We have previously discussed wordpress.com and wordpress.org individually but now we need to see a comparison between them to make the right decision in the needed time. We have seen many people get confused and then consequently choose the wrong one for their blogging needs. So, to spare us the problems we might face for choosing the wrong platform, we need to be clear about the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org.

We can discuss some points which will tell us which is better in which case: -

1. Theme Support

Let’s discuss theme support first. Where wordpress.org gives us full theme support, wordpress.com limits it. The former allows you to use all the free themes in existence and you can even customize them or upload your own theme from scratch. However, wordpress.com limits you to their theme and you cannot customize them or use your own theme. If you want to customize your CSS and upgrade to a premium theme, you need to subscribe to a premium account for $96 per year, and to upload a theme, you need a business account for $300 per year. So, if you want to have your own theme that works according to your need, then we suggest you choose Wordpress.org.

2. Plugins

Wordpress.org lets you use all free, paid, or other available customizable plugins. You can even maximize them to their full potential as a CMS. But wordpress.com doesn’t allow you to use them unless you are on a Business plan that allows you to install third-party plugins. It will cost you $300 per year. However, you might see some built-in plugin-like features on the site. So, the winner here is Wordpress.org but you can still do it for the built-in features on wordpress.com.

3. Expenses

Wordpress.com is free up to 3GB of storage. But you will have ads on your site but no custom domain. This means you are limited to the WordPress subdomain. Also, you can not have customization options. For custom domains and ads removable, you can use a personal plan for $48 per year. And if you want to add customization, you can upgrade to a premium or business plan for $96 and $300 respectively. Likewise, in wordpress.org, you need to pay for your web hosting per month. The domain registration fee is required yearly and with time and traffic, hosting will get even more pricey. You can maintain your site for just $46 to $100 per year. So, Wordpress.com wins if you can stay within the limit of 3GB of memory space, but if you exceed it, you will probably find wordpress.org more suitable.

4. Monetization

You have a limited monetization option on wordpress.com. You cannot sell any ads unless you have 25k monthly traffic after which you can apply for their advertising program — wordAds. This will make you share the revenue with WordPress. But with WordPress, you can sell all the ads you want and can keep all the revenue you have earned from them. So, if you want a fully monetized site, your choice should be Wordpress.org.

5. Branding

With the wordpress.com site, you will see your site with a display that has a “Powered by” link and you don’t even get paid for it. It can be removed with a business plan that costs $300 per year. But if you have no problem with the link and just want to remove the ads, you can stick to the either personal or premium plan at $96 per year. For wordpress.org, you can choose to display it or hide it — entirely your choice. So, the winner here is Wordpress.org without a second thought.

6. SEO Features

You can see that you cannot control SEO on wordpress.com unless you are upgraded to a business plan that costs $300 per year. However, with wordpress.org, you can install any SEO plugins necessary and use them to use all the SEO features that will maximize your SEO and thus will rank you higher in Google search results. Hence, this case is a total win for Wordpress.org.

7. Analytics

Google Analytics like KissMetrics and MixPanel will help you get all the insights you need to keep your traffic in check. This will help you see and do even better with time. Likewise, if you choose wordpress.com, you cannot use those Google Analytics but there are their own built-in stats and if you want a Google Analytics tool, you need to upgrade yourself to a Business account plan at $300 per year. In short, this is another big win for Wordpress.org.

8. E-commerce

With wordpress.org, you can build a complete online store where you can sell goods or deals or products, or even ads. This will lead you to full control of the site and you won’t have to share the earned revenue with anyone. You can also make the site accept credit cards, PayPal, and bank checks for payments. Similarly, the wordpress.com site will not allow you to have the e-commerce site unless you subscribe to the e-commerce plan at $540 per year. Hence, you can choose Wordpress.org without being confused about the e-commerce website.

9. Membership

You will need a $300 per year Business plan if you plan on introducing membership to your website while you use wordpress.com. But when you use wordpress.org, you are free to create membership sites with so many levels and a learning management system too. This means if you need a membership, you need to go with Wordpress.org.

10. Maintenance

You must maintain your whole site manually and yourself if you use wordpress.org. This includes site updates, regular backups, and SPAM control options. This is a lot of work that needs to be done regularly. But if you choose wordpress.com, the site will be automatically updated, and the backups will be taken care of as well. In addition, the optimization and other tasks will also be well maintained. So, you will need to go to Wordpress.com if you need to have an auto-maintained website.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, if you want to be a personal blogger and don’t care much about making money, you can choose wordpress.com and if you just want to be a business blogger with the intention of making money, you need to choose wordpress.org. And to conclude, let’s understand these two terms this way — wordpress.org is like owning a car where you have full control, no one can ever kick you out and you are your boss. Likewise, wordpress.com is like renting a car where you need to stay within your limit and follow the limitations given by WordPress including the one where you need to share the earned revenue.

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