What Are the Limitations of WordPress.com? (Expert Insights)

Are you questioning whether or not it’s best to use WordPress.com to launch your new weblog?

In case you are new to WordPress, then it’s possible you’ll be curious why WPBeginner and different consultants advocate WordPress.org greater than WordPress.com. Whereas WordPress.com is straightforward to make use of, it comes with plenty of pitfalls that you could be not discover once you first construct your web site.

On this article, we’ll clarify the restrictions of WordPress.com so that you could select one of the best web site builder to your wants.

An Overview of WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

Earlier than we begin, let’s evaluate the important thing difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

WordPress.org is an open-source content material administration system (CMS), which is a kind of software program used to construct web sites.

Open-source means the software program is freely obtainable for anyone to download and modify.

Whereas WordPress.org itself is free, you have to to pay for hosting and a domain name to start out an internet site on this platform. That’s why WordPress.org can be typically referred to as self-hosted WordPress.

However, WordPress.com is an internet site builder that’s primarily based on the identical WordPress software program as WordPress.org. It’s run by Automattic, the corporate based by WordPress founder Matt Mullenwegg.

With WordPress.com, customers don’t want to seek out their very own internet hosting plan and set up the software program themselves. They’ll select a free plan or one of many obtainable paid plans, and Automattic will host their web site for them.

For newbie WordPress bloggers, having your internet hosting taken care of may look like a extra handy possibility.

Nonetheless, there are literally some drawbacks that it’s best to contemplate. Let’s undergo them one after the other. You should utilize these fast hyperlinks to skip to a particular subject:

Restricted Entry to WordPress Plugins

Whether or not you employ WordPress.com or WordPress.org, the core software program solely means that you can create a easy private weblog or web site. Meaning you’ll be able to solely write content material, add photos, publish your pages or posts, and that’s it.

There aren’t any built-in instruments to do particular issues, like add a contact form or promote on-line. If you wish to use these options, then you have to to install a WordPress plugin, which is like an app that extends the WordPress software program.

In WordPress.org, you get entry to 59,000+ free plugins for numerous features. You may set up a page builder to get extra customization choices to your internet design or a Google Analytics plugin to trace your web site efficiency.

These plugins are what turned WordPress from a easy running a blog platform to a robust and widely used website builder.

In the meantime, WordPress.com customers have restricted entry to those free plugins. For starters, it’s essential have a Creator plan or increased to have the ability to set up them. The plan itself prices $25 per thirty days, which is fairly dear to start with.

You additionally can not set up third-party premium plugins except you will have a Creator plan or increased.

Should you use WordPress.org, then you’ll be able to set up any free or premium plugin, it doesn’t matter what. And if you happen to use a internet hosting supplier like Bluehost, then you’ll be able to even get some must-have WordPress plugins pre-installed so that you could use them instantly.

The very best half is that Bluehost’s least expensive plans are way more inexpensive than WordPress.com’s Creator plan. They’ve additionally supplied an exclusive discount for WPBeginner readers so that you could save much more cash!

Restricted Entry to WordPress Themes

WordPress themes are ready-to-use template recordsdata that customers can set up to design their web sites. This fashion, you gained’t want any coding or design abilities to make your web site look good.

With WordPress.org, you should have the liberty to select from greater than 11,000 free themes or set up a premium theme of your selection.

Nonetheless, similar to with plugins, WordPress.com customers’ entry to themes is restricted. Whereas Free plan and Starter plan customers can use free themes, premium and third-party custom themes are solely obtainable for Explorer plan customers or increased.

In different phrases, moreover the price of the premium theme, additionally, you will need to pay $8 per thirty days or extra to have the ability to set up it.

In fact, the 11,000+ free themes obtainable are nice. However typically, premium themes include superior options, like extra customization choices and distinctive designs.

Even when you understand how to fashion your theme using CSS, you can not achieve this with WordPress.com except you will have a Premium plan or increased.

Restricted eCommerce Options

Online store options in WordPress.com are solely obtainable if you happen to purchase the Entrepreneur plan or increased.

This plan prices $45 per thirty days and consists of options like premium store themes, stock administration, limitless merchandise, and a 0% fee charge.

In case you are running a small business, then this price ticket can really feel a bit steep, particularly when in comparison with WordPress.org.

On WordPress.org, you’ll be able to set up the free WooCommerce plugin to promote on-line. Then, you’ll be able to promote a number of bodily and digital merchandise, get your storefront pages working, and allow on-line fee strategies.

Should you want extra options, then there are tons of free and premium WooCommerce plugins obtainable to increase the core WooCommerce plugin. This fashion, you should purchase and use the instruments you really want to maximise your small enterprise price range.

Restricted search engine marketing Options

Search engine optimization (SEO) is among the most necessary advertising and marketing techniques for getting extra visitors to your web site. Each WordPress.com and WordPress.org have options that make optimizing your content material for serps straightforward.

For instance, each platforms embrace heading tags within the block editor. You should utilize these to create construction in your pages or posts and assist serps and customers navigate your content material.

In addition they have an alt text editor to offer extra context to pictures. Search engines like google and yahoo use this data to know what the picture is about. Display screen readers additionally learn the textual content out loud to visually impaired customers when they’re looking the online.

What makes WordPress.com and WordPress.org totally different is the entry to search engine marketing plugins.

On WordPress.org, you’ll be able to simply set up a plugin like All in One SEO to get extra search engine marketing management. A few of this plugin’s options embrace the meta title and outline editor, on-page content material strategies, an inner linking assistant, and so forth.

In the meantime, you’ll be able to’t get entry to these options if you’re a free WordPress.com consumer. You’ll need the Creator plan ($25 per thirty days) to make use of Jetpack’s search engine marketing instruments and set up an SEO plugin.

This makes it fairly exhausting to optimize your content material and do technical SEO, particularly if in case you have a restricted price range.

That mentioned, all WordPress.com plans have an built-in Jetpack AI Assistant, which provides 20 free requests to verify errors in your WordPress blog posts. Nonetheless, the suggestions gained’t be particularly associated to search engine marketing.

You too can see stats by way of Jetpack to guage your web site efficiency. Nonetheless, it’s not as in-depth as utilizing a Google Analytics plugin like MonsterInsights.

Restricted Monetization Alternatives

Monetization in WordPress.com has improved over time, however it nonetheless has some drawbacks if you’re trying to make cash out of your web site.

At the moment, all WordPress.com plans permit donations, ideas, fee buttons, paid content gating, and paid subscribers. These choices are nice if you’re a content material creator who needs to supply members-only perks in your web site.

That mentioned, you’ll be able to solely accept PayPal payments if you’re on a Starter plan or increased. PayPal is among the most widely-used fee strategies on the web, so not having it will probably make you miss out on potential gross sales.

Plus, WordAds (WordPress’s commercial program) is just obtainable for Explorer customers or increased.

What’s extra, WordPress.com takes fee charges out of your funds, which lowers your income. The speed ranges from 0% to 10%, and the cheaper your plan, the upper the charges.

However, WordPress.org places no restrict on the way you make money on your blog or web site. Because of this, you’ll be able to have full management over your income.

You too can be part of any promoting platform or use any on-line fee supplier you need. Listed here are some guides on how to try this:

Potential Web site Suspension (With out Warning)

Talking of restricted monetization, WordPress.com may additionally take down your web site if you happen to don’t comply with their phrases of service for promoting, amongst different issues.

The opposite guidelines are fairly normal, equivalent to avoiding spam and unlawful actions. Nonetheless, some customers have reported surprising suspensions with out warning.

Here’s what their user guidelines say: “Keep in mind that these are simply tips — interpretations are solely as much as us. These tips aren’t exhaustive and are topic to vary.”

However, WordPress.org doesn’t have such particular phrases or tips. Because it’s free software, the insurance policies rely on the internet hosting supplier and server configuration. This gives customers extra flexibility, however you do have to comply along with your host’s guidelines.

Restricted Branding Alternatives

One other limitation of WordPress.com is you don’t have full management over your web site’s branding.

You may customise your web site’s look to some extent, together with changing the color scheme, including a customized brand, and customizing the positioning’s format.

Nonetheless, for Free and Starter plans, the extent of customization is restricted. Relying on how you alter the theme’s fashion, it’s possible you’ll get a notification that you’re utilizing a premium fashion and need to improve to make use of it.

What’s extra, if you happen to use the free WordPress.com plan, then you should have WordPress.com advertisements displayed in your web site.

On WordPress.org, you will have way more flexibility in branding your web site, and also you gained’t have any advertisements proven in your web site except you set them there.

Plus, you should utilize and customise any theme obtainable. In order for you extra customization choices, then you’ll be able to simply set up a web page builder plugin like SeedProd.

One perk of WordPress.com is it nonetheless permits the usage of a customized domain name in all plans. Paid plans additionally include a free area title for one 12 months. Nonetheless, this characteristic just isn’t one thing new, particularly since many WordPress hosting suppliers like Bluehost supply it, too.

Restricted Efficiency and Safety

Like many different website builders, WordPress.com gives a number of plans that you could buy as you construct your small business. What’s difficult is that sure safety and efficiency options are solely obtainable if you happen to improve to a particular plan.

For instance, solely Creator and Entrepreneur customers can use Jetpack’s real-time backup and uptime monitoring options. These instruments will help be sure that your web site is obtainable always, and you may restore it in case a catastrophe strikes.

Customers with lower-tier plans can not use these options. They’ll’t set up their very own backup plugins to allow them, both.

Plans beneath Creator additionally don’t embrace a web application firewall, which is a primary safety characteristic that the majority main webhosting suppliers supply.

Many individuals select self-hosted WordPress.org to keep away from these issues. With it, they’ll select a internet hosting platform and purchase a internet hosting plan with the cupboard space, bandwidth, and different assets that go well with their wants greatest.

If the internet hosting service doesn’t embrace sure instruments like backups, then the consumer can freely set up a plugin like Duplicator to allow it.

These causes make WordPress.org a way more scalable possibility than WordPress.com, particularly for a web based enterprise.

When to Use WordPress.com As an alternative of WordPress.org

Usually, we advocate utilizing WordPress.org as a substitute of WordPress.com. That being mentioned, primarily based on our expertise, WordPress.com may very well be appropriate if:

• You wish to create a free weblog with a WordPress.com subdomain – In case you are simply working a private weblog and haven’t any intention of branding it, then a free WordPress.com web site may very well be a superb possibility.
• You need a no-frills answer to run a easy weblog or web site – On this case, it’s possible you’ll not want any third-party plugins and can be pleased with the Free, Starter, or Explorer plan.
• You’re a content material creator or on-line enterprise proprietor who needs to make use of an all-in-one website-building answer – WordPress.com’s Creator and Entrepreneur plans might be appropriate as they’re already tailor-made to those use circumstances.
• You want direct WordPress support – With WordPress.org, the aid you get typically comes from group boards, blogs like WPBeginner, or theme or plugin builders. In case you are a paid WordPress.com consumer, then you will get direct electronic mail or stay chat help.

Shifting From WordPress.com to WordPress.org

Whereas WordPress.com is nice for sure kinds of customers, many WordPress.org internet hosting suppliers supply options which have made this open-source platform a lot simpler to make use of.

For instance, internet hosting companies like Bluehost, Hostinger, and SiteGround embrace a one-click WordPress installer. This fashion, you gained’t have to arrange the platform manually. Simply click on a number of buttons, and you may log in to WordPress instantly.

What’s extra, in addition they supply pre-installed free plugins, so that you gained’t have to seek out plugins by yourself. For example, Bluehost’s WordPress set up consists of OptinMonster and WPForms, that are must-have WordPress plugins to develop your web site.

On high of that, many WordPress internet hosting suppliers supply plans which can be extra inexpensive than WordPress.com’s Starter plan, which prices $4 per thirty days.

Simply check out Bluehost’s gives beneath:

The very best half is that WordPress.org doesn’t prohibit the way you make cash out of your web site or the plugins you’ll be able to set up in your WordPress account. This provides you full management over the actions and progress of your small business.

If you have already got a WordPress.com web site however aren’t happy with it, then you’ll be able to migrate it to WordPress.org simply. You may learn our step-by-step information on how to move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

Alternatively, try WPBeginner’s free blog setup service. This lets you purchase a internet hosting plan from one in all our trusted internet hosting companions, and in trade, we’ll transfer your WordPress.com weblog without spending a dime.

We hope this text helped you study what the restrictions of WordPress.com are. You might also be inquisitive about our information on how much it costs to build a WordPress website and our record of the best WordPress website examples for inspiration.

Should you favored this text, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You too can discover us on Twitter and Facebook.