12 Best Free Blogging Platforms & Sites in 2023

“Are you interested in trying out blogging?”

Why not test out a self hosted WordPress setup before committing to it financially and deciding if it’s right for you?

It’s likely that you’re aware of the possibility of starting a blog without any cost, and this is indeed possible. However, the crucial query is:

Which blogging platform is currently the top choice?

The response varies according to your objective.

Do You Even Need a Free Blogging Platform?

The truth:

It can cost a lot to maintain a blog.

For experienced bloggers who have gained knowledge on which concepts are effective and which are not, it becomes simple to view these expenses as a necessity for running their business. Investing money in order to generate a profit is a common practice that can be performed repeatedly.

Suppose you are new to blogging and learning how to initiate a blog for the first time. What if you are still in the process of discerning what is effective and what is not?

I have a secret to share with you…

You can conduct your experimentation with the same level of efficiency on a free blog site as you would on a self-hosted WordPress blog equipped with all the latest features.

A free blogging platform is more conducive to experimentation as the learning curve isn’t as daunting.

Are you truly willing to pay hefty amounts every month while going through the unavoidable struggles of starting a blog?

You can use free blogging platforms to verify the viability of your blog topic, monitor your competitors in the same field as yours, and experiment with your concepts without spending any of your own money.

What is the top-performing blog platform?

That is the issue at hand:

No Blog Platform Is Right for Everyone

Different bloggers have different needs, and different blog platforms are good for different things. Ultimately, “best” will depend on you and your situation.

Despite being free, it is worth noting that all the platforms we will be discussing share certain characteristics. Before we examine them in depth, let’s take a quick look at these traits.

There’s zero maintenance hassle. The burden of maintenance doesn’t fall on you when you use a free blog platform. No worries about software updates, CSS or HTML tweaks, data backups, or gremlins hacking your server — they’re all handled by someone else.
They’re easy to use. To varying degrees, each platform is user-friendly to newbies and beginners. With limited tech-savviness, you could get started today.
Customization is limited. If you’re a micromanager who likes things to be customizable, take a deep breath: you will not have full control or unlimited options when you use a free blogging platform.

The final one has the ability to be both beneficial and disadvantageous.

When you start taking blogging seriously, the free platforms’ restricted customization features may hinder your progress. However, initially, these limitations can assist you in concentrating on what truly matters- testing your ideas as previously mentioned.

Okay, let’s stop with the introduction.

Shall we begin to discover which platform suits you best for commencing your blogging adventure? Let’s proceed.

1. Medium

Medium is the first platform to be discussed.

Medium, which was launched with great hype in August 2012 by Evan Williams, co-founder of Twitter, has now become a gigantic platform. As per the New York Times report in May 2017, this blogging platform has reached a stunning 60 million monthly unique visitors.

What are the advantages?

Built-in audience of over 60 million readers!
Good for all blog types
Excellent typography — your blog will look professional
More business-friendly than WordPress.com
Monetization is possible with the Medium Partner Program

What are the disadvantages?

Little, if any, customization — your blog will look like every other Medium blog
Though Medium offers stats, you won’t be able to link to your Google account and use Google Analytics

2. WordPress.com

WordPress.com, which was introduced in 2005, is a preconfigured content management system (CMS) that is based on the WordPress.org open-source software.

WordPress.com’s network of blogs receives over 409 million monthly views, and in September 2018, users published more than 70 million posts and wrote over 52 million blog comments.

To put it briefly, WordPress websites are widely favored.

What are the advantages?

Suitable for a variety of blog types
Solid support articles and forum
More design options than other free platforms
Shorter learning curve if you choose to transition to self-hosted WordPress later
Site builder that’s good for more than just blogs
Premium plans are available, for those interested

What are the drawbacks?

Not ideal for businesses
You can’t install premium or free WordPress themes and plugins (or other blogging tools) from third parties
Lack of community makes it difficult to build an audience from scratch
WordPress advertising and banners may appear next to your content

3. LinkedIn

The following platform on the list is LinkedIn.

Although LinkedIn is mainly utilized for professional networking purposes, it also provides a publishing platform that enables any of its 560 million users (as of September 2018) to create posts. These posts could potentially be read by any of the 260 million active members of the platform in a given month.

Once more, there is a possibility.

What are the advantages?

Good for professionals and business blogging
Clean, simple design
Ease of use — publishing platform is built right into your LinkedIn profile
Built-in audience of like-minded professionals

What are the disadvantages?

Only good for professionals and businesses
Very few customization options
You can’t schedule posts for future publishing

4. Instagram

Among the biggest social media websites globally is Instagram, which Facebook owns and is utilized for sharing photos and videos.

As of June 2018, Instagram’s worldwide user base reached 1 billion, adding 200 million users within just nine months from the previous September when they had 800 million users.

Instagram provides an audience of more than 75 people, even if the individuals who follow Kardashians or have shared a picture imitating a duck are excluded.

I’m not completely serious.

What are the advantages?

Great for visual topics
Ideal platform for microblogging (short posts)
Great if your target audience primarily uses mobile devices

What are the disadvantages?

Limited to 2,200 characters
Limited to one hyperlink (in your bio)
If your target audience isn’t on mobile, it’s less than ideal

5. Web.com

Since 1999, Web.com has been a user-friendly do-it-yourself website builder. By utilizing their drag and drop builder and expertly crafted website templates, you can effortlessly design an attractive blog in a short amount of time.

With the lowest starting prices compared to other blog sites on this list, Web.com is ideal for budget-conscious bloggers who are still starting out.

Advantages:

It’s a user-friendly blog site. Anyone can create a blog with the drag and drop builder, no technical knowledge needed.
You can easily add features like contact forms, photo galleries, videos, social media buttons, and more.
It comes with a free domain name, SSL certificate, hosting, website analytics, and other important site tools.
The eCommerce plan lets you add unlimited products, securely accept credit cards online, manage your orders, and more.

Downsides:

Blogging functionality is limited compared to other platforms like WordPress.org.
Since Web.com is a proprietary website builder, moving your blog to a different platform would be difficult.

6. HubSpot’s Free CMS

A user-friendly blogging platform is made possible by HubSpot’s Free CMS, a potent content management system.

With HubSpot’s complimentary customer relationship manager (CRM) serving as its foundation, the Free CMS allows for effortless interaction with your audience and enables you to tailor your blog to individual visitors.

Advantages:

HubSpot’s Free CMS is easy to use and requires little to no technical skills.
It includes a drag and drop website builder and built-in SEO tools to help you easily grow your blog.
You can personalize your blog using data from the integrated HubSpot CRM.
HubSpot includes built-in tools to help you start a newsletter for your blog.
Free CMS comes with built-in security and performance features, including a web application firewall (WAF) and a global content delivery network (CDN).

Drawbacks:

HubSpot CMS Hub doesn’t support eCommerce, which might be a problem if you ever want to sell products via your blog.
Compared to the other options on our list, customizations are limited
While it’s free to use the most basic version, adding features gets expensive very quickly. The Starter plan is $23 per month, then jumps up to $360 per month for the Professional plan.

7. Gator Website Builder

HostGator, which is one of the world’s most well-known domain and hosting providers, developed Gator Website Builder, a highly popular blogging platform.

With its drag and drop builder, setting up and managing a blog is easy and quick, even without any technical coding skills.

Advantages:

It’s a beginner-friendly blogging site. Anyone including absolute beginners can quickly make a blog in this platform.
The Gator Website Builder handles backups, performance, security, and all aspects of your blog.
Free SSL certificate
Hosting is included and you get a free domain name.

Drawbacks:

There’s no free plan available.
It includes a limited number of apps and extensions, so customization options are somewhat limited.

8. Blogger

As one of the earliest blogging platforms in existence, Blogger was established in 1999 by Pyra Labs before Google acquired it in 2003 and subsequently revamped it into the recognizable blog website we use today.

Blogger’s popularity stems from its user-friendliness and the speedy creation of a personal blog to share one’s stories.

Advantages:

Easy to set up with your Google account and easy to post articles, photos, and manage your blog.
It comes with built-in Google AdSense service, allowing you to make money with Google ads.

Drawbacks:

Blogger has limited customization options. There aren’t advanced features and plugins as in WordPress.org.
It has only a limited number of themes and templates.

9. Squarespace

Squarespace is among the top blog platforms that offers a user-friendly website building tool enabling you to design visually appealing websites within a matter of minutes.

With Squarespace, an A.I. builder is available, which creates a website automatically after you answer a few questions. Another option is to select a template and customize it for your blog.

Advantages:

Squarespace provides a simple drag and drag editor that lets you edit and customize your blog easily and quickly.
It offers plenty of gorgeous templates that provide a unique style to your blog.
You can sell on Squarspace.

Disadvantages:

It has limited marketing tools and integrations.
Unlike most website builders, it doesn’t offer a free plan.

10. Weebly

Weebly is a website platform that is already hosted and features a drag-and-drop builder that is simple to use. It includes a wide selection of responsive templates and themes that can help you get started quickly.

Your website’s growth is supported by Weebly’s built-in marketing and SEO tools.

Advantages:

It’s easy to set up a blog in Weebly.
It’s a hosted platform which means that it manages every aspect of your blog including hosting, performance, backups, etc.

Disadvantages:

Weebly lacks advanced features you may need to grow your blog.
It has limited integration with third-party apps.

11. Ghost

Ghost serves as a publishing tool for creators seeking to construct a publication, draw in subscribers, send newsletters, and generate consistent revenue through publishing high-quality content.

A self-hosted version of Ghost is also offered which allows you to build a skilled website.

Advantages:

Ghost is faster than most blogging platforms. It has a simple and clutter-free interface.
Creating a blog in their paid hosted service is easy and quick. No coding skills are required.

Downsides:

It has limited themes and plugins.
There are limited customizations for your website.

12. Tumblr

Unlike typical blogging platforms, Tumblr is a microblogging platform with a unique set of features. One can explore and track blogs on a variety of subjects, reblog them to personalize their content, and select from a range of post formats.

Benefits: