self-hosted (WordPress.Org) is the best for anyone to build a custom website and take full control over it.
A lot of website owners prefer to use “Com” for various reasons. But I personally think that many of them choose it by mistake and without much knowing the development environment.
Another reason for the mistake is search results. Once they search for the term “WordPress”, wordpress.com comes first most of the time and they think that it’s the right platform to use.
They really don’t know that there is another WordPress (org) platform that exists which is much more efficient and controllable.
However, now you know the difference between them and have a solid grasp. At least you will not make the mistake while choosing your platform.
So if you are thinking to create your website using WordPress as the CMS, you can definitely choose WordPress.Org (self-hosted) without any hesitation.
Do you still have any questions?
