Do you want to commence your own blog but are struggling to select the most suitable platform that meets your requirements? Fret not, we are here to assist you. Presently, there is an abundance of options available to initiate a blog. This write-up will aid you in making an informed decision by providing some pre-requisites to consider. Additionally, we will give a synopsis of the prevalent blogging sites and compare their advantages, disadvantages, features, pricing, and other relevant aspects.
How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform? (What to Look for)
Prior to selecting a blogging platform, take into account these key considerations:
What kind of blog do you want?
The blogging platforms differ greatly. While WordPress, a renowned content management system, can support both a website and a blog, it requires more effort to optimize. In contrast, publishing platforms like Squarespace can handle technical issues like domain, hosting, security, SEO, etc., giving you more leeway to focus on content creation. Nonetheless, other platforms, such as Tumblr, are more geared towards social networking. In essence, to achieve your blogging goals, the platform you select must be well equipped to meet them.
When choosing a platform, it’s crucial to consider your long-term goals. Opting for a non-scalable platform may hinder your ability to expand your blog and monetize it in the future. To avoid this, ensure that the platform you select provides features that can accommodate future growth.
Should You Host Your Blog or Have the Platform Host It?
Hosting is perhaps the most significant decision when it comes to your blog. You must decide whether you wish to manage your blog’s hosting or allow the platform to handle it for you. WordPress is tough to beat for self-hosting. However, if a hosted platform is more your style, making a choice can be challenging. The key difference between self-hosted platforms like WordPress and hosted alternatives is that hosted platforms may be more restrictive in terms of adding customizations and functionality outside the chosen platform’s range. Opting for a hosted platform may simplify the blogging experience initially, but selecting the wrong one could limit your options in the future.
How Much Can You Afford?
Depending on the hosting provider selected, hosted blogging platforms generally have lower costs compared to self-hosted options. Certain hosted publishing platforms provide a fully functional website with a personalized domain for as low as $5 per month. Some self-hosted platforms may offer a free option, but adding hosting costs, premium plugins, and themes may result in high expenses for even a hosted website, including those built on WordPress.
It is important to exercise caution when opting for a less expensive all-in-one service that may later necessitate paid upgrades. Additionally, when looking for a hosting option for your website, it is advisable to choose a platform with plans that can accommodate your blog’s growth as it expands.
Are You a Creative Type?
It is important to consider the level of control you require for your website’s design and layout. If you opt for a self-hosted site, you will have complete autonomy over the theme, appearance, and functionality. However, if you choose a hosted website builder, your options may be restricted based on the chosen platform. The number of templates available varies greatly among hosted website providers, with some offering hundreds and others just a few.
The Best Blogging Platforms (Compared)
Although other factors to consider include overall traffic and user scaling, as well as the number of contributors, focusing on these should significantly assist in reducing your options and selecting the ideal blogging platform for your needs. Now, let’s examine the available choices.
1. WordPress.org
WordPress.org is a highly robust and flexible blogging platform that is capable of handling all of a blogger’s needs. It comes equipped with a built-in full site editing feature, as well as a drag-and-drop block editor, an array of themes and plugins, and page builders like Divi. As a result, designing your blog site will be a breeze, and it will never lack any functionality you might require in the future. In terms of CMS software for websites, WordPress is arguably the best option available. It is entirely free to use, but to get your blog up and running, you will need to invest in a hosting provider independently. However, with a reliable WordPress hosting platform, your blog’s potential is limitless.
Pros
- Massive repository of free themes and plugins for all your blogging needs.
- A dedicated community of developers and users with countless tutorials to help the learning curve.
- Easy to install and set up for beginners.
- Can run any kind of website with the use of feature-rich plugins like membership plugins or LMS plugins.
- A publishing-centric content editor that rivals other all-in-one platforms like Wix and Squarespace.
- Managed WordPress cloud hosting providers (such as Cloudways, Siteground, and Flywheel) are available if you don’t want to worry about the technical side of hosting your own website.
- Available plugins give you more control over security, performance, and SEO than with other hosted platforms.
Cons
- Basic installation isn’t enough in most cases. You need to customize it to be production-ready
- Extra work is needed to maximize the security of WordPress websites. Other hosted platforms may be more secure out of the box.
- There is still a learning curve for beginners.
- No customer support included
- You’re responsible for getting your own domain name and hosting platform but other performance and SEO optimizations.
There is no charge for the pricing.
2. WordPress.com
Despite being created by the same developers, there are notable distinctions between WordPress.com and its .org version. WordPress.com was designed primarily for users seeking a hassle-free experience devoid of all technical intricacies, such as hosting, while retaining WordPress.org’s functionalities.
WordPress.com offers several advantages to those who are new to it. Firstly, it is one of the top free hosting providers for WordPress available. Secondly, you have the freedom to choose your preferred theme, add plugins, modify the look, and invite users. Nevertheless, these options are more restricted in comparison to WordPress.org. Additionally, no installation is required, a basic account is free, and you can create your first blog post within minutes of signing up.
By paying a monthly fee of approximately $5 USD, you can enhance your free plan with the ability to add your own URL, install selected premium themes and plugins, and eliminate WP.com advertising. The free option has restrictions on the additions and actions you can perform.
Built into JetPack are various features such as site stats, backups, security features, and improved search functionality that are particularly beneficial for bloggers.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Basic plan is free
- Behind-the-scenes tech issues are handled for you
- Similar publishing tools as WordPress.org
- Built-in features from Jetpack (security, site stats, limited CDN, and more)
- Built-in features for marketing and integration
- Huge community and reliable support.
Cons
- The free tier is ad-supported, so you have to pay to make them go away.
- Access to premium plugins and themes is restricted
- Monetization restrictions on the free plan.
The pricing options include a free plan, followed by paid plans starting at $5 per month.
3. Web.com
A well-known website builder called Web.com has been in existence since 1999. Without requiring any technical expertise, users can create various sites, including blogs, using its user-friendly drag and drop builder.
Web.com provides a plethora of pre-designed website templates for you to kick-start your website building process quickly. You can conveniently make changes to the templates by just pointing and clicking. Additionally, you can efficiently add diverse elements such as contact forms, photo galleries, videos, and social media buttons among other features.
One of the most advantageous aspects is that you can begin at an exceptionally affordable cost.
Advantages:
- The drag and drop builder makes it easy to design your blog
- You can add unlimited pages to your site
- It comes with a free domain name, business email address, SEO tools, website analytics, and more
Disadvantages:
- Blogging functionality is limited compared to other platforms like WordPress.org
- Switching to a different platform in the future will be difficult since Web.com is a proprietary site builder
The starter website package of Web.com is priced at a lowly $1.95 per month, while the Marketing plan can be availed at a higher price of $2.95 per month, which includes extra SEO attributes. Additionally, the eCommerce plan starts at $3.95 per month.
4. Gator Website Builder
With Gator Website Builder, you can design different types of websites such as a blog, online store, or small enterprise website in a single platform.
Irrespective of whether you have just started blogging or are an experienced pro, the Gator website builder will prove to be a valuable tool for you.
Advantages:
- It provides free domain name registration with any plan
- It comes with 200 mobile-optimized designs
- Includes access to analytics, social and productivity tools
- Friendly customer support that is available 24/7 and 365 days a year
Negatives:
- Unlike other blogging platforms, HostGator’s website builder is not free of cost
- It’s not as feature rich as WordPress.org
- It offers limited customization options
The pricing structure offers a starter plan at a monthly cost of $3.46 and a premium plan for $5.39 per month that comes with priority support. Additionally, there is an eCommerce plan available for $8.30 per month.
5. Blogger.com
Google offers Blogger.com, a blogging platform that is completely free. Just like WordPress.com, it is effortless to establish a new blog on Blogger without spending a single penny. Additionally, you can earn money from your free blog using AdSense, affiliate marketing, and other methods.
Advantages:
- Easy setup and no budget required to start a blog
- Unlike WordPress.com, you can use a custom domain without having to pay a subscription fee to Blogger
- Monetize your blog the way you want
Disadvantages:
- Customization is limited
- You can’t add enhanced functionalities like an eCommerce store to your blog
- According to Blogger’s Terms of Service, they can suspend your blog at any time without prior notice.
No cost is incurred for pricing.
6. Tumblr
Tumblr, a social networking platform, allows you to easily share various web content such as photos and quotes. It is widely recognized as the most user-friendly blogging site. In contrast with other social networks, Tumblr’s user base tends to be younger. At present, it has over 417 million hosted blogs.
Advantages:
- The easiest free blogging platform in existence
- It has an integrated social media component
- Unlike other social media sites, Tumblr gives you the ability to heavily customize your own page
Drawbacks:
- Compared to other blogging platforms, Tumblr comes with a limited set of features
- While you can choose from an extensive collection of Tumblr themes, you don’t have control over formatting, similar to other platforms like WordPress.com
- Exporting your site to another platform can be quite difficult
Cost: No charge.
7. Medium
Medium is an online publishing platform launched in August 2012. It also lets you follow, read, and interact with the stories that matter most to you. Medium has a great built-in tool to import content from anywhere on the web and share it with your followers.
Advantages:
- Medium is an easy-to-use publishing platform that doesn’t require any setup
- With Medium, you can focus on what you’re really good at: writing. You can count on the platform for everything else, including the design
- It comes with a powerful reporting tool that helps you understand how your readers engage with your content
Negatives:
- No monetization is allowed
- Limited control over your content
- Limited features are provided compared to other platforms
Cost: No charge
8. Squarespace
One website builder that allows you to design an impressive website without the need for coding expertise is Squarespace. Squarespace provides you with a variety of website templates to select from, each of which includes numerous customizable features. Moreover, with a yearly Squarespace membership, you can even eliminate the expense of domain registration.
Advantages:
- It’s a nice platform to easily build a basic website
- It also allows you to integrate an eCommerce storefront into your site
- You can choose from an extensive collection of highly-customizable site templates
- No transaction fee is charged for eCommerce transactions
Downsides:
- Unlike other site builders such as Wix.com, Squarespace doesn’t allow you to build a free website
- Limited marketing tools are available
- No third-party apps or extensions are allowed
You can subscribe to the Personal plan for $16 per month, the Business plan for $23 per month, or the Basic Online Store plan for $27 per month.
9. Ghost
The Ghost platform is ideal for those starting a blog or online publication as it offers a straightforward and minimalist approach to content creation and publishing. Both individuals and online publications can benefit from its user-friendly design. Ghost provides both hosted and self-hosted options, similar to WordPress.
Ghost is ideal for bloggers and publications who require a streamlined authoring process, enabling them to concentrate solely on their content creation.
Ghost may not be the appropriate choice if you have a restricted budget and are planning to create a basic website.
Advantages:
- Clean, clutter-free, and easy-to-use interface
- Built-in SEO and distribution tools
- No setup required for the hosted version
Drawbacks:
- Self-hosted version works best on VPS servers and above
- Compared to WordPress, running cost will be high
- Only limited themes and plugins are available in the marketplace
The cost of the basic plan is $9 per month.
