8/30/2021 WordPress Vs.

WordPress Direct

Newsletters

WordPress Vs. WordPress Direct

Small Business | Business Technology & Customer Support | Internet Service Providers
By Laurie Brenner

A content management system used in setting up websites and blogs, WordPress is free to all
users. The software offers multiple themes for setting up and managing website graphics and
appearance, and multiple plugins and widgets to make working with a website quick and easy
for most any person, even those who are not particularly computer-savvy.

WordPress Direct
WordPress Direct is a privately owned website that “produces publishing tools to aid novice
Internet users and experts alike.” The “free” plan allows two installations and one free website.
The basic plan provides 50 installations and 20 dashboard sites and access to the “Pro” theme
library. The “Gold Professional” plan allows 500 installations and 100 sites in your dashboard,

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along with access to the same theme library under the “Basic” plan. The “Platinum” option,
which was sold out at the time of publication, offers 2,000 installations and 500 sites in the
dashboard and pro and advanced theme builders. WordPress Direct is a privately owned
hosting service by Blinking Dot Software, not associated with the creator of WordPress, Matt
Mullenweg.

Web Hosting
Many Web hosting providers provide free installs of WordPress as a content management
system right from your “Control Panel,” known as cPanel. Depending on the hosting package
you purchase, this is often a more inexpensive way for people to go. Some host providers offer
monthly fees as low as $5.95 as of the date of publication for setting up as many sites as you
want; however, this option requires more experience working with these functions, although
each Web hosting program provides ample free tutorials.

Differences
Comparing WordPress to WordPress Direct is not an accurate comparison. The reason is that
WordPress Direct is a privately hosted service using the free WordPress software combined
with Web hosting in one package. The original WordPress website offers each person one free
blog, without any fees, in the same manner that WordPress Direct does. WordPress Direct
charges $39 a month for its “Basic” package, $97 a month for the “Gold Professional and $399
for the “Platinum” as of the time of publication. While it does provide some ease of use
because of simple installations and commands, you can use WordPress free from any of a
number of Web host providers, such as Hostgator, Bluehost or Dreamhost, all offering 1-click
installs and unlimited hosting starting at $5.95 and up as of the date of publication, with
increasing options for higher fees. Unlimited hosting means you can have as many websites
as you want for the one simple fee.

Comparison

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The WordPress main website does not offer any type of website hosting packages, but
recommends Web hosts for use with the WordPress content management system. WordPress
Direct provides all the hosting for you. While WordPress Direct does make it easier to get up
and going with a website, if you take a little time and learn some of the basics of working with
cPanel, you can handle these functions yourself at a fraction of the cost. It comes down to
how much you want to spend per month on hosting services and how much you want to learn
about creating websites on the Internet.

Read More

REFERENCES RESOURCES WRITER BIO

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