Is WordPress.org free?

The software is. Hosting, premium themes, plugins and someone’s time to maintain it are not.

Can I install plugins on WordPress.com?

On any paid plan, yes. The free plan doesn’t allow them.

Will I lose rankings moving from WordPress.com to self-hosted?

Not if URLs stay the same or are redirected properly. Keep the same domain and permalink structure, and rankings usually carry over.

Is WordPress or WordPress.com better for SEO?

They’re roughly level on SEO control. WordPress: Strong with an SEO plugin such as Yoast or Rank Math, though themes can work against good settings. WordPress.com: Good basics, and SEO plugins on paid plans.

Do I own my website on WordPress or WordPress.com?

WordPress (fully yours): Everything: files, database and content (via the built-in export tool). WordPress.com (mostly portable): Posts, pages and media via WordPress export. Design depends on whether the theme is available elsewhere.

WordPress vs WordPress.com

Self-hosted WordPress is the choice if you want total control, any plugin and any host, and have someone to maintain it. WordPress.com is the choice if you want WordPress without managing a server, and can live with plan limits or pay for a higher tier. Moving from WordPress.com to self-hosted later is routine.

Not sure which fits? Send me your site and I’ll give you my honest view.

Whether it’s WordPress, WordPress.com or something else, I’ll give you a straight recommendation for your business. Free.

Side by side

Ratings are my own assessment for a typical small business, as of October 2026. Platforms change their features and plans often, so check the vendor’s current documentation before you decide.

WordPress vs WordPress.com comparison
	WordPress	WordPress.com
What it is	The open-source CMS you host yourself, extended with themes and plugins.	WordPress, hosted and managed for you, with features gated by plan.
Ownership and portability	Fully yoursOpen-source. Export the files and database and host anywhere.	Mostly portableContent exports in WordPress format; moving to self-hosted is well-trodden.
SEO control	StrongStrong with an SEO plugin such as Yoast or Rank Math, though themes can work against good settings.	StrongGood basics, and SEO plugins on paid plans.
AI-search readiness	GoodServer-rendered HTML and schema plugins. Depends on the theme.	GoodServer-rendered pages. Schema depends on theme and plugins.
Performance	VariesCan be fast. In my experience it often slows as page builders and plugins pile up.	GoodManaged hosting keeps it reasonable.
Design freedom	FlexibleUnlimited with a custom theme; template-bound with an off-the-shelf one.	LimitedTheme-based; deeper customization takes more work or a higher plan.
E-commerce	GoodWooCommerce is capable and flexible, with more upkeep than Shopify.	BasicPayment buttons on some plans; the full WooCommerce store on the top commerce plan.
Maintenance burden	HeavyCore, theme and plugin updates, backups and security are on you.	LightPlatform updates are handled; plugins still need care.
Learning curve	ModerateThe dashboard is familiar; doing it well takes real skill.	GentleApproachable editor; the plan differences take some learning.
Pricing model	The software is free. Hosting, premium themes, plugins and maintenance are billed separately, often yearly.	Free plan plus tiered paid subscriptions. Plugins come with paid plans; full store and developer features sit on higher tiers.
Day-to-day editing	The WordPress dashboard, often with a page builder like Elementor or the block editor.	The WordPress block editor in the browser.

Which one suits you

Choose WordPress if…

you want any plugin and theme without plan restrictions
you want to choose your own hosting and tune performance
a developer or agency will look after updates and security

Choose WordPress.com if…

you want hosting, core updates and security handled
you’re a writer or small team without technical help
you’d like the option to move to self-hosting later

The difference that matters most

Same software, different responsibilities. With self-hosted WordPress (from WordPress.org), you install it on hosting you choose and manage everything: updates, backups, security, speed. With WordPress.com, Automattic runs the hosting and core updates, and your plan decides which features you get, with plugins on paid plans.

A Calgary physiotherapy group with a developer on retainer and a need for a specific booking plugin should self-host. A local author who wants to write and never think about servers should use WordPress.com. Either way, it’s the same CMS underneath.

Where each one leads

Counted from my ratings in the table above.

WordPress leads on ownership and portability, design freedom and e-commerce.

WordPress.com leads on performance, maintenance burden and learning curve.

Best fit for WordPress: content-heavy sites with many authors and a lot of publishing. Best fit for WordPress.com: bloggers and writers who want WordPress without running a server.

Switching between them

WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress is well-trodden: export content with the WordPress export tool (or move the whole site on plans that allow it), install WordPress on new hosting, import, and point the domain. Themes and plugins are installed on the new host. URLs usually stay the same, but check them and add 301 redirects for any that changed.

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