Edublogs vs WordPress.com

Edublogs is a WordPress-powered publishing platform for educators and students, available on the web, Android, and iOS. Its free class-management tools let educators group students, oversee their work, and give private feedback on assignments. Privacy settings control access to site content; student blogs and content default to private and can be made public with teacher approval for class accounts or written parent request. Education-specific themes and plugins are available, and third-party themes are code reviewed before use. Users can import content from other platforms and export their blog. The plugin directory includes Google Calendar, Google Tag Manager, Jetpack, LDAP Authentication, and JSON Feed, but users cannot upload their own plugins. The dashboard is mobile friendly in a tablet browser; the WordPress app can be used with Pro blogs or student blogs attached to a Pro blog through My Class. The Free plan includes 256 MB storage, 50 posts and pages daily, and a 30 MB maximum file size. Pro costs $39.95 a year and includes 50 GB storage; all listed plans include 24/7 support.

WordPress.com is a hosted website and publishing platform with managed WordPress hosting and site management through Jetpack apps for iOS and Android. It supports custom domains, custom-code theme changes, scheduled posts, memberships, blog analytics, and prompt-to-site creation. All plans include unmetered bandwidth. Paid annual plans include a custom domain free for the first year, while free sites display WordPress.com ads that the Personal plan removes. Storage ranges from 1 GB on Free to 50 GB on Business and Commerce. Paid plans list unlimited pages, posts, users, and visitors. Security includes firewalls, encryption, brute force protection, and DDoS protection. Business and Commerce include developer tools and real-time backups; Commerce also includes ecommerce tools and a WooCommerce experience. Listed annual prices are $2.75 a month for Personal, $5.50 a month for Premium, $17.50 a month for Business, and $31.50 a month for Commerce (billed every 12 months, excluding taxes).