Host Overview
What is WordPress.com?
Launched publicly in November 2005, WordPress.com is a hosted website publishing platform operated by Automattic, the company founded by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and Donncha Ó Caoimh. Unlike the self-hosted WordPress.org software, WordPress.com combines the content management system with an integrated hosting service.
The platform has evolved beyond blogging to support portfolios, business websites, online stores, and sites with WordPress plugins. Its plans range from a free hosted site to paid subscriptions with larger storage allocations and advanced development tools.
WordPress.com is designed for people who prefer managed WordPress infrastructure rather than configuring a separate hosting account. Its main trade-offs are the platform-specific plan structure and the need to compare subscriptions, renewal terms, and feature availability before choosing a plan.
Hosting Services
What Types of Hosting Does WordPress.com Offer?
WordPress.com specializes in hosted WordPress websites. Its managed hosting plans cover technical upkeep, while its website-building tools make creating and editing a site possible without arranging a separate hosting provider.
- Free hosting: a free WordPress.com-hosted website with 1 GB of storage.
- WordPress hosting: integrated WordPress website hosting across the paid plans.
- Managed WordPress hosting: WordPress updates, security and caching managed by the platform.
- Website builder: a guided site creation and editing experience.
Plans and Pricing
What Plans and Pricing Does WordPress.com Offer?
WordPress.com Managed WordPress and Website Plans
| Plan | Monthly billing | 12-month term / mo | 24-month term / mo | 36-month term / mo | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 1 GB |
| Personal | $9 | $4 | $3.25 | $2.75 | 6 GB |
| Premium | $18 | $8 | $6.50 | $5.50 | 13 GB |
| Business | $40 | $25 | $20 | $17.50 | 50 GB |
| Commerce | $70 | $45 | $36 | $31.50 | See plan |
Features
What Are the Main Features Offered by WordPress.com?
- Automatic WordPress software updates are included, even on the free plan.
- Free websites include 1 GB of media storage; Personal includes 6 GB, Premium 13 GB, and Business 50 GB.
- Paid plans include a custom domain free for the first year, subject to plan terms.
- Paid subscriptions remove WordPress.com advertising displayed to visitors on free sites.
- WordPress plugins can be installed or uploaded, as described on the current pricing page.
- Premium adds advanced traffic analytics, payment buttons and video uploads.
- Business includes staging and development tools such as SFTP, SSH, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments.
Technical Support
What Are WordPress.com's Main Customer Support Channels?
Support availability depends on the subscription. WordPress.com provides a public support guide outlining community, self-service and direct assistance options.
- Self-service documentation, guided courses and community support forums are available for free users.
- Paid customers can contact WordPress.com Happiness Engineers through the Help Center.
- Support interactions are provided via chat and email; customer support by telephone is not offered.
- Business and Commerce advertise priority expert support 24/7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about WordPress.com
Is WordPress.com the same as WordPress.org?
Does WordPress.com have a free plan?
Is WordPress.com managed hosting?
How much does Personal cost with annual billing?
Can I pay monthly instead of annually?
What storage does Premium include?
What storage does Business include?
Can I use WordPress plugins?
Does WordPress.com include a domain?
Does the free plan display ads?
Can WordPress.com host an online store?
Does WordPress.com provide staging?
Does WordPress.com offer telephone support?
Can free users contact human support?
Is priority support available around the clock?
User and Expert Opinions
