Whenever someone asks about starting a blog with WordPress, a response I usually see is that you should use WordPress.org over WordPress.com if possible. There are valid reasons for suggesting WordPress.org over WordPress.com, but is WordPress.com such a bad product that it should be avoided at all costs? I don’t think it’s that bad of a product, but there are reasons why WordPress.org is the preferred product of the two.
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Why Use WordPress.org Over WordPress.com
Here are some common reasons why WordPress.org is recommended over WordPress.com.
Costs
Costs are a huge factor in running a blog. While WordPress.com has a free plan, it comes with many restrictions. You are unable to use a custom domain, storage space is limited (currently 3GB), and customization options are few. To unlock more features, you would need to upgrade your plan. Let’s take a look at what these paid plans are.
Contrast these costs with WordPress.org, where the software itself is free. You just need to pay for hosting and a domain name, which can range from a few dollars a month to even more depending on your needs. If you need to scale up to improve performance though, your costs won’t likely scale as much compared to upgrading a WordPress.com plan.
Customization
As mentioned previously, WordPress.com does not give you complete flexibility to design and operate your blog as you see fit. Your collection of themes and plugins is limited and if you want to unlock additional customization features, you would need to upgrade your plan. However, even with WordPress.com’s plans, you may still face some restrictions. With WordPress.org, you will have complete control right off the bat. You can install whatever themes and plugins you want. Therefore, it’s cheaper to customize with WordPress.org than with WordPress.com.
Freedom
Your blog needs to adhere to WordPress’s EULA and Terms of Service, meaning they have the right to do whatever they want with your blog as defined in those agreements. This could potentially entail taking down your blog if you have content that they do not like.
WordPress.org websites do not need to adhere to their EULA and Terms of Service, but it is recommended to check with your host to make sure your website is okay with them.
Monetization
The ability to monetize is often a motive for starting a blog. With WordPress.com, there are still a few ways to monetize for the free plans. However, if you would like to monetize your blog in other ways, you would need to upgrade your plan, and even then there could be some restrictions.
For example, to earn revenue from ad placements, you can only place advertisements from WordAds, WordPress’s official advertising program. If you want to place ads from other networks, you would need to upgrade your plan to a Business or Commerce plan.
Read WordPress’s article about monetizing your site by clicking on this link.
With WordPress.org, you will have every monetization option available right away.
Some Reasons to Use WordPress.com
We’ve discussed a few reasons why many bloggers prefer WordPress.org over WordPress.com, but WordPress.com still has its purposes.
Ease of Use and Convenience
An advantage of using WordPress.com is that it is quick and easy to set up. You just answer a few questions and WordPress takes care of the rest. Once created, you can customize and tweak your blog a little further and you’re ready to blog. The settings are pretty straightforward to use for the most part and little technical knowledge is needed. Maintenance and security will already be handled for you. All you have to do is create content. What you are paying for, in this case, is the convenience provided by WordPress.com.
A Solution for Hobbyists
If you’re someone who just wants a free platform, is okay with the free features available, and does not care about monetizing, then WordPress.com can be a great platform for your hobby. Millions of users use WordPress to run a personal blog for fun and for free. If you enjoy blogging but don’t want to pay to run a blog, then this could be a solution for you.
Evaluating WordPress as an Option
If you are not sure if WordPress is the solution for your blog, then you can consider creating a free blog on WordPress.com to evaluate the platform. The experience may not be a 1-to-1 replica of WordPress.org, but the user experience is still pretty similar and should give you an idea of what the platform is like. If you end up liking WordPress, then you can keep using your WordPress.com blog or switch over to WordPress.org. Otherwise, you can move on and look at other blogging platforms.
Conclusion
WordPress.org is the recommended solution for those who are serious about blogging and want full control at a lower cost than WordPress.com. They don’t mind learning the bells and whistles of running a WordPress website and need that flexibility to succeed.
However, WordPress.com can still be a choice for running a blog. You can either run a blog with their free plan or upgrade your plan for more features. As well, WordPress.com can handle all the technical behind-the-scenes aspects so you don’t have to worry about maintenance and security. Just write your content and tweak your blog’s appearance.
Do some research beforehand, figure out your needs, and compare the two products before deciding which product is better for you. Although WordPress.org will offer the most flexibility, control, and features for little to no cost, that does not mean WordPress.com should be avoided.