.com vs .org

WordPress.com and WordPress.org are two different web platforms with vastly different functionalities and capabilities. While WordPress.com is hosted on WordPress servers and has drastically reduced functionality, WordPress.org requires hosting but offers a much wider array of plugins and customization. This is a summary of their differences:

.org	.com
$50 a year minimum	Ranges from free to $299 per year
Requires hosting through a separate web hosting account	Hosted on WordPress servers
Maintained and updated manually by the domain host	Automatically maintained and updated by WordPress
Customizable domain	Free sub-domain with subscription
Full range of customization and plugins	Limited access to customization and plugins
Includes Ecommerce capabilities	Does not support Ecommerce
Offers multisite hosting options	Limited to a single site
Full access to backend code, MySQL database, and files	No access to code, database, or files
Upload and personalize themes	Choose from select themes or purchase a premium theme
Software is completely free	Additional features will require paid upgrades
Control over advertisement, affiliate links, and all other monetization	WordPress runs automatic advertisements unless ad-free upgrade purchased
Designed for customers who plan to expand their website or use it for business	Designed for non-technical users who want a blog or casual website