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WPBeginner» Blog» Plugins» How to Get WordPress.com Features on Self-Hosted WordPress Blogs

How to Get WordPress.com Features on Self-Hosted WordPress Blogs

Last updated on February 17th, 2021 by Editorial Staff
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How to Get WordPress.com Features on Self-Hosted WordPress Blogs

If you recently switched from WordPress.com to your own self-hosted WordPress.org website, then you may not see all the widgets, stats, and other WordPress.com features in the new user interface.

But don’t worry, there’s an easy way to get those features back. Actually, you can have even more powerful features with your self-hosted WordPress blog.

In this article, we will show you how to get WordPress.com features on self-hosted WordPress blogs.

Getting WordPress.com features for your WordPress.org blogs

Adding WordPress.com Features to Your Self-Hosted WordPress Blog

When choosing a blogging platform, many users start with WordPress.com before they make the switch to the self-hosted WordPress.org platform. Often this happens due to name confusion because despite the similar name, they are two different platforms. To learn more see our comparison of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.

The problem is that after using WordPress.com, you can get used to certain features and the way they look. Naturally, after switching you would want to have the same features in self-hosted WordPress.

While WordPress.org doesn’t offer built-in features like WordPress.com, it gives you the full flexibility to add any feature that you want on your website using WordPress plugins. In fact, this flexibility is one of the major reasons why people convert their WordPress.com blogs to WordPress.org.

The company behind WordPress.com offers a plugin that brings WordPress.com features on any WordPress.org website. This plugin is called JetPack.

Jetpack WordPress Plugin

Jetpack offers many of the same features used by WordPress.com to WordPress.org users.

Unlike standard WordPress plugins, Jetpack is a plugin suite which combines several useful features into a single plugin.

Jetpack Features on Self-hosted WordPress Blog

Here are the main Jetpack (WordPress.com) features:

  • WordPress Security: Downtime monitoring, brute force attack protection, backups, etc.
  • Performance: Speed up image and static file load times, lazy loading for images, etc.
  • Writing and content: Options to create galleries, testimonials, portfolios, Infinite scroll, etc.
  • Social sharing: Auto social sharing posts, share buttons, and like buttons.
  • Website traffic: Related posts, website stats, etc.

Jetpack is available as a free plugin with certain features being premium upgrades. You can simply install the plugin like any other plugin on your self-hosted WordPress site to access the same basic features that you had on WordPress.com.

However, one of the reasons why people is to get away from the limited features on WordPress.com and access the more powerful features offered on self-hosted WordPress.org.

In that case, here’s how you can unlock more powerful features with WordPress.org.

1. Unlock Powerful Analytics with MonsterInsights

Website stats is one of the most loved WordPress.com features. Jetpack provides this feature with the built-in site stats module.

However, it’s nowhere near as powerful as Google Analytics, the de-facto market leader for analytics. If you want to integrate Google Analytics with Jetpack, then you need to subscribe to their professional plan that costs $299 / year.

But luckily, you can use the most powerful website stats tool Google Analytics on your self-hosted blog with MonsterInsights Lite plugin which is 100% free.

MonsterInsights Best Google Analytics WordPress Plugin

MonsterInsights also offers a Pro version which is the best Google Analytics WordPress plugin in the market. It lets you easily connect your site with Google Analytics and helps to track advanced metrics with ease.

Get MonsterInsights now!

2. Create Smart WordPress Forms with WPForms

You can create contact forms and polls in WordPress.com with Jetpack’s feedback form feature. But it lacks the advanced options to customize the forms or add smart marketing features.

WPForms plugin solves that problem for self-hosted WordPress blogs by allowing you to create any type of form with just a few clicks. The free version, WPForms Lite, comes with all the essentials, and the Pro version is packed with more powerful features.

WPForms

Using WPForms, you can create contact forms, surveys, user registration forms, order forms, etc. quickly and easily.

Get WPForms now!

3. Get More Robust WordPress Security with Sucuri

Jetpack free version offers basic WordPress security features like brute force attack protection. If you upgrade to their premium plans, then you will get malware scanning option as well.

However you can get more robust security features for your self-hosted website with plugins like Sucuri.

Sucuri

Sucuri’s free WordPress plugin has advanced security options like remote malware scanning, blacklist monitoring, file integrity monitoring, security activity auditing, and more.

Get Sucuri now!

4. Get Advanced SEO Features with AIOSEO plugin

Jetpack offers basic SEO features like XML sitemaps and site verification for WordPress.com websites. You need to buy at least the Jetpack Premium plan to access all of its SEO features.

You can get all those features and more in your self-hosted WordPress blog with free All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin.

AIOSEO

AIOSEO offers features like site verification, XML sitemaps, SEO preview, Facebook and Twitter preview images, title, meta descriptions, and more.

If you get AIOSEO Pro, you can get more powerful SEO capabilities.

Get AIOSEO now!

5. Create Automatic Backups with UpdraftPlus

You can create daily automatic backups for your WordPress site with Jetpack; however, it’s only available for the paid users.

But thankfully UpdraftPlus plugin lets you set up automatic backups for your website free.

UpdraftPlus best WordPress backup plugin

It also allows you to store your WordPress backups in remote locations such as Google Drive, and Dropbox.

Get UpdraftPlus now!

6. Enable Spam Filtering Free with Akismet

Jetpack paid plan users can enjoy spam filtering feature on their website. It is enabled by Akismet plugin integration.

But you can get this feature for free in your self-hosted WordPress website by installing the Akismet plugin.

Akismet

Akismet automatically checks all your WordPress comments and filters out the ones which look like spam. It helps to reduce spam comments significantly on your site and allows you peace of mind.

Get Akistmet now!

7. Add Stylish Social Share Buttons with Shared Counts

Social sharing buttons are also a default WordPress.com feature. You can enable social share buttons on your posts, pages, media, etc. however, it has limited styling options.

You can use Shared Counts plugin on your self-hosted WordPress website to get the social sharing buttons.

Shared Counts

Shared Counts offers many display styles, social share count, and total share count feature.

Another great advantage of using Shared Counts is that it doesn’t slow your website speed.

Get Shared Counts now!

8. Auto Post to Your Social Networks with WP to Buffer

You can enable auto-sharing your posts on your social media networks in WordPress.com using Jetpack’s Publicize feature.

You can add the same functionality to your self-hosted WordPress blog by using WP to Buffer plugin.

WP to Buffer

Buffer is a popular social media management tool you can use to schedule posts on social media.

With WP to Buffer free plugin, you can connect your WordPress.org website with your Buffer account and set up automatic posting on your social media profiles.

Get WP to Buffer now!

9. Show Related Content with Yet Another Related Posts

WordPress.com has a built-in option to show related content after posts.

You can add this feature on your WordPress.org website using the free plugin Yet Another Related Posts.

Yet Another Related Posts Plugin

The plugin allows you to display posts, pages, and custom post types as related content after posts. You can choose thumbnail or list view of related content.

Get Yet Another Related Posts now!

10. Improve Comment Interaction with De:comments

You can enable Like option for your WordPress.com comments. This feature is useful to improve user-interaction in your comment area.

De:comments plugin lets you add more elements of user interaction to your WordPress.org comment area.

De:comments

The plugin allows users to rate comments, share comments on social media, earn badges, and more.

Get De:comments now!

11. Grow Your Email List and Send Emails with Constant Contact

Jetpack offers basic email marketing features for WordPress.com websites. You can add a simple subscription form on your site, and send emails when you publish a new post.

You can use more powerful email marketing features on your self-hosted WordPress blog with Constant Contact.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is one of the best email marketing service provider on the market. It allows you to easily collect email addresses, convert visitors into subscribers, and bring them back to your website.

For detailed instructions, see our article on how to create an email newsletter in WordPress.

Get Constant Contact now!

12. Get CDN Services with Cloudflare

WordPress.com has built-in CDN for images and static files.

You can get a similar feature on your self-hosted blog with Cloudflare.

Cloudflare

Cloudflare is one of the best CDN services available in the market.

Using this service helps to improve your website speed and performance. Also, it protects your site against brute force attacks.

Get Cloudflare now!

13. Enable Infinite Scrolling with WordPress Infinite Scroll

One of the popular WordPress.com features is infinite scrolling. Many websites use this feature to improve user engagement.

You can add the same feature to your WordPress.org website using the free WordPress Infinite Scroll plugin.

Load More - Infinite scroll for WordPress

It is an excellent tool for lazy loading posts, pages, comments, and more.

Get WordPress Infinite Scroll now!

14. Create Stunning Galleries with Envira Gallery

In WordPress.com, you can create responsive galleries with Jetpack. It is also a built-in WordPress.com feature. However, it has limited customization options.

You can add more stunning image galleries on your self-hosted WordPress blog with Envira Gallery plugin.

Envira Gallery

Get Envira Gallery plugin now!

We hope this article helped you to learn how to get WordPress.com features on self-hosted WordPress blogs. You may also want to see our guide on the must have WordPress plugins for business websites.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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About the Editorial Staff

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19 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Vanessa says:
    May 14, 2017 at 2:41 pm

    If ever I install Jetpax and connect it to WordPress.com what will happen to my self hosted Wp. then? Will it be deleted? I only found it out using tablet I got afraid to connect it so I didnt finalized it yet. Can I use same? I mean keep using self hosted Wp. with my PC and wp.com with jetpax installed on my tablet and smartphone?

    Reply
  2. michael says:
    Feb 25, 2017 at 9:58 am

    does anyone know how to add the follow wordpress button onto my website? I have done it with bluehost or isnt it possible?

    Reply
  3. Denise says:
    Jan 28, 2016 at 10:59 am

    Please help! So I signed up for Bluehost for WordPress yesterday and when I logged into Bluehost, it indicated that WordPress is already installed.

    So how do I know if Bluehost installed wordpress.org or .com?

    On my dashboard on WordPress, the bottom says “created by WordPress” and when I click on that, wordpress.org comes up

    But my confusion is I am reading this about installing the jetpack and I would need a .com address. Does it mean I already have one and not .org?

    Maybe I am better off not doing my own website – I am brand new to this and really need the basics..any help is most appreciated!

    Reply
    • David Coleman says:
      Mar 2, 2016 at 11:49 pm

      If your going through a host, then you have WordPress.org.
      Wordpress.com can’t be installed, it isn’t self hosted, whereas .org is self hosted.
      You’ll need to create an account on WordPress.com and use it with Jetpack.
      You can create a WordPress.com account without creating a blog on it.

      Reply
  4. Clare says:
    Jan 7, 2016 at 7:30 am

    So glad I found this as it explains how a self hosted site I’m about to help someone with has email blog subscription. It had been puzzling me as I haven’t got into the back-end yet!
    Thanks for writing another really helpful article

    Reply
  5. Graeme Taylor says:
    Sep 9, 2013 at 1:00 pm

    Is it possible to add nofollow to the link URL on the image widget?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 9, 2013 at 10:31 pm

      If you are talking about jetpack’s extra sidebar widgets feature which has an image widget, then no you can not add a nofollow. Perhaps you should add a text widget and manually add your image with a nofollow link.

      Reply
  6. Michael Andrzejewski says:
    Oct 8, 2012 at 11:38 am

    Is there a way to get the “Like This” button that I see on wordpress.com hosted blogs on a self hosted blog? Is this included in JetPack? If so, where? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Oct 8, 2012 at 11:56 am

      From our understanding, No because that feature is integrated with WordPress.com eco-system (i.e is only available for WP.com users).

      Reply
  7. Rob Smelik says:
    Jun 22, 2012 at 12:59 am

    Has anyone figured out a way of embedding the WP.me shortlinks in your template file so they show up on the front end (for example below the post content). I have created a custom share bar and would like to have auto generated shortlinks of each post show up in this bar for visitors to use whenever they choose to do so. And yes I also have the usual suspects in the bar (twitter, facebook, etc.) but still want to provide the shortlinks. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Jun 22, 2012 at 1:01 am

      This article should help: https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-themes/how-to-display-wordpress-shortlinks-in-your-theme/

      Reply
  8. mrahmadawais says:
    Apr 13, 2012 at 6:37 am

    Is it good to use email subscription from WP jetpack?
    What are the pros and cons?
    What are the options we have to deal with our subscribers?
    Is it better than feedburner?
     

    Reply
    • wpbeginner says:
      Apr 16, 2012 at 10:01 am

       @mrahmadawais The best option is to use MailChimp or Aweber, so you have all of your email list at one spot.

      Reply
  9. Brusimm says:
    Apr 12, 2012 at 11:23 am

    One tiny bit of advice (if this is even related)…  if you ever change your mind and try to unassociate your .com account from your self hosted blog, BEWARE and maybe coordinate with the .com folk.  I had some issues and had deleted my .com blog and in the process, due to the API connectivity/permissions between the .com and self hosted blog, my self hosted blog appeared to become deleted!  (nice heart stopper, but once the .com folks helped me out, my self-hosted blog came back.  creepy!)
    -Brusimm

    Reply
    • wpbeginner says:
      Apr 16, 2012 at 10:00 am

      This does not make any sense. Are you suggesting that having Jetpack installed and then deleting your .com blog deleted your self-hosted blog? 

      Reply
  10. AMANP says:
    Apr 12, 2012 at 9:14 am

    One very important feature which I want to get is the FOLLOW Button
    Can you please advise me How can I get the Follow Button on my Jetpack running WordPress (self hosted) site

    Reply
    • wpbeginner says:
      Apr 16, 2012 at 10:00 am

       @AMANP I heard rumors that it will be added in Jetpack in the future.

      Reply
      • AMANP says:
        Apr 17, 2012 at 3:27 am

        @wpbeginner
        Just got a follow plugin for jetpack
        when i activated a Follow Button appeared on my blog & it uses the inbuilt  email subscription module from jetpack 
        but again i dont have control over subscription managment system of jetpack
         

        Reply
        • wpbeginner says:
          Apr 19, 2012 at 6:24 am

           @AMANP This is why we always use MailChimp (a third-party system, where we have full control).

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