Is WordPress a Hosting Site? Or Is it Just a CMS?

About 40% of the Internet is right now powered by WordPress.

Beginners often get confused about WordPress and whether or not if WordPress is a hosting site?

There are basically 2 types of WordPress – WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is a hosting site while WordPress.org is an open-source software on which you are able to build your own website.

If you are still in doubt, please read on and I will let you know which WordPress is better and some of the cons and pros of both.

WordPress.com : The Hosting Site

WordPress.com is basically a hosting service where you can start a WordPress website. They have different pricing plans depending on what you intend to use your website for.

You can even start one for free here but it is very much limited.

WordPress.com is best for people who just want to start a hobby blog. Other than that, WordPress.com is a complete waste of your time and money in my opinion.

Once you register on their platform and log in, your dashboard is going to look pretty much like this.

Now, coming to the pricing part – When you pay annually, WordPress.com starts at $4/month and can go all the way up to $45/month. I’ll compare this pricing with that of buying your own web host down in this article.

Pros of WordPress.com

1. You can start completely free without paying for anything.

I couldn’t actually find anything better in favor of WordPress.com

Cons of WordPress.com

1. Free Plan is so limited

2. WordPress.com plans are expensive

3. Your website is hosted on WordPress servers and there’s absolutely no guarantee for your content. It can be taken down if you violate their policies.

4. Even after you pay for the basic plan that costs $4/month, you can’t still monetize with ads nor can you install other themes or even plugins. You will only be able to do this if you choose their business plan which costs $25/month.

There are many other small problems with WordPress.com and I would absolutely stay away from it.

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WordPress.Org : Open-source software

WordPress.org is an open-source content management system and is not a Hosting site. And because of this, you will need to buy a hosting plan from a hosting service so that your WordPress website becomes accessible to everyone.

Now, the way this works is like – You buy a hosting plan from companies like Bluehost, Namecheap, etc, and then with just one click, the hosting company would install the WordPress.org software onto your website. That’s it.

Moreover, these hosting plans are quite cheap when compared with plans from WordPress.com. You can get hosting at just $2.95/month on Bluehost.

Pros of WordPress.org

1. The best platform to start your website. No other platform can come even close to this as of now.

2. Lots of plugins are available that can help you in extending the functionalities of your website. If you want

3. You have control over your website. No one is going to take down your website because of any privacy policy or terms and conditions like in the case of WordPress.com

4. You can install any theme that you want. There are absolutely no limitations to this.

5. You can use ad networks like Ezoic, Adsense, Mediavine, etc, and make money.

Cons of WordPress.org

1. You need to buy a plan from a web host to make it available on the internet.

2. You will have to manage your own backups. Luckily, most hosting providers have a one-click backup button that backups almost everything on your site.

Which One Should You Choose?

WordPress.org! No doubt.

I would never ever think of even starting with WordPress.com even though it’s free. It’s so limited and you can’t do much with a website hosted on WordPress.com.

In the case of WordPress.org, you have complete control over your website without fear of your content being taken down. You are also free to install any themes, plugins on your website.

If you are still not convinced, take a look at the following example –

Suppose, you buy the most basic plan from WordPress.com which costs $48/year and let’s say I buy web hosting from Bluehost at $59.40/year(basic plan).

Now, you might think that you are one who is saving money right? Actually, that’s a no. With the basic plan of WordPress.com, you can’t actually earn from Ads, nor can you install any plugins or themes. On the other hand, if you just spend $11 more dollars and buy a hosting plan like me, you get to do anything and aren’t restricted to certain features.

WordPress.com has other plans too but it actually gets worse and you would be better off starting with WordPress.org

Related Article8 Best WordPress Themes For SEO and Speed

Best Hosting sites for WordPress

If you plan to go the WordPress.org route, you will need a reliable hosting provider so that your website always stays up and running.

Some of the best web hosting companies for WordPress are:-

1. Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the largest WordPress hosting providers on the internet right now. They are quite reliable and is great for small to medium websites.

Their pricing plans are quite affordable. You can buy one for just $2.95/month. The best part is that they give you a free domain and an SSL certificate completely free.

Now, let me be honest, Bluehost costs $2.95/month only if you go with their 36-month plan. So, for a 12-month plan, it will cost you $4.95 per month and that equates to around $59.40/year.

(Please note – When buying from Bluehost, please uncheck all the options in their checkout as it will save you a lot of money. For your information, You only need a web hosting platform, a domain, and an SSL certificate to start. You can uncheck all other options on their checkout page)

2. EasyWP by Namecheap

EasyWP is the most affordable hosting provider on this list. They only charge $22.95 for an entire year.

Moreover, they also offer a free trial which lets you try their hosting service for 30 days. This can be useful if you are in doubt about starting a website.

Being one of the cheapest web hosting services doesn’t mean that they are bad. They are actually quite good.

3. Hostinger

Hostinger is yet another reliable web hosting service. They market their product as the “most affordable” hosting platform. However, they aren’t.

They use the same tactics as Bluehost where you get the lowest price per month ($1.99/month) when you commit for 48-months while in reality for a 12-month plan, it will cost you around $60/year or $4.99/month.

One more thing to note is that – the base plan of Hostinger does not give you a free domain and only gives a free SSL.

So, this makes, in my opinion, Bluehost a better option.

Conclusion

So, I hope by now, you might have understood the difference between WordPress.com, WordPress.org and if WordPress is a hosting site or not.

If you are quite serious about starting a business, I would never advise you to start a website on WordPress.com and instead buy hosting from Bluehost or any other reliable companies, and then use WordPress.org to fuel your website.

So, That’s it then. Best of Luck
Peace!