Have you ever googled WordPress and came across both https://wordpress.org/ and https://wordpress.com/ and got confused? It’s common for new comers to WordPress to get tripped up with this. In this blog I’m going to quickly explain the differences between the two.

WordPress.org

WordPress.org can be thought of as a central hub for WordPress. You can download a copy of WordPress, find themes, plugins, review documentation, and get support in the forums. If you want to learn WordPress it’s a good place to start and review.

As mentioned above you can get a copy of WordPress on WordPress.org. Once you have those files you can install them on a host or local development environment and begin working with your own copy of WordPress. Most host companies will actually make this step easier for you with a one click install of WordPress.

On WordPress.org you can actually find a list of some suggested hosts that can run WordPress. The listings on that page are not an exclusive list of hosts, nor necessarily are they the best, but they will do the job.

Many will refer to using WordPress in this way as self hosted. The advantage to a self hosted WordPress site is you have the freedom to develop it however you see fit. If I build a site for you, this will be the way I will go.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a product of Automattic. When you sign up on WordPress.com you get a site with varying levels of features and support. The cool thing about a WordPress.com site is you can get one for free (with a few catches), or for about the same price as many hosts for a self hosted site you get several extra features, theme and plugin options.

The downside to a WordPress.com site is you do not have the development freedom to build new features. You have the capability of building to your needs with a self hosted site.

Which Do I Need?

If you just want to get a quick site up and running at a very low cost, it may be easier for you to go to WordPress.com. If you want a site that can start at a low cost, but grow in features over time, or if you want a full featured custom site a self hosted WordPress.org version is the way to go.

Have questions on which is best for you, reach out and I will let you know which is options is best for you.