Word Press is a platform that anyone can use to build and publish a website.

WordPress.org is for people that want to be completely independent and have more control over how things are created and maintained. Have the desire to learn all the technical aspects of doing so, or already have the skills to preform their own backups, find their own host, install their own plugins and create their own themes.

WordPress.com is for anyone that wants to have a website but would rather not deal with the nitty gritty details of building every aspect of the site. No need to worry about finding a host, dealing with security and backups.

Both options can lead to very professional results, have forums available for help and have the ability to integrate with social media. The finished project from either method can offer the same features, both have the ability to be powerful, secure and functional.

If you want to be in complete charge of your site and have more freedom then go with WordPress.org. No need to register and agree to terms and services but you’ll need to be on top of all areas of the development and maintenance.

If you want less responsibility but (less control) then WordPress.com maybe the better choice. You do have to register and agree to terms and services but then they take care of the maintenance, security, hosting, plugins and you can just be busy doing what you do.

I personally would go with WordPress.com because I would rather let the experts handle the technical parts and then I could just focus on adding content. My goal would not be to learn about backups and plugins as it is just not in my personal interests.

Resources.

WordPress.com and WordPress.org