Are plug-ins really needed or can I do without them

Hey everyone… I got a domain through WordPress in November and went with the premium plan, which doesn’t allow plug-ins. I figured I’d start blogging about rare plants without spending too much upfront.

I’ve been loving it so far, but whenever I look up website and audience-building tips, people seem to rely on plug-ins. So now I’m wondering… am I making things harder for myself by not having access to them?

Wait… WordPress.com doesn’t allow plugins?

And people complain about WP Engine being a mess…

Wilkie said:
Wait… WordPress.com doesn’t allow plugins?

And people complain about WP Engine being a mess…

Yeah, WP.com only lets you install plugins if you pay for an upgraded plan. Even free plugins.

It’s ridiculous.

It looks like you’re on WordPress.com’s premium plan, which doesn’t allow plugins. If you want full control, you’ll need to upgrade or move to a different hosting service like Bluehost or SiteGround.

Sonny said:
@Kip
I’m still pretty new to this stuff. Is that unusual?

Yes, it’s not normal at all. I wouldn’t pay WordPress.com just to use plugins.

Imagine if Windows made you pay to install browser extensions. It’s basically like that.

If all you need is a basic blog, what you have works fine. But if you ever want to add things like e-commerce or custom widgets, you’ll need plugins.

There are thousands of good ones out there—many are free, some are freemium (basic features free, advanced ones paid), and others are fully paid.

Same goes for themes.

So it depends on what you need. Just blogging? You’re good. Want more control? You might want to look at other options. I personally recommend SiteGround, but there are plenty of others.

Sonny said:
@Kip
I’m still pretty new to this stuff. Is that unusual?

It’s kinda weird. WordPress.com (the hosting company) is different from WordPress.org (the free open-source version). If you set up WordPress on your own hosting, you can do whatever you want with it.

Wilkie said:
Wait… WordPress.com doesn’t allow plugins?

And people complain about WP Engine being a mess…

There’s a lot of irony in how WP.com works. People criticize WP Engine for being restrictive, but WordPress.com is even worse.

And don’t even get me started on how many of their themes are locked to their own hosting.

Lately, it’s become clear that Matt (the guy behind WP) has been holding key parts of WordPress hostage just to keep control. It’s messed up. I used to think he was smart, but now I’m realizing success doesn’t always mean fairness.

@Avery
It’s funny, really.

‘WP Engine gives people a bad WordPress experience and tricks them into thinking it’s the real thing!’

‘Uh, Matt… have you looked at your own platform?’

If you need proof that WordPress.com confuses people and hurts the real WordPress brand, just look at this post.

Kit said:
If you need proof that WordPress.com confuses people and hurts the real WordPress brand, just look at this post.

Wait, what do you mean? I don’t really know much about the background stuff.

@Sonny
It’s kinda messy, but basically, WordPress.org is free and open-source. You can install it on any hosting service like SiteGround or WP Engine, or even run it on your own server if you want to get technical.

WordPress.com, on the other hand, is a paid service that uses the WordPress branding to attract people who think they’re getting full control.

On a self-hosted WordPress.org site, plugins are free to install. There are tons of high-quality ones, too.

@Kit
Wait… so I basically got tricked? That’s kinda frustrating.

Sonny said:
@Kit
Wait… so I basically got tricked? That’s kinda frustrating.

I wouldn’t say scammed, because you are getting a service. But yeah, WordPress.com definitely uses its branding to confuse people. It’s not a company I’d personally support.

The good news is that moving your content to a real WordPress.org site isn’t too hard. Some platforms (like Wix) make it nearly impossible to leave, so WP.com isn’t the worst in that sense.

If you’re thinking of switching, here’s the link for exporting your site:

Sonny said:
@Kit
Wait… so I basically got tricked? That’s kinda frustrating.

I wouldn’t say you got scammed, but you probably didn’t do much research before signing up.

Check their policies—if you can cancel and move your site to a different host, I’d consider it.

Sonny said:
@Kit
Wait… so I basically got tricked? That’s kinda frustrating.

If you can, get your money back and move to a better host.

Zara said:
It looks like you’re on WordPress.com’s premium plan, which doesn’t allow plugins. If you want full control, you’ll need to upgrade or move to a different hosting service like Bluehost or SiteGround.

It’s not the free plan… it’s the ‘premium’ plan. There are five different levels, and the person who posted this definitely paid for it.

Zara said:
It looks like you’re on WordPress.com’s premium plan, which doesn’t allow plugins. If you want full control, you’ll need to upgrade or move to a different hosting service like Bluehost or SiteGround.

I’m paying $90 a year. Is it hard to move a site to another host?

@Sonny
Most hosting platforms, like Hostinger, offer free migration when you sign up.

If you’re not a coder, you’ll probably need plugins at some point.

It depends on what you want your site to do. Since you’re on WordPress.com, you’re limited to what they allow. If you ever need more customization, plugins would be the easiest way to do it.