42
What’s the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org?
W
ordPress is an online software system that allows anyone (not just businesses) to create a website. But confusingly there are two versions, wordpress.com and wordpress.org.
almost 6,000 plugins to extend your websites functionality, and 20,000 themes, all of which are free to use. This gives you much greater flexibility and for those who are running business websites, allows them to extend their website Creating a free website on wordpress.com is as their business grows. For instance, you could as easy as signing up, choosing a name for start off with a simple brochure style website your website and a design (known as a theme) and then grow it into a full e-Shop without and then you can having to face the start writing. It’s a technical challenges ...you could start off with a simple brochure of changing website great way to get started and it’s free. style website and then grow it into a full platforms and risking There are two main having to start all downsides of using e-Shop without having to face the technical over again. wordpress.com in challenges... this manner though. In addition to all Firstly, the domain name (website address) the themes and plugins on wordpress.org, will be something along the lines of there are thousands more available from yourwebsitename.wordpress.com, which software vendors on the Internet, many are doesn’t look too great if you are running a free many are premium. This choice gives you business, though you can purchase a domain an immense amount of flexibilty when building name from them. Secondly, for perfectly sound websites. security reasons wordpress.com limits the number of themes and plugins that you can So, if you just want a web space for a family use to a few dozen. Plugins are add-on pieces blog, then wordpress.com could be a great of software that extend the functionality of the solution. But if you want a business website website. that can easily grow with your business, a selfThe second reason is often a deal breaker for hosted WordPress website is the one for you. business owners, especially start ups because at some point in the future, as their business grows, Tim Spencer they will want to extend the functionality of their Check out courses at www.wptrainer.co.uk website in some way. Wordpress.org on the other hand provides the content management system software (the same software as wordpress. com) that allows you to install it onto your own hosting service, often called self-hosting. Most hosting services now have scripts that allow you to install WordPress with a few clicks of the mouse, allowing you to skip the step of downloading the software from wordpress. org and then installing on your hosting provider. With a self-hosted WordPress website, you have access to