As creating a blog has become more effortless in recent times, I have compiled a list of the top ten free blogging platforms that you must utilize to initiate your website and establish the basis for your upcoming blogging expedition.
The practice of blogging has a lengthy and prosperous past. For nearly three decades, individuals have established blogs for their personal interests, financial gain, or to advertise their primary ventures.
If you’re feeling a strong urge to write about a personal interest, starting a blog could be a good fit. Alternatively, you may be interested in setting up a niche blog to earn extra income outside of your regular job. Whether your goal is to share family photos, make a profit, or express your interests to a wider audience, you probably don’t want to invest a significant amount of money to launch your blog.
Although there are numerous blogging platforms accessible now, some of them require payment. Nevertheless, a costless blogging website enables you to explore without burdening your finances, which is a fantastic method to unleash your imagination and discover your writing style while requiring only a modest upfront time investment.
7 Best Free Blogging Sites to Build Your Blog for Free in 2023
1. WordPress (Self-Hosted)
WordPress.org, or Self-Hosted WordPress, is a freely available open-source platform that enables bloggers to create their websites. WordPress advocates for open-source and democratizing publishing, and thus, it provides free access to its software.
To put it differently, the minds behind WordPress are of the opinion that individuals should be able to utilize a platform that suits their preferences in order to publish content that holds significance to them. This is the fundamental objective behind the provision of this blogging site at no cost.
Who is a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog for?
Whether you are starting from scratch and just discovering what a blog is, or already have a successful website generating six-figures, WordPress provides you with the best resources to create an amazing site that can support a profitable blog business plan. Significantly, using WordPress to power your blog allows it to expand alongside you as you refine your style, branding, and content.
WordPress.org clarifies that a significant number of WordPress users lack technical expertise and have no interest in terms such as AJAX or the PHP version they utilize. In essence, most WordPress users only desire the ability to write without any hindrances.
Conversely, they assert that bloggers who possess technical skills can exercise complete autonomy in fashioning their websites, thanks to numerous themes, plugins, and coding options at their disposal.
If you’re a beginner or experienced blogger, WordPress is most likely the top free platform for blogging without question.
General Information About Self-Hosted WordPress
Self-hosted WordPress, which is also known as WordPress.org, was developed in 2003 as an open-source content management system (CMS) that offers a completely free platform for blogging. Open-source refers to software that is freely distributed and can be customized by others, while CMS is a software program that enables you to create and manage your digital content.
Using WordPress is free, however, to utilize it (by means of self-hosting), you have to subscribe to a paid monthly hosting plan and acquire a domain name.
Although we will provide additional information on web hosting later on, it’s crucial to acknowledge that maintaining a self-hosted WordPress blog is remarkably cost-effective, ranging from $2 to $10 per month.
2. Wix
In 2006, Wix made its debut as a no-cost blogging platform. It has since granted access to a impressive 150 million individuals for website creation and is utilized in 190 global locations.
Wix is a website creator that utilizes a drag and drop system. Being a (WYSIWYG) program, you are able to preview your blog’s appearance prior to publishing it.
Despite having multiple paid plans, they also provide a free alternative.
Who Would Like Wix
For those seeking a hassle-free and costless way to embark on blogging, Wix serves as an excellent option. As it manages security, backups, hosting, and other such matters, one can indulge in blogging without worrying about any technicalities. This holds true even in their free platform plans.
If you intend to make money from your blog or desire a personalized appearance, the free version of Wix may not be suitable for you.
General Information about Wix
The three founders behind Wix aimed to develop a platform that enabled individuals without coding or design expertise to create their websites. As a result, Wix remains dedicated to offering a cost-free blogging option to aspiring bloggers across the globe.
Put differently, their aim was to develop a very simple method for individuals to establish a blog or website.
You receive the following features with Wix’s free version:
- Up to 500MG storage
- Up to 500MB bandwidth
- Customer Support
3. WordPress.com
Although you may not be aware of it, there are two distinct versions of WordPress. These are WordPress.org (Self-Hosted) and WordPress.com, which both provide the opportunity to function as top-notch free blogging platforms.
While WordPress.com does provide paid subscription packages, they also have a free version that has certain limitations in its features.
Who Would Like WordPress.com
For someone who wants to try blogging without worrying about earning money or accessing advanced features, the free version of WordPress.com is a good option. However, in my opinion, this is a major disadvantage that is prevalent in most free blogging platforms available today.
If you are looking for a straightforward blog to pursue as a hobby or simply want to test the waters of blogging, WordPress.com presents a hassle-free choice for a reliable and costless blogging platform.
WordPress.com presents an advantage in that it allows room for expansion, which can be achieved by purchasing more costly packages for extra perks. If you desire to have more freedom in the future, you can quickly move your website from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
General Information About WordPress.com
In 2005, WordPress.com was introduced as a means of expanding the WordPress experience to a wider audience. It still remains a platform for aspiring content creators to venture into the realm of blogging without incurring much cost.
According to WordPress.com, they are a version of the open-source software that is hosted. They enable starting a blog or creating a website in mere seconds, even without any technical expertise.
Even with the free version of WordPress.com, the hosting plan is included as part of the WordPress.com experience, eliminating the need to pay for self-hosting.
The features offered on the free WordPress.com version include:
- Jetpack Essential Features
- 3G Storage
- Dozens of free themes
4. Medium
Medium is an intriguing blend of a publisher and a blogging platform. Writers have the opportunity to sign up and publish posts akin to other blogging platforms. However, since it is on Medium, the likelihood of your content being showcased to Medium’s readers is high, comparable to being showcased in a magazine.
Nonetheless, the disadvantage is that you are somewhat restricted to the Medium platform. Consequently, it can be advantageous for the time being to tap into its pre-existing audience. Nevertheless, in the long run, it may prove more beneficial to construct your own platform with the use of tools such as WordPress, particularly if you aspire to earn a livelihood from your blog.
Conversely, Medium can be a great option if money is not a priority for you and your main goal is to have your writing seen by a wide audience.
Advantages of Medium
- The Medium content editor is a joy to use and makes it really pleasant to create content.
- Medium has a built-in community of readers, which gives you access to an audience if Medium chooses to feature your content.
- You can earn money via the Medium Partner Program (though probably not a lot). Building your own platform is probably a better option for serious money-making blogs, but Medium can be nice for side hustles or beer-money-type earnings.
Disadvantages of Medium
- You don’t get full control over your blog’s design, nor can you add your own custom features like you can with WordPress. You’re very locked-in to using the Medium platform “as-is”.
- You need to be a Medium member to use your own custom domain name, which costs $5 per month or $50 per year.
5. Substack
Substack has rapidly gained traction, particularly among high-profile journalists who seek to establish a solo path, like Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi.
Although Substack markets itself as an email newsletter building platform, it essentially functions as a blogging platform with integrated email features wherein every time you post a new content, it is both published on your website like a regular blog and distributed to all of your email recipients.
Substack’s distinguishing feature is its emphasis on creating recurring paid subscriptions through integrated functionalities that require no technical expertise for payment processing. Users can opt to make all of their content free, establish a fully-paid blog, or adopt a combination model that provides both free and premium content.
You can use Substack for free until you decide to monetize your writing by charging readers. This means that you can publish an unlimited amount of free content without any cost to you. If you choose to publish premium content and charge readers, Substack will take a 10% cut of your earnings, but there are no additional fees involved.
Advantages of Substack
- Substack makes things super simple — all you need to do is write content.
- You get built-in email list features to grow a community of subscribers rather than one-off visitors.
- Substack makes it very easy to charge for content (though remember you’ll need to give Substack its 10% cut).
Disadvantages of Substack
- You can’t add features and you don’t get much control over design — Substack is literally just for publishing content.
- You have to pay a one-time $50 fee to unlock the ability to use your own custom domain name (instead of a Substack subdomain).
6. Ghost
Just like WordPress, Ghost is a free and open-source software that can be installed on your web hosting to create a blog. However, unlike WordPress, Ghost is solely dedicated to blogging and publishing.
Included in Ghost are features that aid in establishing a membership community around your blog and potentially generating income through paid access. This is similar to Substack, however, hosting the Ghost software on your own server provides greater authority over the process.
Advantages of Ghost
- Ghost is free and open-source.
- It is self-hosted, which gives you more control than many other blogging platforms.
- Ghost includes built-in membership and monetization features.
Disadvantages of Ghost
- Installing Ghost is a little more complicated because you need your own hosting (unless you’re willing to pay for Ghost’s hosting service).
- Using Ghost is also just generally a little more complicated because it’s a self-hosted tool.
- While the Ghost software is free like WordPress, most serious bloggers will still want to invest in paid hosting, which means it’s not necessarily a 100% free solution.
7. Weebly
Just like Wix, Weebly is a comprehensive website builder that incorporates capabilities for creating a blog, making it a suitable alternative for individuals who want a free blog site.
Your decision between Wix and it ultimately depends on the interface and templates since both platforms have nearly identical advantages and disadvantages.
Basically, the free plan of Weebly offers a complete website builder but necessitates Weebly ads and prohibits the use of your own domain name. If you wish to use a custom domain, the Connect plan that costs $5 per month is required, and for the removal of ads, the Pro plan that costs $12 per month is necessary.
Advantages of Weebly
- Weebly lets you design your site/blog using a simple visual editor with drag-and-drop control.
- It includes full website building functionality, so it gives you more flexibility than platforms such as Substack or Medium.
Disadvantages of Weebly
- The free Weebly plan displays Weebly branding on every page.
- You can’t use your custom domain name unless you upgrade to a paid plan.
