If you’ve ever thought about building a website, chances are you’ve come across WordPress. It’s one of the most popular website platforms in the world, used by everyone from bloggers to big businesses. But did you know that there are actually two versions of WordPress?
This is where a lot of confusion happens! If you Google “WordPress,” you’ll likely end up on WordPress.com, but that’s not the version that gives you full control over your website.
So, let’s break it all down so you can make the best choice for your business.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a website-building platform that allows you to create everything from simple blogs to full-blown e-commerce stores. It’s powerful, flexible, and used by over 40% of websites worldwide.
But here’s the key thing to understand: WordPress comes in two versions, WordPress.com and WordPress.org, and they work very differently.
WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: What’s the Difference?
WordPress.com: The Subscription-Based Option
WordPress.com is a hosted version of WordPress, meaning everything is managed for you. If you Google “WordPress” and click on the first link, this is where you’ll land.
It’s similar to Wix in that you sign up, pick a plan, and start building your website. But here’s the catch:
- There is a free plan, but it’s very limited (you can’t use your own domain name). You would maybe use this to start a blog if you weren’t worried about building a business.
- To connect your domain name, you’ll then pay a monthly fee to use WordPress.com
- If you want extra features like e-commerce, custom themes, or extra storage, you need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan, which then means paying more each month
- While WordPress.com manages updates and security for you, you’re also limited in what you can customise.
At first glance, it seems like a simple option, but once you start adding up the costs and limitations, it’s not the best choice for most businesses.
WordPress.org: The Fully Customisable, Self-Hosted Version
WordPress.org is the version of WordPress that gives you full control over your website. It’s self-hosted, which means:
- You own your website, so you can customise it however you like.
- You can add as many pages as you want without paying extra, and most features, even shopping, are free to add as well.
- You can install any theme to build your website with and add extra features via plugins, which means you can make your site look and work exactly how you need it to.
- You’re not locked into one company; you choose which hosting company you build your website with, but if they raise their prices or your website starts slowing down, you can move your website to a different hosting company, so your always in control of your website.
With WordPress.org, you’re not stuck paying monthly for every little upgrade like you are with WordPress.com. Instead, you just need web hosting which is actually a much more affordable option as well.
What is Hosting?
If you want to use WordPress.org, you first need to buy hosting. Your hosting company will be where all your website files live online.
Some people assume hosting is expensive, but it’s so much cheaper than paying for a platform like Wix or WordPress.com. I personally use Hostinger (this is an affiliate link), and you can get hosting for less than £30 a year, and if you buy for longer like 4 years the price comes down even further. So hosting is way more budget-friendly than paying £15-£30 per month for an all-in-one website platform.
Even better, with a self-hosted WordPress site:
- You’re not locked into one company – If you’re unhappy with your hosting speed or service, you can move your website elsewhere (something you can’t do with Wix or WordPress.com).
- You can add unlimited pages and features without paying more.
- You get complete control over your website’s design and functionality.
“But I Heard WordPress is Difficult to Use…”
One of the biggest concerns people have about WordPress is that it’s too complicated. And when I hear that, the first thing I ask is: What theme are you using?
If you’ve ever struggled with WordPress, chances are you were using a theme that didn’t make things easy for you.
I personally use Divi, it is a premium theme, but it makes designing a website much more user-friendly.
Want to See WordPress in Action?
If you’re still unsure whether WordPress is for you, I’d love for you to join my free masterclass, Behind the Scenes of a WordPress Website!
In this month’s masterclass, I will be sharing why I chose WordPress as my website platform and taking you behind the scenes of what brings a WordPress website to life.
Hopefully, you’ll come away realising WordPress isn’t such a scary platform after all and a great place to build a website for your business.
Come along and see for yourself! Sign up here.