A beginner to WordPress often stumble upon WordPress.com when they’re just getting started, but this is not the official WordPress website. The real home of WordPress is WordPress.org.
However, WordPress.com and WordPress.org do have quite a bit of history. So, what’s the relationship and difference between them? And how does WordPress.com measure up? let’s do WordPress.com reviews and delve into the pros and cons of WordPress.com.
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Pros
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Difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org
Let’s start by understanding what WordPress is, and what WordPress.com and WordPress.org each represent. That way, we can better grasp the relationship and differences between them.
WordPress.org – The official Site of WordPress
WordPress was released in 2003 as a free, open-source content management system(CMS) primarily for building blogging websites. It was founded by Matt Mullenweg. A CMS is a software application that simplifies the creation and management of dynamic websites.
WordPress can be likened to a graphical website building tool, eliminating the need for coding knowledge. Users can construct their websites using pre-designed themes and blocks, making it an accessible platform for both beginners and experienced individuals.
The official website for WordPress is wordpress.org, it serves as the official hub for the open-source WordPress software. Users can freely download the WordPress installation package directly from the website. Extracting the downloaded package onto their personal computers allows them to simulate building a website and familiarize themselves with the platform.
If you want to make your WordPress website accessible on the internet, you’ll need to purchase a domain name and hosting. Consider the domain name as your website’s address, while the hosting service acts as your remote computer, providing storage and resources for your website’s files.
You install WordPress onto the hosting, then log in to the installed WordPress dashboard to build your site and link it to your domain name. This way, your website can be accessed from anywhere in the world.
Of course, nowadays, most hosting providers offer very convenient services. You don’t even need to manually download WordPress; you can simply click to install WordPress directly from the hosting backend.
WordPress.com
WordPress official site is wordpress.org, Obviously, wordpress.com is not, then, what’s the deal with this website? Well, wordpress.com is actually a fully managed hosting service for WordPress, it as a website builder that has WordPress system built-in, so you can use wordpress.com to build your WordPress website directly.
WordPress.com was actually created by Matt Mullenweg too. Initially, in 2003, Matt and his team released developed the open-source blogging system WordPress and established wordpress.org as the official website.
Two years later, in 2005, Matt founded Automattic Inc., a company dedicated to supporting and expanding the WordPress ecosystem, and used this company to establish the website wordpress.com, WordPress.com’s goal was to simplify website creation, making it accessible to a wider audience, particularly those with limited technical expertise.
So, wordpress.com is a project with WordPress system built-in under Automattic Inc, and you may don’t know WooCommerce, Jetpack, and Gravatar are also projects under Automattic.
WordPress.com Pricing and Plan
To get the latest WordPress.com pricing information, head straight to their website’s pricing page. They offer about 6 plans, but you should mainly focus on the first 4 since the higher-tier plans cater to specific needs that may not apply to everyone.Prices might change over time, so always check the official website for the most accurate.
WordPress.com also offers a free plan, which allows you to explore their dashboard, experience the website creation process, and get a taste of what WordPress.com has to offer. However, you won’t be able to connect a custom domain to your website with the free plan.
The images above show the annual plans. If you’re familiar with the hosting industry, this is a common practice among hosting providers. Of course, you can also pay monthly, but it’s important to note that these plans come at a significantly higher price point, the monthly price can be more than double the annual cost.
| Plans | Starter | Exploer | Creator | Entrepreneur |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-time Pricing | Annual $4/mo Monthly $9/mo | Annual $8/mo Monthly $18/mo | triennially $17.8/mo biennially $20/mo Annual $25/mo Monthly $40/mo | Annual $45/mo Monthly $70/mo |
| Renewal Price | same as First-time | same as First-time | same as First-time | same as First-time |
| Applicable scenarios | simple informational or showcase websites | Small Ecommerce Websites (Under 50 Products) | Fully Functional online store Websites | Enterprise Websites and E-commerce Mall (Including WooCommerce Advanced Features) |
If you’re planning to build an eCommerce website, it’s safe to assume that you’ll be maintaining the site for at least a year. In this case, opting for the annual billing cycle is the most cost-effective option.
Additionally, if you’re confident in your commitment to the WordPress.com platform, you can further save money by choosing a two- or three-year billing plan. These plans offer even lower per-month rates, providing the most significant savings for long-term users.
People who are serious about creating an e-commerce website should consider choosing the Creator plan. If you’re still on the fence, you can start with the Explorer plan and upgrade anytime.
Refund Policy
WordPress.com offers a generous refund policy to ensure customer satisfaction. The refund period varies depending on the billing cycle you choose:
- Annual, Biennial, and Triennial Plans: For plans purchased or renewed with an annual, biennial, or triennial billing cycle, you can request a full refund within 14 days of purchase or renewal.
- Monthly Plans: For monthly plans, you can request a full refund within 7 days of purchase or renewal.
Please note the refund not including domain name, this is same for any other hosting providers.
The pricing for wordpress.com hosting is higher compared to typical web hosting services. However, the renewal price is the same as the initial subscription price, which is good. The reason for the higher cost is that wordpress.com offers fully managed WordPress hosting. This means you don’t have to worry about any maintenance, technical issues, or optimization, including SEO. From this perspective, their prices are quite reasonable, as similar fully managed hosting plans from other providers are typically priced around the same range.
Features for WordPress.com
Like most hosting providers, WordPress.com offers a variety of pricing plans, each with a different set of features and functionalities. As you move up the pricing tiers, you gain access to more advanced features and enhanced capabilities. Let’s break down the key features included in each plan.
Free Features
- Free use of a custom domain for the first year (e.g., yourdomain.com).
- Free access to dozens of premium themes; starting from the Explorer plan, you can use all WordPress premium themes. For instance, the Kadence theme, which I often mention, is available in its paid version if you subscribe to WordPress.com hosting.
- Free SSL certificate, Secure your website with a free SSL certificate for enhanced security.
- Cloudflare CDN, Leverage Cloudflare’s Content Delivery Network (CDN) for faster website performance and global reach.
Woocommerce
WooCommerce is a well-known and highly popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress, can be referred to simply as Woo, it developed by WordPress.com, belongs to Automattic Inc. too. Today, when people talk about using WordPress to build e-commerce sites, 99% are using the WooCommerce plugin on WordPress, since both of them from the same company, their integration offers significant advantages.
Woocommerce that most people used is the free version, which is sufficient for the majority of merchants. This accessibility has enabled countless entrepreneurs and small merchants to establish their own online stores, expanding their reach and opportunities, and for this, We really have to thank Matt Mullenweg for creating the WordPress system and WooCommerce platform.
WooCommerce also has a premium version. With WordPress.com’s Enterprise plan, the premium version of Woo is completely free, offering many advanced features. If you use other hosting services, you would need to purchase the premium version of WooCommerce separately to access these advanced features.
Jetpack
Jetpack is another official plugin suite developed by WordPress.com specifically for optimizing and enhancing WordPress websites. While free users can access its basic functionalities, paid features are gradually incorporated into WordPress.com hosting plans starting from the Explorer tier. Creator plan subscribers gain access to the full suite of Jetpack’s features.
Jetpack’s primary and very useful features include:
- Website Performance Optimization: Enhance website loading speed and overall performance for a better user experience.
- Website Analytics: Gather comprehensive data about website traffic, user behavior, and popular content to gain valuable insights.
- Real-time Backups and One-click Restore: Protect your website with real-time backups and easily restore your site in case of any issues.
- Spam Scanning and Protection: Identify and eliminate spam comments and content to maintain a clean and secure website.
- SEO Optimization: Improve your website’s search engine ranking by optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and other SEO elements.
- Social Media Sharing Automation: Automatically share your published articles across various social media platforms to expand your reach.
Typically, these functionalities would require installing multiple plugins in WordPress, some of which may have associated costs. However, Jetpack bundles these features into a single plugin, specifically optimized for WordPress.com, ensuring exceptional compatibility and ease of use.
My earlier experience with Jetpack was not without its hurdles. mainly because I wasn’t using a great theme like Kadence contributed to a sluggish website performance at the time. Additionally, the limitations of the free Jetpack plan, coupled with frequent upgrade notifications and compatibility issues with certain themes, led to a negative perception of the plugin.
However, my perspective shifted after adopting the Kadence theme and utilizing Jetpack within the WordPress environment. The remarkable smoothness and responsiveness of my website transformed my outlook on Jetpack. This experience underscores the importance of compatibility between themes and plugins to ensure optimal performance and a seamless user experience.
This shows that the right tools need to be matched together, and we shouldn’t hold too much bias against anything.
Security
As mentioned earlier, WordPress.com operates under a fully managed model, evolving into a hybrid solution that combines the strengths of Shopify and fully managed WordPress hosting. They have comprehensive security measures, including firewalls, DDoS protection, real-time security scanning, and spam and virus protection. Plus, with Jetpack, users don’t need to worry about these issues at all.
Customer Support
In the free version, contacting wordpress.com customer support is not very easy. Although there is a chat button at the bottom right corner, any messages you send before purchasing will be replied to via email. Additionally, you can post in their community forum, their support staff will respond to posts. You can also reach out to their customer support via social media platforms. Anyway, given the number of free users and limited resources, this approach is understandable.
After purchasing:
- The Starter plan supports email contact with more priority.
- The Explorer plan allows you to communicate directly with support via online chat, which is very convenient.
- With the Creator plan, you get 24/7 customer support, and you can reach them through almost any contact method.
One words, Their customer support operates on a tiered system. However, regardless of the contact method, their support staff will help you resolve any issues. WordPress.com is a globally recognized platform, so there’s no need to worry about this aspect too much.
Cons for WordPress.com
These above features can be considered advantages of wordpress.com. However, nothing is perfect, it also has its drawbacks:
- For a fully functional eCommerce store, you need to subscribe to the Creator Commerce plan or higher, which might be a concern for many beginners.
- You cannot change the currency during the subscription process. For example, my wordpress.com account shows prices in Euro, they claim it’s based on your IP address, but clearly, it’s not, I using a IP in US. It seems to be determined when you first register your account.
- If you want to change the currency, you need to contact customer support, you can send a message to their customer support through the chat option at the bottom right of their homepage, it seems not an instant chat before you make a purchasing.
However, fortunately, these limitations don’t significantly impact the overall website building service. You can start with the free plan to learn more about it before making a decision.
100-year plan
WordPress.com’s 100-Year Plan is a unique offering that provides century-long domain registration and hosting for a one-time payment, ensuring your online presence endures for generations to come.
The 100-Year Plan is Intriguing and eye-catching, while it undoubtedly offers a unique solution for those prioritizing long-term online preservation and legacy building.
To Conclude
Perhaps because my previous negative experiences with Jetpack which I know is part of WordPress.com, had shaped my overall perception of the platform, I’ve always had reservations about WordPress.com.
After some reflection and analysis, I came to realize my negative experience with Jetpack back then was mainly because I wasn’t using a good WordPress theme. Those themes were very bloated, filled with too much messy code and various unnecessary customizations, which would have inevitably slowed down website performance. I mistakenly attributed these issues to Jetpack itself.
However, after recently using WordPress.com I’ve been impressed by its smoothness, excellent performance, and user-friendliness. Its ease of use is on par with Shopify, making it a great option for those new to website creation. It seems that hands-on experience is really the key to understanding something.
Conclusion, WordPress.com is a user-friendly, powerful platform that is especially suitable for beginners. It’s ready to use out of the box, and even if you discontinue your subscription, you can retain your account and resume using it later, It’s an excellent choice for creating and maintaining websites, especially for those with limited technical expertise.
