WordPress.com suits small sites that want low cost: plugins start on its Personal plan at $4 a month billed yearly.
WP Engine suits businesses that want managed hosting with 30 to 60 days of backups, from $28 a month billed yearly for the first year.
Neither one is WordPress itself. Both are companies that host the free WordPress software for you.
Three names, three different things
WordPress is free software, while WordPress.com (owned by Automattic) and WP Engine are two separate companies that host it.
WordPress is the software itself. WordPress.org describes it as open source software licensed under the GPLv2, on its about page. Anyone can run it on any host.
WordPress.com is a hosting service owned by Automattic. It installs and runs WordPress for you on its own servers, with plans from free upward.
WP Engine is an independent hosting company. It runs WordPress on managed plans, and doesn’t own the WordPress software or the WordPress.com service.
WordPress.org is the home of the free software and its community. The WordPress.com vs WordPress.org difference is worth understanding before you pick a host.
WP Engine and WordPress.com at a glance
| Decision point | WP Engine | WordPress.com |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan with plugins | Essential: from $28/mo billed yearly for the first year ($336), renewal not published | Personal: $4/mo billed yearly, or $9 billed monthly |
| Backups | Daily, kept 30 to 60 days, on Essential | Real-time backups from Business ($25/mo billed yearly) |
| Staging | Included on Essential | From Business |
| Developer tools | Staging, automated updates | SFTP, SSH, WP-CLI, Git on Business |
| Sites per plan | 1 to 30 on Essential | One site per plan |
| Refunds | None published | 14 days on yearly plans, 7 days on monthly |
| Free domain | Not listed on Essential | First year on yearly paid plans |
| Current plans and prices | See WP Engine plans | See WordPress.com plans |
WP Engine and WordPress.com plans and prices
WordPress.com’s Personal, Premium, and Business plans run from $4 to $25 a month on yearly billing, while WP Engine Essential starts at $28 a month for the first year.
| Plan | Yearly billing | Monthly billing | Storage | Backups | Developer access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com Personal | $4/mo | $9/mo | 6 GB | Not included | No SFTP/SSH |
| WordPress.com Premium | $8/mo | $18/mo | 13 GB | Not included | No SFTP/SSH |
| WordPress.com Business | $25/mo | $40/mo | 50 GB | Real-time, one-click restore | SFTP, SSH, WP-CLI, Git, GitHub deployments |
| WP Engine Essential | From $28/mo, first year only ($336) | Not shown | 10 to 50 GB | Daily, kept 30 to 60 days | Staging included |
Prices change often, so check WP Engine’s current prices and WordPress.com’s current prices before you buy.
WordPress.com’s pricing page is cheaper still on two- or three-year terms. For example, Business drops to $20 a month on two-year billing and $17.50 on three-year billing.
WP Engine’s plans page says first-year pricing is for new Essential customers only, and renewal pricing is subject to change.
Essential covers 1 to 30 sites and 25,000 to 400,000 visits a month, depending on configuration. Core and Enterprise need a sales quote.
Plugins: WordPress.com’s plugin guide says every paid plan can install plugins, though a select few aren’t permitted. The Free plan can’t.
Backups, staging, and developer tools at WP Engine and WordPress.com
WP Engine includes backups and staging on its $28 entry plan, while WordPress.com adds both only from its $25 Business plan.
Backups: WordPress.com Business and Commerce include real-time backups with one-click restores. On Personal or Premium, add a backup plugin.
Staging: a staging site is a private copy for testing changes. WordPress.com’s staging guide limits it to Business and Commerce.
Developer access: WordPress.com Business adds SFTP, SSH, WP-CLI, Git commands, and GitHub deployments. These tools let a developer move files, run commands, and deploy code directly.
Winner: WP Engine for backups on the cheapest plan that has them. WordPress.com Business for developer tools at a similar yearly price.
Refunds at WP Engine and WordPress.com
WordPress.com refunds yearly plans within 14 days and monthly plans within 7 days, while WP Engine publishes no money-back guarantee.
WordPress.com’s refund policy gives 96 hours for domain registrations.
WP Engine’s terms of service say fees aren’t refundable except as expressly stated.
Winner: WordPress.com, for a stated refund window.
WordPress.com’s WP Engine comparison page, checked
WordPress.com’s own WP Engine comparison lists both entry business plans at $20 a month, but its prices were last verified on September 30, 2024.
The comparison page quotes Business at $20, which is today’s two-year rate. On yearly billing it’s $25, and $40 billed monthly.
WP Engine’s entry plan was $20 then. It now starts at $28 a month for the first year.
The page also lists WP Engine add-on prices for security features. We couldn’t match those against WP Engine’s current plans page, so check them with WP Engine directly.
The legal dispute between WP Engine and Automattic
WP Engine and Automattic, the owner of WordPress.com, have been in court since October 2, 2024, and a judge let most of WP Engine’s claims proceed on September 12, 2025.
Here’s the timeline, from each side’s own statements and filings.
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 25, 2024 | WordPress.org said WP Engine no longer had free access to WordPress.org’s resources | WordPress.org news |
| October 2, 2024 | WP Engine filed a complaint against Automattic and its CEO, Matt Mullenweg | WP Engine complaint |
| December 10, 2024 | The court granted WP Engine’s motion for a preliminary injunction | WP Engine summary |
| September 12, 2025 | The judge allowed most of WP Engine’s claims to proceed | WP Engine summary |
| October 24, 2025 | Automattic filed counterclaims alleging trademark misuse by WP Engine | Automattic counterclaims |
WP Engine says Automattic’s CEO misused his control of WordPress to cut its customers’ access to WordPress.org, and that WordPress.org took over its ACF plugin without consent.
Automattic says WP Engine misused the WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks and misled users into thinking WP Engine was WordPress itself.
What it means for you as a buyer: WordPress remains free, open-source software that runs on either host. The dispute centers on trademarks and access to WordPress.org services.
Court cases change quickly, so check both companies’ pages for the current status. WP Engine’s summary was last updated August 12, 2026.
WP Engine vs WordPress.com winners by category
WordPress.com wins four of seven categories below, mostly on price and flexibility, while WP Engine wins on entry-plan backups, staging, and multi-site plans.
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price with plugins | WordPress.com | Personal at $4/mo billed yearly |
| Storage at the business tier | WordPress.com | 50 GB on Business vs 10 GB at WP Engine’s smallest configuration |
| Developer tools | WordPress.com | SFTP, SSH, WP-CLI, and Git on Business |
| Refunds | WordPress.com | 14-day window on yearly plans vs none published |
| Backups on the cheapest plan that has them | WP Engine | 30 to 60 days on Essential |
| Staging on the entry plan | WP Engine | Included on Essential; WordPress.com starts it at Business |
| Plans for many sites | WP Engine | Essential covers up to 30 sites |
Our pick: WordPress.com for personal sites, small businesses, and anyone who wants the lowest cost with plugins.
WP Engine for businesses and agencies running several professional sites that want backups and staging included from the start.
Which should you use: WP Engine or WordPress.com?
WordPress.com fits blogs and small business sites, while WP Engine fits agencies and businesses with several sites.
A personal blog or portfolio: WordPress.com Personal or Premium. Add a backup plugin, since backups start on Business.
A small business site you’ll edit often: WordPress.com Business, for real-time backups, staging, and developer access.
WP Engine Essential is the alternative if you want 30 or more days of backups.
An agency running 10 or more client sites: WP Engine, or compare it with Kinsta in our Kinsta vs WP Engine comparison.
Someone unsure what managed hosting includes: start with what managed WordPress hosting covers, then see our best managed WordPress hosting picks.
The WordPress.com review and the WP Engine review go deeper on each. Wider questions sit in our managed WordPress section.
Ready to check prices? Visit WP Engine or visit WordPress.com to see today’s plans before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is WP Engine or WordPress.com the same as WordPress?
No. Both are hosting companies: Automattic runs WordPress.com, WP Engine is independent, and each installs the free WordPress software for you.
Can you install plugins on both WP Engine and WordPress.com?
Yes. WP Engine allows plugins on its plans, and WordPress.com allows them on every paid plan, with a few exceptions, but not on Free.
Which is cheaper, WP Engine or WordPress.com?
WordPress.com, from $4 a month billed yearly with plugins. WP Engine starts at $28 a month billed yearly, and that’s a first-year price.
Do WP Engine and WordPress.com offer refunds?
WordPress.com does: 14 days for yearly plans and 7 days for monthly ones. WP Engine publishes no money-back guarantee.
What is the legal dispute between WP Engine and WordPress.com’s owner about?
It’s about WordPress.org access and trademarks. WP Engine sued Automattic in October 2024, and Automattic counterclaimed over trademark misuse in October 2025.
Can I move my site from WordPress.com to WP Engine?
Yes. WordPress.com paid plans and WP Engine both run standard WordPress, and WP Engine offers a free automated migration plugin on Essential.
How we compared WP Engine and WordPress.com
This comparison is built from official sources: WordPress.org’s about page and news post, and WordPress.com’s pricing, plugin, staging, refund, and comparison pages.
For WP Engine, we used its plans page, terms of service, legal summary, and complaint, plus Automattic’s counterclaims announcement. All details were checked on September 25, 2026.
Our Methodology and Editorial Guidelines explain how we research hosts and correct errors.
