WordPress is the biggest name in website building, and WordPress.com is the hosted version of the popular CMS (content management system). It's one of the most affordable ways to join the internet with your own blog or full website.
WordPress.com is a well-known CMS and website builder that includes hosting, an SSL certificate, and support, unlike the self-hosted option for the open-source CMS. This means you don't have to find your own hosting plan because it's an all-in-one website builder. It's also one of the most affordable options out there, at least for the low-priced plans.
You get your own domain name on any plan, but if you choose the free plan, it will be a subdomain with WordPress.com branding and ads. There are more than 160 themes, which is good, but if you compare that to the number of themes available for the self-hosted version, that's just a fraction.
Perhaps because WordPress.com is one of the best-known website builders, it's aware that its platform is often targeted by hackers. Therefore, WordPress.com offers excellent security, from SSL certificate for all plans to actively monitoring its servers for any malware or DDoS attacks.
I almost exclusively use WordPress as a CMS myself, but I hadn't tried the hosted version before. I think its best feature is that it's easy to maintain because WordPress.com handles updates (to keep you protected) and it includes Jetpack Essentials, which is a pack of elements you can add to your sites, such as photo galleries and a contact form.
You can add other plugins, but you might not need them, and I found a lot of helpful elements in Jetpack.
WordPress.com gives you plenty of options to find help within its support center. It does leave out free users from getting live help, though. And if you need a live agent, you're limited to live chat or email, but chat is available 24 hours per day on weekdays.
Who is WordPress.com best for?In all fairness, WordPress.com can be a good fit for anyone, but my tests showed that it's best for individuals who want a website or blog - free or paid. The free plan and the low-priced plans are excellent for new users who don't want to spend a lot at the beginning and may not have a lot of experience. However, the low-priced plans are limited for small businesses.
Recent upgrades to WordPress.comOne of my favorite things about WordPress.com is that they're constantly improving the platform, features, or adding new themes. It appears that WordPress.com adds new themes at least every other month (sometimes monthly). There are new tools for designing your pages, including new border options, and the block editor has been organized to put the most-used block transformations near the top of the list.
You can see all the new upgrades on
WordPress.com's blog.
WordPress.com pricingThe free plan from WordPress.com is well known, but if you want to remove branding, you can do so for just $9 per month.
Monthly pricing for other plans ranges from $18 to $70. As affordable as the starter plan is, the other plans are a bit pricey compared to other website builders, especially when you consider value.