.com or .org?! – The Definitive Explanation of Wordpress.com vs. Wordpress.org

If you’re creating your first website with WordPress, it can be confusing and frustrating trying to figure out the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org. Or worse, you might find yourself deep into the process on one or the other before you even realize there were two options — and you chose the wrong one!

It’s extremely important to figure out which is right for you, BEFORE you start building a website.

The absolute best, clearest explanation I’ve seen on this question is in the WordPress.com vs WordPress.org article from WebsiteSetup.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

“WordPress” is a software for creating and managing websites, and you can download it for free at wordpress.org. Then, it’s up to you to register a domain name, purchase hosting, and upload the free WordPress software (which you got at wordpress.ORG) to your server.

“WordPress.com” technically has NO relationship to WordPress.org (I know…). WordPress.com is basically an “easy”-setup web host+domain provider — and they automatically set you up with the WordPress software, so you don’t have to deal with uploading it to a server. The upside is it’s relatively easy; the downside is your features are limited, unless you opt for a premium plan (at which point WordPress.com can often end up being MORE expensive.)

So what should you do?

Ultimately, it’s complicated, and it depends on your specific needs. Again, for the complete breakdown, check out the comprehensive article from WebsiteSetup on WordPress.com vs WordPress.org to figure it out.

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