<b>WordPress.org vs WordPress.com (the confusing twins)</b>

<b>WordPress.org vs WordPress.com (the confusing twins)</b>

Two sites, almost the same name, very different things. This trips up nearly everyone.

— WordPress.org gives you the free software to install on your own hosting. You own everything and can use any plugin or theme. This is what most tutorials mean by "WordPress."
— WordPress.com is a paid hosting service that runs that software for you. Easier, but the cheaper plans block plugins and custom themes.

Why it matters: if you follow an .org tutorial about installing a plugin on a free .com account, you'll get stuck, because the feature simply isn't there.

A quick test: if you can install any plugin you want, you're on .org-style self-hosted WordPress.

<i>In plain words:</i> .org is the software you run yourself, .com is a host that runs it for you.