WordPress.org Vs Wordpress.com

Wordpress dot org and dot com

WordPress is a blogging platform which offers two solutions: the dot org software and the dot com site. What is the actual difference between the two WordPress choices?  Relative to visitor tracking, you will need a  business account on wordpress.com to install Opentracker.net's script.

So what's the difference between wordpress.org versus wordpress.com?

If you use Wordpress.org you will  download the actual WordPress software  and install it on your own server (host). This gets you  plug-ins and themes which you use to build your site .

In contrast, Wordpress.com is a  hosted solution provided by Automatic. It's more-or-less the commercial business behind WordPress. WordPress is an open-source project and they run wordpress.com which allows you to say "Hi, I want to blog about my food and then you go and say, hey call it 'Gordon my food blog dot wordpress.com' and presto you have your website. 

From there they've got a lot of a-la carte features including a custom domain name. Additionally, you can continually extend the functionality. 

Most businesses will need at least a wordpress.com business account, to project themselves fully into the online world. You'll need a business account for installing the Opentracker.net script. 

There are usually very modest fees, usually on an annual basis. That's how Automatic (the company behind Wordpress.com) makes their money, which they do well. It's a great solution for simple blogs, and simple business sites. However when we're talking about plugins, themes, and custom functionality you don't have those options at wordpress.com. 

It is a very specific little box and if you can play in the sandbox, then that's the place to be when you're talking about the initial stages of a business. 

But if you want to build a business website most of the time we're talking about wordpress.org, because it allows you to customize freely your site to complex business needs. 

Learn more about installing the Opentracker.net script on a wordpress site.