For those who don’t know, there are two versions of WordPress. “WordPress.org” and “WordPress.com”
The key difference between the two is that “.org” is self hosted with more control whereas “.com” has managed hosting but comes with more limitations. Now you’re probably wondering, “what the heck does that even mean,” well let me break it down for you.
“.Org” gives you access to thousands of free themes and plugins and even more paid options which you could use to customize your own unique website, allowing you to create whatever you want. It also gives you full access to code editing and full developer control. The drawback is that it has to be self-hosted, meaning that you have to pay for your own hosting of a server in which your website can exist on. This also means you’re responsible for your own security and backups as well.
“.Com” on the other hand comes with managed hosting which means that your website exists on a separate server that you do not own. This means that you don’t have to worry about security or backups, and updates are managed automatically resulting in an easier and more streamlines managing process. However, the drawback to this option means that your options in customization are now extremely limited, especially if you want to create a website for free. You can get more access to customization and code editing but that requires a paid plan.
Think of “.org” as a house where you can decorate and renovate everything freely but you need to get your own things and “.com” as a hotel where many things are provided for you but you can’t change much of anything.