In this article, we will explain the main differences between the platforms WordPress.com and WordPress.org and where WPX fits in.
On the surface, both names seem similar with the only difference of TLD, however, the platforms offer entirely different options in terms of what a new customer can get from WordPress.
WordPress.com
Ultimately, WordPress.com was created as a commercial business that is owned by Automattic. A fun fact is that the owner of the company is the co-founder of WordPress itself – Matt Mullenweg back in 2003.
It provides a simple pre-built platform that allows a quick website build without many options.
The setup is straightforward and the user only needs to sign up, choose a plan and start blogging. It lacks the full range of customization and monetization options that WordPress.org can offer.
Although it offers a free sign-up account and a simple setup for a website, it will restrict your options in terms of building it further down the road. They do have options that are paid and you will need to upgrade away from your free account in order to add and use them.
WordPress.org
On the other hand, WordPress.org is open-source software that allows you all the possible customization for you to build a site that best suits your needs. The main difference comes in the option that your website can be self-hosted or hosted through a hosting provider such as WPX.
It allows the option to install multiple free or paid plugins, and themes that can be further altered through coding for setting up different types of websites such as e-commerce shops, blogs, news blogs, or game shops.
WPX offers this exact kind of WordPress that allows you to freely build your website without any kind of restrictions.
That is where Managed WordPress Hosting comes into play through different hosting providers that can offer their services to provide a space for users to be creative and build their website to share their story or start a new business venture.
Managed WordPress Hosting
This is where we as a hosting company can provide the needed space and resources for our customers to create and build their sites without any restrictions in terms of customization.
The most important part comes with the technical coverage that we offer for every website that needs to be set up and different errors fixed through the Fixed For You Guarantee policy.
That alone will allow you to focus on actually running your website instead of worrying if any technical issues may occur, or if you need resources to run a given plugin or theme.
Can I transfer built websites from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
Unfortunately, since the website is made through a specific builder, it is not downloadable or possible to fully migrate to a hosting provider which supports the open-software version of WordPress.org.
The content can be exported using the default WordPress exporter in different categories such as posts, articles, and media library, however, the overall design and setup of the site will be different.
In these cases, users can decide whether or not to rebuild their website using the open-source software and customization that WordPress.org offers or try to make a similar version of it while importing their content.
To sum it up, WordPress.com will offer pre-built options to quickly start your website, however, it will not allow you customization or monetization options, including migration, if you choose to switch to WordPress.org after some time. On the other hand, WordPress.org will provide you with the needed freedom with which you can control your websites and choose where they are built, the resources you have, and various hosting providers that would suit your needs.
If you get stuck with anything discussed on this page, please get in touch with WPX Support Team via live chat (use the bottom right-hand widget) and they will respond and help within 30 seconds or less.