With a large number of people running websites on WordPress, you may be considering running your own, but maybe you can't decide whether you should download WordPress and run it on your own server or just use WordPress.com. Or maybe you didn't know you had a choice! By the way, I say the phrase "use Wordpress.org", but note that you don't actually use Wordpress.org--it's just the way I describe using a self-hosted WordPress installation.

You have two choices for starting your own WordPress blog site. The first choice is to create a free blog at WordPress.com. The second is to head over to WordPress.org and download the free software for use on your own server.

Here's a short list of pros and cons defining the difference between the two options:

Wordpress.com (hosted)
Pros
  • It's free to use and has no monthly fees
  • No technical skills or knowledge needed (other than some customizations)
  • No need to worry about updates

Cons
  • No custom domain/url (less professional)
  • Can't take advantage of some advanced features
  • No admin controls
Wordpress.org (self-hosted)

Pros
  • It's free to use
  • Full admin control over all aspects
  • Fully customizable
  • You can use your own domain/url (more professional)

Cons
  • Monthly fees for webhosting services
  • Yearly fees for domain name(s)
  • Requires some tech skills and knowledge
  • Must apply all updates (although the process is automated and easy)
  • Responsible for managing security of software and server
These lists are not exhaustive and of course how you define a "pro" and a "con" in this situation will differ greatly on your experience and skills, but hopefully you get an idea of the difference between a hosted solution and a self-hosted solution.