So, would you like to give blogging a try?
Why not give it a try and decide if you like it before investing money in a full self-hosted WordPress setup?
You may have heard that starting a blog is possible without any cost, and that is indeed true. However, the key question is:
Which is the current top blogging platform?
The response varies based on what you are aiming to achieve.
Do You Even Need a Free Blogging Platform?
The fact is:
Blogging can come with a high cost.
For an experienced blogger who has gained valuable insights into successful and unsuccessful ideas, it is simple to view these expenses as a necessary part of running a business. Investing money leads to earning money, and the cycle continues.
What if you are a novice who is just starting to learn how to create a blog? What if you are someone who has not yet determined what is effective and what is not?
Can I share a secret with you?
You can conduct experiments equally effectively on a free blog site, without any limitations compared to a self-hosted WordPress blog equipped with all the additional features.
You can actually have a better experimenting experience on a free blogging platform due to its less steep learning curve.
Are you truly willing to go through the expected challenges of blogging while spending a significant amount of money every month?
With free blogging platforms, you can ensure the potential of your new blog topic, observe competitors within your niche, and experiment with your ideas without investing any of your own money.
Which blog platform is the best option?
That’s the point I’m trying to make:
No Blog Platform Is Right for Everyone
The varying needs of bloggers and the suitability of different blog platforms are subjective. Ultimately, the determination of what is considered “best” relies on your individual circumstances.
Having said that, the platforms we are about to discuss do share common characteristics (apart from being free). Before delving into them, let’s take a quick look.
- 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 last one has the potential to be either a blessing or a curse.
When you become dedicated to blogging, the restricted customization choices offered by free platforms may impede your progress. However, when you are initially starting out, these limitations will assist you in concentrating on what truly matters, which is the mentioned experimentation with your ideas.
Okay, that’s enough introduction.
Are you prepared to determine which platform suits you best for beginning your blogging journey? Let’s get started.
#1 – WordPress Review — The Best for Creating a Unique Blog
With limitless potential, WordPress is widely regarded as the world’s most popular blogging platform, available for free.
At WordPress.com, blogging is available at no cost. The company will host your website and provide you with a subdomain. However, the drawback is that it relies on its own advertisements for support, unless you choose to enhance your plan.
If you choose to host your own website, you have the option to download the platform for free from WordPress.org. Although hosting has a cost, selecting a reliable WordPress host like Hostinger can ultimately result in a more affordable solution compared to using a comparable website builder.
You have the advantage of being able to construct anything you can envision using your WordPress blog.
The concept of WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org can be slightly puzzling, yet both choices operate on the same platform. In my opinion, I favor WordPress.org as it offers limitless possibilities to customize and mold the platform according to your desired appearance and functionality.
In addition, opting for WordPress.org and investing in a web hosting provider is typically a more economical choice compared to purchasing a WordPress.com subscription.
No matter which path you take, it all begins with selecting your WordPress theme. Consider it as a blueprint that organizes your entire website, rather than just a single page. There are numerous exceptional free themes available to showcase your content, ensuring your blog stays consistent with your brand and facilitating the curation of posts for your readers.
There are numerous WordPress plugins available for you to enhance the functionality of your blog. These plugins offer assistance in areas such as SEO, site security, enabling newsletter subscriptions, and much more. Many of these plugins are free and provide valuable features.
You also have the option to purchase premium plugins and themes that enhance the functionality or give a unique appearance to your website.
The presence of an active community, constantly developing new features for modern challenges, is one of the reasons why WordPress remains a popular choice among many individuals for their blogs.
- 55,000+ plugins to extend the functionality of your site
- Thousands of free and premium themes
- The Gutenburg block editor
- Advanced user roles and permissions
- Powerful media management
- A massive community of experts
- Infinite design control
If you need to enhance your website’s capabilities, there are plugins and themes available to help you achieve your desired results. In case you cannot find a suitable solution, it is highly likely that someone is currently working on developing one.
When using Wix and Squarespace, you are being charged for a comprehensive platform. However, WordPress provides a free platform where you can select and purchase individual components according to your requirements. You have the freedom to customize your website by choosing an assortment of plugins and themes to obtain precisely what you need.
Finding the appropriate plugin can easily help you transform your blog into a social media forum or restrict access to exclusive content for registered members through a paywall. Achieving whatever you desire is as straightforward as locating the suitable plugin.
While WordPress is not difficult, especially for beginners, Wix is expected to be easier to use.
While it may require extra effort to maintain, creating a highly intricate website with numerous plugins will result in a uniquely customized blog that surpasses anything achievable on Wix.
When it comes to everyday editing, WordPress is incredibly easy to use. The Gutenberg editor makes the task of organizing and perfecting your blog much simpler. You have the option to work with HTML or make visual edits, block by block, and effortlessly include content from your media library.
The process of creating a personalized blog with abundant visual and video content is extremely simple for users without technical expertise. Additionally, Gutenberg can assist in reducing the dependence on multiple plugins, which may lead to conflicts when excessively used.
The overall expenses of using WordPress as a blogging platform vary depending on the purpose and version of the platform employed.
There is a free option available on WordPress.com to begin with, but there are also multiple paid plans that offer additional features. By paying $4 per month, you can eliminate WordPress ads and obtain a custom domain at no cost for one year. The prices for these plans range from $4 to $45 per month, with the highest package being geared towards ecommerce.
However, WordPress.org remains free indefinitely; one just needs to be aware of the accompanying expenses.
Using themes and plugins incurs costs, and while there are numerous free options, premium ones typically require payment.
WordPress.org requires you to take responsibility for hosting, which is another major aspect. However, there is no need to worry because you can easily discover a hosting plan that costs considerably less per month compared to any of the paid plans offered by WordPress.com.
I would suggest choosing Hostinger’s WordPress Starter hosting plan if you are new to blogging. It comes at a starting price of $3.99 per month and includes a free domain name for the first year, automatic installation and updates of WordPress, as well as an excellent site building wizard.
Because the entire process only requires minutes rather than hours, is cost-effective, simple to set up, and with Hostinger assuming some maintenance tasks, I highly endorse Hostinger as the optimal choice to initiate a WordPress blog.
#2 – Wix Review — The Best for Launching a Beautiful Blog Right Now
Wix is the best option if you want to find the quickest route to a functional blog. Although there are other fantastic choices available, none are as user-friendly. It is an ideal selection for beginners who want to build a comprehensive website with an integrated blog.
Setting things up is as easy as utilizing the drag-and-drop editor to create your site; coding is not required.
Although Wix heavily relies on templates, there is a remarkable assortment of choices accessible. You will have the ability to discover something that aligns with your brand and modify it to correspond with the vision you have in mind.
You can also utilize Wix Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) as an alternative. Simply respond to a few inquiries regarding your identity and the objective of your blog, and Wix ADI will design a website on your behalf.
In case you wish to create your own website, Wix ADI will assist you in determining the most suitable designs by allowing you to preview your content before finalizing your choice.
With minimal configuration required from your side, everything appears sharp. Your end product will create a professional impact, regardless of whether visitors are using a laptop or a mobile phone.
If you are someone who is always on the move, there is no need to worry. With the Wix mobile app, you can easily design and blog directly from your phone.
Wix offers a range of powerful tools for expanding your audience and effectively connecting with them online in order to boost your reach.
- Industry-leading SEO tools
- Social media tools
- Visitor analytics
- Post scheduling
- Embed HTML codes
- Categories and hashtags
- Advanced search capabilities
- Collaborators
- Easy image editing
#3 – Medium: Best Platform for Simplicity
Medium was launched by Evan Williams, one of the Twitter founders, with great excitement in August 2012, and it has become a massive success. The New York Times reported that as of May 2017, this widely-used blogging platform was attracting a staggering 60 million unique visitors on a monthly basis.
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
#4 – LinkedIn: Best Platform for Professionals
