Does WordPress Require Hosting On WordPress? FAQs vs Fiction.

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Does WordPress require Hosting?

Yes, if you want your WordPress website to be live on the internet where people can find it, then your WordPress website does require hosting, there’s no way around that. However, you don’t need “WordPress Hosting” or your WordPress site to be hosted on WordPress.com either.

In fact, there are many independent Web Hosting providers that offer self hosting plans including inexpensive shared hosting geared towards WordPress users.

Other web hosting packages for self hosted WordPress users include, Cloud, VPS and Dedicated Server Hosting, even specialized “Managed WordPress Hosting.

Does WordPress require Hosting on WordPress.com?

WordPress, the CMS, is open source. This means that WordPress does not require hosting on WordPress.com nor on any other mandatory platform or Web Host. But, where can you host WordPress?

The beauty of WordPress is not only that it’s free and open source, but you can host your WordPress website anywhere you like. You can even set up your own server based right out of your home and host it yourself. 

However, if you want to start out hosting your WordPress site with WordPress.com, they do offer both free and paid hosting plans.

In short if you want to build a WordPress website, then you do require some form of hosting to be available for visitors out on the Internet. This is simply because your hosting server is where your website files are stored and kept to be accessed for those on the internet.

Can I use WordPress without Hosting?

You can download WordPress for free and you can use it, work on it, learn it as well as build a fully functional website without hosting

In fact, as I’ve mentioned above you can download WordPress onto your local computer and create your own website before even hosting it. 

This will give you a chance to not only learn the WordPress CMS and how to configure your theme but also learn about plugins. 

Actually, there are thousands of free themes and plugins that you can also download onto your local computer to try out. All without hosting and all for free.

Here’s a post that can take you through how to build a WordPress website without hosting, “Can I build a WordPress site without hosting? You bet you can!

Where can I get a WordPress download?

If you would like to get a WordPress download without hosting the easiest way to get it would be to go to WordPress.org and download it from there. You can also download any of the thousands of themes and plugins while you’re there. 

You can also work on them as I’ve mentioned above, from your local computer. When you feel comfortable and ready, you can then get a hosting plan and upload it to your Web Host dashboard and get it live on the internet.

Does WordPress provide Hosting?

WordPress.org is a non-profit foundation that was created to promote the WordPress CMS, ecosystem and open source movement. 

Unfortunately, WordPress.org does not provide hosting. However, WordPress.com which is owned by the company Automattic whose CEO, Matt Mullenweg, was one of the original founders of WordPress.org. 

WordPress.com does offer Managed WordPress Hosting. 

In fact, WordPress.com does have a free blog plan where you can create a WordPress blog or website and get it hosted there for free. 

If you would like more control and flexibility of your WordPress website you can self-host it on any number of Web Hosting Providers. 

For more on self-hosting a WordPress website, check out this post, “What does self hosted WordPress mean?”.

Is WordPress free with Hosting?

WordPress CMS is free regardless of your Web Host or hosting plan. 

In fact, most Web Hosting Providers do offer WordPress and two methods of installation from their dashboard for you to download WordPress into your website’s files hosted on their servers. 

From there you will be able to activate WordPress, go into your dashboard and configure your theme and plugins.

Does WordPress give you a domain name?

If you get a free blog plan with WordPress.com, then it will include a domain name. 

However, you will also have “wordpress.com” in the URL of your WordPress domain name. 

If you want a custom domain name you will have to pay for it either at WordPress.com or any other official domain name registrar.

Is WordPress Hosting good?

WordPress Hosting is good for anyone who is not tech savvy, has the patience nor inclination for all the technical stuff that is included with setting up and running a website. 

However, it’s not as difficult nor are the so-called “technical details” that hard to figure out. 

You can actually figure out all the technical details you need to know to get a WordPress website up and live on the internet as well as run it yourself. 

But there are many reasons why you may want WordPress Hosting instead.

You see, with Managed WordPress Hosting your Web Host, whether that’s WordPress.com or another Web Hosting Provider, should manage all the technical details of running your WordPress website. 

These can include security, managing performance, your plugins and your theme as well as making sure that they are always kept updated, etc.

Is GoDaddy the same as WordPress?

GoDaddy is a web hosting provider, whereas WordPress is a CMS. Of course, you also have WordPress.com and WordPress.org, which I have already touched upon earlier in this post. 

You can actually download WordPress from GoDaddy for free into your GoDaddy Web Hosting Account’s Dashboard and configure it there.

How do I get a free WordPress domain?

You can get a free WordPress domain by signing up with WordPress.com and opting for their free blog plan. 

You will not only get a free WordPress blog or website, but you will also get a domain name. 

As I’ve mentioned above, that free domain name will include “wordpress.com” in the URL

How do I permanently buy a domain name?

Unfortunately, you cannot permanently buy a domain name. Domain names are only good for one year. 

Upon the expiration of that year you will have the option to renew it for another year. 

This will go on in perpetuity since no one can truly and legally own a domain name permanently. 

However, you can pay for several years in advance for your domain name.

Does Wix provide free Hosting?

Like WordPress.com and their free blog plan, Wix also provides free hosting with their free blog plan as well.

Can I use Wix with my own Hosting?

Unfortunately, Wix is a closed source, proprietary CMS. You can only host Wix on the Wix hosting platform.

You cannot self-host a Wix site nor even hosted on your own local computer. That’s one of the biggest drawbacks for having a closed source CMS like Wix.

Which is the cheapest WordPress Hosting plan?

The cheapest WordPress hosting plan on wordpress.com is of course their free blog plan. 

Their cheapest paid plan is called the personal plan, you can click here, “WordPress Free vs Personal vs Premium. Which plan is best for you.” to see a comparison between the two. 

Otherwise, the cheapest self-hosting plan is usually a Shared Hosting plan. Shared Hosting plans are offered by most, if not all, independent Web Hosting Providers.

Does WordPress require hosting on WordPress.com? Conclusions.

As you can see WordPress does not require hosting on WordPress.com. In fact, you can download WordPress CMS for free on your local computer and build a WordPress website without any hosting at all. 

If and when you do choose to make your website live on the internet, you will need some form of hosting. 

Whether that hosting is with WordPress.com or you decide to self-host your WordPress website on any number of Web Hosting Providers, it will need some sort of formal hosting in order for the world to see it live on the internet. 

The good news is that WordPress is open source and you have many more possibilities not only where you can host your WordPress website, but also what kind of hosting as well as many pricing options, so you can pick one that best suits your budget.

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