WordPress.com Review 2024 [My Blog Hosting Experience, Key Features, Pros, Cons, Performance, & More]

Today, we’re diving into an in-depth review of WordPress.com hosting!

In this article, I’ll be sharing my personal, unbiased experience to help you decide whether investing in WordPress.com hosting is truly worth it.

Just to be clear—this isn’t about the WordPress website builder, but specifically their hosting service.

From performance tests and support to overall user experience, I’ve highlighted the key strengths as well as some major drawbacks of WordPress hosting.

This review is not like the typical WordPress reviews that only share generic information. In this review, we’ve shared our personal experience after setting up our site on WordPress hosting.

And if you’re pressed for time, don’t worry! There’s a quick summary waiting for you just after this.

WordPress Review: What’s My Verdict (Quick Summary)

WordPress.com Hosting is a great option for users who don’t want to compromise on security and performance. Since it’s fully managed, you can make your site live and forget about maintenance or technical issues. Their servers can handle traffic from small sites to millions of visitors, making them suitable for everything from blogs to high-end eCommerce websites, with full access to WordPress CMS features.

As per my assessment, the personal and premium plans didn’t seem like the best options to me at their price points. However, the business plan offers real value, provides better performance, has the option to install custom plugins and themes, extra security perks, and premium support.

WordPress.com Pros:

WordPress.com Cons:

WordPress Com Review: Introduction

WordPress is one of the oldest blog creation platforms, where today more than 62% of the world’s websites are hosted. They are well-known for their drag-and-drop blog creation CMS builder.

WordPress.com and WordPress.org are two different things. 

WordPress.org is an open-source CMS that you can install for free with any web hosting service to create your own site.

However, WordPress.com is a hosting service owned by the same company, where you get not only the CMS but also a fully managed premium web hosting, allowing you to make your site live on the internet. You can also register a new domain here.

Compared to other web hosting companies, WordPress.com doesn’t impose any bandwidth restrictions. However, they only offer WordPress hosting, meaning you can’t set up other hosting environments like VPS, Cloud, or Dedicated servers here.

With the help of WordPress CMS and their fast managed hosting, you can set up anything from a personal blog to a full-fledged eCommerce store. Thanks to the available templates and website builder, designing a website without coding is possible. Developers can also access the website’s code and customize the back end.

Performance Test: Is WordPress Blog Hosting Fast?

The first thing we check in any new web hosting server is its performance.

To offer maximum value through our performance test, we send traffic to the WordPress hosting server from multiple locations. This helps users understand how well the hosting server handles traffic from various parts of the world.

How did we test WordPress Blog Hosting server?  

To test the efficiency of our WordPress.com hosted site’s server, today we are going to conduct four major tests:

• Speed Test
• Server Response Time Test
• Uptime Test
• Stress Test

My Test Site Configuration: WordPress Business Plan

To keep the test as raw as possible, I disabled server-side caching and the Jetpack CDN, which are enabled by default.

1. WordPress Hosting Speed Test

Search engines boost the ranking of pages that typically load within 0-4 seconds. So, is WordPress hosting fast? Let’s find out.

I used the tool “GTMetrix” to send traffic to my WordPress website from various global locations. 

Here are the loading time results:

Overall, WordPress hosting has a good average loading time, but it’s not the best. Enabling server-side caching and Jetpack’s free CDN could bring some improvement. 

2. WordPress Server Response Time [TTFB] Test

TTFB (Time to First Byte) measures how quickly a server responds to a request. This is another performance metric that Google considers when ranking web pages.

Thanks to GTMetrix, we were able to find the TTFB scores for WordPress hosting servers across different traffic locations:

3. WordPress Uptime Monitoring Test

You definitely wouldn’t want your site to go down, causing visitors to leave. Uptime indicates how reliable a web server is.

We used a tool called Uptime Robot, which continuously monitors websites and reports any server crashes or downtime.

For the past 20 days, I’ve been monitoring WordPress servers, and guess what – they haven’t gone down even once! This means the uptime is 100%.

Although WordPress hosting providers don’t offer an uptime guarantee, their servers have shown 100% uptime, making them quite reliable.

4. WordPress Stress Test

If your site frequently manages high traffic or sudden spikes, running a stress test can reveal how well WordPress hosting servers handle the pressure.

To run this test, I used the Loadster tool. Over 5 minutes, 101,152 automated requests were sent to my WordPress website from various locations around the world.

My WordPress site’s server did not crash, and the average load time was 1.67 seconds.

It seems the stress test was successful—WordPress servers are reliable and can handle sites with high traffic, such as eCommerce or news websites where sudden spikes are common.

Words on Performance Test:

I would rate WordPress hosting servers 4.5/5 in terms of performance. Since they have multiple data centers in the USA, the performance has been excellent for audiences located in or near the USA. 

However, the performance is not as good in Asian countries or those which are far from the USA. To improve this, you would need to enable Jetpack inbuilt CDN or Cloudflare’s CDN (Which comes at an additional monthly cost).

In terms of server reliability, WordPress servers stand out. 

Their uptime is impressive, with zero downtime recorded. Thanks to their support for automated burst scaling, their load-handling capacity is superior to other web hosting services. 

They outperform Hostinger and Bluehost in load management, which is especially beneficial for websites that experience sudden traffic surges.

WordPress Com Impressive Features of 2024:

On WordPress.com, you’ll find features related to both web hosting and the WordPress CMS.

Let me quickly introduce you to some WordPress features that enhance your overall hosting and website-building experience. You could even say these features are a good reason to consider WordPress hosting.

1.) Themes, Plugins & High End Website Customization:

There is a reason millions of people prefer WordPress.org as their CMS, and that is the design customization possibilities. And the good thing is, you get all these features with WordPress.com hosting as well.

– Themes Are the Extra Value:

With WordPress hosting, you get many premium themes (for blogs, stores, portfolios, etc.) for free. If you choose other web hosts, you’ll have to purchase premium themes separately, which can cost around $150-$200 per year. 

So yes, you can save money here.

When I opened their theme library, I found over 100 customized templates categorized into Blog, Portfolio, Business, Premium Store, and many more.

So yes, there is something for everyone.

– Plugins are the Core Feature:

Plugins are the WordPress CMS feature you also get in their hosting. There is a plugin repository in WordPress where 50k+ free plugins are available. 

These plugins simply extend the functionality of your site without any coding.

For example if you install a free plugin called Rank Math in the SEO category, then you can SEO optimize a lot of things (Schema Markup, Redirection, etc) without any coding.

If you are a beginner and you want to add a slider then you don’t have to write a code or hire a developer, simply search for a slider plugin here and you’ll find the solution for sure. You can’t live without WordPress Plugins, that’s for sure.

Keep in mind that you can only add new plugins to your WordPress site if you’re subscribed to their Business plan or higher. I should mark this as a disadvantage of this hosting.

– Quick Site Creation with Drag & Drop Block Editor & Patterns:

If you install a premium WordPress theme, like GeneratePress, you get a lot of design options that allow you to customize different aspects of your site, including Typography, Layout, Header, CSS, Fonts, Colors, and more.

But this is not the end.

WordPress offers a dedicated Drag & Drop Block Editor that allows you to organize and arrange page elements using a simple drag-and-drop approach. For instance, if you need two columns on a page with an image element, you just have to drag the column block and drop it onto the page.

They also offer Pre-Made Page layouts, which allow you to quickly set up important pages on your website, like About Us, Services, Contact, Menu, Blog Post, Store Pages, and more.

In addition, the WordPress editor provides Predefined Block Patterns that help you achieve various layout designs for the content in your posts and pages.

For example, there is a pattern block available for CTA buttons. So, if you want to add an engaging and visually appealing CTA, you simply select it, and it will be added to your post content. This is a completely no-code technique, perfect for beginners to set up great layouts for their website content.

They even have a “Paid Content Block” feature, which allows you to offer your premium content exclusively to subscribers and earn money from it.

Ultimately, having these design tools in WordPress allows beginners to set up their blog design by themselves in most cases. They can eliminate the need for web design services and save money.

2.) They Offer a Lot of Built-in Plugins:

Plugins are the core features of WordPress CMS. They can extend the functionality of a website beyond your thinking.

WordPress.com hosting isn’t priced higher for no reason — they include many premium plugins for free across all plans. If you go with other hosting providers and install WordPress.org manually, you’d need to purchase these plugins separately, which can significantly increase your overall cost.

When I purchased WordPress hosting, I received a total of 8 pre-installed plugins for free, with their maintenance handled by WordPress’s team.

One of the first premium plugins you get is Jetpack. It manages your site’s security and performance. Its paid plans typically range from $5-$10/month, but it’s included for free with WordPress.com hosting. 

Besides performance, Jetpack also has an “AI Assistant Block” which simply is a Generative AI tool of WordPress. It can generate new content & titles, fix existing content, feature images, and more.

Getting an AI generative tool with WordPress hosting is a perk as you don’t have to invest in a third party AI writing tool.

Another essential free plugin I got is Akismet spam protection. Once your website is live on the internet, you’ll notice spam comments start appearing after a while. Without this plugin, you might face issues like hacking, security breaches, and link spam.

3.) The Security is Tight Compared to Others Hosting Services:

Nothing is completely secure in the world of the internet. Typically, entry-level web hosts are less secure, but the scenario here is different. They’ve invested heavily in security, keeping it really secure.

Along with Jetpack real time daily automated backups and Akismet spam protection, here are the additional security features you get with WordPress.com hosting:

• DDoS Protection
• WAF Protection
• Malware Scanning and Removal
• Built in 2FA
• Proactive Plugins Monitoring
• SSL
• Automated Backups
• 1 Click Restore
• Real time security scans
• Plugin Auto updates
• Plugin Maintenance
• Staging site

Seems like all major security features are present, they even send you Vulnerability notifications for core and plugins.

But I like to highlight that most of them are only available in Business and Commerce plans. Again this is a disadvantage for those seeking entry level plans.

4.) They Have Performance Features for Handling Bulk Traffic:

There’s good news for high-traffic websites. 

WordPress hosting servers support automated burst scaling, which means in situations of heavy traffic, their servers automatically scale your bandwidth limit and CPU power to ensure there’s no impact on website performance.

At first, I thought WordPress.com was just listing this feature on their pricing page for advertising purposes. But when I tested their servers myself, I discovered the truth.

Please see the performance test where I tested the load handling capacity of WordPress servers.

Apart from that these are some notable performance optimizations offered by WordPress.com hosting:

• They have zero restriction on bandwidth and number of traffic.
• They auto-optimize your site data center so that readers always get a good loading time.
• To improve reach, They enabled global edge caching and Jetpack CDN (28 Data points) to all WordPress plans by default.
• Via Jetpack, they also enable image compression which ultimately reduces the page size and hence loading time.

Since this is fully managed hosting, server optimization runs continuously in the background, handled by WordPress engineers. This is a benefit you don’t get with typical low-cost shared hosting services.

5.) Store Creation:

There are dedicated store features available in WordPress hosting that can help you run even a big eCommerce site like Amazon.

Although I used to recommend Hostinger for budget eCommerce hosting, WordPress hosting can also be a great option for all small or enterprise-level eCommerce stores.

They offer WooCommerce optimized hosting, which is a store creation plugin as popular as Shopify, specifically designed for WordPress users. You can sell physical products, digital products, and even memberships through your store.

You get store themes, store design tools, inventory management, upselling features, user accounts, cart tools, unlimited product pages, shipping tools, and dozens of other features. You can sell in 60+ countries as this plugin helps set up a payment gateway that accepts payments in over 135 currencies.

Just keep in mind that while you can enable the free WooCommerce plugin on the Business plan if you have an advanced eCommerce store, they offer a dedicated Commerce plan, which includes access to WooCommerce’s paid features.

If Shopify sounds costlier, then you can explore WordPress hosting store plans for sure.

6.) Built-in SEO & Marketing Features:

In my experience of reviewing multiple hosting services, this is the first time I’ve seen a hosting provider offer built-in SEO tools.

Well, some of the SEO tasks that you typically handle through plugins in WordPress CMS are available right after installing WordPress hosting.

For example, you’ll get tools for Sitemap creation, URL management, Google Analytics integration, SEO titles, AMP support, and more.

And if you want full control over on-page SEO, there are many free SEO plugins available in WordPress, including Rank Math, Yoast SEO, and others.

Talking about the Marketing perspective, WordPress hosting does have some awesome tools for example they offer an inbuilt newsletter tool that helps you in increasing your subscriber’s list.

With their Form Block, you can set up a contact form, appointment form, event forms, and many more and get your customers engaged.

Pricing: Does WordPress Com Offer Fair Plans? 

With WordPress.com hosting, you can make your site live for just $2.75/month… But is there a catch?

1.) Fair Pricing or Not?

WordPress.com offers 4 fully managed plans:

• Personal: Starts from $2.75/month
• Premium: Starts from $5.50/month
• Business: Starts from $17.50/month
• Premium: Starts from $31.50/month

Well, hosting companies often offer lower prices for long-term plans, and WordPress does the same. You’ll get the $2.75/month price only if you opt for a 3-year subscription. Otherwise, their annual plans start at around $4/month.

However, a key issue with WordPress Personal and Premium plans is the inability to install custom themes or plugins, a crucial feature for most websites. In comparison, other hosting providers offer this flexibility with any plan once WordPress.org is installed.

If your site is important to your business, you’ll need plugins, which are only available with the Business or Commerce plans. Their lack of custom plugin support limits long-term use.

While the Personal and Premium plans might suit beginners or to build simple blogs, For more advanced management, the Business plan is a more complete option.

You can make your decision based on other factors such as storage, store features, available themes & plugins, and more.

Thankfully, all WordPress hosting plans come with a free domain for one year and a free CDN.

Here’s a quick look at what these plans offer:

2.) Renewal Costs

You’ll be happy to hear that, unlike other hosting companies that often triple their charges at renewal time, WordPress doesn’t do that.

If the plans don’t change, you’ll pay the same renewal rate that you paid the first time.

3.) Money Back Policy

Refunds are important too! Here, you get a 14-day return policy on 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year plans, and a 7-day return policy on monthly plans.

4.) Special Offers and Coupon Codes

If you’re looking into WordPress Hosting, you can take advantage of a 30% discount available to new users on all plans, thanks to a recent collaboration.

User Experience with WordPress.com:

When I signed up for WordPress hosting, I found it a bit strange at first because they don’t offer a cPanel. However, after spending a few hours exploring it, I realized that their user interface is quite easy to use.

I have to admit, there’s a short learning curve to fully understand the settings, options, and other configurations available.

Setting up the hosting and domain didn’t take me any time at all, as I migrated from another web host to WordPress, and their support team took care of all the technical aspects for me at no additional cost.

Once they completed the setup, I found my sites listed under their dashboard. The best part is that I didn’t need to install WordPress CMS, as it was installed by default.

When I opened the site, I was prompted to “Activate hosting features,” and at this step, I also had the option to change the data center.

On the overview dashboard, you get details about your hosting plan, backup information, and a quick link to open the WordPress CMS dashboard. These options are very convenient and allow you to access everything quickly!

Since WordPress hosting automatically takes daily backups of your site, you don’t need to worry about that process.

On the Server Settings dashboard, you have multiple options to access the database. Plus, if you accidentally remove the plugins that were provided during the WordPress hosting setup, you can easily restore them with just one click from here.

So, this was the simple user interface of WordPress hosting with only the essential options. Beyond this, the place where you’ll spend most of your time is the WordPress dashboard.

This WordPress CMS dashboard is about 90% the same as what you would get if you manually installed the WordPress.org CMS on any other web hosting. If you’ve never used WordPress CMS before, you’ll need to spend some time here, as there are many settings.

Publishing a post is a one-click process, and designing a post is super easy because you get the WordPress website builder along with dozens of pre-made templates.

WordPress.com Customer Support:

WordPress is a big enterprise-level company so the expectation of great customer support from their team is common.

Well, there is only one way you can contact their support team is via live chat. Now the amount of time they reply back to you is dependent on your plan.

When I signed up for WordPress hosting, I had many concerns regarding CDN, performance settings, data centers, and more.

At first, I tried to clear my doubts using their AI Support Assistant. Honestly, this Assistant is highly trained and was able to resolve most of my questions.

You’ll find the AI Assistant option right in the dashboard, which I found really useful. You can ask this tool anything, and it will immediately address your queries.

For example, when I typed “CDN,” it provided me with detailed information on how CDN works here and so on. It didn’t even feel like I was interacting with an AI assistant, it was that seamless.

I also connected with their human support team via live chat, and they responded to me in 10 minutes which is average.

Their agents are highly technical, and since WordPress is fully managed hosting, they handle all your technical issues themselves, rather than just giving you instructions, which is what most cheap web hosting companies do.

WordPress.com vs Alternatives

WordPress.com is a fully managed web hosting and CMS tool. In this range, the hosting service providers that can match their level of performance are:

1.) WPX Hosting: WPX Hosting is also fully managed WordPress hosting, with plans starting at $20.83/month. You can install WordPress CMS on this hosting, and it offers a 99.99% uptime guarantee. We are using this service on one of our websites and have been satisfied so far.

2.) Hostinger: Hostinger also offers WordPress hosting, which is suitable for users with a limited budget who are looking for good performance for their new website. Compared to WordPress.com, you can install up to 300 websites under a single license. Hosting plans here start at $2.99/month.

Final Words: Is WordPress Good?

WordPress.com is a great place to host your website. Their servers have proven reliable in handling high traffic, and their support team has been quite helpful.

However, it’s only a good hosting option if you’re willing to invest in their Business or higher plans. The lower-tier plans offer limited customization, which isn’t ideal.

When it comes to security, WordPress.com hosting is unmatched. It’s also 100% beginner-friendly, though you’ll need to invest some time in learning the basics of WordPress CMS to make the most of both the hosting and the blog creation platform.

So, what do you think about the detailed WordPress.com review? Did you find it useful? Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comment section below.

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FAQs About WordPress Blog Hosting Review

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