WordPress.org vs WordPress.com: what's the difference in 2026?

WordPress.org and WordPress.com both run the same open-source WordPress software. The difference is who hosts it and who is responsible for it. With WordPress.org, you download the free software and install it on hosting you choose, so you control everything and maintain everything. With WordPress.com, Automattic hosts and maintains WordPress for you on a free or paid plan, and some features depend on which plan you buy.

The gap between the two narrowed sharply in 2026. Since 2 April 2026, every paid WordPress.com plan, starting with Personal, can install plugins. Before that, plugins needed the Business plan, and much of the advice online still says so. That advice is now out of date.

This guide compares the two side by side as of October 2026: what each allows, what each costs, who should pick which, and how to move between them. For background on the software itself, see what is WordPress.

The short version

Think of WordPress.org as buying a house: you own it, you can renovate anything, and you fix the roof. WordPress.com is closer to renting a well-run apartment: maintenance is handled, but the building has rules, and the better units cost more.

What WordPress.org (self-hosted) gives you

WordPress.org is the home of the open-source project. From there you download WordPress, licensed GPLv2 (or later), and install it on a web server. Many hosts do this for you with a one-click installer.

What you get:

• Full control. Install any plugin or theme, including the 70,000+ free plugins in the WordPress.org directory (70,087 as of 1 October 2026), commercial plugins, and your own custom code.
• Full access. Database, files and server settings are yours, subject only to your host's limits.
• Portability. You can switch hosts whenever you like.
• Any business model. Run your own ads, sell with WooCommerce or any payment plugin, and set up memberships without platform transaction fees.

What you take on:

• Hosting and a domain, which you buy separately.
• Updates. By default, existing installs auto-update only minor and security releases; plugin and theme auto-updates are opt-in per item.
• Security and backups. Patchstack counted 11,334 new WordPress ecosystem vulnerabilities in 2025, 91% of them in plugins. Someone has to apply patches promptly. Our WordPress security guide explains the essentials.

Managed WordPress hosts close much of this gap by handling core updates, backups, caching and security for you. See WordPress hosting types for how shared, VPS and managed hosting differ.

What WordPress.com gives you

WordPress.com is a hosting platform run by Automattic. You sign up, choose a plan and start building. WordPress.com handles server management, core updates, security and backups (backup features depend on plan).

The 2026 plugin change

On 2 April 2026, WordPress.com announced that "Plugins are now available on all paid WordPress.com plans, starting with Personal." Global Styles, font uploads and custom CSS also opened up to every paid plan. The WordPress.com plugin support page confirms installing plugins is available on Personal, Premium, Business and Commerce.

What is still reserved for higher plans

As of October 2026, these remain Business and Commerce features:

• SFTP/SSH, WP-CLI, Git commands and GitHub deployments
• A free staging site
• Real-time backups and one-click restores (also on Enterprise)
• Uptime monitoring
• 24/7 priority support
• Advanced SEO tools, more storage (50 GB) and VideoPress

The free plan cannot install plugins, shows WordPress.com ads to visitors and cannot use a custom domain.

Cost comparison

WordPress.com pricing as of October 2026, in US dollars per month, from wordpress.com/pricing:

Two- and three-year terms cost less per month. The free domain for the first year applies only to annual and multi-year plans. Full plan-by-plan detail is in our guide to WordPress.com plans.

Self-hosted costs depend on the host. Vendor pages checked on 1 October 2026 show shared WordPress hosting from promotional prices around $3 to $4 per month on multi-year prepaid terms, renewing at roughly $10 to $18 per month, and managed WordPress hosting from about $20 to $35 per month. On top of that you pay for a domain and any premium plugins or themes. Our WordPress cost guide builds sample budgets.

For most small sites, the two options cost a similar amount. The real difference is how much control you want versus how much work you want to hand off.

Payments and ecommerce

On WordPress.com, the built-in payment blocks carry a platform transaction fee that falls as you move up plans: 10% on Free, 8% on Personal, 4% on Premium, 2% on Business and 0% on Commerce, plus standard processing fees. WooCommerce payment features carry a 0% platform fee on Business and Commerce. The Commerce plan is also where Woo now points former Woo Express customers, since Woo Express was discontinued.

On self-hosted WordPress, there is no platform fee. You install WooCommerce (free) or another payment plugin and pay only your payment processor. For example, WooPayments charges 2.9% + $0.30 per US domestic card transaction, per WooCommerce's fee page.

Who should choose WordPress.org

• Businesses that need specific plugins, custom code or server-level settings.
• Stores that want to avoid platform transaction fees and choose their own processor.
• Agencies and developers who want staging, version control and their own deployment workflow on hosting of their choice.
• Anyone who wants to choose the host for speed, location or price reasons.
• Owners who have the time, or a maintenance partner, to handle updates and security.

Who should choose WordPress.com

• Bloggers and creators who want to publish without managing servers.
• Small businesses that want a few plugins and a custom domain without thinking about hosting (Personal or Premium now cover this).
• Teams that want developer tools and managed infrastructure in one bill (Business).
• Large organizations that need enterprise hosting and contracts (Enterprise, through WordPress VIP).

If you only need a free hobby site with no custom domain, the WordPress.com free plan is the simplest option, as long as you accept the ads and limits.

Moving from WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress

You are not locked in. The WordPress.com export tool produces a file with your posts, pages, comments, categories and tags, plus links to your media. It does not include your theme design, customizations or plugins. To move the whole site, including design and plugins, WordPress.com points you to a migration plugin such as All-in-One WP Migration. Business and Commerce sites can also download a full backup at any time.

Two things to plan for: premium themes licensed for WordPress.com use only cannot be transferred, and you will need to point your domain at the new host. Our step-by-step guide to migrating WordPress.com to WordPress.org covers redirects and SEO checks.

Moving from self-hosted WordPress to WordPress.com

According to its import documentation (reviewed 30 September 2026), WordPress.com offers free assisted migration for self-hosted sites, which it says it typically completes within two to three business days. Self-service migration of the entire site (content, media, plugins and theme) works on any paid plan. Free sites can import content only.

Before moving, check that every plugin you rely on is allowed and works on the plan you choose, and whether you need SFTP, staging or real-time backups, which still require Business or Commerce.

Conclusion

Both options run the same WordPress. Choose WordPress.org if you want full control and are ready to manage hosting, updates and security yourself or with a partner. Choose WordPress.com if you want WordPress managed for you and its plan structure fits your needs, which is more likely since plugins arrived on every paid plan in April 2026. Either way, you can move later. If you go self-hosted and want help, eSEOspace provides website maintenance services for WordPress sites. Explore more guides in our WordPress hub.

Frequently asked questions