WordPress.com Enterprise, announced on the WordPress.com VIP blog, combines the two aspects of WordPress.com hosting that we’re familiar with: the paid upgrades of WordPress.com with the vetted plugin selection (70 count) and support of WordPress.com VIP. Enterprise is now available for $500 per site per month.

To put that $500 per month in perspective, WordPress.com upgrades (domain name, space upgrade, custom design, etc.) comes it at $99/year and WordPress.com VIP starts at $3,750/month. Enterprise, like WordPress.com upgrades, will cover just one site at a time, while VIP will cover up to five websites.

The Enterprise option does limit users to 70 approved plugins, so full control of sites shouldn’t be expected.

On his blog, Matt Mullenweg said he thinks Enterprise fills a gap between WordPress.com Pro and VIP:

You get 90% of the benefit of VIP — scalability, security, upgrades, 70+ audited plugins, full Javascript access — for 10% of the cost, or about $500 a month. I think Enterprise is a perfect fit for many higher-end and business sites. Full speed ahead, number one.

Ranaan Bar-Cohen said the new service has seen success with their beta customers, which include Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Chef and ESPN’s Digital and Print Products.

Initial reactions

This new offering edges closer to more economical hosting options from dedicated WordPress hosting companies. In the beginning of Bar-Cohen’s announcement he said: “As the saying used to go: fast, cheap, good — pick two. Now you can pick three.”

It’s a lofty proposition. Only time will tell whether he’s right.

What is your first reaction to WordPress.com Enterprise? Would this work for you or any of your clients?