10 Differences between wordpress.com and wordpress.org
WordPress is one of the platforms used to create blogs or websites. WordPress started to provide its services to users in the year 2003. You will be amazed to know that more than 2 million users are using WordPress as active bloggers presently. When considering WordPress is that there are actually two versions: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. They are very different from each other, and so I’m going to give you a brief overview of each to discuss the differences.
WordPress.com
WordPress.com provides a quick and easy way to get a blog online. You can go sign up and create a WordPress blog immediately, for free. This is a multi-user version of WordPress that hosts thousands of blogs.
Benefits
- Easier to use, especially for the beginning blogger.
- Free web hosting.
- Choose from over 200 themes.
- More control over blog authors’ capabilities than Blogger.
- Choose from a variety of widgets to add to your blog.
- The WordPress software is automatically updated when a new version is released.
Cons
- To use a custom domain name, you’ll need to pay yearly for an upgrade, in addition to the cost of the domain name.
- You can’t upload your own theme.
- You can’t customize your blog’s PHP source code, but you can purchase an upgrade that enables CSS editing.
- You can’t install plugins.
- Google text ads may occasionally be displayed on your blog.
- It’s against the terms of service to monetize your blog (though it’s allowed in some cases—read more here).
- No JavaScript allowed.
WordPress.org
WordPress is open source blogging software, and WordPress.org is where you can go to download it. WordPress.org offers free downloads of WordPress files, themes and plug-ins, and includes step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring WordPress on your own hosting provider.
Benefits
- It’s free, open-source software.
- You can choose from a wide variety of themes, or upload your own.
- You have full control over the look of your blog.
- WordPress.org will never display ads on your blog.
- You can monetize your blog.
- Choose from a variety of widgets to add to your blog.
- More control over blog authors’ capabilities than Blogger.
- You can install plugins for extra features.
- You can’t just create blogs, but websites too.
Cons
- You have to pay monthly for a web host.
- You have to upgrade your software manually when a new version is released.
- You’ll need to keep your own backups.
The differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org
Here are 10 major differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org:
|
|
WordPress.org | WordPress.com |
| Themes | Use Any Themes You Want | Limited Use (No Custom, No Modification) |
| Cost | Depending on Hosting Provider/Service | Free (under wordpress.com) |
| Advertising | Yes | Yes(no AdSense Advertising) |
| Uploading | Yes | No |
| Control | Full control | WordPress TOS Limitations |
| Backup | You manage it | They manage it |
| Plugins | Use AnyPluginsYou Want | Limited |
| Web host | Paid | Free |
| Domain name | Must register a domain | Free domain can be used |
| Software | Installation needed | No installation |
Hopefully you can now see the main differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org, and you can choose your platform and start blogging. My suggestion is if you are a beginner then you choose wordpress.com. Blogging can be an enjoyable experience, but it will only be a pain if you choose the wrong platform.
Author Bio
Akhil Abraham founder of blog Glob Info Tech. This blog contain latest updates of new technology and blogger tips. Last I published an article on Top 100 ways to increase traffic to the blog.
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