Who Owns WordPress? Understanding Its Ownership and Control

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Who Owns WordPress? Understanding Its Ownership and Control
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Introduction

WordPress is the world’s most popular website-building platform, powering over 40% of all websites. But who actually owns WordPress? Unlike traditional software owned by a single company, WordPress has a unique ownership structure that can be confusing to many.

In this article, we’ll break down who owns WordPress, how it is managed, and what this means for users and developers.

Who Created WordPress?

WordPress was founded in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little as an open-source content management system (CMS). It was developed as a successor to b2/cafelog, a blogging platform that was discontinued. Since its launch, WordPress has grown into a powerful tool for creating websites, blogs, and even eCommerce stores.

Who Owns WordPress?

Ownership of WordPress is divided between two key entities:

1. WordPress.org – The Open-Source Project

  • Ownership: No single person or company owns WordPress.org. It is an open-source project governed by the WordPress Foundation (a non-profit organization).
  • Control: The software is developed by a global community of contributors, including volunteers, developers, and companies.
  • Availability: Anyone can use, modify, and distribute WordPress for free under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

2. WordPress.com – The Commercial Platform

  • Ownership: WordPress.com is owned by Automattic Inc., a company founded by Matt Mullenweg.
  • Control: Unlike WordPress.org, this is a hosted service where users pay for features like domain hosting, premium themes, and extra storage.
  • Differences: WordPress.com is a for-profit business that simplifies website creation, while WordPress.org provides free software that users must install on their own hosting.

The Role of the WordPress Foundation

The WordPress Foundation was created by Matt Mullenweg to protect the open-source nature of WordPress.org. Its main responsibilities include:

  • Ensuring WordPress remains free for everyone.
  • Preventing corporate ownership of the WordPress.org software.
  • Supporting the global community of developers and users.

While Automattic owns WordPress.com, it does not own WordPress itself. Instead, the foundation ensures the continued development and accessibility of WordPress.org.

What This Means for WordPress Users

  • If you use WordPress.org: You have full ownership of your website, including customization and monetization options.
  • If you use WordPress.com: Your site is hosted on a platform owned by Automattic, meaning there are some restrictions on themes, plugins, and monetization (depending on the plan you choose).
  • For businesses and developers: The open-source nature of WordPress.org allows for extensive flexibility, making it the preferred choice for most professionals.

Conclusion

WordPress operates under a unique ownership structure where WordPress.org is community-owned, while WordPress.com is owned by Automattic. The WordPress Foundation ensures the software remains free and open-source, allowing users to build and control their own websites without corporate restrictions.

Understanding this distinction helps users choose the right platform for their needs—whether they want the freedom of WordPress.org or the convenience of WordPress.com.

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