WordPress.COM vs WordPress.ORG
– a True APPLES-to-APPLES Comparison

If you are a small business owner thinking about using WordPress for your business website, then this article is for YOU!

While affiliate marketers, network marketers, casual bloggers, and professional bloggers may benefit from the information presented herein, it was NOT written with them in mind. Most of the articles on this topic have already been written from these perspectives while neglecting the needs/viewpoints of service-based business owners and retailers.

Over the years, there have been numerous articles written to compare the SELF-HOSTED version of WordPress with the fully HOSTED version. My BIGGEST gripe with many of these articles and related infographics is the apples-to-ORANGES take on their comparisons.

All too often, the author compares having a self-hosted WordPress website with having a FREE account at WordPress.com! This approach is inherently FLAWED!

In these same comparative articles, the author discusses (or alludes to) PAYING for a domain name and web hosting when self-hosting WordPress. So, we know that they are NOT comparing having a FREE self-hosted WP website with having a FREE account on WP.com!

Therefore, their comparison is NOT an APPLES-to-APPLES one.

A TRUE apples-to-apples comparison would require a same level analysis of like vs. like. That is what we'll do in this FIRST-of-its-kind article.

It is NOT my aim nor desire to sway you one way or another but to present the relevant information in an easy-to-understand format so that YOU can arrive at an INFORMED DECISION that is best for your unique circumstances!

DISCLAIMER: prices quoted below for various plans were current as of 1 January, 2018.

You can scroll down or use the Table of Content below to jump to your desired section.

TABLE of CONTENT

• Is a FREE Self-Hosted WordPress Website Possible?
• Apples-to-Oranges WordPress Comparisons
• Hosted WP vs. Self-Hosted WP
• How to Properly Compare WordPress.com with WordPress.org
• Choosing a Suitable Web Host for Comparison
• Hosted (WP.com) vs. Self-Hosted (SiteGround)
• Hosted vs. Self-Hosted: PAID Plan for Personal Use
• Hosted vs. Self-Hosted: PAID Plan for Entrepreneurs and Freelancers
• Hosted vs. Self-Hosted: PAID Plan for Small Businesses including Retailers
• Hosted vs. Self-Hosted: Supporting Documentation
• Hosted vs. Self-Hosted: Additional Resources

PRO TIP: if you jump to a section via the links in the Table of Content, you can get back here by simply clicking your browser's BACK button.

To begin, let's answer the following question...

Interestingly, this was NOT a question I considered until I began to write this article. My gut feeling was that it is NOT possible to have a self-hosted WordPress website for FREE but... I needed to get the FACTS to share with you.

Now, in general, a website requires a domain name and web hosting to exist. Both of these things GENERALLY cost money.

Regular domain names like .COM, .NZ, .AU, .UK, etc. are NOT free. However, there are a few places (like dot.tk OR freenom.com) where you can get a free domain name but they will end with extensions like .TK, .ML, .GA, .CF or .GQ.

Then there's the matter of web hosting. There are a number of web hosts offering completely FREE, Ad-Free hosting where you can install WordPress. Hosting Advice provides a list of Free Web Hosts at http://www.hostingadvice.com/how-to/free-web-hosting/#best-rest - be sure to read through the comments at the end of that article where some people have shared their experience (mostly negative) of using free web hosting services.

An interesting player in the field of Free Web Hosting is Viewen. They provide unlimited resources in exchange for a Facebook Like and a once-a-month share on your Facebook timeline. Check out a couple of their videos:

• Free Cloud Web Hosting for Life
• Wordpress Tutorial: The Full 5 Minute "Site Setup" Video

So, YES, research shows that it IS possible to have a completely FREE self-hosted WordPress website!

Whether or NOT it's advisable is another topic. You might want to check out CodeinWP's WordPress web hosting comparison at https://www.codeinwp.com/blog/best-wordpress-hosting/

Before we delve into our apples-to-apples WordPress comparison, let's get started with a surface level overview of the two brands of WordPress - WordPress.COM (the hosted platform) and WordPress.ORG (the self-hosted one).

The following infographic highlights the similarities/differences for the main considerations related to having a website. In the sections that follow, we'll go into a deeper level of side-by-side comparison.

Since WordPress.org is inherently different to WordPress.com, attempting an apples-to-apples comparison of a self-hosted WP website to a WP.com hosted website is no easy feat!

For one thing, a self-hosted website requires a custom domain name. So, we will need to compare it against a WP.com plan where you can have a custom domain name. This cuts the Free Plan out of the comparison exercise.

Now, I considered a couple ways to approach a true apples-to-apples comparison of WordPress.

One approach would be to do a Cost Analysis where both websites have EXACTLY the SAME features and you compare the overall costs involved. Since WordPress.com websites come with certain built-in features, we would have to look at the cost of adding those very features to the self-hosted WP website.

For example, the Jetpack plugin is included in ALL WordPress.com websites. The pricing to add it to a self-hosted website ranges from US$39 (~NZ$57) to US$299 (~NZ$434) per year.

After giving some thought to this approach, I concluded that it would become too challenging very quickly.

An alternative comparative approach would be to do a Feature Analysis where we look at a self-hosted website having the necessary elements to be secure and stable, and we compare it feature by feature against a WP.com plan that is on the same level. For example, we would compare a self-hosted personal use website with a personal site on WP.com, OR a self-hosted business website with a business site on WP.com

This is the approach I've taken in the writing of this article.

Both WordPress.com and SiteGround have a plan which they consider to be best for those just getting started. In this section, you'll find an in-depth comparison between these plans and their various features.

Browse the table below for a detailed look at their differences and similarities. You'll find a list of links to supporting documentation and additional resources towards the end of this article.

Both WordPress.com and SiteGround have a plan which they consider to be best for entrepreneurs and freelancers. In this section, you'll find an in-depth comparison between these plans and their various features.

Browse the table below for a detailed look at their differences and similarities. You'll find a list of links to supporting documentation and additional resources towards the end of this article.

Both WordPress.com and SiteGround have a plan which they consider to be best for small businesses. In this section, you'll find an in-depth comparison between these plans and their various features.

Browse the table below for a detailed look at their differences and similarities. You'll find a list of links to supporting documentation and additional resources towards the end of this article.

The information compiled above was gathered from the websites of WordPress.com and SiteGround. Here are just SOME of the pages on various points of interest.

• Backup / Restore
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/export/#backups
  WP.com (via Jetpack): https://jetpack.com/features/security/site-backups/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/kb/category/backups-questions/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/cpanel/backup-restore-tool/
  
  
• Content Delivery Network (CDN)
  WP.com (via Jetpack): https://jetpack.com/features/design/content-delivery-network/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/cloudflare/
  
  
• Content Export/Import or Site Migration
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/import/
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/export/
  WP.com: https://move.wordpress.com/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/wordpress/transfer/
  
  
• Domain Registration
  You can use any domain registrar to register your desired domain name. If you choose to register via WP.com or SiteGround, please bear in mind that they do NOT support all TLDs (extensions).
  
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/domain-pricing-and-available-tlds/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/domain_names.php
  
  
• eCommerce Options
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/ecommerce/
  Self-Hosted WP: https://selfstartr.com/wordpress-ecommerce/
  
  
• eMail Options
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/add-email/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/email/
  
  
• FREE Domain Credit / Voucher
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/
  
  
• FTP Access
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/ftp-access/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/ftp/
  
  
• Google Analytics Integration
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/google-analytics/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/kb/how_to_configure_google_analytics_for_your_website/
  
  
• HTTPS and SSL
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/https-ssl/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/kb/free-ssl-certificate/
  
  
• Monetisation of Your Website
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/monetize-your-site/
  Self-Hosted WP: https://torquemag.io/2016/06/monetize-wordpress-site-plugins/
  
  
• Platform Ads / Branding
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/footer-credits/
  
  
• Plugins / Extensions
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/plugins/
  WP.org: https://wordpress.org/plugins/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/wordpress_plugins.htm
  
  
• Search Engine Optimisation - Basic SEO
  WP.com: https://en.blog.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/seo-settings-panel/
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/seo/
  WP.org [2007]: https://codex.wordpress.org/Search_Engine_Optimization_for_WordPress
  
  
• Search Engine Optimisation - Advanced SEO
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/seo-tools/
  Self-Hosted WP: http://www.wpbeginner.com/wordpress-seo/
  Siteground: https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/wordpress/seo/
  
  
• Theme / Template Switching
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/themes/#switch-themes
  Self-Hosted WP: http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-properly-switch-wordpress-themes-on-your-site/
  
  
• WordPress Security
  WP.com (via Jetpack): https://jetpack.com/features/security/
  Siteground: https://www.siteground.com/kb/how_does_siteground_protect_my_website/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/wordpress/security/
  
  
• WordPress Technical Support
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/help-support-options/
  Siteground: https://www.siteground.com/support
  
  
• WordPress Themes
  WP.com: https://wordpress.com/themes
  WP.com [No-Cost Premium Themes]: https://en.support.wordpress.com/premium-themes/
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/themes/adding-new-themes/
  WP.org: https://wordpress.org/themes/
  SiteGround: https://www.siteground.com/wordpress-hosting/wordpress-themes.htm
  
  
• XML Sitemap Submission
  WP.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/sitemaps/#xml-sitemaps-for-search-engines
  Self-Hosted WP: http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/what-is-a-wordpress-sitemap-how-to-create-a-sitemap-in-wordpress/

Here is some extra reading material to help in your research on the similarites / differences and pros / cons of WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

Hosted WordPress (on WordPress.com)

• Akismet (included): https://akismet.com/how/
• Jetpack (included): https://jetpack.com/support/
• VaultPress (included): https://vaultpress.com/features/
• VideoPress (available): https://en.support.wordpress.com/videopress/
• WooCommerce (available): https://woocommerce.com/store-owners/
• Third-Party Themes / Plugins: https://en.blog.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/wordpress-com-business-now-supports-plugins-and-third-party-themes/

Self-Hosted WordPress (on SiteGround or any other Web Host)

• Was it easy to switch WordPress themes? Yes.: http://chrislema.com/switch-wordpress-themes/

As I stated in the introductory section of this article: "It is NOT my aim nor desire to sway you one way or another but to present the relevant information in an easy-to-understand format so that YOU can arrive at an INFORMED DECISION that is best for your unique circumstances!"

FULL DISCLOSURE
We do not use WP.com. We use the self-hosted version of WordPress in building websites for ourselves and for our clients. Our clients are primarily local service-based business who do NOT want to be bothered with creating their website themselves. They prefer to stick to their areas of expertise and to let us use our expertise in building them a beautiful, worry-free marketing website that gets results!

Feel free to check out Our Portfolio.