Every WordPress site needs a host. This guide explains WordPress.com hosting and covers the most common questions you may have about hosting a website.
In this guide
“WordPress” (or WordPress.org) is a free software that can be installed with a number of companies. WordPress.com is one, and there are hundreds of others.
By purchasing a WordPress.com plan, you will have everything you need to create and host a website and share it with the world. Your site will be hosted on WordPress.com. WordPress.com plans are all-inclusive managed hosting, so you do not need to host your site elsewhere.
Read on to learn what’s included in WordPress.com hosting, or visit our guide to learn how to import your existing website from another host.
“Managed hosting” means that we take care of all the technical aspects of hosting your site, like backups, security, caching, and more. If you choose to host your site with another host, you would typically be responsible for these functions. This is why WordPress.com is ideal for those who don’t want to worry about the technical stuff, and just focus on creating and growing your website.
What are the benefits of managed hosting with WordPress.com instead of another WordPress host?
WordPress.com is a hosted version of the open-source WordPress software. You can install WordPress on any host, but with WordPress.com hosting, you get access to backups, security protection, SSL certificates, storage capacity, enhanced performance, 24/7 support, automatic updates, and more, all included in our plans.
Can I start with managed hosting on WordPress.com for free?
Yes. A free site on WordPress.com includes editing, themes, and a free .wordpress.com site address. It’s a great option if you’re just getting started with WordPress, and you can upgrade your plan for additional features at any time.
Can I migrate my WordPress site from another host to managed hosting with WordPress.com?
Yes. You can export content from your current site and bring that content into a WordPress.com site. With our higher-level plans, there are additional options for importing that include theme customizations and plugins. You can choose the best import option for your needs in our Import support guide.
If I were to use WordPress.com as my general hosting to build sites for clients, do you have packages just for this kind of business?
WordPress.com is a popular choice for agencies and freelancers who create websites for other people. You can manage multiple sites in one WordPress.com account and transfer the site ownership to your client upon completion. Purchase a WordPress.com plan for each site you create (you can bill your client for the chosen plan.)
Does managed hosting take care of updates to the software? Do you update PHP?
Hosting at WordPress.com ensures your site will always be up to date with the latest version of WordPress. We take care of your site’s updates to the WordPress software as well as updating versions of PHP.
Does managed hosting include security to protect me from getting hacked?
Absolutely! We take security very seriously and have a dedicated team whose job it is to ensure the safety of all websites on WordPress.com. Here is a complete overview of what to expect.
Do you back up my website?
Yes, we automatically save a backup of your site each day (and often multiple times per day if you are making a lot of large changes.) You can restore a backup on our higher-level plans. Other plans cannot directly access backups, but our systems behind the scenes ensure your content is kept safe and secure.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes! If you already have a domain, you can connect or transfer it to WordPress.com. All our annual plans also include a free year of domain registration for new domains.
Are SSL certificates included? Do you update them when they expire?
Yes. We issue SSL certificates for all sites on WordPress.com and update them for domains that are hosted on our servers.
What is Jetpack?
Jetpack is included in all websites for WordPress.com, with Jetpack Professional included on our plugin-enabled plans. At lower plans, we still include many of the features from Jetpack to enhance your site’s features.
Is email hosting included with managed hosting plans at WordPress.com?
While not included in the cost of the plan, you can add on email hosting at great value. To learn more, check out this guide.
Where is my site hosted?
WordPress.com hosts your site on thousands of servers in several separate data centers in different parts of the US and worldwide. You can view a real-time traffic map of our data centers showing their global distribution and choose your site’s primary data center for optimal performance.
This section of the guide applies to sites with the WordPress.com Creator or Entrepreneur plan. If your site has one of our legacy plans, this feature is available on the Pro plan.
Can I use a custom theme when I host my site with WordPress.com?
Yes! With a plugin-enabled plan, you can upload custom or third-party themes as well as plugins.
Does WordPress.com limit me from using plugins or third-party themes?
With our plugin-enabled plans, you have the ability to install any third-party tool to your site, including ecommerce plugins like WooCommerce, SEO plugins like Yoast Premium, and any of the 50,000+ other plugins and 10,000+ themes available in the WordPress ecosystem. There are a small number of plugins we don’t support, usually because they conflict with identical features already included in our platform. Check the list of Incompatible Plugins here.
Is WordPress.com ideal for an ecommerce website?
Yes. With a plugin-enabled site, you can integrate plugins like WooCommerce to build a store to sell products and services online. We are the same company that develops and supports the WooCommerce plugin, so WordPress.com is the best home for your online store.
How does loading time compare to other hosts?
WordPress.com offers 100% uptime and the fastest WP bench (measures how many WP queries per second) of any hosting company in any price tier. A website owner should never have to compromise on speed when choosing a host, so we optimize our platform to ensure a lightning-fast experience for your website’s visitors.
How does loading time differ from one plan upgrade to another?
Plans don’t make a difference in the site’s loading time, as all WordPress.com sites are optimized for speed. The speed of your site will only be affected by the theme you are using, the size of your images, and your installed plugins. You can learn more about speed optimization here.
Does WordPress.com have a way to track how many visitors are visiting my site in analytics?
Yes, we include detailed stats plus the ability to connect to Google Analytics.
How do I get help if I have questions? Is support included?
Yes! We offer varying levels of support for all our paying customers as well as public support forums for free users. Contact us.
If you already have a WordPress site and you’re not sure where it’s hosted, enter the website address into the Site Profiler to find out which hosting provider it is currently hosted on.
