WordPress.com Review 2024: Is It Right For You?

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Read our review of WordPress.com to learn more about the features and get started with free plans.

WordPress.com offers the easiest hosting solution to get started with the WordPress software to build your blog or website.

Besides a fast and secure WordPress hosting plan that comes with 24/7 Support, you will also get a custom domain of your choice in the first year for free.

WordPress.com Overview

WordPress.com is undoubtedly the best platform to start a blog, and with their business plan, you now get almost everything you can get in a self-hosted WordPress.

All of their plans come with amazing 24/7 Support with options of live chat and email help. You can chat with the support team directly from your WordPress.com dashboard.

See the overview of the main features and explore them in the short review below. 

Some of the major features of WordPress.com include;

• Use your own domain name (instead of having WordPress.com in your URL).
• Gain live chat access to a highly rated all-star customer service team.
• Choose from over 100 professionally designed themes.
• Edit your site’s design with custom CSS (Premium and Business plans).
• Use any WordPress plugin or theme you want (Business plans).
• SFTP access on Business and eCommerce plans.
• A 30-day money-back guarantee (48 hours for domains).

Top WordPress.com Stats:

Here are some of the mind-blowing stats published by WordPress.com. 

• Over 100 million sites have been created with WordPress.com
• Sites with a paid WordPress.com plan have 34% more traffic than sites without one.

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WordPress.com Main Features

WordPress.com essentially offers the managed hosting version of the WordPress software. Owned by Automattic, the platform is simply the biggest SaaS platform that hosts WordPress websites.

Rather than a hosting solution, WordPress.com is positioned around allowing users to build a website, create a blog, and sell online.

WordPress.com is different from other WordPress hosting providers in the sense that it offers managed hosting versions with some customisation limitations.

While there were extreme limitations until recently, this has all changed with WordPress.com allowing to install custom themes and plugins starting with their business plan.

There are still some limitations such as certain plugins that you can’t install but other than that, the offerings aren’t any different from other hosting providers.

Let’s look into some of the main features of WordPress.com to help you decide if it’s the right platform for your needs.

Custom Domain Names

As WordPress.com is also a domain registrar, you don’t have to look elsewhere for custom domains. With a wide range of domain extensions available, you can be certain that you are able to find one that’s available to register.

If you have a domain registered already, you will need to point the domain to WordPress.com servers and manage the domain on their platform.

With higher plans, you might also be able to claim a custom domain free for your first year.

High-Quality WordPress Themes

The onboarding process of WordPress.com allows you to select from a wide range of WordPress themes that you can install and configure instantly.

Some plans also include all the premium themes available on the themes directory. With the business and eCommerce plans, you can also install your own third-party themes.

Social Sharing Features

WordPress.com has built-in settings for social media sharing of your posts and pages. These options allow you to connect with platforms like Facebook and Twitter and automatically publish your latest updates.

Social sharing can be a time saver for those producing a lot of content on their blogs. There’s a setting that you select to automatically post on your selected social media channels when you publish your content.

Search Engine Optimized

All WordPress.com plans have certain SEO features that can be useful to drive traffic from search engines. You can make use of the built-in sitemaps and other SEO tools to further optimise your website.

And of course, you are not limited to the built-in SEO tools if you choose plans that allow you to install custom plugins. The WordPress repository has several high-quality SEO plugins that you are able to choose from. Yoast SEO, All in one SEO, RankMath etc are some of the popular choices.

SFTP Access on Business and eCommerce plans

One of the latest features, WordPress.com now allows SFTP access on Business and eCommerce plans.

Previously, this was the primary limitation that separated WordPress.com from other hosting providers.

STP access now allows WordPress.com users to upload custom themes and plugins directly to their sites, and manage their databases with PHPMyAdmin.

This comes at no additional cost for users on Business and eCommerce plans, making WordPress.com plans more lucrative for WordPress hosting.

Block Editor support on all devices

If you use WordPress.com apps on your phone, you will be pleased to know that it now supports the default block-editor experience.

You can get started by tapping on the ⊕ icon in the end bar when you are on the editing mode for posts and pages to bring up the blocks. Some of the most popular blocks include Paragraph, Heading, Image, Video, List, Gallery, Media & Text, and Spacer.

The support for block editor on WordPress native apps definitely makes the experience consistent across devices.

Although you can connect your self-hosted WordPress blog with WordPress.com apps using JetPack, getting started on WordPress.com itself can add additional benefits if you are looking to make most of their native apps.

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WordPress.com Plans

WordPress.com has different tiers of plans covering everything from beginner to advanced needs.

The personal plan is the cheapest option allowing basic features while the eCommerce plan is the most expensive plan offering premium business and WooCommerce features.

Please visit the WordPress.com Pricing page for the latest price and features included in the plans. Here’s a quick overview and suggestions for WorPress.com plans and pricing.

Personal Plan

The personal plan is the most basic plan on WordPress.com that includes all the essential features. The most important feature is that it allows you to remove WordPress.com Ads that show up in free plans.

If you need a personal blog with beginner features, limited storage of 6GB, and are happy with basic support, the personal plan might work for you.

Premium Plan

The premium plan is the most popular plan on WordPress.com offering many features you would want to build an independent website.

While there is some WordPress.com branding, the premium plan comes with premium WordPress themes and advanced customizations.

This is the most basic plan we recommend if you are a complete beginner and trying to get started with WordPress.

Business Plan

The most important feature and what makes WordPress.com similar to other hosting providers is that the Business plan allows you to install custom themes and plugins. If you are looking for complete control that WordPress.com allows, this is the best plan to choose.

Besides custom themes and plugins, the business plan has significantly changed lately to include advanced features such as SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) and Database Access. The plan comes with a huge 200GB of storage space and the ability to backup automatically with one‑click rewinds, if necessary.

This is our most recommended plan on WordPress.com if you need the full potential of WordPress.com.

eCommerce Plan

As the name suggests, the eCommerce plan is suitable for those looking to start an eCommerce store. If you are looking to build an online shop powered by WooCommerce, this is the best plan to choose.

The eCommerce plan comes with several advanced features specific to online stores including eCommerce marketing tools, integrations with multiple payment gateways and shipping carriers, premium WooCommerce themes.

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WordPress.com Pricing

WordPress.com offers five different plans targeted to a wide range of WordPress users – from bloggers to businesses to online store owners.

WordPress.com’s cheapest plan starts from £2.25 and their most expensive plan targeted at eCommerce store owners costs £36 per month when paid yearly.

Here’s a screenshot of the WordPress.com plans listed clearly on their pricing page.

Plans and Pricing

• Blogger – Best for Bloggers – £2.25 per month, billed yearly
• Personal – Best for Personal Use – £4 per month, billed yearly
• Premium – Best for Freelancers – £7 per month, billed yearly
• Business – Best for Small Businesses – £20 per month, billed yearly
• eCommerce – Best for Online Stores – £36 per month, billed yearly

Select the best plan suitable for your needs. Please note that the pricing is higher when paid monthly so, it’s best to pay yearly so that you can save on the costs.

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WordPress.com Review FAQs

Here’re some of the most frequently asked questions about WordPress.com to understand the basics.

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Start with WordPress.com Plans

WordPress.com is an easy way to create a blog and start blogging. It offers the hosted solution of the WordPress (.org) software streamlining the process.

WordPress.com	Top Highlights	Rating
Features	WordPress.com has powerful features to build a website, blog or eCommerce store.	4.9
Price	From the most basic personal plan to the professional eCommerce plan.	4.8
Support	Depending on the plans, WordPress.com has the best email and live chat support.	4.9
Overall	WordPress.com is a highly recommended managed WordPress hosting solution.	4.8

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