WordPress/WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

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Some may not know there is a differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is presented by some of the same developers who work on WordPress. WordPress.com puts to use the same Open Source software which you can download at WordPress.org. the .com version also does the hosting and managing of the software for you. WordPress.org versions need to be installed on your own server or with a 3rd party provider, such as, networksolutions.com.

WordPress.com

Benefits

  • It's free and much easier to set up
  • Setup, upgrades, spam, backups, security, and more - are automatically taken care of
  • 100+ themes provided which you can modify (to an extent) by editing the CSS
  • Your website (blog) that you create here is hosted on many servers, so it is very unlikely the server will overload because of traffic
  • Posts are automatically backed up
  • You may get extra traffic to your site by being featured on blogs of the day and tags
  • You can network with other bloggers like you using tag and friend surfer
  • Your login is secure (SSL) so you can confidently use WiFi
  • You need to use html code to create a table on a page

Cons

  • Cannot run a custom theme
  • Cannot modify the PHP code behind your blog
  • Cannot upload plugins
  • FTP and shell access are not included
  • Must pay to upgrade to the VIP program on WordPress.com to run custom themes and have complete control over PHP and CSS codes
  • Free URLs are not clean (www.yoursite.wordpress.com)


WordPress.org

Benefits

  • Software download is free, but have to install it on a webserver
  • Downloadable themes and plugins are free
  • Plugins can enhance your site dramatically
  • Ability to upload custom themes
  • Ability to upload plugins
  • Ability to post from email
  • Complete control to change code
  • Ability to add multiple users/administrators
  • Clean URLs (www.yoursite.com)

Cons

  • Need to pay for a web host
  • Requires more technical knowledge to set up
  • The blogger is completely responsible for the site, such as, stopping spam, backing up site, managing your server correctly, upgrading software manually when a new version comes out
  • Your server may "go down" if there is a large spike in traffic
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