Are you interested in discovering the top blogging platforms and selecting the perfect one to suit your needs?
You have a plethora of options when it comes to choosing a platform to create your blog. The positive aspect is that we will comprehensively analyze the various blogging platforms for you, presenting their advantages, disadvantages, and pricing alternatives in detail.
After conducting thorough research on all existing blogging platforms, we have curated a list of the top 17 options for you to pick from.
Are you prepared to start your blog research?
Best Blogging Platforms Compared
There exist numerous blogging platforms, and it is crucial to discover the one that suits you the most.
Cost of Blogging Platforms
What should be the budget for your blog before we begin comparing?
The cost of a website builder can vary based on the specific plan and platform selected. Fees can range from $10 and higher due to factors including eCommerce options, hosting, storage, and security.
Although blogging platforms may come with additional costs, these features may not be necessary. Along with the monthly or yearly subscription fees, you probably won’t need to spend much more than the nominal fee to establish your website. However, you must also consider aspects such as hosting, domain acquisition, upgrades, backups, security, and personalization.
There are endless advantages to blogging. Dedicate a monthly amount that you believe is suitable for your website, as it has the potential to create lifelong value. It is a worthwhile investment!
Prior to discussing the top blogging platforms, it is important to address the matter of “free” website builders. It is essential for us to be fully honest with you that these services are never truly free and often come with conditions.
Some important information to keep in mind includes restrictions such as a page cap, lack of custom domain, presence of ads, limited storage space, minimal customer service, and limited functionality.
Make sure to read the details carefully at all times.
1. WordPress.org
WordPress is undeniably the most renowned and favored blogging platform globally. Featuring an array of tools, WordPress.org is an efficient open source software. However, it is important to note that when it comes to WordPress, there exist two distinct platforms, namely WordPress.com and WordPress.org. These two platforms are not synonymous and bear noticeable differences.
With a colossal supporting community, WordPress is utilized by over 35% of the internet world, and it provides remarkable blogging capabilities. So, let’s explore its features.
Pros
Opting for WordPress.org as your blogging platform provides you with complete customization options through the use of plugins. With over 55,000 plugins at your disposal, you can elevate your blog with advanced SEO features and beyond basic formatting. Additionally, you can tap into the supportive WordPress community for maximum outreach.
Cons
The use of WordPress.org can become complex in no time. For those who lack technical knowledge, navigating this blogging platform can pose a challenge and necessitate extra assistance to build the ideal blog. The numerous add-ons available to enhance your blog can be overwhelming and expensive, considering the subscription fee required for a domain and host.
Pricing
WebsiteBuilderExpert provides a brief overview of the six pricing factors that need to be considered when using WordPress.org, ranging from no cost to monthly subscriptions.
- Domain name: $12/year
- Hosting: from $3.95/month
- Pre-made themes: $0 – $200 (one-off charge)
- Plugins: $0 – $1,000 (ongoing or one-off charge)
- Security: from $50 (ongoing or one-off charge)
- Developer fees: $0 – $1,000 (one-off cost)
2. Constant Contact Website Builder
The Constant Contact Website Builder claims to be among the leading platforms for blogging. It provides users with comprehensive tools to facilitate blogging. This platform is highly recommended for those who want to establish their brand, establish an online presence, and increase their audience. Its impressive set of blogging features are of top-notch quality.
Pros
In addition to serving as a blogging platform, Constant Contact Website Builder provides aid in marketing and eCommerce, opening up multiple avenues for growth. Moreover, it is a budget-friendly hosting option that comes with an array of features.
Cons
Your website on Constant Contact Website Builder includes an in-built blog, but to make complete customizations, you will need to purchase a plan. The free blogging feature has limitations and needs a significant effort to establish.
Pricing
Although there is a free trial offer, it’s worth keeping in mind the old adage “you get what you pay for”. Constant Contact Website Builder offers website plans starting from $10 per month that provide storage, security, blog, analytics and the ability to connect your domain. This website builder provides a cost-effective and efficient option for creating a fast website.
3. Gator
Gator, the website builder created by HostGator, utilizes the drag and drop system, making it effortless to use. It assures that it is ideal for small enterprises and online stores. If you are fond of HostGator, then Gator will undoubtedly appeal to you as well. Numerous features from HostGator are also included in Gator, such as the free hosting service. Further details are available below.
Pros
With Host Gator, you get a lot of choices, complimentary trials, and added monthly features that make you feel like you’re getting a great deal from the start. If you’re willing to invest some money, the potential for customization is limitless when it comes to your blog!
Cons
Although the blogging platform is accessible on the free plan, it lacks customization options. To fully enhance your blog, opting for a paid plan is necessary. It is advisable to carefully examine the charges as they can accumulate significantly.
Pricing
You can avail a one-month free trial but thereafter, you’ll need to invest additional money. The Gator website plan offers a starting price of $3.84 per month, which is quite reasonable for a website. HostGator has two plans priced at $6.99 and $15.99 per month, respectively, which are also budget-friendly. Ensure that there are no concealed charges!
4. Tumblr
- Price: Free
- Domain Name: Free sub-domain.
- Web Hosting: Unlimited
- Themes: Over 100 themes.
- Best For: Beginners
Initially, Tumblr served as a microblogging tool but over time, it transformed into a social networking site that predominantly centers on sharing memes and GIFs. NSFW and adult content bloggers find the content policy on the platform accommodating and easy to navigate, hence the site’s popularity.
There are a limited number of themes available for free and for a fee on Tumblr that can be used to customize your blogs. Additionally, if you own a custom domain name, you have the option to configure your blog to utilize it instead of the free sub-domain name that Tumblr supplies.
Blogging on Tumblr will not be a challenge as the platform already boasts a following of users. Nevertheless, if you aspire to be a professional blogger, the limited customization choices may render the platform unsuitable.
5. Joomla
- Price: Free
- Domain Name: Not provided.
- Web Hosting: Not provided.
- Themes: Not Provided.
- Best For: Advanced users.
Joomla is a type of CMS software that is comparable to WordPress, but with a higher level of complexity. To navigate Joomla, one requires a higher degree of expertise compared to WordPress, which makes it more appropriate for seasoned users who can invest time in mastering the system.
Joomla is not only suitable for creating blogs, but also for various other website types due to its strong capabilities. It provides numerous beneficial modules, which allow you to customize your website to your liking.
Similar to WordPress, acquiring web hosting is a prerequisite for establishing a Joomla blog. Additionally, you must seek out Joomla themes in order to personalize the layout independently.
6. Blogger.com
- Price: Free
- Domain Name: Free sub-domain.
- Web Hosting: Free 1GB space.
- Themes: Limited number of themes.
- Best For: Beginners and personal bloggers.
Blogger, which is owned by Google, has been granting bloggers free hosting services since 1999 and it remains active and widely used. As per Google, millions of individuals still rely on Blogger to host their blogs.
Blogger is an excellent platform for creating a simple blog since it offers the liberty to personalize your website design to your liking and even allows you to earn a revenue stream through ads without incurring any costs.
Nonetheless, the selection of themes for Blogger websites is restricted, and the majority of those template designs are now obsolete, which could damage your reliability as you establish a professional blog. Nevertheless, if you are creating a simple personal or hobby blog, Blogger suffices.
7. Wix
- Price: Free or $4.50 a month.
- Domain Name: Free sub-domain.
- Web Hosting: Free 500mb space.
- Themes: Over 100 templates.
- Best For: Beginners.
Aside from being a website builder, Wix is also an excellent platform that can be used for creating blog websites. With various visually appealing design templates available, the service can cater to different website requirements, including blogs and others.
With the free plan, you have the opportunity to create a blog on a Wix.com sub-domain using up to 500mb of space and 500mb of bandwidth. However, Wix branded ads will be displayed on your blog if you opt for the free plan. On the other hand, by upgrading to a paid plan starting at $4.50 per month, you can enjoy additional storage space and custom domain name feature.
Wix is inadequate for bloggers who are serious about their craft as it offers limited customization alternatives and gives little control over the published content. However, it can serve as a decent platform for hosting a basic personal blog.
8. Squarespace
- Price: $12 per month.
- Domain Name: Free domain with an annual plan.
- Web Hosting: Unlimited space.
- Themes: Over 100 templates.
- Best For: Beginners and businesses.
Similar to Wix, Squarespace is a website building platform that facilitates the creation of websites without requiring any coding skills. It additionally permits the development of visually-pleasing blogs with ease.
The ideal use case for the platform is creating a business blog, as it allows for hosting both the website and blog on the same platform. However, for an individual or professional looking to host a blog, Squarespace may not be cost-effective.
9. Ghost.org
- Price: Free or $19 per month.
- Domain Name: Not provided.
- Web Hosting: Unlimited space (with paid plan).
- Themes: Over 100 templates.
- Best For: Personal bloggers.
Ghost is a free blogging software that can be downloaded and utilized to create a personal blog. Additionally, the hosting service is available to set up a blog, with limitless storage, at the cost of $19 per month.
You have the option to obtain your personal web hosting plan for hosting a Ghost blog. However, currently not all web hosting providers are compatible with Ghost. Therefore, ensure that your chosen web host supports the Ghost platform before buying a hosting plan.
It can be challenging to host a Ghost blog on a third-party platform as it requires manual uploading of custom themes via cPanel and manual update of Ghost databases every time a new version is released.
The Ghost platform includes a simple Post Editor that makes it easy to create blog posts, but lacks extensive customization options for themes and presents challenges for incorporating ads. Ghost is better suited for personal blogs rather than those intended for professional purposes.
10. TypePad
- Price: $8.99 per month.
- Domain Name: Not provided.
- Web Hosting:
- Themes: Over 1000 designs.
- Best For: Beginners
A few years ago, TypePad was a popular blogging platform; however, its value began to decline gradually with the advent of free platforms like WordPress, Medium, and Blogger. In spite of this, TypePad has not given up and continues to provide the same services with outdated blog designs at the same cost.
Despite the existence of various blogging platforms, such as WordPress and Blogger, a considerable number of experts, including Seth Godin and Wil Wheaton, continue to utilize TypePad as the hosting site for their personal blogs.
Although TypePad does not require prior experience for blog setup, other platforms offer superior customization options and modern designs for a fee of $8.99.
