WordPress.com: An Easy Web Builder for Bloggers & Businesses

WordPress.com at a Glance

WordPress.com is a hosted version of the popular open-source software, WordPress.org. Unlike their self-hosted counterpart which launched two years earlier in 2003, WordPress.com handles the technical aspects of website management, including server maintenance, security updates, and backups. This allows you to focus on creating compelling content and building a thriving online presence. Catering to a wide range of users, from individual bloggers and small businesses to established enterprises, WordPress.com has grown to power millions of websites across the globe, boasting users in virtually every country. The platform is renowned for its intuitive design, comprehensive support, and vast community of users and developers. WordPress.com is part of Automattic, which also offers other services such as WooCommerce for e-commerce, Jetpack for website security and performance, and Gravatar for managing online identities.

WordPress.com stands out due to their extensive library of themes and plugins, allowing you to customize your sites to your specific needs. They offer a robust platform for website creation with a user-friendly drag-and-drop builder, hundreds of customizable templates, and advanced design tools. Their integrated SEO features and compatibility with popular plugins like Yoast and Rank Math can help optimize websites for search engines, and they provide various marketing tools for social media integration, email marketing, and comprehensive analytics to enhance audience engagement and growth. They support extensibility with over 50,000 plugins to enhance functionality, ranging from e-commerce to social media tools. WordPress.com offers various plans, including a free tier and premium options with additional features, catering to different user needs and budgets.

In terms of security and performance, WordPress.com ensures website protection with SSL certificates for secure data transfer, built-in DDoS protection against malicious attacks, and comprehensive malware scanning for threat mitigation. Their managed hosting includes automated backups and a global CDN for fast load times. Additional measures such as two-factor authentication and security activity auditing further enhance user account security. The platform supports GDPR compliance and provides end-to-end encryption, ensuring robust data security.

They are highly regarded in the industry and are often featured in top lists for website builders and content management systems. They have received numerous awards for their ease of use and comprehensive feature set. The platform attracts millions of users worldwide and has garnered recognition for its ease of use, scalability, and feature-rich environment. Additionally, WordPress.com maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), although they lack accreditation.

Important Distinction: WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

It’s crucial to differentiate between WordPress.com and WordPress.org, as they often cause confusion. WordPress.com is a hosted website builder, while WordPress.org is a self-hosted, open source content management system (CMS). With WordPress.com, Automattic manages the hosting and technical aspects, allowing users to focus on creating and managing content without worrying about backend tasks. This makes it ideal for those who want a hassle-free, beginner-friendly experience. On the other hand, WordPress.org provides greater flexibility and control for users with technical expertise, as it requires them to secure their own web hosting and manage server maintenance.

The Features & Perks of WordPress.com

They offer a wide array of features and tools that cater to both beginners and advanced users. Below is a comprehensive list of the key WordPress features that may make them a top choice for building websites:

• Drag-and-drop builder: Their platform provides an intuitive drag-and-drop builder, making it easy for you to create and customize your site without any coding knowledge. You can arrange and organize content and media elements to suit your specific needs
• Customizable templates: WordPress.com offers hundreds of professionally designed templates that you can fully customize. This allows you to match your site’s look and feel to your brand, ensuring a unique and cohesive online presence
• Advanced design tools: Customize your site’s design with extended color schemes, typography options, borders, and control over CSS
• Pre-built block patterns: Create great-looking layouts by inserting pre-designed block patterns into your pages and posts
• SEO Tools: With built-in SEO features, WordPress.com helps your website get found more easily by search engines. You can customize titles and descriptions, generate XML sitemaps, and ensure clean URLs, enhancing your site’s visibility
• Social media integration: The platform allows you to automatically share new posts across your social media profiles, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Tumblr. This helps you expand your reach and engage with a wider audience
• Email marketing: You can integrate with leading email marketing tools to grow your list and send campaigns directly from your site
• Analytics dashboard: They provide a robust analytics dashboard that you can utilize to track and analyze your site’s performance and audience engagement
• Real-time backups: This allows you to protect your site with real-time backups and easy restore options, available on higher-tier plans
• Plugins: With over 50,000 plugins available, WordPress.com allows you to extend the functionality of your site easily. Whether you need eCommerce capabilities, social media integrations, or advanced analytics, there’s a plugin that can meet your needs
• Monetization options: WordPress.com provides various tools for Monetizing your site. These include accepting payments for goods and services, earning ad revenue through WordAds, and creating premium content accessible only to paying subscribers

Additional tools:

• VideoPress: Their platform enables you to showcase videos in stunning 4K resolution with advanced playback features, enhancing the multimedia experience on your site
• Form Block: You can easily add contact forms, appointment bookings, event registrations, and feedback forms to your site, helping you interact with your visitors effectively
• Jetpack: Jetpack is a powerful plugin suite developed by Automattic, designed to enhance the functionality and security of WordPress websites. It offers a range of features, including security, performance, marketing, and design tools, making it a comprehensive solution for managing and optimizing WordPress sites. Jetpack is available both as a mobile app, for iOS and Android, and for desktop use, providing flexibility for managing your site on the go or from your computer
• WordPress desktop app: You can download the WordPress software as an application for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and still benefit from a unified dashboard to manage multiple WordPress sites. You would be able to create and edit content with a robust editor, view detailed site stats, and receive real-time notifications for site activity, enhancing the overall website management experience

WordPress.com Plans & Pricing

WordPress.com offers a variety of premium plans designed to meet different needs, from personal blogs to advanced e-commerce platforms. A free plan is available, allowing you to explore the basic features before committing to a paid plan. The plans can be purchased on a monthly or yearly basis, with significant discounts for annual subscriptions. Here’s an overview of the available plans:

• Free Plan: This plan is perfect for those who want to start a simple blog or website without any cost. It includes essential features like best-in-class hosting, automatic updates, unlimited pages and posts, and 1 GB of storage. However, it does come with WordPress.com ads and branding
• Personal: This basic package costs $4 per month when billed annually. It includes a custom domain, removes WordPress.com ads, and provides access to email and live chat support. This plan is ideal for personal websites and blogs
• Premium: Costing $8 per month billed annually, this plan includes everything in the Personal plan plus premium WordPress themes, advanced design customization, 13 GB of storage, and the ability to monetize your site through WordAds. It also includes advanced social media features and Google Analytics integration, making it suitable for freelancers and personal sites that need more customization and marketing tools
• Business: At $25 per month billed annually, this plan includes all Premium features plus unlimited storage, the ability to install plugins and custom themes, advanced SEO tools, and automated backups with one-click restore. It’s designed for small businesses that need a powerful and customizable website without the hassle of managing the technical aspects
• Commerce: This plan costs $45 per month when billed annually. It includes all Business plan features and adds advanced e-commerce capabilities with WooCommerce integration, including premium store themes, unlimited products, no transaction fees, and advanced marketing and merchandising tools. This plan is ideal for businesses looking to sell products and services online
• Enterprise: This custom plan, which they call WordPress VIP, is designed for businesses with high-traffic websites requiring a robust, secure, and scalable WordPress environment. For pricing and details, you'll need to contact the WordPress.com sales team

WordPress.com plans come with fully managed cloud hosting to ensure your website remains available at all times. They offer robust security features, including DDoS protection, real-time backups, and spam protection with Akismet. Additionally, all plans include SSL certificates for secure data transfer.

Website design service

In addition to its hosting and site-building plans, WordPress.com offers a website design service to help you create a professional and customized website quickly. The Express design service starts at $499 plus the cost of a Premium plan, delivering a 5-page website built by WordPress.com design experts within four business days. For more complex needs, the Custom Development service starts at $5,000, offering a bespoke website built by top-tier WordPress agencies, including personalized proposals, multiple review rounds, and comprehensive quality checks.

The Advantages of WordPress.com 

• Ease of use: WordPress.com offers an intuitive drag-and-drop builder, making them accessible for users without any coding knowledge. The platform guides you through the setup and provides a straightforward way to manage content, ensuring a smooth experience for beginners and experienced users alike
• All-in-one solution: Their plans include hosting, domain name registration, and a wide array of built-in features. This means you don’t need to worry about technical aspects like server maintenance, security updates, or backups, as everything is managed for you
• Extensive customization options: With access to hundreds of customizable templates and over 50,000 plugins, they allow you significant flexibility in design and functionality. This enables you to create unique and highly personalized websites tailored to your specific needs
• SEO and marketing tools: WordPress.com includes built-in SEO features and compatibility with popular plugins like Yoast and Rank Math. It also offers various marketing tools for social media integration, email marketing, and comprehensive analytics to help enhance audience engagement and growth
• Security and performance: The platform provides robust security measures, including SSL certificates, DDoS protection, malware scanning, automated backups, and a global CDN for fast load times. These features ensure that your website remains secure and performs well
• Customer support: WordPress.com offers 24/7 live chat support for paid plans, and the platform’s “Happiness Engineers” are praised for their helpful and patient assistance, helping users resolve issues and navigate the platform effectively
• Free plan availability: They offer a free plan that includes essential features, making it a cost-effective option for those just starting out. This plan provides a good opportunity to explore the platform before committing to a paid plan

Why You Might Not Choose WordPress.com

• Limited customization on lower plans: Advanced customization options, such as installing custom plugins and themes, are only available on higher-priced plans. This limitation can be restrictive for users on the free or lower-tier plans who need more control over their site’s functionality and appearance
• Higher pricing for advanced features: While they offer a free website plan, accessing many of the advanced features requires subscribing to higher-priced plans. This can make the platform more expensive compared to other website builders, especially for users who need extensive functionality
• Learning curve: Despite their ease of use for basic tasks, WordPress.com can present with a steeper learning curve compared to some of their competitors. Users may find it challenging to navigate the more advanced features and customization options, especially if they are new to website building

The WordPress.com User Experience

They receive mixed reviews from customers. Many users were very happy with their ease of use and guidance, while others had many complaints. They received a high review score of 4.4 out of 5 stars on G2, and a similar score of 8.4 out of 10 on TrustRadius. On the other hand, their score on Trustpilot is a poor 1.7 out 5, with a lot more users utilizing that site to complain about their experiences. On the other hand, they receive only a moderate amount of complaints on the BBB.

Positive feedback

Customers who were satisfied with WordPress.com often highlighted the user-friendly interface and platform's flexibility, which make it accessible for both beginners and advanced users. They appreciated the extensive selection of themes and plugins that allow for significant customization without needing coding skills. Many users found the built-in SEO tools beneficial for improving their website’s search engine visibility, helping them attract more traffic. The integration capabilities with various third-party tools and services were also frequently praised, as they were found to enhance the functionality of their websites. Additionally, users commended the “Happiness Engineers” for their helpful and patient support, which has helped them resolve issues and navigate the platform effectively. Long-term users valued the reliability of WordPress.com, noting that they provide continuous updates and an easy way to maintain their sites without extensive technical intervention.

Critical feedback

On the other hand, dissatisfied customers often mentioned the confusing and non-intuitive interface, which was challenging for non-technical individuals to navigate. Some users felt that the themes and design options were outdated and less visually appealing compared to competitors like Squarespace. There were also numerous complaints about the slow and sometimes unresponsive customer support, particularly in urgent situations where quick assistance was needed. The cost of premium plans and the need for frequent upgrades to access essential features have left some users feeling misled by the initial promise of a free service. Issues with domain and email management, as well as the complexity of the account recovery process, were also points of frustration for many users. Additionally, some customers have expressed dissatisfaction with the platform’s performance, citing slow loading times and difficulties with plugin compatibility and integration.

WordPress’s responses to customer complaints, as well as some critical reviews, are generally polite and aim to address specific issues raised by the customers. The tone of the responses is professional and empathetic, often providing detailed instructions or solutions. However, the effectiveness varies, with some customers feeling satisfied with the resolution while others express frustration over delays, lack of clear communication, or unresolved issues. This inconsistency highlights a gap between the company’s intended customer service standards and the actual customer experience.

Customer Support Options at WordPress.com

WordPress.com offers several channels for customer support, catering to different user needs and plans. Here’s how you can access their support services:

• Direct contact options: For users on paid plans, 24/7 live chat support is available, and all users may also request email support via a contact form. To make use of these, you would head over to the support contact page, log in to your account then submit your request
• Self-help resources: If you prefer to search for answers by yourself, the support page offers extensive documentation, guides, and tutorials that cover everything from getting started to advanced troubleshooting. Along the same lines, the forums are a great place to get help from other users and WordPress staff. It’s an active community where you can ask questions and find answers on a wide range of topics. Additionally, WordPress.com regularly hosts webinars that cover various aspects of website building and management. Their Learn WordPress platform provides courses and tutorials to help you enhance your WordPress.com skills

While WordPress.com doesn’t offer direct phone support, these resources ensure you have multiple ways to get the help you need, whether it’s through direct contact with support staff or by leveraging their extensive library of tutorials and community advice.

The Bottom Line

WordPress.com specializes in providing a versatile platform for website creation, catering to a wide range of users from individual bloggers to large enterprises. Their user-friendly interface, combined with extensive customization options and a robust set of tools, makes them a powerful solution for those seeking an efficient way to build a professional online presence. The platform’s managed hosting takes care of technical aspects, allowing you to focus on content creation and business growth without the hassle of server maintenance or security concerns.

One of the notable advantages of WordPress.com is their all-in-one nature, integrating hosting, domain registration, and a vast library of themes and plugins. Features like the drag-and-drop builder, built-in SEO tools, and comprehensive analytics enhance user satisfaction and website performance. Specific examples include the ease of setting up a blog with customizable templates and the ability to integrate email marketing and social media tools seamlessly. However, some drawbacks, such as higher pricing for advanced features and a steeper learning curve for new users, can be limiting. Additionally, customer support, while generally helpful, has received mixed reviews regarding responsiveness and effectiveness. Also, it must be said that for users with more technical expertise and a pre-existing web host, or those requiring extensive customization and control, WordPress.org may be a better option. Unlike WordPress.com, WordPress.org offers greater flexibility in plugin and theme installation, as well as control over hosting, making it ideal for more complex and large-scale projects.

If you're still weighing your options, it's worth exploring other options and reading additional reviews to make an informed decision. Check out our detailed review page to compare various website builders, then use our comparison tool to see how your favorite providers stack up against each other. We also recommend reading our blog for more insights and tips on website creation. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to upgrade your current site, our resources can help you find the best solution for your needs.