{"id":7413,"date":"2025-06-03T20:40:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T18:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/?p=7413"},"modified":"2025-06-03T20:40:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T18:40:18","slug":"wordpress-org-vs-wordpress-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/blog\/internet\/wordpress\/wordpress-org-vs-wordpress-com\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress.org vs WordPress.com: What's the real difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When starting out with WordPress, a frequent confusion arises: <strong>what's the difference between wordpress.org and wordpress.com<\/strong> ? Here's the straight answer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>wp.org = WordPress.org<\/strong> CMS (software) <strong>open-source<\/strong>free, 100% customizable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>wp.com = WordPress.com<\/strong> a platform <strong>commercial<\/strong> managed by Automattic, with limited functionality unless you pay for expensive subscriptions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc49 <strong>In short: WordPress.com is a turnkey hosted application, while WordPress.org is the real WordPress engine that you install at the hosting provider of your choice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you're looking for a <strong>high-level performance, advanced security, expert WordPress support<\/strong>take a look at our <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/web-hosting\/\">LRob web hosting offers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress.org vs WordPress.com: the essential differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is WordPress.org?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress.org is the <strong>the heart of the WordPress project<\/strong>. It's a <strong>free software<\/strong> which you can download free of charge and install from any hosting provider. It provides a <strong>total control<\/strong> on your site: design, functionalities, extensions, performance... everything is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-text-subtitle is-style-text-subtitle--1 wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udca1 It's <strong>the choice used by the majority of professional websites<\/strong>e-commerce or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is WordPress.com?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress.com, not to be confused, is a <strong>sales department<\/strong> based on WordPress, managed by Automattic. It offers all-in-one hosting packages, with restricted access to features unless you subscribe to paid packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-text-subtitle is-style-text-subtitle--2 wp-block-paragraph\">\u26a0\ufe0f Access to third-party extensions, FTP, the database or even certain custom themes is not possible. <strong>blocked or limited<\/strong> on WordPress.com, except with Business and higher packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The basic wordpress.com business package is sold for \u20ac25\/month (billed annually) at the time of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Comparison chart: WordPress.org vs WordPress.com (and why LRob makes the difference)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Functionality \/ Criteria<\/th><th>WordPress.org (self-hosted)<\/th><th>WordPress.com (hosted)<\/th><th>LRob web hosting (based on wp.org)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Type<\/strong><\/td><td>Open-source CMS<\/td><td>Sales platform<\/td><td>Pro hosting for WordPress<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Total control<\/strong><\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No (limited according to plan)<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes (FTP access, database, WP Toolkit included)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Extensions \/ custom plugins<\/strong><\/td><td>\u2705 All authorized<\/td><td>\u274c Restricted to paying plans<\/td><td>\u2705 All authorized + enhanced safety WP<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Custom themes<\/strong><\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No premium plan<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes, without restriction<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Customized domain name<\/strong><\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No free version<\/td><td>\u2705 Included (free .fr domain name)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Mandatory advertising<\/strong><\/td><td>\u274c Never<\/td><td>\u2705 On the free version<\/td><td>\u274c Never<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Maintenance \/ updates<\/strong><\/td><td>To manage yourself<\/td><td>Managed by Automattic<\/td><td>\u2705 Managed if option <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/services\/wordpress-webmastering\/\">webmastering<\/a> activated<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Server performance<\/strong><\/td><td>Depends on chosen hosting provider<\/td><td>Averages<\/td><td>\u2705 Excellent (4 to 16 CPUs, Redis, optimized PHP)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Security<\/strong><\/td><td>Dependent on host<\/td><td>Good on higher planes<\/td><td>\u2705 Very high (fail2ban, WAF, active monitoring)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Automatic backups<\/strong><\/td><td>Configure it yourself<\/td><td>Yes, according to plan<\/td><td>\u2705 Included on all plans<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Professional e-mails included<\/strong><\/td><td>Dependent on host<\/td><td>\u274c Not included on free plan<\/td><td>\u2705 Unlimited, with subdomains and full interface<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>WordPress technical support<\/strong><\/td><td>Dependent on host<\/td><td>Basic (chat for paid plans)<\/td><td>\u2705 WordPress specialist, human, responsive<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Starting price<\/strong><\/td><td>Accommodation<\/td><td>Free from 0\u20ac\/month<\/td><td>From <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/web-hosting\/\">150\/year<\/a> all-inclusive<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And what about personalized development?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you're planning a custom development project - be it a custom theme, specific plugins, API integration or advanced optimizations - we can help. <strong>WordPress.com quickly shows its limitations<\/strong>. Even with paid Business or eCommerce plans, the environment remains <strong>locked<\/strong> The advantages: restricted access to the server, impossible to touch the heart of WordPress, no fine-tuned database management, no tools like WP-CLI or Git. Conversely, <strong>WordPress.org offers total freedom<\/strong> for developers, provided it's hosted on a suitable infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where a free, independent host like <strong>LRob comes into its own<\/strong> FTP access, SSH, database, Redis, WP Toolkit, optimized environment for complex and customized projects. All this, with support that <strong>really understands WordPress<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which WordPress should you choose for your website?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">For a professional project, WordPress.org is indispensable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to <strong>a professional, fast, well-referenced, scalable site<\/strong>WordPress.org is clearly the right choice. It gives you total freedom, essential for an e-commerce site, a high-traffic blog or a branding project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And for that, you need a <strong>reliable, fast, secure web hosting<\/strong>. This is where <strong>LRob enters the scene<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why choose LRob to host your WordPress.org?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u2705 <strong>Easy to install<\/strong> : in just a few clicks, or completely done for you<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2705 <strong>Performance<\/strong> unrivalled: powerful CPUs, Redis, optimized PHP<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2705 <strong>Concrete safety<\/strong> : WAF, fail2ban, anti-bots, WordPress hardening<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2705 <strong>Simple management<\/strong> via <strong>Plesk + WordPress Toolkit<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2705 <strong>.fr domain name included<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2705 <strong>Expert WordPress support<\/strong> (and human!)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2705 <strong>Unlimited e-mail, unlimited subdomains<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2705 Offers <strong>multi-domain web agencies<\/strong> from <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/web-hosting\/web-agency\/\">380\u20ac\/year<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you don't want to manage updates, security or optimizations yourself, we also offer a <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/services\/wordpress-webmastering\/\">custom WordPress maintenance service<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion: WordPress.org for freedom, LRob for tranquility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress.com can get the job done for a small personal blog. But as soon as you want <strong>master your site<\/strong>, <strong>gain in SEO<\/strong>, <strong>speed up loading times<\/strong>or <strong>customize as you wish<\/strong>, <strong>WordPress.org hosted by LRob is the most professional and secure solution<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc49 Discover our <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/web-hosting\/\">premium WordPress hosting packages<\/a> and boost your online presence, safely and securely.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WordPress.org or WordPress.com? Find out the real difference and why hosting WordPress.org with LRob is the pro choice for performance and freedom.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wordpress","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7413"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7415,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7413\/revisions\/7415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}