What are the Limitations of WordPress.com? An In-Depth Look

Hey there! If you‘re considering starting a blog on WordPress.com, hold on a minute. Their free hosting sounds tempting, but it comes with some big limitations to know first.

In this detailed guide as a seasoned webmaster, I‘ll walk you through the key restrictions when using WordPress.com – especially around making money, customization, and risk of losing your hard work. My goal is to empower you to make the best platform choice aligned with your blogging goals and needs. Let‘s dive in!

Free and Easy, But Limited Functionality

The appeal of WordPress.com is clear – $0 hosting, quick setup, and no technical hassle. For casual bloggers, it‘s a dream come true!

Within minutes you can choose a theme, start writing, and publish to the web – no coding or hosting required. I‘ll admit, that simplicity is hard to beat.

The Good:

• Free blog hosting Forever
• Managed infrastructure and security
• Easy editor and theme options
• Built-in community support

The Limitations:

• Content restrictions and account suspension risks
• No monetization beyond limited ads
• Few customization options
• No access to extend features through plugins

So while WordPress.com makes starting a blog a breeze, it restricts what you can build beyond basic blogging. Let‘s look at why…

1. Strict Limits on Making Money from Your Site

One major limitation with WordPress.com is an inability to leverage your blog for income generation. Their free Terms of Service strictly prohibit:

• Running display ads through Google Adsense, Ezoic, Mediavine or other ad networks. This blocks the easiest way for bloggers to earn passive revenue through site monetization.
• Affiliate marketing links and deals. You can‘t share offers from Amazon Associates, Clickbank, ShareASale and other programs that reward bloggers for sales driven. This cuts out a major potential revenue stream.
• Sponsored posts and native advertising deals with brands. Promoted and paid content partnerships are off the table, limiting ways to monetize your niche authority.
• Selling products or services directly from your blog. If you want to turn your site into an ecommerce store, WordPress.com won‘t allow it.

According to MonetizePros, display ads alone can generate $250 to $500 per month for sites with only 10,000 pageviews. WordPress.com‘s restrictions blow up most blogger‘s options for earning significant income from a site.

The one exception is WordAds, an in-house display ad program. But it requires:

• High traffic of at least 10k to 15k pageviews per month
• Original, non-commercial niche content that meets strict editorial standards
• Manual review and approval from WordPress.com based on undefined criteria

Even if approved, you share revenue generated with WordPress.com. For bloggers who want to control and maximize their earnings, WordPress.com massively limits options.

2. Little Control Over Themes and Design

WordPress is all about customization, but WordPress.com blocks two key aspects of personalizing your site‘s look and feel:

Uploading Themes

The free themes offered on WordPress.com are modern and well-designed. However, your options are limited to what‘s available in their theme marketplace only.

There is no ability to upload and install a theme you purchased elsewhere or designed yourself. This means no access to popular commercial themes like:

• Astra – used on over 600,000 sites
• GeneratePress – lightweight and fast
• Divi – visual page builder

You‘re stuck choosing among the couple dozen free themes WordPress.com offers. While they look nice for basic sites, you lose the customization and branding options pro themes enable.

Editing Theme Code and Functionality

With free WordPress.com plans, you also can‘t modify theme files and code. At best with upgraded plans, you can:

• Change colors
• Adjust fonts
• Add some CSS

But you still can‘t touch template structure, PHP files, or integrate functionality like:

• Custom headers and footers
• Layout adjustments
• New widgets and sidebars
• Feature upgrades or modifications

This limits branding, personalization, and customization possibilities – especially for sites wanting a unique look and user experience.

According to Kinsta‘s analysis, over 87% of active WordPress sites use a custom theme. WordPress.com blocks this level of design freedom and control.

3. No Extending Functionality via Plugins

One of WordPress‘ biggest strengths is its vast plugin library – over 55,000 free plugins to add features with a single click. Plugins enable easy integrations for things like:

• Contact forms
• Galleries and photos
• Social media
• SEO optimizations
• Security protections
• Calendars and events
• And endless possibilities more…

But WordPress.com disables the plugin menu entirely. You‘re limited to default functionality only.

Plugins are risky from an infrastructure perspective. But not having them severely limits what users can build. WordPress pro Anastasios Pagalos notes:

"By disabling plugins and limiting theme selection, WordPress.com locks down sites to protect their shared servers and resources. But this takes away the open nature of WordPress that attracts advanced users."

So while the constraints help performance, they undermine extending WordPress through plugins.

4. Sudden Account Suspension Remains a Risk

WordPress.com aims to keep free accounts spam and abuse free. But their overzealous efforts often suspend blogs without notice.

Violating Terms of Service in any way can lead to instant shutdown and blacklisting of your subdomain. And there is no clear appeal process according to users.

WordPress.com staff may disable blogs for activities like:

• Excessive promotion and marketing
• Affiliate links and monetization attempts
• Controversial or explicit content
• Hateful speech and harassment

They also allow visitors to report blogs for review. Summary account termination is often the result:

While certainly their right for free hosting services, this lack of due process or warnings puts years of your hard work at risk. Self-hosted WordPress gives you full control over site management instead.

5. Limited Scalability for Advanced Sites

A free WordPress.com blog provides basic blogging needs. But for growing businesses and professional sites, key features are missing.

Examples of advanced functionality you can‘t build on WordPress.com include:

• Ecommerce stores – No shopping carts, products or payment integration allowed.
• Membership communities – Can‘t offer premium content or gate access.
• Online courses – No way to create and sell courses or coaching programs.
• Forums or social networks – Advanced community and discussion features blocked.
• Business directories – Can‘t build out custom listings, profiles and reviews.
• Job boards – No option for job listings, company profiles and applications.

Table: WordPress.com Functionality Limitations

Feature	WordPress.com Free	WordPress.org
Ecommerce Store	❌	✅
Paid Memberships	❌	✅
Online Courses	❌	✅
Forums	❌ Limited	✅ Advanced
Business Directory	❌	✅
Job Board	❌	✅

Without custom post types, custom fields, user roles and access rules, WordPress.com can‘t support robust professional sites and web apps.

As WordPress engineer Morten Rand-Hendriksen explains:

"WordPress.com is intentionally limiting. It handles the basics well, but doesn‘t allow the flexibility of features, integrations and customizations that make WordPress powerful."

So if you plan to ever grow beyond basic blogging, WordPress.com becomes very restrictive.

When Does WordPress.com Work Well?

WordPress.com remains a viable option if:

• You want totally free hosting – $0 is hard to beat!
• Don‘t need to monetize your content – it‘s just a passion project or hobby.
• Like the included themes and find one that fits your vision.
• Don‘t need complex features – sticking to long form blog posts.
• Low risk tolerance and happy to trade control for convenience.

It can be a great starting place for new bloggers learning the ropes, casual hobby bloggers, or personal journaling sites.

If you just want an easy online home without big ambitions, WordPress.com does the job. The features and design options will likely satisfy your needs.

When It‘s Time to Graduate to WordPress.org

Consider switching to self-hosted WordPress.org if you:

• Have an existing WordPress.com site severely limiting you
• Want to run ads, sell products, offer memberships, or leverage the site financially in any way
• Need the flexibility of custom themes for your brand identity and unique design
• Require specific features possible only through plugins
• Are concerned about sudden account suspension terminating your hard work
• Plan to expand into an online business or professional site

The self-hosted WordPress.org option has no limits, but requires you manage hosting and technical details. The extra control comes with responsibility to maintain it.

Our guide to migrating from WordPress.com to WordPress.org can help make this transition smooth when you‘re ready!

Viable Alternatives Beyond WordPress.com

If WordPress.com‘s restrictions won‘t cut it, other free blogging platforms are worth considering:

Blogger

• Free blog hosting from Google with customizable templates
• More flexibility over design than WordPress.com
• But still limited monetization options

Medium

• Simple publishing and built-in audience
• Focus on short form content and ideas
• You don‘t own your content – Medium does!

Wix

• Drag and drop website builder with templated designs
• Completely free basic plan with upgrade options
• But still no full WordPress functionality

Tumblr

• Ideal for shareable content like quotes, images, memes
• Very short form and social focused
• Reblogging makes content go viral
• Limited options for long form articles

Each platform comes with pros and cons to weigh based on your specific blogging goals and style. Do your research to pick what fits you best!

The Final Word: Choose Your Platform Wisely

While tempting, the limitations around earnings, design, features, and risk of WordPress.com are dealbreakers for many bloggers.

Before investing time into the platform, carefully consider your aspirations for the site short and long term. Pick your platform strategically based on what will best serve your vision and needs down the road.

I hope mapping out the key WordPress.com restrictions helps you make the best choice for your website and blog! Let me know if any questions come up. I‘m happy to offer my insight as an experienced webmaster.