This is very problematic for me as the website I created utilizes several plugins. I was unaware of this and I don’t know what to do. I want to know if there’s someway to package this website with the plugins and deliver it to my client on their wordpress.com account.

I have nothing to do with their hosting options and I am pretty shocked they were a free WordPress.com account. This puts me in a real bind and I’m looking for possible solutions. I appreciate any help. Now I know in the future to get this information first, I was completely unaware.

Thanks for the help!

The only other option, if you need those plugins, is to move off of WordPress.com: https://move.wordpress.com/

Your client should have told you of their hosting plans and you probably should have asked…

Sometimes my clients think I’m going to provide their web hosting when we first start discussing things. I’ve even had them think I can buy their domain name for them and host the site. Not a good place to be when it comes time to turn over the site when you build on a local box… but I always build on their host so that’s not a problem for me.

Anyway, there is a premium service there at WordPress dot com… that’s one option!

Else you could place them on a server you are comfortable with. Maybe a compromise needs to be reached where you arrange a couple of months of hosting on a suitable, economical host and move the DNS records for them. That’s how I’d handle that situation.

Either way I wasn’t aware there was Personal options that limited plugins so I never saw it coming. I’m not knocking WordPress.com or anything, but I’m surprised plugin installation only becomes available with the second to highest paid option. I’m not overly reliant on plugins but my clients usually don’t have web developers on staff so I use them to make their lives easier.

I can move them to my shared hosting on HostGator and point to my hosting. Right now I’m only hosting two small websites and this website won’t get much traffic. Maybe hold them their for 6 months to a year.

Do you have any suggestions / tips on building on their host? I always build localhost then deploy it to a sandbox on my website for the client to look at then deploy that to their website. I’d love to know a better system from someone more experience than myself.

If you’re planning on hosting the site elsewhere, like you’re own hosting, follow this guide to move it: https://move.wordpress.com/