#WordPress.com Plugins

[wpfresher]

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: Which One to Choose?

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which One to Choose? Should you use WordPress.com or WordPress.org? When you first decide to build a website with WordPress, you’re hit with this unexpected crucial decision. At first glance, it seems like a subtle naming issue — but make no mistake, this is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when launching your website. In this guide, we’ll break…

[wordpressdotcom]

Tailored plugin management has arrived! 🥳

Introducing scheduled updates. https://wp.me/pf2B5-g3X

[startblogpro]

How to Install Jetpack on Your WordPress Website?

Hey there, WordPress enthusiasts! If you're looking to supercharge your website with awesome features and enhanced functionality, it's time to talk about Jetpack. Jetpack is like a superhero plugin for your WordPress website, offering a wide range of tools and capabilities to take your site to the next level. So, grab your web cape, because I'm about to show you how to install Jetpack and unlock its powers!

Step 1: Prepare for Launch

Before we can install Jetpack, let's make sure you're all set for a smooth takeoff. Here's what you need:

A Self-Hosted WordPress Website: Jetpack requires a self-hosted WordPress website, not the WordPress.com platform. If you're not sure whether your website is self-hosted or hosted on WordPress.com, reach out to your hosting provider for clarification.

A WordPress.com Account: To use Jetpack, you'll need a WordPress.com account. If you don't have one yet, don't worry—it's free and easy to create. Just head over to WordPress.com and follow the sign-up process.

Step 2: Activate Jetpack

Now that you're all set up, it's time to activate Jetpack and let the magic unfold. Here's how:

Install the Jetpack Plugin: In your WordPress dashboard, go to "Plugins" and click on "Add New." Search for "Jetpack" in the plugin directory. Once you find it, click "Install Now" and then "Activate."

Connect Jetpack to WordPress.com: After activating Jetpack, you'll be prompted to connect it to your WordPress.com account. Click on the "Connect to WordPress.com" button and follow the on-screen instructions to link your website with your account.

Choose a Jetpack Plan: Jetpack offers various plans with different features. You can choose the free plan or explore the paid options for additional functionality. Select the plan that suits your needs and budget.

Fun Fact: Jetpack Takes Your Website to New Heights

Did you know that Jetpack is created by Automattic, the same folks behind WordPress.com? They designed Jetpack to bring some of the powerful features from WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress websites. It's like giving your website a rocket boost!

Step 3: Configure Jetpack Settings

Once Jetpack is activated, it's time to configure its settings and unleash its full potential. Here are a few key settings to consider:

Security and Performance: Jetpack offers security features like brute force attack protection, downtime monitoring, and website performance enhancements. Explore these settings and enable the ones that suit your website's needs.

Site Stats and Analytics: Jetpack provides detailed insights into your website's traffic and visitor behavior. Activate the Site Stats module to keep an eye on your website's performance and audience engagement.

Social Sharing: Enable the social sharing buttons offered by Jetpack to make it easy for your visitors to share your content on social media. It's like giving them a one-click ticket to spread the word about your awesome website.

Step 4: Explore Jetpack's Modules and Features

Jetpack is not just a one-trick pony—it's a whole box of tricks! Take some time to explore its modules and features, and activate the ones that align with your website goals. From enhanced site search to contact forms, related posts, and even automated social media posting, Jetpack has something for everyone.

Fun Fact: Jetpack's Sidekick—WordPress.com

Jetpack works hand in hand with WordPress.com. By connecting your WordPress website to your WordPress.com account, you not only unlock Jetpack's features but also gain access to a community of WordPress users and resources. It's like joining a superhero team!

[tinystepsforward]

autocrattic (more matt shenanigans, not tumblr this time)

I am almost definitely not the right person for this writeup, but I'm closer than most people on here, so here goes! This is all open-source tech drama, and I take my time laying out the context, but the short version is: Matt tried to extort another company, who immediately posted receipts, and now he's refusing to log off again. The long version is... long.

If you don't need software context, scroll down/find the "ok tony that's enough. tell me what's actually happening" heading, or just go read the pink sections. Or look at this PDF.

the background

So. Matt's original Good Idea was starting WordPress with fellow developer Mike Little in 2003, which is free and open-source software (FOSS) that was originally just for blogging, but now powers lots of websites that do other things. In particular, Automattic acquired WooCommerce a long time ago, which is free online store software you can run on WordPress.

FOSS is... interesting. It's a world that ultimately is powered by people who believe deeply that information and resources should be free, but often have massive blind spots (for example, Wikipedia's consistently had issues with bias, since no amount of "anyone can edit" will overcome systemic bias in terms of who has time to edit or is not going to be driven away by the existing contributor culture). As with anything else that people spend thousands of hours doing online, there's drama. As with anything else that's technically free but can be monetized, there are:

Heaps of companies and solo developers who profit off WordPress themes, plugins, hosting, and other services;

Conflicts between volunteer contributors and for-profit contributors;

Annoying founders who get way too much credit for everything the project has become.

the WordPress ecosystem

A project as heavily used as WordPress (some double-digit percentage of the Internet uses WP. I refuse to believe it's the 43% that Matt claims it is, but it's a pretty large chunk) can't survive just on the spare hours of volunteers, especially in an increasingly monetised world where its users demand functional software, are less and less tech or FOSS literate, and its contributors have no fucking time to build things for that userbase.

Matt runs Automattic, which is a privately-traded, for-profit company. The free software is run by the WordPress Foundation, which is technically completely separate (wordpress.org). The main products Automattic offers are WordPress-related: WordPress.com, a host which was designed to be beginner-friendly; Jetpack, a suite of plugins which extend WordPress in a whole bunch of ways that may or may not make sense as one big product; WooCommerce, which I've already mentioned. There's also WordPress VIP, which is the fancy bespoke five-digit-plus option for enterprise customers. And there's Tumblr, if Matt ever succeeds in putting it on WordPress. (Every Tumblr or WordPress dev I know thinks that's fucking ridiculous and impossible. Automattic's hiring for it anyway.)

Automattic devotes a chunk of its employees toward developing Core, which is what people in the WordPress space call WordPress.org, the free software. This is part of an initiative called Five for the Future — 5% of your company's profits off WordPress should go back into making the project better. Many other companies don't do this.

There are lots of other companies in the space. GoDaddy, for example, barely gives back in any way (and also sucks). WP Engine is the company this drama is about. They don't really contribute to Core. They offer relatively expensive WordPress hosting, as well as providing a series of other WordPress-related products like LocalWP (local site development software), Advanced Custom Fields (the easiest way to set up advanced taxonomies and other fields when making new types of posts. If you don't know what this means don't worry about it), etc.

Anyway. Lots of strong personalities. Lots of for-profit companies. Lots of them getting invested in, or bought by, private equity firms.

Matt being Matt, tech being tech

As was said repeatedly when Matt was flipping out about Tumblr, all of the stuff happening at Automattic is pretty normal tech company behaviour. Shit gets worse. People get less for their money. WordPress.com used to be a really good place for people starting out with a website who didn't need "real" WordPress — for $48 a year on the Personal plan, you had really limited features (no plugins or other customisable extensions), but you had a simple website with good SEO that was pretty secure, relatively easy to use, and 24-hour access to Happiness Engineers (HEs for short. Bad job title. This was my job) who could walk you through everything no matter how bad at tech you were. Then Personal plan users got moved from chat to emails only. Emails started being responded to by contractors who didn't know as much as HEs did and certainly didn't get paid half as well. Then came AI, and the mandate for HEs to try to upsell everyone things they didn't necessarily need. (This is the point at which I quit.)

But as was said then as well, most tech CEOs don't publicly get into this kind of shitfight with their users. They're horrid tyrants, but they don't do it this publicly.

ok tony that's enough. tell me what's actually happening

WordCamp US, one of the biggest WordPress industry events of the year, is the backdrop for all this. It just finished.

There are.... a lot of posts by Matt across multiple platforms because, as always, he can't log off. But here's the broad strokes.

Sep 17

Matt publishes a wanky blog post about companies that profit off open source without giving back. It targets a specific company, WP Engine.

Compare the Five For the Future pages from Automattic and WP Engine, two companies that are roughly the same size with revenue in the ballpark of half a billion. These pledges are just a proxy and aren’t perfectly accurate, but as I write this, Automattic has 3,786 hours per week (not even counting me!), and WP Engine has 47 hours. WP Engine has good people, some of whom are listed on that page, but the company is controlled by Silver Lake, a private equity firm with $102 billion in assets under management. Silver Lake doesn’t give a dang about your Open Source ideals. It just wants a return on capital. So it’s at this point that I ask everyone in the WordPress community to vote with your wallet. Who are you giving your money to? Someone who’s going to nourish the ecosystem, or someone who’s going to frack every bit of value out of it until it withers?

(It's worth noting here that Automattic is funded in part by BlackRock, who Wikipedia calls "the world's largest asset manager".)

Sep 20 (WCUS final day)

WP Engine puts out a blog post detailing their contributions to WordPress.

Matt devotes his keynote/closing speech to slamming WP Engine.

He also implies people inside WP Engine are sending him information.

For the people sending me stuff from inside companies, please do not do it on your work device. Use a personal phone, Signal with disappearing messages, etc. I have a bunch of journalists happy to connect you with as well. #wcus — Twitter I know private equity and investors can be brutal (read the book Barbarians at the Gate). Please let me know if any employee faces firing or retaliation for speaking up about their company's participation (or lack thereof) in WordPress. We'll make sure it's a big public deal and that you get support. — Tumblr

Matt also puts out an offer live at WordCamp US:

“If anyone of you gets in trouble for speaking up in favor of WordPress and/or open source, reach out to me. I’ll do my best to help you find a new job.” — source tweet, RTed by Matt

He also puts up a poll asking the community if WP Engine should be allowed back at WordCamps.

Sep 21

Matt writes a blog post on the WordPress.org blog (the official project blog!): WP Engine is not WordPress.

He opens this blog post by claiming his mom was confused and thought WP Engine was official.

The blog post goes on about how WP Engine disabled post revisions (which is a pretty normal thing to do when you need to free up some resources), therefore being not "real" WordPress. (As I said earlier, WordPress.com disables most features for Personal and Premium plans. Or whatever those plans are called, they've been renamed like 12 times in the last few years. But that's a different complaint.)

Sep 22: More bullshit on Twitter. Matt makes a Reddit post on r/Wordpress about WP Engine that promptly gets deleted. Writeups start to come out:

Search Engine Journal: WordPress Co-Founder Mullenweg Sparks Backlash

TechCrunch: Matt Mullenweg calls WP Engine a ‘cancer to WordPress’ and urges community to switch providers

Sep 23 onward

Okay, time zones mean I can't effectively sequence the rest of this.

Matt defends himself on Reddit, casually mentioning that WP Engine is now suing him.

Also here's a decent writeup from someone involved with the community that may be of interest.

WP Engine drops the full PDF of their cease and desist, which includes screenshots of Matt apparently threatening them via text.

Twitter link | Direct PDF link

This PDF includes some truly fucked texts where Matt appears to be trying to get WP Engine to pay him money unless they want him to tell his audience at WCUS that they're evil.

Matt, after saying he's been sued and can't talk about it, hosts a Twitter Space and talks about it for a couple hours.

He also continues to post on Reddit, Twitter, and on the Core contributor Slack.

Here's a comment where he says WP Engine could have avoided this by paying Automattic 8% of their revenue.

Another, 20 hours ago, where he says he's being downvoted by "trolls, probably WPE employees"

At some point, Matt updates the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. I am 90% sure this was him — it's not legalese and makes no fucking sense to single out WP Engine.

Old text: The abbreviation “WP” is not covered by the WordPress trademarks and you are free to use it in any way you see fit. New text: The abbreviation “WP” is not covered by the WordPress trademarks, but please don’t use it in a way that confuses people. For example, many people think WP Engine is “WordPress Engine” and officially associated with WordPress, which it’s not. They have never once even donated to the WordPress Foundation, despite making billions of revenue on top of WordPress.

Sep 25: Automattic puts up their own legal response.

anyway this fucking sucks

This is bigger than anything Matt's done before. I'm so worried about my friends who're still there. The internal ramifications have... been not great so far, including that Matt's naturally being extra gung-ho about "you're either for me or against me and if you're against me then don't bother working your two weeks".

Despite everything, I like WordPress. (If you dig into this, you'll see plenty of people commenting about blocks or Gutenberg or React other things they hate. Unlike many of the old FOSSheads, I actually also think Gutenberg/the block editor was a good idea, even if it was poorly implemented.)

I think that the original mission — to make it so anyone can spin up a website that's easy enough to use and blog with — is a good thing. I think, despite all the ways being part of FOSS communities since my early teens has led to all kinds of racist, homophobic and sexual harm for me and for many other people, that free and open-source software is important.

So many people were already burning out of the project. Matt has been doing this for so long that those with long memories can recite all the ways he's wrecked shit back a decade or more. Most of us are exhausted and need to make money to live. The world is worse than it ever was.

Social media sucks worse and worse, and this was a world in which people missed old webrings, old blogs, RSS readers, the world where you curated your own whimsical, unpaid corner of the Internet. I started actually actively using my own WordPress blog this year, and I've really enjoyed it.

And people don't want to deal with any of this.

The thing is, Matt's right about one thing: capital is ruining free open-source software. What he's wrong about is everything else: the idea that WordPress.com isn't enshittifying (or confusing) at a much higher rate than WP Engine, the idea that WP Engine or Silver Lake are the only big players in the field, the notion that he's part of the solution and not part of the problem.

But he's started a battle where there are no winners but the lawyers who get paid to duke it out, and all the volunteers who've survived this long in an ecosystem increasingly dominated by big money are giving up and leaving.

Anyway if you got this far, consider donating to someone on gazafunds.com. It'll take much less time than reading this did.

[technofeudalism]

Automattic, the company that owns WordPress.com, is required to remove a controversial login checkbox from WordPress.org and let WP Engine back into its ecosystem after a judge granted WP Engine a preliminary injunction in its ongoing lawsuit.  In addition to removing the checkbox—which requires users to denounce WP Engine before proceeding—the preliminary injunction orders that Automattic is enjoined from “blocking, disabling, or interfering with WP Engine’s and/or its employees’, users’, customers’, or partners’ access to wordpress.org” or “interfering with WP Engine’s control over, or access to, plugins or extensions (and their respective directory listings) hosted on wordpress.org that were developed, published, or maintained by WP Engine,” the order states. In the immediate aftermath of the decision, Automattic founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg asked for his account to be deleted from the Post Status Slack, which is a popular community for businesses and people who work on WordPress’s open-source tools. 

“It's hard to imagine wanting to continue to working on WordPress after this,” he wrote in that Slack, according to a screenshot viewed by 404 Media. “I'm sick and disgusted to be legally compelled to provide free labor to an organization as parasitic and exploitive as WP Engine. I hope you all get what you and WP Engine wanted.” His username on that Slack has been changed to “gone 💀” Mullenweg began to publicly denounce WP Engine in September, calling the web hosting platform a “cancer” to the larger Wordpress open-source project and accusing it of improperly using the WordPress brand. He’s “at war” with WP Engine, in his own words.  In October, Mullenweg added a required checkbox at login for WordPres.org, forcing users to agree that they are not affiliated with WP Engine. The checkbox asked users to confirm, “I am not affiliated with WP Engine in any way, financially or otherwise.” The checkbox was still present and required on the WordPress.org login page as of Wednesday morning. Automattic and Mullenweg have 72 hours from the order to take it down, according to the judge’s order.  WP Engine sent a cease and desist demanding that he “stop making and retract false, harmful and disparaging statements against WP Engine,” the platform posted on X.  Automattic sent back its own cease and desist, saying, “Your unauthorized use of our Client’s intellectual property has enabled WP Engine to compete with our Client unfairly, and has led to unjust enrichment and undue profits.” WP Engine filed a lawsuit against Automattic and Mullenweg, accusing them of extortion and abuse of power. In October, Mullenweg announced that he’d given Automattic employees a buyout package, and 159 employees, or roughly 8.4 percent of staff, took the offer. “I feel much lighter,” he wrote. But shortly after, he reportedly complained that the company was now “very short staffed.”   All of this has created an environment of chaos and fear within Automattic and in the wider WordPress open-source community.  Within 72 hours of the order, Automattic and Mullenweg are also required to remove the “purported” list of WP Engine customers contained in the ‘domains.csv’ file linked to Automattic’s website wordpressenginetracker.com, which Automattic launched in November and tracks sites that have left WP Engine. It’s also required to restore WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org, including reactivating and restoring all WP Engine employee login credentials to wordpress.org resources and “disable any technological blocking of WPEngine’s and Related Entities’ access to wordpress.org that occurred on or around September 25, 2024, including IP address blocking or other blocking mechanisms.” The judge also ordered Mullenweg to restore WP Engine’s access to its Advanced Custom Fields (“ACF”) plugin directory, which its team said was “unilaterally and forcibly taken away from its creator without consent” and called it a “new precedent” in betrayal of community access. “We are grateful that the court has granted our motion for a preliminary injunction,” a spokesperson for WP Engine told 404 Media. “The order will bring back much-needed stability to the WordPress ecosystem. WP Engine is focused on serving our partners and customers and working with the community to find ways to ensure a vigorous, and thriving WordPress community.” A spokesperson for Automattic told 404 Media: “Today’s ruling is a preliminary order designed to maintain the status quo. It was made without the benefit of discovery, our motion to dismiss, or the counterclaims we will be filing against WP Engine shortly. We look forward to prevailing at trial as we continue to protect the open source ecosystem during full-fact discovery and a full review of the merits.” 

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

I'm sorry if this is a very silly question, but I've been jabbing angrily at my wordpress install for a bit and can't find the answer - how did you set up the post subscribe system you have? Is it a plugin or are you using a wordpress.com site with your own url?

Yeah it's a wordpress.com site, I don't know computers well enough to create a real website. Wordpress.com gives you a bunch of widgets you can put in your sidebar and one of them is a Subscribe button.

[jexetic]

So Matt Mullenweg has decided that if you’re a host he’s threatened by, he will pull the plug on your access to WordPress.org’s resources. So none of your users (who are just trying to host their websites, by the way) can install any security updates or add new plugins or themes. 

I have absolutely zero desire to touch anything hosted by Automattic. The Jetpack plugin is abysmal. WordPress.com is the worst possible way to host a WordPress site. Matt Mullenweg being hostile towards a major host that people are happy with is pretty scary. Are we all gonna need to eventually fall in line and pay Automattic if we don’t want the CEO to aggressively break functionality of our sites?

[llbbl]

How to Pick the Best Blog or Newsletter Platform in 2025

In 2025, blogging and newsletters remain essential tools for creators, businesses, and professionals. However, choosing the right one can be challenging with many available platforms. Whether you’re a beginner, a tech-savvy developer, or an established creator looking to monetize your content, this guide will help you navigate the options.

Key Factors to Consider

When evaluating platforms, consider the following:

• Ease of Use: Does the platform fit your technical skills?

• Customization: How much control do you want over design and functionality?

• Community and Discoverability: Does the platform help you grow your audience?

• Monetization Options: Can you earn money directly through the platform?

• Content Ownership: Do you retain control over your content?

• Cost: Does the platform align with your budget?

Use Cases and Recommendations

1. Beginners or General Use

For those new to blogging or looking for simple, user-friendly platforms, these options stand out:

• Medium: Ideal for casual bloggers who want to focus on writing and gain access to a built-in community.

• Micro.blog: Supports short-form and long-form blogging with cross-posting to Mastodon, Threads, and BlueSky. Great for personal sites with minimal monetization needs.

• Squarespace: Excellent for visually appealing blogs with drag-and-drop design and robust hosting.

• WordPress.com: Offers beginner-friendly features, extensive plugins, and SEO tools. It’s a solid choice if you want a customizable blog and don’t mind some maintenance.

2. Creators Focused on Newsletters or Monetization

For creators prioritizing audience growth and revenue, these platforms excel:

• Ghost: Combines blogging and newsletters with built-in subscription and membership tools. Ideal for creators seeking an all-in-one platform.

• Beehiiv: Designed for scaling newsletters with robust analytics and monetization options.

• Buttondown: Simple and lightweight, perfect for indie creators starting out with email subscriptions.

• Mailcoach: Self-hosted, providing full control over your newsletters without ongoing fees.

3. Tech-Savvy Developers

For developers who want complete control over their blogging setup:

• Hugo, Astro, or NextJS: Static site generators for blazing-fast performance and maximum customization. Requires technical expertise.

• WriteFreely: Open-source blogging software with minimalist, distraction-free writing.

• Hashnode: A tech-focused platform with GitHub integration and a developer-friendly audience.

4. Professionals and Thought Leaders

For business professionals aiming to grow their brand or network:

• LinkedIn Articles: A natural choice for thought leadership with built-in networking opportunities.

• Medium: Provides discoverability and a broad audience for professional writing.

Why You Might Want to Switch Off WordPress in 2025

WordPress has been a dominant blogging platform for years, but it’s no longer the best fit for every use case. Many users find its maintenance and performance issues burdensome. Here’s why you might consider switching:

• High Maintenance: Regular updates and plugin management can be time-consuming. • Performance Issues: Without careful optimization, WordPress sites can become slow.

Better Alternatives for Specific Use Cases:

• Micro.blog: Great for personal blogs or creators who value simplicity.

• Ghost: Modern, fast, and equipped with monetization tools.

• Medium: Excellent for writing-focused creators seeking discoverability.

• Squarespace: A better fit for e-commerce or visually polished websites.

The Importance of Choosing Platforms with Good Content Policies

The content policies of a platform shape the kind of community it fosters and, by extension, the broader digital landscape. When choosing a blog framework or newsletter platform, it’s essential to consider how they address hate speech, harassment, and harmful behavior.

Platforms with clear and well-enforced content policies create spaces where diverse voices can thrive, and users feel safe. By supporting these platforms, we help build an internet that promotes constructive dialogue and meaningful engagement.

As creators, the platforms we choose reflect our values. Prioritizing platforms with strong content policies isn’t censorship; it’s about ensuring safe, inclusive spaces where everyone can participate respectfully. Together, we can contribute to a better, more responsible internet.

To help you choose the best platform for your blog or newsletter, I’ve compiled a comprehensive spreadsheet comparing 20 different services.

This resource covers key details like pricing, ease of use, audience suitability, and—importantly—their policies on hate speech, including links to their content policies.

I created this spreadsheet by thoroughly researching each platform’s features and policies to provide you with the essential information needed to make an informed choice…

👉 Here’s a link to the spreadsheet 👈

I hope that it saves you time and helps you find a platform that aligns with your values and goals.

Substack: A Troubling Example

Substack is popular for newsletters but criticized for its approach to hate speech. The company has stated it won’t remove Nazi content or other white supremacist ideologies unless it incites direct violence. This permissive stance has made it a hub for harmful ideologies.

Ask Yourself:

• Do you want to support a platform that tolerates Nazi content?

• Are you comfortable associating your brand with Substack’s content policy?

Platforms With Stronger Content Policies

• Ghost: Enforces clear guidelines against hate speech and white supremacy.

• Medium: Takes a strong stance against hateful content, fostering a positive community.

• Buttondown: Ethical and straightforward, with a commitment to inclusive content.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This guide has been helpful as you consider the best platform for your blog or newsletter? Well, I hope anyway.

Remember to be thoughtful about your choice; not just for features but for the online environment you want to support.

If you’d like to stay updated with more posts like this, consider subscribing to my newsletter.

[commiepinkofag]

more tumblr bs…

tumblr will be jumping on the AI train to steal everyone's blog content

^paid link & archive ch seems to be down :[

from yahoo to verizon & autommatic, the queer community has been targeted for 'policy violations' …it's exhausting.

& as i loathe AI & art theft, i don't think i'll have commiepinkofag.org hosted at tumblr much longer. i will go back to hosting it old-school elsewhere… where? idk rn

once/if my life is a bit more stable & i figure out next-steps, i will post more details.

if you are on wordpress.com, the same AI scrape policy applies.

if you run wordpress on another platform, or self-host & you don't want your posts, OC, images etc used by these corporate scum… you should remove their JetPack plugin especially, and any other plugin created by autommatic

i know quite a few have jumped ship already [from mr vindictive transphobe] but if you are thinking of moving to the fediverse, i'd recommend staying off billionaire-owned bluesky.

be aware some instances may join the facebook/threads activity hub… and data will more than likely be scraped from those servers as well…

that said…

there are a ton of trans & queer mastodon sites to join

i'm on mastodon.art if you wanna say hi…

[ecommerce-yourguide]

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com: Which One Is Right for You?

WordPress.org and WordPress.com are two distinct platforms for creating and managing websites and blogs. They each have their own advantages and are suited to different needs. Here's a comparison of the two:

WordPress.org (Self-Hosted WordPress):

Hosting: You need to find and pay for your own web hosting to use WordPress.org. This provides complete control over your website.

Customization: You have full freedom to install themes and plugins, allowing for extensive customization. You can create virtually any type of website or blog.

Monetization: You can monetize your website in any way you choose, such as through ads, e-commerce, memberships, and more.

Maintenance: You are responsible for managing updates, security, backups, and other technical aspects. This requires some technical knowledge or hiring someone to do it for you.

Cost: The WordPress software itself is free, but you'll incur costs for web hosting and potentially premium themes and plugins.

WordPress.com (Hosted WordPress):

Hosting: WordPress.com hosts your website on their servers, so you don't need to worry about finding or managing hosting. It's a more beginner-friendly option.

Customization: While you can choose from various themes and customize your site, there are limitations compared to self-hosted WordPress. Advanced customization may require a Business plan.

Monetization: Free and lower-tier plans have restrictions on monetization methods. To have more control over monetization, you'll need a paid plan.

Maintenance: WordPress.com takes care of updates, security, and backups, making it a hassle-free option.

Cost: There's a free plan available, but to access advanced features and customization, you'll need to subscribe to a paid plan.

In summary, if you want complete control, extensive customization options, and are willing to handle technical aspects, WordPress.org is the way to go. It's great for businesses, bloggers, and developers. On the other hand, if you prefer a simpler, managed experience and don't need extensive customization, WordPress.com offers convenience and is suitable for personal blogs, small websites, and those who don't want to deal with hosting and technical details.

[wpfresher]

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: Which One to Choose?

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which One to Choose? Should you use WordPress.com or WordPress.org? When you first decide to build a website with WordPress, you’re hit with this unexpected crucial decision. At first glance, it seems like a subtle naming issue — but make no mistake, this is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when launching your website. In this guide, we’ll break…

[citric-crow]

TL;DR, to the best of my ability

There are three "main" WordPress organizations. There's WordPress.com, a commercial site for WordPress, where you can pay to host a site using the WordPress code, and WordPress.com handles the hosting.

There's also WordPress.org, a nonprofit website that lets you download the code for WordPress, which you then have to host yourself (or through a third party.)

Finally, there's the WordPress Foundation, a charity which is dedicated to keeping the WordPress code accessible for all. While the WordPress.org website contains a donation page for the Foundation, the two are unrelated entities. All 3 are owned or managed by Mullenweg, though the Foundation is not owned by Automattic.

WordPress, the code itself, is open source and under a General Public Licence. That means anyone can use the code, modify it, share it, etc.

In 2010, Mullenweg transfered the copyright of WordPress from WordPress.com to the WordPress foundation. The stated reason was to seperate WordPress from any corporation, and the move was in direct response to concerns about Mullenweg's power over WordPress.

However, what Mullenweg didn't disclose about this exchange, is that the SAME DAY, control of the trademarks and source code was transferred directly back, effectively meaning there was no change at all. This is illegal, particularly because Mullenweg never disclosed that transaction to any tax agencies.

WordPress Engine (WPE) is a third-party tool widely used in the WordPress community to manage websites. It allows users to host websites, download themes and plugins from WordPress.org, automatically update any code that needs to be updated, and several other features. In the past, they were endorsed by WordPress.org, thereby directly acknowledging (through the terms and conditions of their endorsement) that WPE was using the copyright legally.

In 2024, Mullenweg made the claim that WPE was using the trademark illegally, and had been for a long time. He then demanded several million dollars in exchange for a licence, and threatened to defame WPE unless he recieved it.

He wasn't given the money, and went on to deliver a keynote speech at a major WordPress event in which he claimed many untrue and harmful things about WPE. He directly encouraged the audience to stop using WPE, claimed that they were harming the open source ecosystem and WordPress itself, and even that WPE employees would be fired if they supported WordPress.

After this, WPE still refused to provide the money. As retaliation, Mullenweg blocked WPE's access to WordPress.org, disabling many of the features WPE users rely on. These are things like automatic code updates, access to the WordPress community and blogs, and downloading plugins. This made WPE unusable for many users, directly causing a loss in profit.

WordPress.com started offering a year of free hosting to new customers, hoping to attract customers forced off of WPE, contributing to another loss of profit.

Mullenweg also began sending messages to WPE's CEO, attempting to poach her for Automattic. When she ignored his first text offering to hire her, he sent her another, this time telling her that if she didn't respond by midnight, he would tell a major WPE investor and the press that she had been trying to work at WordPress.com for the past year.

This claim was a lie, and WPE's CEO had even declined an offer from 2022 to manage WordPress.com.

It's also now suggested that Mullenweg is trying to acquire the WPE brand, after Tweets where he implies that he wishes to "take over" WPE. This would be even more illegal, as a clear example of anticompetitive behavior.

TL;DR of my TL;DR?

He lied about who owned the WordPress trademark, lied about it on his tax returns, wrongfully accused another company of trademark infringement, publically slandered them, then attempted to extort their CEO.

uh oh! owner's being sued for worker abuse! get out the boop meter so everybody forgets

[vasundara]

wordpress

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that empowers individuals and organizations to create and manage websites with1 relative ease. Initially launched as a blogging platform in 2003, it has evolved into the most popular CMS globally, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet.

At its core, WordPress simplifies the process of building a website by separating content from design. Users can create pages, posts, and other content types through a user-friendly editor, while the visual appearance is managed through "themes." Thousands of free and premium themes are available, offering diverse designs and functionalities.

Beyond themes, WordPress's extensibility is a major strength. "Plugins" allow users to add virtually any feature imaginable, from e-commerce capabilities (like WooCommerce) and contact forms to search engine optimization (SEO) tools and security enhancements, without needing to write code.

This combination of ease of use, vast customization options, and a thriving community makes WordPress suitable for a wide range of applications, including personal blogs, business websites, online stores, portfolios, and news sites. It can be self-hosted, giving users full control over their data and site, or utilized through WordPress.com for a more managed experience.

[wjmdigitaldesign]

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: What’s the Difference and Which One Should You Choose?

If you’re thinking about launching a website or starting a blog, chances are you’ve come across WordPress. But there’s a common point of confusion: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. At first glance, they sound like the same thing — but they’re actually quite different platforms with distinct features, pros, and cons.

In this blog post, we’ll break down the differences between the two, help you understand which one suits your needs, and guide you toward the best choice for your website goals.

What is WordPress.org?

WordPress.org is the self-hosted version of WordPress. It’s the open-source software that anyone can download for free and install on their own web hosting server. With WordPress.org, you have full control over your website.

Key Features:

Complete Customization: Install any theme or plugin, modify the code, and design your site exactly the way you want.

Ownership: You fully own your website and all its content.

Monetization Freedom: Use any ad network, sell products, offer memberships, or add affiliate links with no restrictions.

Advanced Functionality: Great for eCommerce (using plugins like WooCommerce), custom development, SEO tools, and more.

Pros:

Total control and flexibility

Thousands of free and premium plugins/themes

Full access to your site's backend and data

Ideal for business, large blogs, and complex websites

Cons:

Requires web hosting (usually $5–$15/month)

You handle security, backups, and updates (though plugins can automate much of this)

Slightly steeper learning curve for beginners

What is WordPress.com?

WordPress.com is a hosted platform created by Automattic (the company behind WordPress). It offers a simplified, all-in-one solution for building a website without worrying about hosting, maintenance, or technical tasks.

Key Features:

No Hosting Needed: Hosting is included. No need to buy a separate plan or domain (though custom domains are available on paid plans).

Easy to Start: Perfect for beginners who want a fast and simple setup.

Maintenance-Free: WordPress.com handles updates, security, and backups.

Pros:

Free basic plan available

No setup or maintenance required

User-friendly dashboard

Great for hobby blogs, personal websites, or simple portfolios

Cons:

Limited customization (especially on the free plan)

Cannot upload custom themes or plugins unless on Business or higher plan

Limited monetization options on lower-tier plans

WordPress.com branding unless you upgrade

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: Quick Comparison Table

Feature

WordPress.com

WordPress.org

Hosting

Included

You provide (self-hosted)

Cost

Free with paid upgrades

Free software, hosting cost

Custom Themes & Plugins

Limited (paid plans only)

Unlimited

Monetization Freedom

Limited

Full control

eCommerce

Only on paid plans

Full eCommerce support

Maintenance

Handled for you

You manage it

Suitable For

Beginners, personal blogs

Businesses, pros, devs

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose WordPress.com if:

You want a hassle-free experience and don’t want to manage hosting or security.

You’re a beginner with no technical background.

You just need a simple blog or portfolio site.

You’re okay with limited flexibility or willing to pay for premium features.

Choose WordPress.org if:

You want full control and the ability to customize everything.

You’re building a business website, store, or scalable project.

You need to monetize your content freely.

You're comfortable (or willing to learn) about managing your own hosting.

Final Thoughts

Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org offer powerful tools for creating websites, but the right choice depends on your goals. If you’re starting out or want something easy and low-maintenance, WordPress.com is a solid option. If you're aiming for maximum control, customization, and scalability, WordPress.org is the way to go.

Still unsure? Start with WordPress.com to get your feet wet — and when you’re ready for more freedom, you can always migrate to WordPress.org.

Need help deciding or building your site? Contact WJM Digital Design for professional guidance, custom WordPress development, and support tailored to your goals. info@wjmdigitaldesign.com

[dubaiwebsitedesignss]

Which Is A Better Website Development Option – WordPress Or HTML/CSS/JS?

When you want a web design UAE, then you must know the best platform on which to base your website on. The choice becomes difficult when you know practically nothing, which means you are a novice here. Someone suggests WordPress website design and someone suggests HTML/CSS/JS and now you are totally confused.

But relax there will be no confusion once the air is cleared and you know the differences and pros and cons about the two. So gear up now for it.

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is just about one of the easiest ways to design a website on. It gives the users the benefit of creating, managing and modifying any website content from the post of an admin. It means there is easy access. It is created and designed so that it is very user-friendly. You need no knowledge of coding to get going on it.

This is the reason why more than 30% of all websites designed and hosted on the internet are done so using WordPress. But here you must take note that there are two types of WordPress website development. They are:

WordPress.org — It is an open source content management system wherein you can download the software to avail of the numerous themes and plugins that come free. If you are innovative and creative, then this is the one for you.

WordPress.com — This is a self-hosted edition of WordPress. It is very easy to use but you have to make do with some limitations. If you have no objections here, then you can go ahead with it.

The Pros Of WordPress

There are many pros here that could lead you to it. They are:

WordPress website development is one of the easiest and smoothest ways that you can begin with while web development Dubai. Here you need no technical knowledge or ideas. It is so convenient that a website can be designed in just 5 minutes which is very little and inexpensive at all. You can easily manage your daily routine tasks of maintaining your website. Here you can create, update pages and contents, customize the appearance and manage and improvise the SEO.

You can easily customize by adding various free plugins and themes that already exist. The plugins are very strong and numerous in number. There is a lot to choose from. You can increase the efficiency of your site by using the plugins.

It is continually evolving because of its open source nature. Any person can mend issues that are troubling it. Another liberty you get here is that you can make your own personal plugins. The website can be designed very quickly.

This may be one reason why some Web Development Dubai Companies, prefer to use WordPress.

What Is HTML/CSS/JS?

HTML is the shortened version of Hyper-Text Markup Language where tags are employed to classify various components on a website. And HTML is never used alone. It is used in a combination with CSS and JS or JavaScript. HTML gives the fundamental structure of the website and the enhancement is done by CSS and JS.

CSS gives an appealing look to the website and takes control of the layout of the content. It is formatted before showcasing to consumers.

JavaScript makes the website synergistic. It also controls the behavioural pattern of the content components when used by users.

But remember that HTML and CSS are programming languages, rather they speak about the structure of the content and gives information on its style. But JavaScript is a programming language that is based on logic.

The Pros Of HTML/CSS/JS

There are many pros associated with this way of developing a website which again is used as a way of Web Development in Dubai. They are:

HTML is a static site and thus requires very little backup. You only need a backup when you make certain changes to your site. You even do need many updates. So less time can be invested for these.

You are the commanding authority when using HTML. Access and modifications to your website are easier than WordPress in fact. So it becomes more flexible when you want to incorporate certain new features or extras ones.

Very few resources are tapped while using HTML. It easily runs on cheap servers, unlike WordPress.

How To Choose The Optimum Way Of Designing Websites?

Now that you know a little about both the methods and their pros, you are in a much better position to choose your own way of web development Dubai.

When you do not need to regularly update or change your site or add up additional content, then HTML/CSS/JS is the better option. But for the growth of a business website where regular alterations and additions are required, then WordPress is the choice.

WordPress has very little expenditure as it can be maintained by you without technical skills. So it is low on maintenance also. You can always keep on creating different content and extra pages whenever the need arises. So it all depends on what your purpose is and what method you want to apply while creating a website.

WordPress is very fast and more secure than HTML. And since no coding language is required by WordPress, it becomes a more preferred choice by millions of consumers who are always more comfortable with cheap and low maintenance products. This is one reason why Web Design in UAE is mostly being done by WordPress.

Conclusion

But again you must mind the limitations of both the methods of designing websites. WordPress is perfect for light and personal information sharing. But if you want a business website designed, then it is always advisable to use HTML/CSS/JS to get the job done properly. Then you also you should get in touch with professionals for the job.

[derek-hanson]

Studio by WordPress.com has been my favorite new tool for WordPress. It has pushed a TON of amazing features over the past year, and they really ramped up the development cycle cadence. This is snappy local environment that anyone looking to try out WordPress, test themes and plugins, or create a robust developer workflow will enjoy. Hats off to Nick Diego for shepherding Studio! #wordpress #studio #studiobywordpress #wordpresscom #wordpresscomstudio