Is wordpress.com a better option for me than wordpress.org? Can you easily move?
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I am not very tech savvy. I’m not very familiar with plugins or other stuff. Of course I know plugins are not necessary, but anyways.
For a person who isn’t very tech savvy and just wants to write articles as static pages + blog posts (both pages and posts can include pictures), is wordpress.com or wordpress.org the best option?
I know plugins are completely optional. However, I am a bit concerned about security. At WordPress.com, is everything done by the host (wordpress.com / Automattic) to keep a site secure, or do I need to take manual actions for that?
Likewise, is wordpress.org easy to keep secure, or does it require manual actions that require to be a bit tech-savvy?Also, I guess a choice doesn’t have to be permanent. But can a wordpress.com-hosted blog/site easily be moved to a webhost where I’d run wordpress.org at a later stage? I heard conflicting things about this: some say that a backup of a wordpress.com website can easily be uploaded to a webhost where you run wordpress.org, some say that it is not that easy (especially if your pages and posts have both text and images).
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Hi there, let’s take this one at a time. (As I long time WordPress.com site owner, I’m a bit biased.)
For a person who isn’t very tech savvy and just wants to write articles as static pages + blog posts (both pages and posts can include pictures), is wordpress.com or wordpress.org the best option?
WordPress.com There are lots of learning resources and of course the forums for questionsAt WordPress.com, is everything done by the host (wordpress.com / Automattic) to keep a site secure
Yes, via the Jetpack plugin, which is included on all WordPress.com websites. This plugin is maintained by WordPress.com/Automatticcan a wordpress.com-hosted blog/site easily be moved to a webhost where I’d run wordpress.org at a later stage
Absolutely, you can export your WordPress.com content at any time and move to a new host. Text and words are not a problem. If you have very complicated content, you can add a plugin to transfer your site (on any paid upgrade plan.)This Support page summarizes well the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org https://wordpress.com/support/com-vs-org/
Post back here if you have other questions
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Dear @justjennifer , thanks for so much clear information!
I actually heard from a woman who professionaly builds sites on WordPress.org that moving a site/blog from wordpress.com to a site on wordpress.org would be difficult without errors, especially if there are both text and images (I think she said the images would need to be moved seperately). I’m glad to hear this is not the case!
As for security: Jetpack plugin should keep a site totally secure ; but does one need to manually activate this plugin on wordpress.com, or is this plugin always activated and always updated by the host (WordPress.com / Automattic) so that the site owner does not need to do anything him/herself to keep the site secure?
PS: is there a way I could send you a private message or email?
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Hello again, There are a few ways to move a WordPress.com website to other WP hosting and you can find a support guide about the simple export at https://wordpress.com/support/export/ If your site has a paid upgrade plan on WordPress.com, you can also use plugins to move your content. See here https://wordpress.com/support/export-an-entire-website-with-a-plugin/
The Jetpack plugin is activated by default on all WordPress.com websites and automagically updated. No need to manually activate or update. Here’s more on that https://wordpress.com/support/jetpack/ and https://wordpress.com/support/security/
PS: is there a way I could send you a private message or email?
Nope, all support is given here in our forums, but I might also suggest that you take a moment to become familiar with our Support site at https://wordpress.com/support/ :) When you search for something, our AI Assistant can also point you in the direction of the relevant support guide.
Cheers for now.
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@justjennifer : thanks for your reply!
I was told in the past by a professional website creator that when exporting a WordPress.com site, you needed to export content (writings, comments, subscribers, etc) separately and then export images (photos and videos) separately. That would of course be more complex as this would require to then manually copy-paste everything together.
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Hello again,
If you read the first guide I linked to about the simple export, you’ll note it says
Your export file doesn’t actually contain your media library (like photos, videos, audio, etc.). Instead, it contains instructions that tell your new site where to find and copy these files from your original site. This is why you need to keep your original site public and accessible – your new site uses these instructions to find and copy your images during the import.
So, no. You do not need to manually export/import your site’s media files to a new site when exporting from WordPress.com. Even if you move your domain/site to different hosting, unless you delete your WordPress.com site, your mysite.wordpress.com site here is still online and available.
In general, it’s not a bad idea to download and backup your site content and media from time to time.
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Thanks for clarifying, @justjennifer !
As for “In general, it’s not a bad idea to download and backup your site content and media from time to time.” : does that download and backup of your site content contain the media files so that you could upload everything (content and media files) back to wordpress.com should your site ever face problems?
PS: I was getting confused again due to someone’s post on Reddit:
“Is it easy to migrate a wordpress.com site to another host?
If not, there’s usually 2 ways to migrate a WordPress site: manually (downloading database and sourcefiles from target and uploading to destination): or using a migration plugin.
With .com, I believe migration plugins are banned from their platform, so that method is out.
Manually is only possible with a Business plan or higher (for context, plans are currently Free, Personal @ $9/mo, Premium @ $18/mo, Business @ $40/mo, Commerce @ $70/mo, Enterprise starts at ~$2k/mo) because they don’t provide database or source file access at the lower plan levels.
I believe you’re also restricted from adding plugins that create backups as well, and they also offer Backup/Recovery in the Business plan or higher.”
PS: it seems the prices per paid tier are incorrect in this Reddit post (but to me, being EU based, the prices on the wordpress.com website are shown in Euro instead of in Dollar. However, even with conversion in mind, the prices this Reddit user mentions seem higher than what I recall)
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Hi there, This will be my last reply here as I feel I’m repeating myself. Perhaps another forum volunteer or staff will have something additional to add.
does that download and backup of your site content contain the media files so that you could upload everything (content and media files) back to wordpress.com should your site ever face problems?
Again, as mentioned in the export support guide
Your export file doesn’t actually contain your media library (like photos, videos, audio, etc.). Instead, it contains instructions that tell your new site where to find and copy these files from your original site. This is why you need to keep your original site public and accessible – your new site uses these instructions to find and copy your images during the import.
In the highly unlikely event of a failure of your site, contact Support for help in restoring it.
To perhaps add some perspective, in the nearly 20 years I have been here, I have not once had to restore a site from a saved backup.
With .com, I believe migration plugins are banned from their platform, so that method is out.
Migration Plugins are available on any paid upgrade plan, including Personal. And this is only relevant if you are moving your site to different hosting.
Plugins on paid upgrade plans have been available since September last year. If you look at the WordPress.com Pricing page, you’ll see the features of each available upgrade plan.
I hope that helps ease your concerns. Cheers.
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All this talk of moving from one place to another! I think if you saying you are not tech savvy and just want to write articles then surely here will be easiest.
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