WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Differences, pros and cons in 2024

Finding the right website builder for your business is important. You want to build professional-looking pages that will share your brand and vision with your customers, while also enjoying SEO, marketing, e-commerce and blogging features. However, unless you’re looking to hire a designer or coder, you also want to find a builder that is intuitive and easy to use.

WordPress.com and WordPress.org are two popular website builders. With their similar names, the two are often confused with one another. However, there are some notable WordPress.com vs WordPress.org differences that may impact which is the better fit for your business’s needs.

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Quick overview

WordPress.com and WordPress.org both use the same core WordPress software to help users build a website. However, as David Ciccarelli, CEO and founder of Lake, a vacation rental platform, said, “While both platforms help you build websites, their core functions are quite different.”

Ciccarelli explained, “WordPress.org is software and an open-source community that helps you build a website you then host yourself, while WordPress.com is a managed hosting service that you can build a website within.” Your level of experience and the specific features and functionalities you’re looking for in a website builder can help guide your decision about which platform is right for your business.

Pricing and value

Verdict: WordPress.com

WordPress.com pricing and value

WordPress.com offers six plan options. “WordPress.com is free for some users, though if you want to upgrade to a business or e-commerce plan, that will cost you money,” Ciccarelli shared.

The first-tier plan is completely free and allows users to create an unlimited number of pages for their website. This plan also allows for features like contact forms, newsletters, paid content gating and paid subscribers. However, if you are planning to sell products or services through your website, WordPress.com will receive a 10% commission (plus a processing fee) for all payments.

The Starter plan, which costs $9 per month (or $4 per month with annual billing), offers additional features, including ad-free sites, a free domain for a year and email support. You’ll also only be charged an 8% commission (plus processing fees) for online payments.

The next tier is the Explorer plan. This tier, which costs $18 per month (or $8 per month with annual billing), further builds on the features of the Starter Plan. Subscribers will have access to live chat support, can integrate the premium themes into their web pages, view a site activity log and website states and share 4K videos. Commissions are reduced to 4% (plus the processing fee).

The Creator plan costs $40 per month (or $25 per month with annual billing). This is the first of the paid plans to allow for the installation of plugins and themes. It also offers unrestricted bandwidth, managed malware protection, a free staging site, automated updates and DDoS mitigation. Commission fees are reduced to 2% plus processing fees, or 0% plus processing fees when WooCommerce payments are utilized.

At $70 per month (or $45 per month with annual billing), the Entrepreneur plan continues adding on to the features included in the lower tiers. It offers premium store themes, more tools for designing an online store, the ability to sell an unlimited number of products, referral and loyalty programs, inventory management features, a more streamlined checkout and the ability to sell products in more than 60 countries.

WordPress.com also offers an Enterprise plan. This plan starts at $25,000 per year and can be customized to the needs of your business or organization.

WordPress.org Pricing and value

WordPress.org is completely free to download. However, you must pay for a third-party hosting provider and the domain name for your website. Hosting plans from GoDaddy and Bluehost, two popular providers, start at around $10 per month (and can cost over $20 per month for upper-tier plans), so it is easy to see how the costs can increase.

WordPress.com’s all-in-one plans might be a better fit, particularly for those looking for more basic features.

Web editor

Verdict: WordPress.org

Understanding the differences between the editing and design tools offered by WordPress.com and WordPress.org is essential when deciding which platform is the best fit for your needs.

WordPress.com web editor

The WordPress.com web editor uses blocks to help users design their web pages without any prior coding or design experience. You can use the editing tools to insert blocks for headings, text, images, videos and other page elements. The block editor makes it easy to move elements around the page and customize the look of your website.

WordPress.com also offers a wide selection of themes — both free and premium (for Explorer plans and up). Choose from themes designed for blogs, online stores, real estate, education, travel, fashion, health and wellness, entertainment and music. After selecting your preferred theme, use the block editor to customize the content to match your business.

WordPress.org web editor

The same block editor used by WordPress.com is also the default editor for WordPress.org. Stefan Chekanov, co-founder and CEO of Brosix, a chat app for businesses, shared that WordPress’s editor is “unmatched because it offers greater flexibility in terms of customization and scalability.”

That greater flexibility that Chekanov referenced comes down to the ability to add custom code and plugins to a WordPress.org website. With around 60,000 plugins available, you can customize the look and features of your website to suit your specific needs.

One downside of using WordPress.org is that you’ll need more technical expertise to take advantage of all of these customization options. It may not be the best fit for those looking for a more intuitive and hands-off web builder.

E-commerce functionality

Verdict: WordPress.org

If you’re looking to set up an online store, both WordPress.com and WordPress.org offer features that can help. However, with the customization possibilities that WordPress.org plugins prevent, it may be a better choice for those looking to sell products and services online.

WordPress.com e-commerce functionality

In most cases, you’ll need to sign up for the Entrepreneur plan if you’re looking to create an online store with WordPress.com. This plan, which costs $70 per month, includes a range of premium store themes and design tools, inventory management features, the ability to sell your goods or services in more than 60 countries and integrations with shipping providers.

The Entrepreneur plan places no limits on the number of products you can sell, offers marketing automation features and can help with upselling products to your customers. Unlike the tiers below the Entrepreneur level, WordPress.com does not charge any commission fees for this plan (though you will still need to pay a standard processing fee for each order).

WordPress.org e-commerce functionality

With WordPress.org, you can choose from a wide assortment of e-commerce plugins to get your online store up, running and functioning as you desire. You can also customize the look of your online store with one of the many e-commerce themes that are available.

As with other WordPress.org features, there aren’t any limits on what you can do; you just need to find the right plugins and have the time and resources to manage everything.

Blogging

Verdict: WordPress.com

If you’re just getting into blogging or just want a venue to share your thoughts with readers, WordPress.com is probably the best platform for you. However, WordPress.org could be the right pick if you are looking to monetize your blog by selling products.

WordPress.com blogging

For hobbyists or individuals who are looking to create a blog with the main intent of sharing content with readers, WordPress.com is likely to be the best fit. The features offered by the Free plan will be sufficient for many bloggers, and those looking to upgrade a custom domain name and an ad-free site could consider the Starter Plan for $9 per month.

Both of these plans include hosting, provide you access to WordPress.com’s block editor, allow you to create an unlimited number of web pages, offer smart redirects and include a time machine for editing posts.

WordPress.org blogging

More serious bloggers who are looking to sell products through their website or want to be able to customize every aspect of the page may decide that WordPress.org is the better fit for their needs. With the available plugins, you can add nearly any feature to your website to match your exact needs and vision.

Marketing and SEO

Verdict: WordPress.com

With its built-in SEO and marketing tools, WordPress.com requires less work on your part to get your site to rank and to attract customers. However, if you’re looking for a more custom approach, WordPress.org might be for you.

WordPress.com marketing and SEO

SEO tools and features are included with all WordPress.com websites. Some of these tools include automatically generated sitemaps to help search engines index your website, clean URLs to help your page appear in search results and site verification for faster indexing. WordPress.com users can also edit their page titles and descriptions without the need for any coding.

WordPress.org marketing and SEO

As with other WordPress.org features, the available marketing and SEO tools will depend on the plugins that you install. This can provide more flexibility and customization for your exact needs, but it also means that you’ll need to spend more time researching the best plugins, installing them and keeping them updated.

Performance and security

Verdict: WordPress.com

The performance and security of a WordPress.org website can vary based on the hosting company and plan you choose. WordPress.com, with its built-in security features, is the winner for this category.

WordPress.com performance and security

All WordPress.com websites come with a range of built-in security features. These features include SSL encryption, firewalls, backup and recovery features, monitoring of suspicious activity and frequent security testing. WordPress.com employs a security team that works to maintain the safety and performance of all its websites.

WordPress.org performance and security

WordPress.org does not provide hosting, so the performance and security of your website will depend on the third-party hosting provider (and specific plan level) that you select. You’ll need to closely compare security features when deciding on a provider and package to make sure your site is adequately protected.

Mobile app

Verdict: Tie

Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org offer mobile apps that make it possible to edit and create content from a smartphone or tablet when you can’t be in front of your computer.

WordPress.com mobile app

Jetpack is WordPress.com’s mobile app. It offers several features to help you manage and edit your website, even when you’re away from your computer. You can draft and publish blog posts and view and reply to comments from your smartphone. The mobile app can also help you monitor site visitors or gain insights into which posts had the most viewers.

WordPress.org mobile app

WordPress.org also offers a mobile app to help you manage and update your website at your convenience. With the WordPress app, you have the ability to edit existing posts, create new content and pages and read/reply to comments from visitors.

Final verdict

Winner: WordPress.org

WordPress.org puts all the design power in your hands when it comes to building your website. With the ability to install a seemingly limitless number of plugins, you have the capability to craft your site to your specific needs and vision.

Who is WordPress.com best for?

With hosting and security features included with all WordPress.com plans, there is less you need to worry about when setting up your website. “I’d say for beginners, small creators, bloggers, or just someone who’s looking to have fun building a personal website, WordPress.com is the way to go,” shared Stefan Chekanov.

The Free and Starter plans offer sufficient features for many users who are not looking for e-commerce capabilities, making WordPress.com a more budget-friendly solution.

Who is WordPress.org best for?

Businesses looking for more advanced e-commerce features or that want to create a website that really sets them apart from the competition are most likely to find WordPress.org to be the best fit. Ciccarelli explained, “Generally, businesses prefer to build their site through WordPress.org and find their own host because they get far more freedom and flexibility.”

Ciccarelli added that businesses “can shop around to find the best host rather than being forced to pay for WordPress hosting or miss out on customizability and all sorts of other features with the free version of WordPress.com.” With all the available plugins, users can format their site to their own specific needs.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is WordPress free?

WordPress.org is free to download. However, you will need to find and pay for a separate third-party hosting service. WordPress.com offers a free plan that offers some basic features and allows users to create an unlimited number of pages.

However, other WordPress.com plans with more advanced features, such as those for e-commerce, are not free. The paid plans start at $9 per month.

Do you need hosting for WordPress?

All WordPress.com sites include hosting services. However, if you choose to use WordPress.org, you will need to find a separate hosting service.