WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: What's the Difference?
WordPress.com and WordPress.org are different. See who hosts, who maintains, what each costs and how much control you get before choosing for your business.
The names are confusingly similar. WordPress.org is free, open-source software you install on hosting you arrange yourself. WordPress.com is a commercial service that runs WordPress for you. Choosing between them is mainly a choice about who does the maintenance.
This article is part of our guide to choosing a website builder. It follows WordPress.com's own comparison page, checked on 20 September 2026. As WordPress.com is one of the two options, treat its description with that in mind, and read the other side's documentation too.
The differences that matter
| WordPress.com | WordPress.org (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Managed hosting included | You find and pay for a hosting provider yourself |
| Updates, security, backups | Handled for you automatically | You manage them |
| Cost | Tiers from free to enterprise, hosting included | Free software, plus annual hosting fees from a third party |
| Plugins and themes | Available on paid plans; risky plugins are proactively blocked | Install any custom plugin or theme, and you're responsible for vetting security |
| Technical control | More limited on the managed platform | More freedom for complex, custom code and PHP settings |
| Content ownership | You own your content and are free to move it | You own your content and are free to move it |
What that means in practice
Choose WordPress.com if you want to publish and not maintain. Somebody else applies updates, and the platform blocks plugins it considers risky.
Choose WordPress.org if you have a specific need the managed service doesn't allow, such as a particular plugin, and you have somebody technical who will look after it. Self-hosting also means you decide when to update and how to back up, and the security of every plugin is on you.
Costs to include
- WordPress.com: the plan you need, plus a domain if your plan doesn't include one.
- WordPress.org: hosting, a domain, any paid themes or plugins, and the time to maintain the site.
Compare a full year's cost, not the headline price.
Questions to ask before you choose
- Who will apply updates and watch for problems?
- Do I need a plugin or custom code that a managed plan doesn't offer?
- What will the total cost be over twelve months?
- Can I export my content if I want to leave?
After you choose
Whichever you pick, the basics are the same: fast pages, clear titles and helpful content. See Core Web Vitals for small business websites and what a small business website needs. If you're also comparing hosted builders, read Wix vs Squarespace.
Frequently asked questions
Is WordPress free?
The WordPress.org software is free, but you must pay a hosting provider separately, according to WordPress.com's own comparison. WordPress.com has tiers from free to enterprise with hosting included.
Which is better for a small business?
It depends on who will look after the site. If nobody wants to handle hosting, updates and security, WordPress.com's managed hosting does it. If you need total control over plugins and code and have technical help, WordPress.org offers it.
Can I move from one to the other?
WordPress.com says you own your site content and are always free to move it as you please. Check its current instructions for the move, because we haven't tested the process.
Sources
- WordPress.com Support — WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org — checked Sep 20, 2026
Related reading
- ArticleWebsites
Wix vs Squarespace for Small Business: How the Plans Differ
Wix and Squarespace compared on how their plans are structured: free plan versus trial, domain inclusion, billing and store fees, using their own pricing pages.
· 2 min read
- ArticleWebsites
Core Web Vitals for Small Business Websites, Explained
What Core Web Vitals are, the three targets Google publishes (LCP, INP and CLS), how to check your site, and simple fixes a small business can make.
· 2 min read
- ArticleWebsites
What a Small Business Website Needs: A Simple Checklist
A practical checklist of the pages and details a small business website needs: home, services, contact details, trust signals, and the basics Google asks for.
· 2 min read
Get practical tech tips for your business
New guides, honest reviews and free tools — straight to your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.