In my initial days of blogging, I had no idea that WordPress comes in two versions – .WordPress.org and WordPress.com. If you are new to blogging, then you too must be wondering what is the difference between these two.

The major difference between the two is how your website/blog is hosted; is it hosted by you or someone else controls it? Let’s have a look at the differences:

WordPress.com

WordPress.com acts as a free blogging platform for you until you are using 3 GB of space. Any byte beyond this space means you will have to pay a price for your blog.

WordPress.com Pros:

• You do not have to worry about any WordPress installation, managing your web server or paying for hosting plan (until you are using 3 GB of space).
• Free and easy to setup.
• You get the regular backup of your site.

WordPress.com Cons:

• You will get a weird looking domain name for your site, like www.myawesomeblog.wordpress.com. You cannot remove “wordpress” from the domain name until you are ready to pay yearly.
• You cannot upload any custom theme, install any plugin or change PHP code for your site.
• They place ads all over your website. If you do not want to see the ads on your site, then you have to pay them yearly. This is so not cool!
• The major con – they can delete your site at any time without a proper justification. This has happened to many bloggers.

WordPress.org

With WordPress.org, you have complete authority over your site. You are the owner of your website/blog. WordPress.org provides its software for free, which you can download and install on your web server.

WordPress.org Pros:

• It’s free to use.
• You have complete authority over your website. You can run ads/affiliate marketing as you want.
• It has the highest number of awesome plugins and themes. Many of them are absolutely free to use.
• Easier to use interface
• It comes with largest developer and user community. So if you stumble upon any issue while using it, there is a vast community to help and rescue you out of your problem.
• You can make money from it.

WordPress.org Cons:

• You need to buy a hosting plan where you can install their software.
• You have to take care of the updates.
• You are responsible for creating backups of your site. However, there are many plugins available on WordPress.org that do this job for you. Hosting providers like godaddy also offer site backup for free.

So which one should you pick?

If you are blogging just for a time pass and you are in no mood of establishing your blog as a brand, and you do not want to make money from it, then you can opt for WordPress.com

If you want to become a serious blogger, want to have complete authority over your blog and want to generate a decent income from it, then WordPress.org is your pick. If you get intimidated by factors like you need to pay some bucks to get started with WordPress.org then let me tell you, the investment is worth it for all the benefits it provides. As your site grows and you make money, it will eventually cover the running cost.

Following infograph from wpbeginner.com should be able to help you if you are still thinking what to choose:

Do let me know in comments what’s your pick. Choose wisely!