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What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

WordPress websites

WordPress is the most popular way to build a website, with over 43% of all the websites on the internet using either worpress.com or WordPress.org, however it can be confusing to know what’s the difference between the two, which one to choose and why.

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The difference

They are two different options and once you understand their differences you can decide which is best for you based in on your individual business requirements.

A very simple analogy is the difference between renting or owning a house….Strange I know, but it’s a great starting point as you begin to understand how they differ. WordPress.com is similar to renting a house. you have a house but with restrictive power and control over what you can and cannot do. WordPress.org is like owning a house, Where you have full control and you can do anything that you want with it.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a website builder with hosting services, it enables you to build a website using the WordPress software and your site is hosted by them. You are given varying tools and capabilities depending on which price plan you choose. This is a great choice for beginners who don’t even want to think about the technical details and is often considered the easier option to get you started with a website as you don’t need to understand hosting, third party plugs in and other tools. With wordpress.com you are limited to a particular set of features and dependent upon the pre-defined structure of your chosen theme which can limit design choice and flexibility.

WordPress.org

Wordpress.org is open-source software, 100% free for anyone to use but you will need to decide on all aspects of the website build and design yourself. Decisions to be made will include sorting a domain name, hosting, security, back ups and how you wish to build the site of course. The great news is you will have full control of your website, free to do anything you want and customise it as much as you need with the choice of over 55,000 plugins to help your website meet your needs. So WordPress.org is the right choice if you’re choosing to have your website designed and built for you to those who have a better understanding of web design, development, and hosting

Does that make sense?

So, in brief, what’s the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

WordPress.com is a service that helps you build a website using the WordPress software,
WordPress.org is the software itself, which you can use to build and maintain a website on your own terms.

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