What is the difference between wordpress.org and wordpress.com?

Sites on Wordpress.com and self-hosted sites with WordPress (which we teach in our courses) are very different. Here is a comparison infographic to explain, but in essence, self-hosted sites are infinitely more customizable and extendable.

WordPress.com is a host specializing in WordPress, but WordPress.org is the actual home of the open-source content management system.

We will be downloading the WordPress software at WordPress.org because it allows you to host it under your own domain on a host and plan of your choosing, and fully customize the software.