I’ve been running WordPress sites on VPS hosting for over 15 years. I decided to try WordPress.com for a new homepage because I wanted something with no maintenance.
At first, everything seemed great. I signed up for the premium plan at $8 per month, and setup was easy.
Then I realized the issues:
You can’t remove the WordPress footer unless you upgrade to the business plan.
You can’t install plugins unless you upgrade to the business plan.
So if you self-host WordPress, you get all the features for free, but if you actually pay for WordPress.com, you end up with fewer features unless you spend even more money. Doesn’t make much sense.
I use WordPress.com for a personal blog because I don’t want to deal with maintenance. It’s a bit expensive, especially with the extra cost for a custom domain, but at least I don’t have to worry about updates or security.
For $8 to $10 per month, you could get much better hosting with full control over plugins and customization. WordPress doesn’t even function properly without plugins. If you just signed up, I’d seriously consider asking for a refund.
@Knox
For me, managed WordPress hosting means handling updates, security, backups, and performance monitoring, but even that isn’t worth $10 a month unless it’s truly hands-off.
Paige said: @Knox
For me, managed WordPress hosting means handling updates, security, backups, and performance monitoring, but even that isn’t worth $10 a month unless it’s truly hands-off.
Most managed hosting I’ve seen costs at least €20 per month. The one we use at work is €100 per month, but it’s for an entire server.
Paige said: @Knox
For me, managed WordPress hosting means handling updates, security, backups, and performance monitoring, but even that isn’t worth $10 a month unless it’s truly hands-off.
Managed WordPress hosting takes care of updates, backups, and caching. If that’s what you need, it can be worth the cost. If not, self-hosting is the better option.
Paying for WordPress.com doesn’t support WordPress as an open-source project. It supports Automattic, the company that runs WordPress.com. They contribute to WordPress.org, but they don’t own it.
I use WordPress.com, and while I get why some people don’t like it, I prefer not dealing with updates and security.
The biggest issue I had was when WordPress.com added a political banner to my paid website without my consent. There was no way to remove it, and their response was basically ‘leave if you don’t like it.’ That made me rethink using their service.
WordPress.com is a product by Automattic, but WordPress itself is open-source software. A lot of people assume they’re the same thing, but they’re not.
WordPress.com has limits, but for some people, the trade-off is worth it. If you don’t want to deal with hosting and security, it’s an easy option. But if you want full control, self-hosting is the way to go.