Updated October 30, 2024 - 9:57 AM (CST).
Discover Which WordPress Building Platform Is Best For Your Business Needs
WordPress is one of the most popular website/blogging platforms in the marketplace. And (as confusing as it may seem) WordPress.com and WordPress.org are not run by the same company — they are two distinctive CMS’s (Content Management Systems) or projects.
According to Google, WordPress.org is the home page for the WordPress project; WordPress.com is a commercial enterprise owned by Automattic. And Matt Mullenweg is the co-founder of WordPress.com and president of Automattic, the company that owns WP.com.
We also know that some employees of “Automattic” contribute their time, work, and efforts on the WP.org project. There are ongoing collaborations between the two communities.
Here Is What You'll Find In The Article
In this article, we will break down the key differences between the two platforms. We’ll explore how each platform affects customization, costs, and the potential to grow your business website.
Our article will also equip you with the insights you need to understand, to choose the best WordPress platform for your in-home business project.
So let’s dive in!
The WordPress.com Project
WP.com is my favorite go-to platform — I use them for my personal blogging projects. They are also more user-friendly (with their pre-installed WP software) than building with WP.org’s platform.
WP.com offers users with a free hosted plan; i.e., a WP.com hosted domain, pre-installed themes, and they manage security and maintenance for you. They also have a paid plan that allows you to add premium and third-party themes.
Now, let’s look at the pros and cons of the WP.com project.
The Cons
- It cost no money to get started. You can create a free account and start creating right away.
- No security or maintenance to worry about. WP.com software takes care of all your security features and maintenance for you.
- You don’t have to worry about technical matters such as hosting, updates, or uploading plugins.
- You can also purchase a paid hosting plan that enables you to create a “custom domain” as your primary domain. This process is called “mapping” and once connected. Visitors can reach your site using the custom domain instead of your hosted domain (yourdomainname/WP.com). WP.com also allows you to share your content with other WP.com users. Users that have built with WP.com software, the “software” automatically shares your content with other WP.com users.
The Pros
- Need ideas… need ideas
If you’re ready to get started with building a one-of-a-kind digital platform. You can join the millions of WordPress.com loyal followers and start creating your dream website or blog.
The WordPress.org Project
I’ve grown to love WP.org and personally. I prefer to design and build with WP.org because it’s capabilities and functionalities outweigh the WordPress.com project (not taking away the value of WP.com).
When you build on the WP.org platform, you own the domain and content you publish on to the platform; allow me to explain.
The Pros
Build Your Website Your Way
Easy Setup:
- Hosted WordPress: Many hosting providers offer easy-to-use WordPress installations. With a few clicks, you can have your website up and running.
- Self-Hosted WordPress: You have full control over your website and its content. You can choose your domain name and hosting provider, and customize your site to your liking.
Full Control:
- Own Your Content: You own all the content you create on your WordPress site. You can easily move your site to a different hosting provider if needed.
- Customize Your Site: With HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can tailor your website’s look and feel to your exact preferences. You can change colors, fonts, and layout to create a unique design.
Expand Your Website’s Capabilities:
- Themes: Choose from thousands of free and premium themes to give your website a professional look and feel.
- Plugins: Add functionality to your website with plugins. From simple contact forms to complex e-commerce stores, there’s a plugin for almost anything.
- You rely on a hosting provider that enables you to design and build on their server. Most hosting providers will have the WP software already installed in your account. You simply click a button (in your account) and WP is ready for you to start creating.
- You own everything. You have full control over the domain and all of the content you publish onto the platform — you can even move your domain and content to a different hosting.
- Flexibility and Customization. You have full control over how your site looks, feels, and responds. Through HTML (Hypertext Markup Language}, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and JavaScript. You can change fonts, colors, styles, and move elements around by understanding how to use code.
- Themes and Plugins. There are free and premium plugins to create with, and hundreds of plugins for everything you think imaginable you will need or want to do from monetization, starting an eCommerce store front to security plugins.
The Cons
- Depending on the theme and plugins you use, you can run into incapable issues with other plugins — not all themes and plugins are equally yoked.
- And to increase website performance, it’s an art and science rolled up into one bouncing ball — you have to find a balance in comparability with the themes and plugins you use.
- You have to maintain your own security feature, maintenance, and watch the performance of your project.
Now, without going into an elaborate, indebted break down. Let’s look at the core features of the WP.com and WP.org projects. Then you decide for yourself which of the two platforms will best meet your need for building a website or blog.
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