If you’ve come across a comparison post between WordPress.org and WordPress.com, you’ve likely seen one common complaint about WordPress.com – it’s often referred to as not being the “real” WordPress.
This is because you don’t have the ability to install your own plugins or themes, making it less flexible than self-hosted WordPress.
Historically, WordPress.com users were limited in accessing the full WordPress ecosystem, although they did have some unique features that were also available to self-hosted users through Jetpack.
All of this changed in August 2017 when WordPress.com announced that Business plan users would be allowed to install their own themes and plugins, bridging the gap between the old WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress.
So, should you think about moving from your self-hosted WordPress site to one of WordPress.com’s Business plans?
Well, perhaps. It’s still not the right choice for everyone, but there are definite advantages to choosing WordPress.com, particularly for casual users who desire more flexibility without needing direct server access.
In this review, we’ll explore the pros and cons of WordPress.com’s Business plan to assist you in determining if it’s the right fit for you.
Five Pros: Convenience and Support by Automattic
Let’s kick things off on a positive note by examining the strengths of WordPress.com’s business plans.
1. Access to Your Own Plugins and Themes!
As mentioned earlier, with the Business plan, you have the capability to install and utilize your own plugins and themes, which is the primary benefit of upgrading to WordPress.com’s Business tier.
Here’s what you can do with the Business plan:
- One-click installation of plugins or themes from WordPress.org
- Upload your own plugins and themes via zip file
By having this functionality, many criticisms against WordPress.com are immediately addressed.
2. User-Friendly Website Management
WordPress.com is like managed WordPress hosting on steroids in terms of simplicity. Since everything remains within the WordPress.com ecosystem, you bear little to no responsibility for basic maintenance tasks. WordPress.com takes care of:
- Updates
- Security
- Backups
- Performance optimization
- And more
It’s undeniably convenient. However, simplicity does come with some drawbacks that we’ll touch on in the cons section. Overall, if ease of use is more important to you than flexibility, it’s challenging to find a self-hosted WordPress implementation that outperforms WordPress.com’s Business plan, making it an excellent choice for non-technical users.
3. Choice of Dashboard
If you prefer the standard WordPress dashboard from your self-hosted site, you can continue to use a nearly identical dashboard with the WordPress.com Business plan.
Conversely, if you dislike the usual WordPress dashboard, you have the option to utilize the WordPress.com dashboard for site management.
4. Unlimited Space and Bandwidth for Exceptional Value
This is a significant advantage. With the Business plan, you receive unlimited storage and bandwidth. This differs from the typical “cheap shared hosting” where limits are imposed. WordPress.com’s robust infrastructure backs this unlimited offering.
Considering that most similarly priced managed WordPress hosting plans may restrict you to around ~20,000 monthly visits, the $25 per month cost of the Business plan becomes more attractive.
5. Superior Support from Happiness Engineers
If you’ve interacted with Automattic’s support for Jetpack or VaultPress, you’re familiar with the quality of their service. Their response time is swift.
In my experience, I often received responses in under 10 minutes for all my inquiries. They not only respond promptly but also effectively resolve your issues and are available round the clock.
While support is limited to live chat or tickets (no phone support), I personally prefer this method over phone support, so I don’t view this as a negative aspect.
Four Cons: Less Control Compared to Self-Hosted WordPress
Now that we’ve covered the positives, let’s delve into some factors that might hinder your satisfaction with WordPress.com’s Business plan.
1. Limitations on Certain Plugins
Although the Business plan permits the installation of plugins, not all plugins are supported on WordPress.com due to restrictions.
WordPress.com has a more extensive list of prohibited plugins compared to typical managed WordPress hosts for self-hosted sites. Additionally, beyond the usual exclusion of caching, backup, and related posts plugins, WordPress.com’s banned list includes a few notable plugins like:
- WP RSS Aggregator
- Duplicator (and other clone/migration plugins)
- Another WordPress Classifieds Plugin
- Post Views Counter
- Google Captcha
Ensure you review the full list to avoid any surprises. Moreover, given the limitations on migration plugins, it may be challenging to move your entire site from WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress in the future, which is something important to consider.
While content can be exported, I couldn’t find a mechanism that facilitates site migration as seamlessly as migrating a self-hosted WordPress site between hosts.
2. Absence of Full Access (No SFTP, SSH, or Database)
A longstanding critique of WordPress.com compared to self-hosted WordPress has been the lack of control. While the ability to install plugins and themes addresses part of this criticism, it doesn’t resolve this issue:
You still lack direct access to your server or database.
This translates to:
- No FTP/SFTP for file management
- No SSH access
- No phpMyAdmin access for database adjustments
Depending on your hosting involvement level, you might not find these limitations concerning since they contribute to a hands-off approach. However, if you value working directly with your server and database, these restrictions could be a deal-breaker.
3. Monetization Restrictions
WordPress.com has specific rules regarding site monetization. While Business plan users are exempt from most restrictions, a few peculiar guidelines around affiliate links and sponsored posts may give you pause:
There are limitations on permissible affiliate programs. Not permitted are affiliates related to gambling, get-rich-quick schemes, multi-level marketing programs, disreputable merchants, pornography, malware, or phishing scams. Additionally, sites predominantly serving as traffic channels for affiliate links are prohibited.
Similarly, sponsored posts must align with the Terms of Service guidelines.
While these rules aren’t overly stringent in theory, depending on someone’s interpretation of whether a site exists primarily for affiliate link promotion, I’m cautious about having my site’s monetization dependent on such subjective judgments.
4. Mandatory Usage of Jetpack and Akismet
Although a minor consideration, it’s noteworthy that you can’t deactivate Jetpack or Akismet on WordPress.com’s Business plan.
While not a critical issue, it underscores another instance of limited control over your site.
Is WordPress.com’s Business Plan Right for Your WordPress Site?
If you haven’t already discerned this, there isn’t a definitive answer here.
I believe that WordPress.com’s Business plan suits certain user profiles, but it’s not a universal fit. So, who would benefit from WordPress.com Business?
If you:
- Prefer simplicity over flexibility
- Seek the easiest management experience
- Desire the option to use nearly any theme or plugin
- Are indifferent about direct server or database access
- Intend to stay with WordPress.com long-term
You’ll likely find contentment with WordPress.com Business hosting. Additionally, having unlimited storage and bandwidth means that your hosting can accommodate your site’s growth, offering an advantage over self-hosted WordPress.
Conversely, if you:
- Require the flexibility to connect to your site through SFTP/SSH or modify your database
- Need a plugin that’s prohibited on WordPress.com
- Prefer the uncomplicated self-hosted WordPress dashboard
- Seek the ability to effortlessly clone your site for staging or migration purposes
- Simply relish the free-flowing nature of managing your self-hosted site
Then it’s advisable to stick with self-hosted WordPress for now.
Now, it’s your turn – would you contemplate transitioning to WordPress.com’s Business plan? What are the reasons for your decision?