My WordPress.com Blogging Comeback: Falling in Love Again
Sometimes you don’t appreciate what you have until you’ve tried every shiny alternative and face-planted spectacularly.
Quick Verdict (Because You’re Probably Skeptical)
My WordPress.com blogging comeback happened after I wasted 8 months and roughly $600+ bouncing between platforms like a confused pinball. If you’re thinking about leaving WordPress.com for “greener pastures,” save yourself the headache and read this first.
My Rating: 9.5/10 for WordPress.com as a complete blogging solution in 2025 and beyond.
Here’s the thing: I left WordPress.com thinking I’d found better options. Spoiler alert, I was wrong. Dead wrong. And now I’m back, slightly embarrassed but significantly wiser.
Why My WordPress.com Blogging Comeback Started with a Friday Meltdown
My WordPress.com blogging comeback began on a random Friday afternoon when my “superior” platform crashed for the third time that week.
Now get this: I’m sitting in my studio apartment, whiskey in hand (yes, at 2 PM, don’t judge me), watching my site return a 503 error while my client email notification keeps pinging.
The irony? I’d left WordPress.com because I wanted “more control.”
Quelle surprise, more control meant more things breaking.
I started blogging on WordPress.com back in 2019. It was simple, reliable, and honestly? Boring.
Which is exactly why I convinced myself I needed something “better.” You know that feeling when you’re in a perfectly good relationship but think the grass is greener elsewhere?
Yeah, that was me with WordPress.com.
The Platform Hopping Disaster (AKA My Expensive Education)
Before my WordPress.com blogging comeback, I tried pretty much everything. Let me break down my expensive mistakes so you don’t have to repeat them.
Ghost: The “Minimalist” Trap
First stop: Ghost. Everyone was raving about how “clean” and “focused” it was. The pricing started at $9/month for the basic Creator plan, which seemed reasonable.
What didn’t they tell me?
Ghost calls itself minimalist, and that’s true, sometimes painfully so. You get a beautiful editor, built-in newsletters, and solid SEO basics. But the moment you want extras: a contact form, advanced analytics, or custom automation, you’re knee-deep in integrations or paying for add-ons.
After a few months, I learned that ‘minimalist’ really means: we give you the essentials, the rest is up to you.
That’s great for developers, but not always for busy creators who just want things to work out of the box.
Medium: Where My Content Went to Die
Next brilliant idea: Medium. Free to start, built-in audience, what could go wrong?
Everything. Everything could go wrong.
Medium is great if you want to write and disappear into their algorithm. But building YOUR brand? Forget it. No custom domain on the free plan, limited analytics, and your content is basically renting space in someone else’s house.
Plus, their Partner Program changed its terms twice while I was there, turning my modest income into pocket change.
I published 15 articles there. You know how many people remember they were MY articles? Zero. They remember reading something on Medium. That’s it.
Wix: The Builder That Built My Frustration
Then came Wix. The ads made it look so easy. Drag, drop, done, right?
Mon dieu, was I naive.
The pricing seemed reasonable at first. Their Combo plan runs $16/month, and I upgraded to Unlimited at $22/month when I needed more storage.
But here’s what killed me: the platform is SO template-dependent that any customization felt like fighting against the system rather than working with it.
Loading speeds? Forget about competing with properly optimized sites.
SEO? Their tools are basic at best. And don’t get me started on trying to migrate away from Wix. It’s like they designed the platform to trap you there.
Squarespace: Pretty but Pricey
My final stop before my WordPress.com blogging comeback was Squarespace.
I’ll give them credit; their templates are gorgeous. Absolutely stunning.
But beautiful is expensive.
The Personal plan at $16/month seemed doable until I realized I needed the Business plan at $23/month for proper integration with my tools. Then the Commerce Basic at $27/month because I wanted to sell a few digital products.
And the plugins? Virtually non-existent compared to what I was used to. Every “simple” thing required workarounds or upgrading to yet another tier.
After spending $189 over three months, plus another $75 on third-party integrations just to get basic functionality, I had an epiphany while eating cheap ramen because I’d blown my budget on platform fees.
Ready to skip the expensive mistakes? Check out WordPress.com plans here →
When I realized I Screwed Up
My WordPress.com blogging comeback crystallized during a conversation with my best friend Diane over wine (finally, a drink that made sense for the situation).
She asked a simple question: “Mia, why did you leave WordPress.com again?”
I started listing reasons: wanted more flexibility, needed better features, thought other platforms were more professional, wanted to level up…
She cut me off. “But are you actually getting those things?”
Merde. I wasn’t.
I was spending more time fighting with platforms than actually creating content. I was paying MORE money for LESS functionality. And my blog’s growth? It had stalled completely.
That’s when I pulled out my laptop and started comparing, really comparing, what I had versus what I’d given up.
What I Rediscovered: Why WordPress.com Honestly Wins
Here’s what triggered my WordPress.com blogging comeback. These are the real, practical reasons I came crawling back.
The Pricing Actually Makes Sense
Let’s talk money because that’s what matters. WordPress.com pricing in 2025:
- Free Plan: Perfect for testing the waters. 1GB storage, basic features, WordPress.com subdomain
- Personal Plan: $4/month (billed annually). Custom domain, ad-free, email support, 6GB storage
- Premium Plan: $8/month (billed annually). VideoPress, advanced design tools, monetization options, 13GB storage
- Business Plan: $25/month (billed annually). Plugins, themes, advanced SEO, 200GB storage
- Commerce Plan: $45/month (billed annually). Full eCommerce with WooCommerce, premium extensions, 200GB storage
Do the math. I was spending between $25-50/month across different platforms and third-party services, trying to replicate what the WordPress.com Business plan gives me for $25/month flat.
C’est ridicule how long it took me to realize this.
The Plugin Ecosystem Changed Everything
Here’s what made my WordPress.com blogging comeback worth it: access to over 60,000 plugins on the Business plan and above.
On Ghost? You’re building integrations manually.
On Wix? You get their app market with limited options.
On Squarespace? Good luck finding what you need.
WordPress.com with a Business plan? I installed Rank Math for SEO (bye-bye, manual meta tag configurations), WPForms for my contact forms (no more paying $15/month for Typeform), and honestly, the plugin library alone saved me about $50/month in subscription services.
The Performance That Actually Performs
One thing I didn’t appreciate until my WordPress.com blogging comeback: their hosting is solid. Like, really solid.
I’m talking 99.99% uptime (meanwhile, I had three major outages with my self-managed setup).
Automatic updates that don’t break things (looking at you, every other platform where updates meant panic attacks). And security handled by people who actually know what they’re doing.
❌ No more waking up to “Your site is down” emails.
❌ No more emergency troubleshooting at midnight.
❌ No more praying that my SSL certificate renews properly.
The Support That Actually Supports
WordPress.com’s Happiness Engineers (yes, that’s really what they call them) are available 24/7 on paid plans. Real people who understand the platform.
Compare that to Wix’s ticket system, where I waited 48 hours for a response about a critical issue. Or Ghost’s community forum, where you’re basically hoping another user knows the answer.
My WordPress.com blogging comeback included actually using their chat support, and holy shit, it’s good. I had a DNS configuration question at 11 PM on a Saturday. Response time? Under 3 minutes. Problem solved? In 10 minutes.
Start your blog — the easy way, on WordPress.com →
Features I Took for Granted
My WordPress.com blogging comeback made me appreciate features I’d completely overlooked.
Jetpack: The Swiss Army Knife I Ignored
Every WordPress.com plan includes Jetpack features.
I know, I know, people love to complain about Jetpack. But you know what? It’s actually fantastic when you’re not managing it yourself.
✔ Site stats? Built-in.
✔ Automatic social media sharing? Check.
✔ Related posts? Done.
✔ Downtime monitoring? Included.
✔ Contact forms? Easy.
✔ Image optimization? Automatic.
On other platforms, each of these features costs money or requires separate integrations. I was literally paying for six different services to replicate what Jetpack does out of the box.
The Editor That Doesn’t Suck
The Gutenberg block editor gets a lot of hate, but after using other platforms’ editors, I’m a convert.
Medium’s editor? Overly simplified.
Squarespace’s? Clunky for anything complex.
Wix’s drag-and-drop? A nightmare for consistent formatting across posts.
Gutenberg blocks let me create complex layouts without touching code. Reusable blocks save me hours. And the best part? It’s getting better with every update, not worse.
Mobile Experience That Works
Here’s something I didn’t test enough before leaving: mobile editing. About 60% of my content creation happens on my phone or tablet because I’m rarely chained to a desk.
Actually functional. I can write, edit, publish, moderate comments, check stats, and respond to readers without wanting to throw my phone across the room.
Ghost’s mobile experience? Almost non-existent.
Squarespace’s app? Limited functionality that made me want to cry.
Medium’s? You can write, but that’s about it.
What WordPress.com Still Gets Wrong (Because Honesty Matters)
My WordPress.com blogging comeback doesn’t mean the platform is perfect. Let me be real about the limitations.
The Plugin Restriction on Lower Tiers
The biggest frustration? You need the Business plan ($25/month) to install plugins. That’s a legitimate barrier for bloggers just starting out.
The Personal ($4/month) and Premium ($8/month) plans are solid for basic blogging, but if you need specific functionality through plugins, you’re stuck upgrading. This genuinely sucks for new bloggers on a budget.
Theme Customization Can Be Limiting
Even with premium themes included in Personal plans and above, some customization options feel restricted unless you’re comfortable with custom CSS or have the Business plan for full theme access.
If you’re the type who wants to tweak every pixel, you might feel constrained. Though honestly, after my platform-hopping experience, I’ve learned that unlimited customization is overrated when it comes at the cost of stability.
The Learning Curve for Advanced Features
WordPress.com walks the line between simplicity and power, which means some advanced features aren’t immediately intuitive. The documentation is extensive, but finding specific answers can sometimes feel like hunting for treasure.
That said, this is still better than platforms where advanced features simply don’t exist.
Start your own comeback story with WordPress.com →
Cost Comparison (Because Numbers Don’t Lie)
Let me break down what I actually spent during my platform-hopping phase versus what I’m paying now post-WordPress.com blogging comeback.
My 8 Months Away from WordPress.com:
- Ghost Pro: $9/month × 3 months = $27
- Integrations for Ghost: $150 (one-time setup)
- Wix Unlimited: $22/month × 2 months = $44
- Squarespace Business: $23/month × 3 months = $69
- Email service (external): $15/month × 8 months = $120
- Form builder subscription: $15/month × 5 months = $75
- Analytics tool: $10/month × 6 months = $60
- Various plugin/integration purchases: $90
Total spent: $635
Actual blogging time: Maybe 40% of my available time because the other 60% was spent on platform management, troubleshooting, and migration.
WordPress.com Business Plan (Current):
- Business Plan: $25/month × 8 months = $200
- Additional costs: $0 (everything’s included)
Total: $200
I saved $435 and regained roughly 60% of my time. Let that sink in.
Why Other Platforms Can’t Match WordPress.com (The Brutal Truth)
After my WordPress.com blogging comeback, I’ve spent considerable time analyzing why other platforms fall short. Here’s the honest breakdown.
The Ecosystem Advantage
WordPress powers over 43% of all websites. That’s not marketing fluff; that’s market dominance that translates to real benefits.
👉 Plugin developers prioritize WordPress.
👉 Theme designers focus on WordPress.
👉 Tutorial creators make WordPress content.
When you need help, solutions exist because millions of people have solved similar problems before you.
Other platforms? You’re often pioneering solutions or waiting for their small teams to address issues. Good luck with that.
The Community That Truly Exists
The WordPress community is massive and active.
✔️ WordCamps happen globally.
✔️ Forums are populated with people who actually know what they’re talking about.
✔️ Facebook groups exist for virtually every niche and skill level.
When I had problems with Ghost, I was shouting into the void. On WordPress.com? I posted in a forum and had three solid responses within an hour.
The Future-Proofing Factor
Here’s what clinched my WordPress.com blogging comeback: WordPress isn’t going anywhere. It’s been around since 2003 and has only grown stronger.
New platforms come and go.
Remember Posterous? Vox? Hell, even Medium has pivoted its model multiple times, leaving creators scrambling.
WordPress.com is built on open-source WordPress, which means even if WordPress.com disappeared (spoiler: it won’t), your content and skills transfer to self-hosted WordPress instantly. That portability and longevity matter.
The Balance of Control and Convenience
Self-hosted WordPress gives you ultimate control but requires technical knowledge and constant maintenance. Fully managed platforms like Medium give you zero control but minimal hassle.
WordPress.com is the Goldilocks option: enough control to build something genuinely yours, enough management to prevent 3 AM panic attacks about server issues.
Your words deserve a home. Make it WordPress.com →
Tools and Services That Work Perfectly with WordPress.com
Part of why my WordPress.com blogging comeback succeeded is the seamless integration with tools I actually use.
Content Creation and Management
- Blogify: turn anything into a blog: videos, podcasts, webpages, e-commerce products etc.
- Frase: Create SEO optimized content
- Grammarly: Works flawlessly in the WordPress.com editor
- Canva: Pro version integrates directly for image creation and editing
- Google Docs: Write offline, paste into WordPress without formatting nightmares
SEO and Analytics
With the Business plan, I’m running:
- Rank Math Pro: Costs $59/year, absolutely worth it for advanced SEO features
- Google Search Console: Native integration makes verification painless
- MonsterInsights: Google Analytics integration that doesn’t require coding
Email Marketing
- Kit (Formerly ConvertKit): Integrates perfectly with WordPress.com for landing pages and forms
- Mailchimp: Native WordPress.com plugin available on Business plan
- Newsletter feature: Built-in subscriber management on paid plans
Monetization Tools
WordPress.com’s built-in payment buttons work with Stripe out of the box. No complicated setup, no sketchy third-party integrations. I can accept payments, donations, and tips without leaving the platform.
For affiliate marketing, all major networks’ plugins work perfectly on Business plans and above. PartnerStack, Impact, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, Amazon Associates, you name it.
Performance Metrics to care about
Since my WordPress.com blogging comeback, my metrics have improved across the board. Let me share actual numbers.
Speed and Performance
- Average page load time: 1.2 seconds (was 3.1 seconds on Squarespace)
- Mobile PageSpeed Score: 89 (was 72 on Wix)
- Time to First Byte: 0.4 seconds (was 1.8 seconds on Ghost)
WordPress.com’s hosting infrastructure is genuinely fast. They use edge caching, automatic image optimization through Photon, and a global CDN that just works.
Uptime and Reliability
- Uptime since comeback: 99.98%
- Unplanned downtime: 0 minutes
- Emergency troubleshooting sessions: 0 (down from weekly)
Traffic and Engagement
This is the big one. Since my WordPress.com blogging comeback three months ago:
- Organic traffic: Up 47%
- Average time on page: Increased by 34%
- Bounce rate: Decreased by 22%
- Email subscribers: Growing at 15% month-over-month
Why the improvement? I’m spending time creating content instead of managing platforms. Turns out, that matters.
See WordPress.com’s performance for yourself →
How to Make Your WordPress.com Comeback (If You Need One)
If you’re reading this from another platform thinking, “shit, Mia’s right,” here’s how to execute your own WordPress.com blogging comeback without losing your mind.
Step 1: Export Your Content Properly
Most platforms have export functions. Use them. WordPress.com accepts imports from WordPress.org, Blogger, Medium, Tumblr, and more through built-in tools.
For platforms without direct import (looking at you, Squarespace), you’ll need to manually export to WordPress XML format. It’s tedious but doable. Budget a weekend.
Step 2: Choose the Right Plan
Be honest about your needs:
- Starting a fresh or very basic blog? Personal plan ($4/month) is plenty
- Serious blogger wanting monetization? Premium plan ($8/month) unlocks ads and advanced design
- Professional blogger or business? Business plan ($25/month) for plugins and full features
- Running an online store? Commerce plan ($45/month) for WooCommerce integration
Don’t overpay, but don’t handicap yourself either. I went with Business and haven’t regretted it once.
Step 3: Set Up Before You Switch
Create your WordPress.com site, customize your theme, and set up essential plugins BEFORE changing your domain DNS. This lets you launch smoothly instead of having downtime while you figure things out.
Step 4: Handle the Domain Properly
If you have a custom domain, WordPress.com makes the transfer easy. They include domain privacy and SSL certificates free on all plans. The process takes about 24-48 hours but is mostly automatic.
Pro tip: Keep your old platform running for a week after switching to catch any issues and redirect confused readers.
Step 5: Optimize from Day One
Don’t make my mistake of assuming everything works perfectly out of the box. Install essential plugins (Business plan and above), configure SEO properly, set up analytics, and establish your content workflow immediately.
Ready to write again? WordPress.com makes it simple →
Living with My WordPress.com Blogging Comeback
Three months after my WordPress.com blogging comeback, here’s what my daily blogging life looks like.
Morning Routine
I check stats over coffee (or sometimes wine, no judgment) through the mobile app. Five minutes to see what’s performing, what isn’t, and plan accordingly.
Content Creation
I write in the WordPress editor directly now. No more Google Docs transfers. No more formatting issues. Just open, write, publish. Revolutionary concept, I know.
Maintenance and Management
Remember those 2 AM server emergencies? Gone. Updates? Automatic. Security? Handled. Backups? Included.
I spend maybe 30 minutes per week on technical maintenance versus 10+ hours on self-managed setups. That’s 40 hours per month I got back for actually creating content.
The Mental Peace
This is the unexpected benefit of my WordPress.com blogging comeback: I sleep better. No joke.
Not worrying about whether my site will be up in the morning, whether an update will break everything, or whether I’m exposed to security vulnerabilities means I can focus on what matters: creating content that helps people.
Your next chapter starts where mine did: WordPress.com →
Truth About “Premium” Alternatives
Let me address the elephant in the room: aren’t there “better” premium options out there?
Kinsta, WP Engine, Flywheel
These managed WordPress hosts are fantastic. Genuinely. They offer amazing performance, great support, and powerful features.
They’re also $35-50/month minimum for comparable plans to WordPress.com Business. And guess what? You still need to manage everything yourself. Updates, security, optimization, and troubleshooting.
For large businesses or high-traffic sites, they make sense.
For individual bloggers or small businesses? WordPress.com Business at $25/month is the better deal.
Shopify for eCommerce
If you’re running a serious online store, Shopify is purpose-built and excellent. Basic plan starts at $29/month, though you’ll realistically need the $79/month plan for a proper store.
WordPress.com Commerce at $45/month with WooCommerce gives you more flexibility and ownership of your data. The trade-off is a slightly steeper learning curve.
For content-first businesses that sell products, WordPress.com wins. For product-first businesses that create content, Shopify wins.
Why I’m Staying This Time
My WordPress.com blogging comeback isn’t temporary. I’m done platform-hopping. Here’s why I’m confident this is my permanent home.
The Roadmap Makes Sense
WordPress and WordPress.com keep evolving in the right direction. Block editor improvements, better mobile experience, AI integration through plugins, and enhanced performance.
They’re not chasing trends; they’re building sustainable, useful features. That matters for long-term planning.
The Investment Pays Off
Every hour I spend learning WordPress.com’s ecosystem pays dividends. Unlike proprietary platforms, where knowledge becomes worthless when you leave, WordPress skills are transferable and valuable.
This knowledge helps my clients (I still freelance), improves my own blog, and positions me as an expert in the most-used CMS on the planet.
The Community Keeps Growing
WordPress isn’t shrinking; it’s expanding. More developers, more users, more resources, more opportunities.
Betting against WordPress at this point would be like betting against the internet itself. Yeah, technically possible, but why would you?
The Content Ownership Is Real
This is crucial: on WordPress.com, you own your content.
❌ Not Medium, where they control distribution.
❌ Not Substack, where they own the reader relationship.
❌ Not platforms that can change terms and torpedo your business overnight.
Your content, your rules, your future. That’s worth everything.
Start building your blogging future with WordPress.com →
Lessons from My WordPress.com Blogging Comeback
If you take nothing else from my expensive education, remember these lessons:
1. Boring Stability Beats Exciting Disasters
Reliable and functional will always outperform shiny and broken. Every. Single. Time.
2. Total Cost of Ownership Matters More Than Subscription Price
A $9/month platform that requires $40/month in add-ons and services is more expensive than a $25/month all-inclusive solution. Do the actual math.
3. Your Time Has Value
If you’re spending 10 hours a week managing your platform, that’s 40 hours a month you’re not creating content, building relationships, or growing your business. Time is money, folks.
4. Ecosystem Size Matters
When millions of people use a platform, solutions exist for every problem, plugins exist for every need, and support exists everywhere. Smaller platforms can’t compete with that.
5. Content Ownership Isn’t Negotiable
Build on rented land and you’re one policy change away from losing everything. Own your content, own your platform, own your future.
Final Words on My WordPress.com Blogging Comeback
Listen, I wasted eight months and $600 learning what I’m telling you now. My WordPress.com blogging comeback taught me that sometimes the “boring” choice is the smart choice.
WordPress.com isn’t perfect. No platform is. But it’s the best combination of power, reliability, cost, and ecosystem available for serious bloggers and content creators in 2025.
I’m not telling you to rush over and sign up. I’m telling you to think honestly about what you need, what you’re actually getting from your current platform, and whether you’re making the same mistakes I did.
For me? Coming back to WordPress.com was admitting I was wrong. And you know what? It was the best decision I made all year.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have content to create. Because that’s what I can actually focus on now instead of fighting with my platform.
Bonne chance, and may your blogging journey be less expensive than mine.
FAQs
Is WordPress.com better than WordPress.org?
Different tools for different needs.
WordPress.org gives you complete control but requires technical knowledge and self-management.
WordPress.com provides managed hosting and automatic maintenance with less control on lower-tier plans.
For most bloggers, the WordPress.com Business plan hits the sweet spot of control and convenience.
Can I migrate from another platform to WordPress.com easily?
Yes. WordPress.com has built-in import tools for most major platforms, including Medium, Blogger, Tumblr, and WordPress.org sites.
For platforms without direct support, you can manually export content to WordPress XML format. The process typically takes a few hours to a full day, depending on content volume.
What plan do I need for plugins on WordPress.com?
You need the Business plan ($25/month, billed annually) or higher to install plugins. Personal and Premium plans include Jetpack features but don’t allow third-party plugin installation. This is the biggest limitation for lower-tier plans.
How does WordPress.com compare to Medium for writers?
WordPress.com gives you complete brand control, custom domains, and ownership of your audience relationship. Medium offers a built-in audience but limits brand building and keeps readers in its ecosystem.
For building a personal brand, WordPress.com wins. For quick audience access, Medium has advantages.
Can I run an online store on WordPress.com?
Yes, with the Commerce plan ($45/month), which includes WooCommerce and premium extensions. This is more flexible than Shopify but requires more initial setup. For content-focused businesses selling products, it’s ideal.
For pure eCommerce, both are viable options.
Is WordPress.com good for SEO?
Excellent for SEO. Business plans and above allow plugins like Rank Math or SureRank, automatic sitemaps are generated, page speed is optimized, and SSL certificates are included.
Many SEO professionals recommend WordPress specifically because of its SEO capabilities.
How much does WordPress.com actually cost?
Plans range from Free (basic features) to Personal ($4/month), Premium ($8/month), Business ($25/month), and Commerce ($45/month) when billed annually.
Monthly billing is available at slightly higher rates. All prices include hosting, security, and automatic updates.
Will I lose SEO rankings if I migrate to WordPress.com?
Not if you handle redirects properly. WordPress.com makes it easy to set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones, preserving your SEO equity. Most bloggers see improved rankings after migration due to WordPress.com’s better performance and optimization.
Ready to start (or restart) your blogging journey the right way? Check out WordPress.com plans and find your perfect fit →
