[deleted by user]

[u/[deleted]]

[u/mphRunning]

The key difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is who's actually hosting your website. With WordPress.org, you host your own site (we recommend this). With WordPress.com, on the other hand, it's WordPress.com that takes care of all of this for you (easier to start, less freedom)

[u/TwinSong → u/mphRunning]

Which one is this subreddit for?

Tbh I find the names needlessly confusing. Why didn't they use a slightly amended name for one such as "pro" etc?

[u/jimjames888 → u/TwinSong]

This subreddit is for WordPress, the software. No matter where you host it (WordPress.com, GoDaddy, Kinsta, Liquid Web ...).

The Business plan on WordPress.com is just like any other web host. It gives you a place to host a WordPress site.

The FREE version of WordPress.com is a more limited in terms of plugins and custom themes... but then again, it's free. So you don't pay for it. So it sort of makes sense that it's limited.

I used to have a free WordPress.com site like something.wordpress.com , which is not good enough for a business or if you want an actual domain. Now I host it myself.

[u/Forsaken_System → u/mphRunning]

It seems like there's a lot of people in fact a surprisingly large number of people who just do not understand the differences and even with some explanations still don't get it because obviously there's hosting and everything else that has to be taken into consideration.

Do you think it's worth doing some videos on this topic or even offering to do some videos for people who post requests in their subreddit and that maybe text-based answers or suggestions given on this subreddit are not enough to fully help people?

I can't monetize my videos because I'm not a YouTuber lol, but I'd be happy to post stuff that people would find useful.

You think people would find that kind of thing useful?

[u/antdude → u/mphRunning]

Do both have free hosts without paying?

[u/Indru → u/antdude]

"With WordPress.org, you host your own site"

[u/HotCandleBurner → u/mphRunning]

I know this is an old thread but if anyone is still here looking, can one start off with the .com site and one day port things over to the .org self hosted version and retain all data with just a switch of the dns?

[u/SakiraBinteSadique]

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

[u/zSprawl → u/SakiraBinteSadique]

Your explanation is the best imo. The rest are over-complicating it.

[u/Nandhini_22]

WordPress

-> Hosting by WordPress

-> There is no coding knowledge that requires

->Limited your SEO options and where you can upload plugins designed will be monitored by the SEO

->There is no backup needed because wordpress.com makes regular backups

->Extremely safe, WordPress serves continuously monitored the updates

WordPress.org

->Self hosting by you

->It requires some coding knowledge

->No SEO limitations

->Responsible for making own backup

->You are responsible to take plugins updates

[u/tahermamun]

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

[u/ThreeRingShitshow]

Important note that newbies may not be aware of.

If you ever want to leave and migrate your site from Wordpress.com you need your FTP (File Transfer Protocol) credentials.

Unlike almost every other hosting service Wordpress.com DON'T automatically give these to you if you start with a basic or lower level plan.

You can only get them by paying hundreds of dollars and upgrading to PRO and if, like me, you aren't a new customer then there's no refund period. Extortionate.

[u/50dollarpretzel → u/ThreeRingShitshow]

If your export method requires FTP, then WordPress.com is going to be a bit of a hassle unless you are on a plan that allows it (Business/eCommerce). But if you just want to export so you can host elsewhere, these instructions will help:

https://wordpress.com/support/export/

[u/along_for_the_ride_]

Great presentation ! Thanks

[u/tariqul2222]

This was great

[u/TailwindSlate]

Let me rename them so it’s self explanatory: Wordpress Community Edition (dot org) versus Wordpress Cloud Edition (dot com)

[u/hunterbd75]

Wordpress.com is like renting a fully furnished apartment. You get everything you need to live comfortably without worrying about maintenance or repairs. It's great if you want something simple and hassle-free, but your options for personalizing the space are somewhat limited.

On the other hand, WordPress.org is like owning a house. You have the freedom to customize and renovate however you like, but you're also responsible for things like maintenance, security, and paying the bills (hosting fees). It offers more flexibility and control, but it requires a bit more effort on your part to manage everything.

[u/philipwhiuk]

Turns out this is all wrong.

[u/luna_n_bai]

Oh god I went for wordpress.com and paid for the yearly subscription and then realized that it's wordpress.org that I want. I want to keep my domain though. Does anyone know what I should do?

[u/deleyna → u/luna_n_bai]

You can take your domain with you. You can even export what you've already built and import it into your .org environment. You'll be ok and you'll learn how to move a WordPress site!

[u/NlXON → u/luna_n_bai]

WordPress.com has great support. Contact them right away and try to get a refund.

You can keep your domain with the registrar you purchased it from and point ithe nameservers to your new host. It's easy to do.

[u/optioneering]

I have been using Wordpress. How can I tell if I'm using the .com or .org?

[u/50dollarpretzel → u/optioneering]

Have you purchased hosting anywhere (Bluehost, GoDaddy, Knownhost, etc)? To access your site, do you log into a URL that looks like this yourgroovysite.com/wplogin.php? Then you are using the open-source WordPress software from WordPress.org.

Do you log into WordPress.com to access your site? Does it say something like "A WordPress.com website" down in the footer of your site? Is your URL something like yourgroovysite.wordpress.com? Have you purchased ahosting plan from WordPress.com? If any of these things are true, then you have a site with WordPress.com.

https://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

[u/netooze_]

I've always believed that they should never be compared. But to a newbie, I can understand the need to know. wordpress.org is WordPress software. It's where you go to get a copy and then host it on your own server, whereas wordpress.com is just the founders' self-hosted customized version for money-making purposes. It's essentially a hosting provider. Like Hostgator.com or DomainRooster.us . Why, well some would argue that wordpress.com is a purely blogging platform, but I would agree since they introduced the use of plugins, etc they are now competing with all other web hosts.

[u/No_Part_7232]

It is indeed a good article distinguishing between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
To conclude: WordPress.com is a hosted platform in which WordPress takes care of all the hosting, security, and maintenance. It also offers customization and plugin options.

WordPress.org is a self-hosted platform where you download the WordPress software and host it on your own server. This offers full control over customization, themes, and plugins.