Generally, if you already use the WordPress platform, you may not be aware that there are 2 different versions of the WordPress platform that exist online.
​
At their core, WordPress.com and WordPress.org use the same code and functionality which allows the WordPress platform to be the most widely used (and popular) blogging platform in the world. So it's not uncommon to see confusion about the differences between the two.

The first step to understanding the differences is to identify the purposes and hosting situations involved with both.
​

WordPress.com offers free or inexpensive WordPress hosting and boasts a quick setup and requires little technical "know-how" on how to create and manage a blog.
​
WordPress.com is a commercialized version of the WordPress platform and offers all the basic essentials to create and manage content for a blog. And depending on if you might have a paid plan with WordPress.com, you may have the option for custom domains or the ability to add plugins to your site.

WordPress.com is generally easy to navigate and understand for new users who want to start blogging without needing to worry about investing their wallets into a blog.

WordPress.org is the open-source software version of the WordPress platform.

This means anyone can download and use the platform to create a website or blog on any hosting server they choose (and are commonly referenced as "self-hosted" WordPress sites). Because of this, WordPress sites to be configured with nearly unlimited potential!
​
​WordPress.org blogs allow the ability to add unique themes that dictate how your website and blog look and function. Typically, WordPress themes can feel fairly restrictive when it comes to design customizations if you don't posses some technical or coding knowledge with WordPress. This is where the Showit platform shines as you have the ability to create a fully custom design to use with WordPress without needing to understand code.

Arguably, the biggest benefit to WordPress.org in comparison to WordPress.com is the availability to use plugins to add and enhance the functionality of your blog in many ways. Plugins can allow you to setup an ecommerce store, manage client galleries, calander bookings, SEO, memberships, or really anything else you can think of that a website might need.

If you are having your blog migrated to Showit, proper access to the site is vital for a blog migration. Accessing a WordPress.com site is very different to a WordPress.org. If you are unsure of where your blog is hosted, there are a couple of ways to determine this information.

The best way to determine which version of WordPress you are using is to identify your web host (i.e. who you are paying to have your website live).

WordPress.org sites can be hosted by anyone, but common web hosts might include:

If you are paying for web hosting with any one of those companies, you are using the WordPress.org platform. You would access your WordPress by logging into the "/wp-admin" path on your website url. (i.e. https://yourdomian/wp-admin).
​

If your WordPress site loads under a *******.wordpress.com subdomain or you have a paid WordPress.com hosting plan, these would be the only situations in which your blog is hosted by WordPress.com.

Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org blogs are available to be migrated to our hosting servers and all migrations from these platforms will include blog posts, media, comments, and pages.

For information regarding which subscription plan will fit your needs best, see Which Pricing Plan Do I Need?

Our servers are optimized for "Managed" WordPress hosting which means our team takes care of the backend health and status of your blog. Managing every aspect of WordPress hosting can be quite a task on its own, so this is where our team comes in! Some of the benefits of hosting with us include: