Discrimination Between WordPress.org and WordPress.com
As mentioned in the previous article, WordPress combines two types of Top-level domains, which are WordPress.org and WordPress.com. And in this piece, we will mainly discuss each one’s definitions, the differences between these two.
About WordPress.org and WordPress.com
Although WordPress.com and WordPress.org have the same name, they are two completely different platforms. And the main factor to distinguish these two is the hosting.
In the following section, Sosene will explain more clearly what WordPress.org and WordPress.com are.
What is WordPress.org?

What is WordPress.com?

Read more our Comprehensive knowledge of WordPress and Why use WordPress for your website
Discrimination Between WordPress.org and WordPress.com
Depending on the desire and demands of using, you can choose for yourself the most suitable platform. Therefore, below are some differences between these two types that you should consider before starting choosing:
In this part, Sosene only compare WordPress.org and WordPress.com based on these following factors:
- Price
- Ease of use
- Customization
- Security
- Monetization opportunities.
1. Price
As an open-source platform, WordPress.org is entirely free to download and install. You don’t need to worry about spending any monthly or annual fees to update your WordPress.org website. However, you still have to pay for the hosting, domain name, and SSL certificate cost (per month or year). And up to the package you pick will have different fees as well.
Meanwhile, WordPress.com provides its customers with a subscription-based approach, including multiple pricing levels with additional features. Apart from the open-source version, each of these plans comes with an SSL certificate, web hosting, and a domain name (except the free one). Although WordPress.com has a free choice for users, some advanced features will be limited. To have some premium functions, such as using WooCommerce themes, placing ads on your website, or integrating with Google Analytics, you must buy the upgraded plans.
2. Ease of use
If you are a new user and seeking a simpler CMS platform, WordPress.com can be a good option. In WordPres.com, you will walk through several stages such as signing up, choosing website type, picking a theme, and customizing some other details.
Similarly, WordPress.org will be quite the same process as well. However, within this platform, you must purchase a domain name and hosting before installing the WordPress software via your hosting provider’s dashboard. That is the reason why WordPress.org has a higher learning curve.
In addition, these two platforms’ dashboards have a similar interface. But WordPress.com offers fewer options, so you’re less likely to feel overloaded. Simultaneously, WordPress.org is still designed with usability and user-friendly capability for new beginners.
3. Customization
WordPress.org comes with tons of plugins and theme choices. It is flexible for users to tailor and customize their site based on their budget by providing free and paid options.
Besides, you are able to manually alter your website’s HTML or add more CSS classes to adjust the design and functionality further. Therefore, you can easily modify small details and personalize your website to meet your requirements.
On the contrary, using plugins in the WordPress.com platform asks for the upper plan like Business or higher. The advanced customization features are not available unless you purchase a Premium plan or above. Thus, those who choose the lower plans will be limited in customization ability.
4. Security
WordPress.com will cover all security and maintenance tasks for its users.
Users don’t need to be concerned about updates, plugins, or release notes. Since it’s a self-hosted version, your store will automatically upgrade all the security patches and the latest versions, reducing downtime and ensuring that your sites are always up to date. Plus, WordPress.com has an information security team that will constantly keep your site safe.
In contrast, WordPress.org does not automatically update. You will do it manually, so your responsibility is to keep the website up to date. And make sure that your store’s data is properly backed up and that you stay on top of software changes.
5. Monetization opportunities
WordPress.org is most certainly the better choice if you want to create profit from your website. There will be no limits on the monetization approaches you can employ – for example, adding affiliate links to the articles or building a membership website.
You may also install advertising plugins like Advanced Ads to handle all of your campaigns directly from your WordPress dashboard.
WordPress.com, on the other hand, makes it more difficult to monetize your website. To begin, you must have the Business plan or above to access services like ecommerce and Google AdSense.
Besides, affiliate marketing is restricted to WordPress.com. The platform’s user guidelines state that you are not allowed to use it primarily to promote affiliate items. Despite the policy’s vague wording, WordPress.com emphasizes that any regulations are up to its interpretation.
Websites containing a “vast majority” of sponsored material are prohibited on WordPress.com. Again, these principles are up to interpretation, so take caution while monetizing your site.
Conclusion
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