I registered my first domain in 2002 and made my first WordPress-driven website in May 2005. The simplicity of WordPress, the clean interface and the popularity of blogs during that time drove me towards this platform’s popularity that runs over 60% of the web today. I initially started using WordPress 1.5 when plugins and adding static pages were new additions to the platform.
This singular capability made WordPress 1.5—codenamed Strayhorn one of the most popular web platforms in the world. By the end of 2007, autosave, spell checks, themes and widgets had made WordPress the first choice of any fledgling or accomplished blogger worldwide.
What is the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?
WordPress.org is the self-hosted version of WordPress that requires a domain name and hosting to use. This is the type of WordPress installation you’d get when you have your domain name and hosting. WordPress.org or WordPress is 100% free to use and open-source. Self-hosted WordPress sites are the first choice of most bloggers around the world due to the amount of control and flexibility it provides to them. Self-hosted WordPress websites power millions of blogs around the world and are considered to be the most popular way to start a blog today. Self-hosted WordPress installations can monetize, advertise or do just about anything with their WordPress blogs and websites.
WordPress.com is a freemium hosting service owned by Automattic—the company that created WordPress. WordPress.com offers additional features, including an integrated dashboard that gives you analytics and information about your website. This dashboard works using a service called Jetpack. WordPress.com is very similar to their self-hosted siblings except that WordPress maintains control over what bloggers can or cannot do, including running ads and monetizing their blogs.
What is Jetpack?
Jetpack is an extremely popular WordPress plugin created by Automattic—the company that created WordPress. This plugin adds many features to your existing WordPress installation, and you can do this by switching Jetpack modules on or off according to your needs. Jetpack essentially takes features available only on WordPress.com and brings them to the self-hosted version of WordPress. The only caveat is that Jetpack requires a WordPress.com account to work.
Jetpack currently offers WordPress security, performance, marketing, and design tools that can help to secure your WordPress site, speed it up, and grow your audience.
How do I install Jetpack on my self-hosted WordPress blog or website ?
It’s easy. Here’s how you can install Jetpack:
- Create a free WordPress account on WordPress.com
- Login to your website as an administrator
- Click on Dashboard > Plugins > Add New
- Search for Jetpack
- Install and activate the plugin titled Jetpack—WP Security, Backup, Speed and Growth
- Click the Set up Jetpack button to configure Jetpack for your website
- Now connect your WordPress.com account and enjoy all the features Jetpack has to offer!
- Click Dashboard > Jetpack to see your site analytics and set up Akismet anti-spam. Akismet helps you to fight spam comments on your pages and blog posts.
Once Jetpack is configured and is ready to use, you will see the following screen when you click on Jetpack > Dashboard:
Is Jetpack free?
Jetpack is a freemium plugin. It offers different tiers to users that include:
- Free
This plan is more than enough for most people. It will help you boost your website, use a content delivery network, get brute force protection, an activity log, lazy load images, site statistics, automated social media posts, and more! - Paid plans
Paid plans offer all (or some, according to plan) of the paid features of WordPress and attract a monthly or annual charge.
The differences between these tiers are the number of services that are on offer.
What are the services included in the Free Jetpack plan?
Here’s a list of the services included in the free plan of Jetpack:
Security
- Activity log (Last 20 events)
- Downtime monitoring
- Brute force attack protection
- Secure authentication
- Plugin auto-updates
Performance
- CDN (Content Delivery Network)
- Lazy loading images
Growth
- CRM
- Stats
- SEO tools
Design
- Starter themes
- Related posts
- Gallery and slideshow tools
- Subscriptions
- Contact Forms
Mobile app
- Jetpack for Android and iOS
What extra options do paid Jetpack plans provide?
The paid versions of Jetpack include some additional useful features. Note that the features and plans may vary by region:
Security
- Website Backup (Real-time backup)
- Website Scan (Real-time scan)
- Anti-spam
- Activity log (1-year archive, with options in sub plans to choose from 30 days to 1 year)
Performance
- Search (Up to 100k records)
- Unlimited video hosting
Growth
- CRM (Entrepreneur version)
- Social media tools (scheduled posting)
- Google Analytics integration
- Collect payments
- Ad network
Support
- Priority Support
Click here to see a complete, official list of features on the Jetpack website and know more about what each option of Jetpack can do for your website.
Is buying paid Jetpack plans worth it?
It depends. Jetpack does a lot of things for you in one streamlined interface. However, it does not mean that Jetpack is GOOD at all of those tasks or is the best option for all those tasks, features or functions. For example, the SEO features of plugins such as the All-in-one SEO Pack outshine features provided by Jetpack by a wide margin. Security features by plugins such as Wordfence are also superior when compared to Jetpack.
However, if you are new to WordPress and believe that you may get lost in the myriad of features that these plugins offer, you may be better off buying the paid monthly plans and then switching to a different plugin if they do not suit your needs.
Why can Jetpack be a great plugin for your website?
As Jetpack is one unified plugin, it gives you several advantages over multiple plugins. These include:
- Easy maintenance: all you need to do is disable or enable one plugin if something goes wrong.
- Quick updates: Jetpack comes from Automattic—the creators of WordPress. You can rest assured about the quality and the compatibility of the plugin.
- Reliability: Jetpack will possibly be around as long as WordPress. Additionally, there’s no single independent developer at work here who might shut shop anytime soon.
- Loads of features in one plugin: Jetpack might not be the best plugin for everything but is a serious contender that can replace a bucketload of them.
What are the problems or cons of using Jetpack?
No plugin is perfect, and Jetpack has its own set of problems that can either make or break the deal for you. These include:
- Slowness: Jetpack can slow down your website a bit like all other plugins that work with security and backups. However, this impact is usually minimal.
- Reliance on WordPress.com’s servers: If WordPress.com’s servers go down, Jetpack will stop functioning. However, the chances of this happening are pretty low.
- Basic features in many paid modules: The marketing and SEO modules of Jetpack are pretty basic, and it would be best to get a well-regarded plugin for the features you find lacking.
Should I buy the Complete plan from Jetpack?
If you are a power user who might exploit every module that Jetpack offers, sure. However, for sites with massive amounts of traffic, it is best to use dedicated plugins that are the best suited for their jobs.
Parting thoughts
If you are new to WordPress or just migrated from WordPress.com, Jetpack is the next best thing to sliced bread for you. Try the free version first and opt for the various tiers if you need to. Jetpack is an amazing plugin that I use on my personal website. I love the Jetpack dashboard and spam filters’ features and highly recommend them for their simplicity and reliability.
At Pack Web Hosting, we help our clients find the best tools for the job. If you are looking to find a reliable host that can give you accurate, reliable information, you are at the right place. Pack Web Hosting is the perfect solution for all your pro hosting needs.
