In a sense, WordPress.com is completely run by the WordPress organization, but WordPress.org requires you to organize what software installation you want and your hosting options.
Understanding what these two are is the first step though. Now you need to focus on which one is better for your needs. We will talk about both options, comparing all the different features and pricing options so you have a pretty good idea of what each one can do.
Things to Know About WordPress (Generally)
WordPress is a software or program that allows you to create a blog, website, and/or online store. Some people call it a web application because it is fully functional and completely online. Others call it a CMS (Content Management System) because it allows you to manage media, blog posts, text, and your e-commerce product.
The important thing here is that it is open source and free, which means that anyone can download and use it.
Of course, it’s so popular because it’s powerful. A rough estimate is that around 34 percent of all websites are built on WordPress. It’s available in 50 different languages and continues to grow rapidly, which is no small feat considering it was officially launched in 2003.
Regardless of whether you choose to use WordPress.org or WordPress.com, you will be using WordPress software.
What is the Main Difference Between the Two?
If you have a wordpress.com website, it is hosted entirely through WordPress. There are free and paid plans available, and the domain, software, and servers are all managed by that plan. With WordPress.org, you simply download the software. Then, you need to setup your own domain name and manage the hosting yourself.
Installation and Setup
Understanding the main difference is the first step. You should now understand that it is much easier to install and create one. WordPress.com is openly managed for you, so it is a simple solution.
You can choose between blogs, businesses, online stores and professional list of malaysia cell phone numbers websites from WordPress.com. Don't worry about making the wrong choice because you can always go back and change your choice later.
To get started with WordPress.com, you must:
Sign up for service.
Select the type of site you want.
Enter your site name.
Use a free or purchased domain name (more information in the pricing section of this review)
Choose a free or paid plan.
Start building your website!
There's more on WordPress.org:
First, you must purchase your domain name.
Buy the one that suits youweb hosting plan(Siteground, Dreamhost etc.)
Create a database for the program on your server.
Download and install WordPress software.
Upload your new software to the domain with the FTP client.
Visit the URL to run/install the scripts.
Start building your site!
Sure, this all sounds a bit overwhelming, but there are plenty of guides out there to help you get started, so it's not necessarily difficult, but it does require more work.
Some web hosts allow for one-click installation of WordPress. If yours does, you can skip some of the steps above.
The clear winner here is WordPress.com. Just follow the instructions on your screen and everything is taken care of for you.
Ease of Use (Generally)
Once you install both, they work similarly. Remember, they both use WordPress software. The only difference you will find is that WordPress.com offers more limited features. However, if you are a beginner, this may be useful for you.
Keep in mind that WordPress is not the easiest option for building a website. Other versions allow for drag and drop features and a ‘what you see is what you get’ editor. But today we are focusing primarily on WordPress.
In terms of ease of use, we would say Wordpress.com is the winner, primarily because of the limitations.
Customization and Design
This section is about creative control. Is it easy to change the feel and look of your site? What options are there for pre-made themes?
We’ll focus on WordPress.com first. You get around 100 free themes out of the box, and you can purchase premium themes—there are 200 of them. But you can’t buy all the themes unless you opt for a paid plan.
This means that you don’t have a lot of options when you’re on the free plan. The good thing though is that there are a variety of excellent themes to choose from and they are all responsive (people on small screens can still see the theme just fine). You can also make general edits but you’ll need a paid plan to customize the CSS code.
There are no limitations at WordPress.org. You have access to potentially thousands of themes and can edit the source code at any time. Plugins are also available so you can create a unique theme using drag and drop tools.
You can also find premium and free templates on various websites like Elegant Themes and Themeforest.
The winner here is clearly WordPress.org with its design flexibility. Of course, it may take a little more work to customize it the way you want, but it’s worth it in the end.
Add-ons and Features
It seems like everyone knows what a WordPress plugin is, and that’s one of the reasons why the software is so popular. For example, WooCommerce helps you create your online store, while WPML makes your website multilingual.
There are too many plugins to list here, and there are over 54,000 premium and paid plugins available on WordPress.org. Not all of them are perfect and great, as any developer is allowed to submit a plugin to their store. However, there are still a variety to choose from.
You can also create almost any type of website you want with WordPress plugins. While business and blog sites are popular, you can also create an online newspaper,real estate site,photo portfolio, and more. There's a catch to all of this, though.
You can only install a few on WordPress.com, and you have to be on a paid plan. There are pre-installed plugins available, such as Essential SEO and Social Media buttons, but your options are pretty limited.
WordPress Plugin Page
There is a reason for the restrictions on Wordpress.com. First of all, the website chooses your plugins for you based on the purpose of your website. For example, a blog will have better commenting options. An online store will require the purchase of an eCommerce plan, so it will have specific plugins that are related to that.
It's kind of like the iOS wall-garden policy. You're more limited with it, but you can make fewer mistakes. With Android, you can do whatever you want, but you're at more risk.
WordPress.org is the winner here because there are so many options available with no restrictions on what can be uploaded.
Blogging
WordPress was originally created for blogging, so you can be sure that everything you need to do to blog is available in the software and easy to do. This includes:
Embedding images, text, links, audio, videos, etc.
Adding medial from library
Create/schedule a post
Manage comments
Customize typography
Easy to understand dashboard to manage posts
