Best Blogging Platform: Top 5 Free & Paid Blog Options

WordPress is a favorable option for…

• Bloggers who want to make money from their blogging.
• Bloggers who want to make the blog a part of their business.
• Professional bloggers.
• Hobby bloggers who want to actually own their site instead of being at the mercy of a large company.
• Beginners who don’t want to deal with a steep learning curve.

Additionally, due to its extensive range of customization options, WordPress stands out as a superior choice for creating a professional blog that will significantly contribute to your business.

By opting for self-hosted WordPress, you have complete authority over your website, including its content, appearance, and functionality.

Pros & Cons

Advantages.

• The most popular blog platform in the world.
• A massive number of designs available.
• A massive number of plugins available.
• Great community – you will always find someone to help you out with a challenge.

There are some negative aspects that need to be considered when discussing this topic.

• No hosting included.
• A little bit of a learning curve if you’re just getting started.
• Setting up your site to suit your needs perfectly can a few hours.

2. WordPress.com

In one sentence: Not under your ownership, built with the WordPress software, a hosted blogging platform exists.

WordPress.com is a WordPress version that is hosted for you. This implies that you don’t have to go through the process of downloading the software and setting it up manually. Simply create an account on WordPress.com, and you can begin blogging within minutes. It is favored by numerous influencers like Tim Ferriss and even Jay-Z (LifeandTimes.com).

• Price: Three plans available: $0 – great for basic blogging, $99 / year – great for professional blogging, $299 / year – great for advanced business solutions.
• Hosting included? Yes, you get your site hosted for no additional payments.
• Do you get your own domain? By default, you get a subdomain like example.wordpress.com. You can add a custom domain as well (doing so on the free plan costs $18/year. For paid plans a custom domain is included).
• Any prior skills required? A bit easier to use than the self-hosted version of WordPress, due to the fact that you get much of the heavy lifting taken care of (hosting, site setup, basic configuration). You still need to go through the on-screen wizard, but it’s relatively simple. Plus, there’s the official getting started guide. After the setup phase, using this blogging platform on a daily basis to publish your posts is extra easy.
• Designs available? There’s a couple of hundreds of themes to choose from, and if you opt for one of the premium plans, you also get the opportunity to customize the design you’re using. Overall, WordPress.com keeps things simple and doesn’t deliver as many design options as self-hosted WordPress.
• Plugins and extensions: Popular features like sharing, stats, comments, and polls are included, but there’s no option to install third-party plugins.

Pros & Cons

Advantages

• Get started in minutes.
• Hosting and subdomain included.
• You can use it for $0.

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• No possibility to install custom themes.
• No plugins.
• WordPress.com can pull the plug on your blog at any time if they find your actions, not in tune with their rules.
• Can be blocked in some countries, thus requiring a VPN from a neighboring country to log in and publish.

3. Wix Website Builder

While Wix.com primarily functions as a website builder, it can also be utilized for creating blogs. The main advantage of using Wix is that the websites or blogs you create on this platform are optimized for portable devices, ensuring your audience can easily access your content on their smartphones or tablets. Additionally, Wix offers ample support and information to its users, including customized answers to queries through email and phone support. Despite its user-friendly nature, Wix has certain drawbacks when it comes to SEO.

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface with no coding skills required
• Plenty of third-party apps and templates to customize your site
• Quick and easy to set up with hosting included
• Provides a lot of design options
• Unique A.I. feature will design your blog automatically
• Comes with lots of stock images to choose from

Cons

• Free account features Wix branding and limited capabilities
• Limited number of free apps
• Limited ecommerce functionality
• Stuck with a template once it’s chosen
• Unable to migrate your site to another host
• Add-on charges can rack up quickly

Pricing

Wix provides a free account, but it has significant limitations and includes Wix branding, making it suitable primarily for beginners who are interested in learning web design.

For as low as $4.50 per month, Wix offers paid packages that include a custom domain name, 500MB of storage, and 1GB of bandwidth.

For greater storage, bandwidth, apps, and the option to create an online store, opt for the higher plans. The top-tier plan includes 24/7 VIP support, but it comes at a monthly cost of $24.50.

4. Gator by HostGator

Gator, an effortless and intuitive blogging platform and website builder developed by HostGator, empowers users to construct diverse websites, including blogs and online stores, with its drag-and-drop functionality.

HostGator’s website hosting and the Gator builder are two distinct services. Numerous bloggers opt for HostGator hosting coupled with WordPress when starting a blog. However, Gator offers a comprehensive hosting solution and blogging platform, empowering you to manage every aspect of your site from a unified location.

Pros

• User-friendly, drag-and-drop website builder and blogging platform
• Quick & easy setup with no technical know-how needed
• Free domain name and SSL certificate included
• Performance, security, and backups handled by HostGator
• Adding ecom functionality only takes a few clicks

Cons

• No free account, but there is a money-back guarantee
• Limited apps and extensions
• Can only access ecom features with higher-priced plan

Pricing

There exist three distinct Gator website and blog builder plans available. The Starter plan initiates at a monthly cost of $3.84 which incorporates complimentary hosting, a free domain name and SSL certificate, a drag-and-drop builder tool, customizable templates, site analytics, as well as round-the-clock support.

Starting at $5.99 per month, the Premium plan encompasses all features of the Starter plan along with priority support. Furthermore, the eCommerce plan, which begins at $9.22 per month, incorporates all elements of the preceding plans while also providing ecommerce functionality.

5. Constant Contact Website Builder

Although Constant Contact is primarily recognized for its email marketing service, they also state that they offer the most exceptional website building and ecommerce platform in the industry. Personally, I tend to approach such assertions with caution, and while the web builder didn’t impress me greatly, it does possess numerous commendable attributes.

In addition to employing AI to automatically generate a website, it guides you through each step of the site building process in a straightforward and easy-to-follow way, unlike Wix.

Creating a website is a breeze: just inform the platform about your site’s purpose, choose a title, incorporate a primary image or logo, select a color scheme and font, and you’re all set. Even if you have preexisting content, generating a website will only take a few minutes.

Pros

• Building a website becomes a breeze with AI, as easy as counting to three. • You won’t be overwhelmed with complex features and choices. • Enjoy exceptional email functionality. • Get access to detailed analytics that are both comprehensive and user-friendly. • Benefit from a generous free plan.

Cons

• The features lack sophistication and may not be suitable for advanced users • The designs are somewhat unimpressive • The backend occasionally experiences glitches.

Pricing

You can choose from three pricing plans offered by Constant Contact. These include a Free plan, a Starter plan priced at $10 per month, and a Business Plus plan costing $20 per month.

Despite being free, the Free plan provides an extensive range of features, including all the aforementioned ones and even more. This is truly impressive, although there are some conditions attached to it.

For instance, using a custom domain name is not allowed, and your website will prominently feature Constant Contact ads. The free version does not include $200 in ad credits for Google and Bing, phone support, or the ability to sell more than three products. However, it is important to mention that these limitations are common in free plans provided by other web builders.

The Starter plan is designed for individuals who desire a website with a more professional appearance. Priced at $10 per month, you receive all the features offered in the free plan and additional benefits, without the disadvantages of an unprofessional subdomain or excessive Constant Contact advertisements on your page. Additionally, this intermediate-level plan enables you to sell a maximum of 10 products, which is excellent if you wish to explore ecommerce gradually.

If your main goal in creating a website is to sell products through ecommerce, the most suitable option is the Business Plus plan. This plan not only grants you the ability to sell an unlimited number of products but also provides more advanced and comprehensive analytics. Most significantly, it eliminates the three percent transaction fee that is imposed by the other two plans.