Pro vs. Free WordPress

Posted byColleen M. ChesebroPosted inUpdates, Wordpress TipsTags:, , , ,
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I promised to share my experience switching from the WP Premium to the Pro plan. As I shared earlier last week, WP has done away with the majority of plans, leaving only the free plan and WP Pro plan to choose from.

Check out this page for the comparison details. The free plan gives you limited storage and limited selections for themes. There are FSE themes and you can learn more about FSE themes HERE.

The Pro plan keeps you on wordpress.com. You have a domain name and the functionality of plugins and a plethora of themes to choose from.

If you decide to upgrade from free to WP Pro, select a theme that is easy to work with. The first theme I chose was too busy, and I didn’t have enough commenting capabilities. I switched to the Astra theme, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve used Astra before, on the old business plan, but this plan is so much better. For $180 a year, it’s totally worth the upgrade.

I had so many issues on WP the last few years with the themes. Things would quit working and I had to switch several times. I don’t have evidence to back this up, but I believe the old themes are going away. Everything I’ve read points to the FSE themes as the future of WP blogging. The theme creators are working diligently to keep their themes up to date with the latest changes. By the way, Astra works like the themes we’re all used to on WP.com.

That’s why many of the theme makers have embraced Gutenberg and the block system. The Astra theme has integrated so many outstanding features in the free version of the theme. I can change colors and the fonts, which are not available in most of the free wp.org themes. I also could use CSS codes to add some additional colors to the theme. My only issue is the centering of images. I’ll have to contact WP for help with the CSS code for that issue.

You can buy a lifetime license for the Astra theme for $249.00. Otherwise, pay a yearly fee to upgrade to Astra Professional version. Right now, I’ll stay with the free version of Astra. Do your research before selecting a theme. Check out the themes on WP.org HERE.

I also took advantage of the plugin called MailPoet which integrates with WP and my blog. I’ve got a new sign up form on the blog and will continue to email each week after the challenge post has posted so you won’t have to look any further than your inbox to jump into writing syllabic poetry with me. My email from MailerLite has been discontinued.

Research the plugins you use before you install them and keep your plugins to a minimum.

My blog functionality has improved 100% since I switched to the Pro plan. I don’t have any lag time for loading images like I used to. Also, I’m able to use the Firefox browser again. I don’t enjoy using Chrome, as I was forced to do with the old premium plan. I don’t know why this is. I can only share my experiences with you.

I have a lot of exciting news happening on the blog this week. I hope you will all stay tuned for the magic!

Published by Colleen M. Chesebro

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch. In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books. Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.

38 thoughts on “Pro vs. Free WordPress”

      1. Oh! I see, well I shall have to start saving now 😉 or talk nicely to my eldest son he often buys me a years subscription to WP as a birthday present, bless him 💜💜. Thanks for the tip Colleen 💜💜

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  4. So, now I see the Comment on this post? link. I use Blogger because that was the first one I found. Although I’ve had the site for years, I still don’t feel like I know what I’m doing. Lol! I think Word Press looks cleaner, but I don’t have the time to learn it right now. I do the basics on Blogger because that’s all I’ve learned. My brain doesn’t seem to want to absorb anything more. Eventually, I’m going to force myself to take the webinars and become more proficient. For now, I do what I can. 🙂

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  5. My understanding from WordPress is that legacy accounts will stay as is and be eligible for renewal, if they were created prior to March 31, 2022. If that’s really the case, great. If not, I’ll be prepared to switch to Pro.

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        1. Stay with it as long as you can. Hugh said they told him he didn’t have to change either. But… you know WP. I think someone leaked this information and it blindsided them. They weren’t ready to release the it. Now, they are forced to respond, and that usually means things will change once they think them through.

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  8. The old plans are still there for those of us on them, Colleen. In a conversation I had with WordPress last week, they informed me that the plan I am on will always be there for me, unless I choose to switch to another plan. However, I did take that information with a pinch of salt, given what I’ve seen happen in the past.

    The theme I’m using is working perfectly, although if it is retired, then I’ll switch to another one. I like to change my theme at least once every couple of years so as to refresh my blog. For me, keeping the same theme can make a blog look stale and dull. We have to move with the times.

    You mentioned a problem with centring images. I’ve never had to use CSS code to do that. The image block has a toolbar where I can centre images. When I do so, captions under the image are also centred. However, I do a recall a previous theme I used where the Twitter block did not centre. The theme developer had to add some CSS code to the theme to get it to work.

    Thanks for keeping us updated on the new plans. It’s good to read somebody actually giving out information rather than doing nothing but complain about the change.

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    1. Yes, I’ve heard WP say that you can keep your plan. I’m glad I upgraded. I’m starting a small business and will need some additional features. Like you, I can’t imagine WP honoring the old plans indefinitely. In a business, it doesn’t make sense and is contradictory to what they say in some of their blog posts… so nothing has changed. 😂 The CSS code fixed my issue with images centering. I don’t like to play with child theme code, so this works best. I’ve gotten quite adept with CSS codes. I’m happy with this free Astra theme. With FSE this would be a two column theme. It’s all interesting to learn. 💜💚💛

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      1. I forgot to mention that WordPress also told me that were listening to feedback from users, and were considering creating some new plans to sit between the free one and the pro-plan.

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  10. That’s nice encouragement for me.
    Am presently on the free plan, but I have plans to move to pro plan.

    This your post is a sort of encouragement and hope that am moving to a more relaxed place 😊

    Thanks.

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