WordPress.com is the hosted version of WordPress: you get a website or blog without arranging hosting or updates. It's for writers, hobbyists and founders testing an idea who want to publish quickly. There's a free plan with no expiry date and no card needed, with 1 GB of storage, Jetpack's essential features (basic SEO, site stats and social sharing) and dozens of designs. Personal is US$4 a month billed every 12 months.
What it can do for you
Pick a design, write your first post and have a live site the same day, on software that powers a huge share of the web. Stats show you what people read, and sharing tools push new posts to social media. If the idea takes off, you can upgrade without moving platforms.
What people like
It's free for as long as you want, there's nothing to maintain, and WordPress skills and help are everywhere. For a personal blog, it's an easy start.
The honest downsides
- Ads on your site. Free sites display WordPress.com ads. Personal removes them.
- No custom domain. Free sites use a WordPress.com address, which looks less professional for a business. Personal includes a free custom domain for the first year.
- No plugins. WordPress.com's support pages confirm you can't install plugins on free, so much of what makes WordPress flexible isn't available.
- 1 GB of storage fills up quickly with images.
Skip it if
- the site represents a business (ads and a subdomain undermine trust)
- you need plugins, shop features or full control
Alternatives
There's nothing we list that's clearly better for a free, general-purpose blog.
- Ghost for a professional blog and newsletter with your own domain, from $15 a month billed yearly.
- Hashnode if you're a developer blogging about technical topics.
- Carrd if you just need a simple one-page site.
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