What Blogging Platform Should I Use

Are you planning to bulge out a blog only not sure which blogging site to practice?

You are not only. In fact, the most common question I get asked is – What is the best blogging platform for beginners?

When I started blogging in 2010, I wondered the same thing.

Hi there, my name is Artem.

Therein guide, I'll divvy up with you totally of the on tap sites for blogging and give you recommendations based on my active experience working with blogs for the last eight years.

Also, our team has through with single surveys and collected blogosphere stats to find the most popular free blogging sites (and agio blogging platforms) connected the web.

P.S. If you have any questions, feel liberated to contact USA for any aid.

Disclosure: FirstSiteGuide is supported by our readers. When you buy through links on our internet site (i.e. WordPress.com blogging platform), we may earn an affiliate committal and it comes at nobelium extra cost for you. We test and try all the products that we recommend.

Father't give fourth dimension to read this clause? Below are the best blogging platforms and software system picks for 2021.

Whether you need to establish a blog for hobby blogging operating theatre you would like to breakthrough the best blogging package to make money and grow your web log as a business, determination the straight blog site is imperative for your blog's achiever.

Several transcend blogging platforms offer a range of capabilities – and one is jump to suit your needs.

The 10 best blogging sites and platforms

Let's subscribe to a look at about of the best blog sites available on the web today and how they compare against each other.

WordPress.com Best free blogging platform
WordPress.org Best political platform for serious bloggers
Culture medium.com Simple platform for writing
Blogger.com Publication platform away Google
Tumblr.com Best microblogging site
Wix.com Best blog website detergent builder for beginners
Ghost.org Best WordPress mutually exclusive
Postach.io Blogging hopped-up by Evernote
Weebly.com Plain drag and drop constructor functions
Typepad.com Best for businesses and journalists

If you are a beginner, you will want a platform that is easy to fix and easy to use (requires no coding skills). I'll explain what from each one blogging platform has to offer, by highlighting their key features and showing their pricing plans.

WordPress.com — Best free blogging political platform

WordPress.com is a hosted version of the outdoors-source platform WordPress.org. It is a mercantile project that offers a sovereign trial plan with upgrades for superior plans and custom domains.

Reported to our survey, it's one of the most popular hosted blogging platforms out there. If you are an implicit beginner with no technical knowledge, but you want to build your blogging site, WordPress.com is the perfect site for you.

I urge this software to all new bloggers as a good protrusive point.

The online publishing package is free to use (but your domain name wish be formed Eastern Samoa a subdomain and look like this – yourblogname.wordpress.com), and you give notice test IT out after you create an account on the WordPress.com site.

This gives you a unique opportunity to try the best blogging platform and blog for free before you decide to upgrade to premium plans. With the upgrade, you will be able to frame a demesne and use the advanced features.

The WordPress site often rolls away new features and updates to continually enhance the user live.

Key features

Custom domains – unfreeze field for one twelvemonth, available for paid plans connected WordPress.com.
Get traffic stats – square up what your visitors find piquant.
Create media galleries – integrate images and videos with the drag & drop option.
Social media integration – share your posts on social platforms automatically.
All-inclusive SEO tools – help your readers find you easily.
Variety of personalized themes – with new themes being added hebdomadally.
Mobile-answering blog sites – select from various raisable-responsive themes.

Plans and pricing

WordPress.com comes with the following plans – Free, Personal, Agiotage, Business, and eCommerce:

Clear be after

For free

Free of charge, use with limited features and subdomain only.

Personal plan

$4.00 per month
1-year plan billed equally one payment of $48.00

Comes with a domain name, and access to email and live chat support.

Premium plan

$8.00 per calendar month
1-year plan billed as one defrayment of $96.00

Comes with advanced conception tools, bespoke CSS, and Google Analytics fend for.

Business be after

$25.00 per month
1-year plan beaked A one payment of $300.00

Power your small business website with custom plugins and themes, 200GB space storage, and 24/7 live chat.

eCommerce plan

$45.00 per month
1-twelvemonth architectural plan billed as cardinal payment of $540.00

Best for online stores, powerful and flexible plan that lets you grow easily.

Visit WordPress.com for additional information

WordPress.org — Best platform for serious bloggers

WordPress.org is free software (blogging platform) that combines simplicity with powerful features.

We used this CMS (content direction system) to build our internet site, FirstSiteGuide.com.

We also urge it atomic number 3 a preferred platform to create a blog for all difficult bloggers in our – How to start a blog guide.

This tool enables you to get down a blog internet site from incision in a matter of minutes.

Many an popular bloggers (Tim Ferriss, John Robert Edward Lee Dumas, Pat Flynn, and more) use this platform to create highly functional and utile blogs. It is easy to constituted – all you need to do is select a reliable WordPress hosting provider, install WordPress software, and search the wealth of features that come with it. You get to build your blog honorable the way you want to, by using pre-configured free themes. At that place are templates that you can break up based on your preferred layout, looking at and feeling, and color connive.

The WordPress platform besides comes with a powerful administration area (Dashboard) for maintenance, unchaste-to-usage content publishing, and an overview of what's happening connected your web log.

WordPress.org has a large community of experts World Health Organization provide tutorials that help newbies. Here, at FirstSiteGuide, we also incubate various WordPress topics. You can cheque our Learn WordPress section to level sprouted your skills and understand the best practices.

Key features

Reliable and secure – keeps data safe from malware.
Moveable-responsive websites and blogs – pick from many mobile-friendly themes.
Free themes – quality a tailored theme from hundreds of options in the root WordPress theme directory.
Much than 55,000 plugins – approach plugin directory to find slipway to heighten your WordPress locate.
SEO tools – instal Search Locomotive engine Optimization plugins that assistanc you rank high in look engines.
Simple publishing process – make over content, integrate media, and make water IT swallow a single click.

Plans and pricing

WordPress.org is an open-reference (liberated) tool you can use to create a beautiful website or web log.

Free

Free software

Open-source blogging platform. Your expenses will be a domain name and web hosting services of your choice.

To build a web log with WordPress.org, you will need a WWW hosting space and a custom domain name. For newfound bloggers, I advocate Bluehost, a company that powers over 2 million websites worldwide.

I was able to negotiate a especial deal only for my visitors, that includes:

Unrestrained domain name
The 30-day money-binding secur menses
Discount price of $2.75 per calendar month

→ Exact an Exclusive 67% Bluehost Discount Offer ←

Medium.com — Simple platform for writing

Medium is different from the rest of the extricated blogging sites. It offers a no-frills plan of attack to content publication as IT allows bloggers to write what they are passionate about without having to headache about coding, design, domain, or other issues.

You can also use information technology as an additional transmit to share your content; for instance, you can repurpose content from your active blog post created on other blogging platforms such as WordPress and place it on Medium. That's how most professional bloggers use it.

You pot post stories for the vast community of readers that chatter Medium and begin appreciation and feedback from them. It is also possible to connect with avid readers who are volitional to invite out upper-class content through the Medium Partner Program. This way, you can monetize your web log posts while sharing your ideas and opinions with the ma.

To start blogging with Metier, sign prepared, and share your content with the editorial squad who analyze them according to their standards. If you create quality content that follows their guidelines you give the axe starting time earning money by attracting subscribers.

Key features

Vast audience – convert millions of land site readers into your subscribers.
A free app – access Medium on your mobile devices from anyplace.
Monetization – clear money when person reads your message.
Social group media integration – share your content on social networks.
Media embeds – integrate various forms of media files.

Plans and pricing

Average started Eastern Samoa a free chopine for publishers but recently started to offer membership subscriptions.

Self-governing

Post your own stories

Free to use, you can post your own stories. Plus, you go access to unlimited public stories and 3 per calendar month exclusive stories.

Rank

$5.00 per month
Oregon $50.00 per year

With the membership, you can subscribe for unlimited access to the smartest writers and biggest ideas connected Metier.

Visit Medium.com for additional information

Blogger.com — Publishing platform by Google

Blogger is united of the best free blogging platforms that offer a secure and reliable way to create a blog.

This hosted blog political program was launched in 1999 and later acquired past Google. You don't need a hosting provider to start victimisation it. All you need to make out is log in using a Google explanation – you'll be asked to follow the simple guidelines provided on the Blogger to make a blog for free. There's nary need for technical foul cognition or coding undergo as the locate is quite a illogical in intention and setup. IT remains a widely utilised result; however, I visualise more the great unwashe moving away from it. The white intelligence is that the platform is free, and you ass test it without whatsoever commitment. Lashkar-e-Taiba's take a deal some pros and cons of this blog site.

Key features

Free or custom domain – free subdomain via blogspot.com or buy your own domain make.
Easy to use templates – revolve around the design of your web log victimisation negotiable layouts and background images.
Featured ads – monetize away integrating with Google AdSense.
Analytics – assess your web log's traffic and see the content getting the most visits.
Secure depot – store your media files with Google.

Plans and pricing

The good news show is that IT's disengage, and you can psychometric test it without any commitment.

Self-governing plan

Free to use
as a subdomain blogspot.com

You pot connect a custom domain name to your web log, by buying and setting it up.

Visit Blogger.com for additional data

Tumblr.com — The best microblogging locate

Based in 2007, Tumblr is a microblogging platform and social media website joined together. Tumblr's main focus is happening multimedia and short-form content. If you are a author and provision to write longer-soma content, I wouldn't recommend starting with Tumblr. It's often used as a mixer network site because you can integrate a mixture of media files such atomic number 3 photos, videos, and audio files You can also aggrandise your web log with GIFS, stickers, and some text edition. Users own the pick of designing their Tumblr page with customizable themes, fonts, layouts, and many separate intention options.

Tumblr is saint for bloggers WHO have a heightened center on visual content. It is a global site that is visited by millions of people each day who repost their front-runner blog posts and initiate conversations.

Samara features

Custom domains – choose a domain name composed of 64 characters OR less.
Export puppet – gathers your content in a ZIP filing cabinet to export.
Password-protection – blogs can only be viewed through with the correct password.
Customized themes – the ability to personalize anything you ordered your eyes happening.
Ethnical media consolidation – share your Tumblr posts on social platforms.

Plans and pricing

Free

As the Tumblr.com subdomain

You get to use this platform as a unbound blog site with a subdomain, i.e., yourblogname.tumblr.com. If you wish to, you can connect your own tailor-made domain.

Visit Tumblr.com for additional entropy

Wix.com — High-grade blog website constructor for beginners

Late, they've been tapping into the blogging vertical with a specific web log website builder crack. You don't need any prior coding experience or net ontogeny expertness to material body a web site or blog with Wix.

IT's simple to control and maintain web log sites with Wix. You posterior prize a pre-made idea from their resources or customize an existing one accordant to your taste. In add-on to stunning templates, Hera are examples of some great Wix sites. The Wix platform as wel packs the power of these awesome features

Key features

Customizable templates – select a prototype and personalize it according to your blog's theme.
Perambulating-respondent – mobile editor program makes blogs raiseable-friendly.
SEO Optimization – create a personalized SEO plan to gross your web log.
Exemption to design – drag out and drop editor to customize any part of the site.
One-third-party integrations – integrate apps without coding skills.
Comprehensive site builder – construction and maintenance need in one station.

Plans and pricing

Wix web log builder comes with eight different plans – Free, Connect Orbit, Combo, Unlimited, VIP, and Byplay & eCommerce (Elementary, Unlimited, and High-up) plans:

Free

As the wix.com subdomain

With this plan use lavatory use the Wix.com subdomain, plus Wix ads displayed.

Associate area

$4.50 per month
1-year plan beaked as one defrayal of $54.00

With this plan, you hind end connect your custom domain, but Wix stain ads will be displayed.

Jazz group

$8.50 per calendar month
1-year plan billed Eastern Samoa one and only payment of $102.00

This programme comes with a free domain and Wix ads will be remote.

Unlimited

$12.50 per month
1-year plan billed as one payment of $150.00

This plan comes with unlimited bandwidth and increases storage.

VIP

$24.50 per month
1-year contrive billed arsenic one payment of $294.00

This architectural plan comes with all the features as Untrammelled, plus you get VIP support.

Business Underlying
$17.00 per month (1-year program billed as single payment of $204.00).
You tush accept online payments and have 20GB of storage.

Business Unlimited
$25.00 per month (1-year plan beaked as one payment of $300.00).
You sustain increased storage and in favour of eCommerce features to rise your store.

Business enterprise Dignitary
$35.00 per month (1-year plan billed as one payment of $420.00).
You convey the full cortege, priority response with Very important person support, and 50GB storage.

Visit Wix.com for additional information

Ghost.org — Best WordPress alternative

Ghost is an unresolved-informant blogging platform meant for journalists, editors, and writers. The cartesian product was launched in 2013 done a successful Kickstarter campaign (and it's a redemptive option to the top-quality blogging platform – WordPress)

You can be in control of the design of your blog and the kind of experience you desire to create for your readers. There are absolutely no rules when it comes to this tool – nary limits on customizations or social media restrictions. Sign upward to get started and publish your substance for a vast audience American Samoa you target readers through email newsletters and monetize your written pieces through Wraith's premium plans.

You can benefit from a collection of publishing tools perfect for professionals WHO want all-or-nothing control over their site. These tools allow you to encode and bring functionality to your blog using fashionable technology.

Also, Ghost is fully managed through state-of-the-art dapple management engineering science and offers house-to-house developer control. Let's have a look at the pros and cons of the platform.

Key features

Website editor – create and embed interesting media files and content.
Substance management – complete control over the content.
Posts scheduling – create an editorial calendar to stay early.
All-powerful SEO tools – comprehensive SEO features for high rankings.
Dim-witted templates – use Handlebars stunning templates to build your blog.
Automatic backups – never lose data with off-site location backups.

Plans and pricing

You can protrude using the platform for free and select extraordinary of the triplet paid plans aft:

Free trial

Get a 14-day trial full stop

Basic plan

$29.00 per month
1-year plan beaked atomic number 3 one payment of $348.00

Standardized plan

$79.00 per month
1-yr plan billed as one payment of $948.00

Business plan

$199.00 per month
1-year design billed as one payment of $2388.00

Visit Ghost.org for additional information

Postach.io — Blogging powered by Evernote

Postach.io is a blogging political program powered past Evernote, and it enables you to convert your notes into blogs.

To ratify up with Postach.io, you involve to register a new report, or use an existing Evernote account. You'll need to install Evernote and then mix it with Postach.io to connect your notes. Information technology is a favourable room to enter the blogosphere. Users are able to use the dashboard to personalize their blogging website according to their taste and write out blogs connected the attach to Evernote.

You can do up a free web log with this software, but if you want a custom field, subscribe to a professional package. Postach.io as wel offers a collection of unloosen and premium themes to helper you create a visually likable web log.

Central features

Add images – insert pictures to engage your readers.
Evernote synchronize – integrate notebooks with Postach.io.
Site editor in chief – customize your blog site through a robust dashboard.
Customs duty domains – optimize your site with a paid custom domain.
Exteroception self-complacent – insert a logo or avatar to personalize your web log.

Plans and pricing

Postach.Io is available in four plans:

Free version

Create a free web log with No credit card required.

1-5 sites plan

$5.00 per month
or $50.00 per yr

6-20 sites be after

$15.00 per month
or $150.00 per year

21-50 sites plan

$25.00 per month
or $250.00 per year

Visit Postach.io for additional info

Weebly.com — Plain drag and drop builder functions

Weebly is a simple yet powerful website builder with a blog setup selection forthcoming via an easy drag and drop editor.

In 2018 Weebly was acquired past Square, a mobile payment company. This change is a mansion that their focus is mainly around websites, specially eCommerce and belittled business sites. However, the platform offers blogging services, and anyone can render it for free.

Weebly gives you complete freedom to build your blog using beautiful themes with constructor functionality. There's also a resign built-in hosting provider that ensures fast loading time for your website. Bushed completely, the Weebly program gives the right tools that work in combination with powerful features to create a blog in proceedings.

Key features

Drag and drop website builder – create your blog with powerful tools.
Media management – gather images and create your galleries.
Free personalized templates – alterable professionally designed templates.
Hunt engine optimization – SEO tools to rank your website.
App collection – dual apps and third-party integrations that add functionality.
Social media sharing – RSS integration to share capacity happening social networks.

Plans and pricing

Weebly service is available in the following plans – Free, Connect, Pro, and Business enterprise:

Unfreeze version

With the Weebly subdomain and branding

Use IT for free with the Weebly subdomain and branding.

Connect plan

$5.00 per month
1-year contrive billed as one payment of $60.00

Pro plan

$12.00 per month
1-class plan beaked A one payment of $144.00

Business enterprise plan

$25.00 per month
(1-year plan billed as one payment of $300.00

Confab Weebly.com for additional information

TypePad.com — Best for businesses and journalists

Note: When I last checked their site (along Jan 5, 2021), I sawing machine a popup message – "Typepad is currently not acceptive unused signups. New customers are encouraged to check out our partner, Bluehost."

TypePad is a blogging platform that was launched in 2003. It has a simple and user-friendly interface and offers exceptional client support.

I Don't have sex of many successful blogs that are running happening this platform. However, one that comes to mind is a blog by Seth Godin. Seth used to run it with the subdomain sethgodin.typepad.com (file away link) but some time agone changed it to the custom-built domain seths.blog.

TypePad offers various design tools that breathe life into your blogs so that you canful enamor your readers visually. IT's your choice to monetize with ads and services or not. Additionally, you don't need to worry nearly any technicalities with this software As IT is fully hosted.

Key features

Flexible publishing – write and publish from any twist.
Google Analytics consolidation – analyze your audience engagement.
Theme builder – build your locate's subject from scratch.
Disorienting templates – select beautiful themes and make them flat better with design tools.
Stacked-in tools – get noticed through social networks and search engine rankings.

Plans and pricing

TypePad service comes with a dislodge to use menstruation and four different plans – Plus, Unlimited, Premium, and Enterprise:

Free trial

Use the service with a 14-daytime trial period

Plus plan

$8.95 per calendar month
billed month to month

Unlimited plan

$14.95 per month
billed month to calendar month

Agio plan

$29.95 per calendar month
billed month to month

Enterprise plan

$49.95 per month
beaked month to month

Visit TypePad.com for additive information

How to choose the best blogging political program

Now that you know about all of the options available to you, it's time to finalise the perfect blog management joyride for your needs.

Assess your options against the chase checklist:

Economic value for your money – ensure that your chosen help is going to deliver precisely what you need. This means easy-to-use blog software system, with all of the bells and whistles you need for achiever.
Types of solutions available – explore the different solutions that are designed to support you, the blogger. Use of goods and services these to anatomy a rightfully unique blog. Options typically let in free blog sites, mortal-hosted platforms, and premium blog site builders.
Repose of use – some platforms offer quite the encyclopedism trend that bum discourage new bloggers. You need a simple construction instrument that doesn't require any technical skills, design, or marketing expertness.
Features – you might not need all of the features ab initio, but pull in sure that the best blog platform of your choice lets you customize or modify your website if needed. If you would like some third-party tools to be integrated, curb if they are available.
Blog management – if needed, you'll stimulate to access the game-end or admin area to update your web log, make any changes, and fix the layout. It is deciding to make sure as shootin that this area is available, manageable, and easy-to-navigate.
Rules and restrictions – before you bear for software, scan through the 'Terms of Use' so that you can be doomed that you aren't breaking any rules with the way that you'll be exploitation IT.

This entropy should be sufficient for you to research and locate the best blogging site for your needs.

Types of blogging platforms

One of the most wide used best blogging platforms and self-hosted CMS (Content Management System) is WordPress.org. IT's recommended past a majority of blogging experts.

This organisation has emerged as the clear winner for professionals because:

It takes care of all tasks related to setting up and sustaining your blog.
The integrated splasher can make and finalize updates with a click.
It offers comprehensive customizations and support for blog figure and functionality.

While WordPress.org is our top recommendation, if you are wondering about how to piece your new blog, there are several other options likewise.

For instance, you can consider the next web log sites:

Free blogging sites (hosted): If you choose for this option, your blog's accost bequeath look equivalent this: domainname.sitename.com. The most significant advantage is that it's free, but the shortcoming is that you'll have to follow their rules. Too, a name with a subdomain can make you look like an amateur.
Freemium/premium options: If you become interested in a freemium/insurance premium solution, you can experience it in all its glory during a free trial period. If you like it and pick out to continue using IT, you'll accept to start paying (equal to $30 per month).
Ego-hosted blogs: Select this option if you want to host your blog site on your domain and name it however you want. You'll feature to come after some rules set in place by your domain registrar and hosting troupe, but other than that, you are your own boss. You'll be to the full causative for the situation and its contents. The Self-Hosted CMS is free too.
Website builders: These tools let you create simple blogs thanks to their drag-and-drop interface. Capitalize of the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) facilities when you use a website builder.

How WordPress compares to other websites for blogging

As explained earlier, WordPress is the absolute unsurpassed in its class. WordPress is actually home to 42% of websites on the cyberspace, proof that its self-hosted version is very popular.

I've already written another guide wherein I compare WordPress with other leading CMS' so we South Korean won't go into those details here. If you'd like to read these in-depth comparisons, Hera are the links:

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com
WordPress vs. Blogger.com
WordPress vs. Tumblr
WordPress vs. Wix
WordPress vs. SqaureSpace

These other platforms have their have unique audience as well because they are great for beginners who wishing to make a blog. Just if you want a solid foundation for your blog, zip beatniks the ego-hosted WordPress.

Self-propelling your blog across platforms

If you've already started your blog with another platform, but then distinct to move to WordPress, information technology is contingent to do without any downtime. The 'Meaning Tool' with WordPress takes care of it for you.

Break down to the WordPress Dashboard and head to the Tools section. Here you'll find these options to help oneself you implication from other solutions:

Blogger – consequence posts, comments, and users from a Blogger blog. Understand our step by step guide How To Move Your Web log From Blogger To WordPress.
WordPress.com – import posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, and tags from a WordPress export file. Read our step by step guide on How To Proceed Your Blog From WordPress.com To WordPress.org.
Tumblr – implication posts and media from Tumblr. Read our step out by step guide How To Move Your Blog From Tumblr To WordPress.
Wix – import posts and media from Wix. Read our step by dance step run on How To Move Your Blog From Wix To WordPress.
Weebly – meaning posts and media from Weebly. Read our gradually guide on How To Go down Your Blog From Weebly To WordPress.
Squarespace – meaning posts and media from SquareSpace. Register our step by step guide How To Move Your Blog From Squarespace To WordPress.
LiveJournal – import posts from LiveJournal. Read our stepwise guide connected How To Move Your Blog From LiveJournal To WordPress.
Movable Case and TypePad – import posts and comments from a Transportable Type operating theatre TypePad web log. Read our step by stride guide happening How To Move Your Blog From Mobile Type And TypePad To WordPress.

It is important to remember that WordPress plugins offer other import options Eastern Samoa well – try searching the official plugins repository for an importer creature that works for you.

FAQs

What is a blogging program?

A blogging program is a armed service that's used to create and manage a blog then that you can publish your ideas and row online.
Blog sites are also sometimes well-known as CMS (Content Management System) since they rent you with efficiency manage subject matter publishing.

How can I create a blog for discharged?

You can quickly launch a free blog on WordPress operating theater whatsoever past free blogging sites I mentioned in this article.
But if you make up one's mind to step up your blogging unfit and go promote, I recommend a somebody-hosted version of WordPress. With WordPress.org you can build a website in under 10 minutes if you are ok with the nonpayment settings, and you find a paper you like.

Do I need to recognise how to computer code?

None. Whether you want to start with simple sites on Tumblr or want to blog along WordPress, you don't have to know anything about programming languages operating theater databases. Nigh of the available blogging platforms in the present times let you build websites through their drag and drip builders. That means that you nates sit, relax, and focus happening the design.

Can I earn money with free blogs?

Yes, yet with a free blog, you can bring in money with it. There are different ways of monetization (like showing ads, joining affiliate programs, accepting sponsored content, or adding an online store). However, to make money, you will first have to invest time (and usually money) into it. This is something totally popular blogs and the incomparable blog sites undergo had to do.

Conclusion

The most reliable way to find the advisable blogging political program for your needs is to understand how free blogging sites and mortal-hosted WordPress function. Also, your choice will depend on your budget, customization abilities, and ease of utilisation of the package you want to use.

Through this steer, I have informed you of all the features (pros and cons), and the pricing range of the best blog sites. And now you know how to get weaving with each of them.

So which one will you choose?