Ready to start a blog?
Whether you’re blogging as a hobby or starting a blog for your business, the benefits of blogging are seemingly endless. It’s an excellent way to drive traffic to your website and build authority in your niche or industry.
But you need to choose a blogging platform before you can write your first blog.
There are plenty of free and paid blogging tools on the market today. You’ll also find a wide range of blogging platforms for beginners, solutions for advanced bloggers, and everything in between. We created this guide to help you find the best blogging platform for your unique situation.
Wix
Best Blogging Website Builder
Drag-and-drop website builder that’s perfect for beginners. Adding a blog is easy and it’s free to start. Free domain for one year.
The Best Blogging Platforms to Consider:
When it Makes Sense to Invest Into a Blogging Platform
Anyone who wants to publish content on the web can invest into a blogging platform. Depending on your situation and blog purpose, the investment won’t be anything more than your time. You could always start a blog for free.
For those of you who already have a website, blogging is arguably the best way to improve your visibility and reach online with SEO (search engine optimization).
Blogging can help you establish a voice online—whether it be for business or personal use.
If you’re an expert in a particular field, you can share your knowledge and build a following of loyal readers. Blogs are also a great place to express your thoughts and opinions.
For those of you who have never written a blog before, you can still invest in a blogging platform. Blogging is for everyone. It’s never too early or too late to get started.
#1 – Wix Review — Best Blogging Website Builder
Wix
Best Blogging Website Builder
Drag-and-drop website builder that’s perfect for beginners. Adding a blog is easy and it’s free to start. Free domain for one year.
For beginners that want to start a blog and build a website from scratch, Wix will be a top choice for you to consider. It’s an excellent solution for personal blogs and small businesses alike.
The reason why Wix is such a popular choice for beginners is because of its simplicity. There’s no coding required. You can create a website without writing a single line of code. Adding a blog to that site can be accomplished with just a few clicks.
It’s easy to create new posts, edit content, manage your comments, and share your blogs on social media. You can also use the Wix mobile app to manage everything on the go.
Want to add a contributor to your blog? No problem. Wix allows you to add multiple writers.
Choose from 500+ templates to get started. From there, you’ll have complete design freedom with Wix’s intuitive drag and drop builder.
It’s free to start a blog with Wix. However, the free plan comes with a Wix subdomain, which isn’t ideal for business users. Paid plans start at just $13 per month. You’ll also get a free domain for one year.
#2 – WordPress Review — Most Popular Blogging Platform
WordPress
Best Overall Blogging Platform
WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS. This free and open source tool can be used to create any type of blog you want. Full customization capabilities.
WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system in existence. It controls more than one-third of the CMS market share, and it’s trusted by 60+ million users.
But WordPress initially started as a blogging tool for content creators. Even with all of the extra features, benefits, and flexible use cases today, it’s still the number one option for blogging. In fact, we use WordPress here at Crazy Egg to manage our blog and website.
There are actually two different versions of WordPress—WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
WordPress.org (what we recommend) is a free and open-source solution. It’s self-hosted, which means you’ll need to buy a domain and get your web hosting elsewhere. With WordPress.com, all of this is handled for you. It’s easier to start, but you’ll have less freedom and flexibility.
Using WordPress to power your blog essentially gives you limitless capabilities. Your blog can be anything you want it to be. From a simple personal blog to an international ecommerce business website with a blog on the side, this platform has it all.
Customize your blog with 57,000+ plugins and 7,500+ themes.
For those of you who are technically inclined, WordPress makes it easy for you to access and edit the HTML code of your content. Creating and managing your blog in WordPress does require a bit of maintenance. Some of the capabilities can feel overwhelming to beginners.
#3 – Tumblr Review — The Best For Microblogs
Tumblr
Best For Microblogs
Tumblr is a microblogging and social media platform. Create 7 different types of blog posts. 100% free.
If you’re looking for a place to express your thoughts, but don’t want to manage a website, try Tumblr.
The platform is made up of 500+ million blogs. You can fill your blogs with stories, links, music, art, fashion, jokes, GIFs, or whatever you want.
Tumblr is essentially a social media platform filled with microblogs. Once you share your content on Tumblr, people can follow you and see your content on their feed whenever you post something new. This structure makes it easy for you to get eyes on your content. Rather than trying to drive traffic to your website, you can just build a following within the Tumblr network.
The best part? Tumblr is 100% free.
To get started, you just need an email address, password, and username. You can sign up now and start blogging in minutes.
While the platform is great for quick thoughts and microblogs, it’s not viable for business use or long-form content.
#4 – Ghost Review — Best Blogging Platform For Publications
Ghost
Best Blogging Platform For Publishers
Monetize your blogs with premium memberships. Built-in newsletters and SEO tools. Try Ghost free for 14 days.
Ghost is a blogging platform designed for publishers, entrepreneurs, and developers. The platform makes it easy for you to publish content online and monetize your blogs.
With Ghost, you’ll benefit from a simple yet powerful content editor. The platform has email newsletters built-in, and posts are automatically optimized for SEO.
I like Ghost because it’s so easy to generate revenue from your blogs. You can create memberships and subscriptions for readers to access your premium content.
While Ghost may not be the most well-recognized name in the blogging industry, it has more than two million installations.
It’s a great solution for anyone that wants to make money blogging. You can create a digital magazine or online publication with ease using Ghost.
Pricing for Ghost is primarily based on views per month, members, and staff users.
- Basic — $29 per month
- Standard — $79 per month
- Business — $199 per month
Whether you’re a blogger just getting started or an existing publisher that needs a better solution for managing digital content, Ghost can accommodate your needs.
Try Ghost free for 14 days and access all of its premium features.
#5 – Blogger Review — The Best Free Blogging Platform
Blogger
Best Free Blogging Platform
Start a free blog with a blogspot.com subdomain. You can earn extra cash by monetizing your blog with Google AdSense. Blogger has built-in audience insights.
Blogger is a pioneer in the blogging space. Most old-school bloggers started using this platform 20+ years ago when it launched in 1999.
This blog publishing platform is owned and run by Google. You can use it for free and let Google host your blog with a blogspot.com subdomain. Alternatively, you can buy your own custom domain with just a few clicks.
Blogger is easy to use. You can customize your blog with flexible templates and layouts.
Since Blogger is owned by Google, it’s easy to generate revenue using Google AdSense. You can get paid by displaying targeted ads on your blog.
Furthermore, Google will provide you with in-depth insights about your audience. Learn exactly who your audience is and where your traffic is coming from. You don’t even need to connect Google Analytics for a basic overview of this information.
If you want to start blogging for free and earn some extra cash with Google AdSense, Blogger is an excellent choice to consider.
#6 – Strikingly Review — The Best For Simple Blogs
Strikingly
Best For Simple Blogs
Strikingly is a free website builder with built-in simple blogging capabilities. Fully managed web hosting is included. Paid plans start at $8 per month.
Millions of entrepreneurs and creative professionals have used Strikingly to create a website for free. The platform allows you to build a brand and create a website from scratch without any coding or design skills.
To start blogging with Strikingly, just build your website and add a new section for your blog. From there, it’s easy to write new posts and manage your blogs.
The content editor isn’t as advanced as some of the other platforms on our list. But it’s still a viable option for those of you who want to create simple blogs.
If you’re looking for complete customization and lots of extras with your blog posts, this probably won’t be the best platform for you.
Like most free website builders, your free Strikingly blog has a strikingly.com subdomain. To get rid of that subdomain, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
- Limited — $8 per month
- Pro — $16 per month
- VIP — $49 per month
All Strikingly plans are fully managed, so you won’t need to worry about hosting. When you take that into consideration, these plans are extremely affordable.
#7 – Write.as Review — The Best For Anonymous Blogging
Write.as
Best For Anonymous Blogging.
Minimalist blogging platform. Start writing immediately without having to build or manage a website. Starts at $6 per month.
Write.as is a way to get your thoughts published on the web without having to build a website. You can write short blogs, long-form content, and anything in between.
This platform gives you a frictionless blogging experience. It’s easy to get started, and you can get your content published quickly without having to jump through hoops.
The minimalist concept to Write.as ensures that your creative juices won’t be interrupted. There’s nothing to customize or build—it’s just blogging.
Overall, the solution is ideal for writing blogs, journals, or newsletters.
Write.as has a cool feature for those of you who want to remain anonymous or write under a different identity. This is perfect for bloggers who plan to discuss controversial topics and share opinions without affecting their personal life or reputation.
The anonymity feature makes it a popular platform for students, teachers, activists, and writers that want to express themselves freely online.
Write.as costs just $6 per month. You can sign up for annual billing and pay $60 per year or $180 every five years. Try it free for 14 days.
Methodology For Choosing The Best Blogging Platform
What makes a good blogging platform? This is the methodology that we used to narrow down the winners above. I’ll explain each of these factors in greater detail so you can weigh all of these options based on your personal needs.
Simple Content Editor
The first thing to look for in a blogging platform is the content editor.
How easy is it for you to start writing? Things like changing the font, adding links, inserting images, and adjusting headings all fall into this category.
Some platforms don’t restrict you at all in the content editor. Other blogging solutions will be a bit limited. The only way to truly determine if the platform in question is user-friendly is by trying it out. Fortunately, the vast majority of blogging platforms let you start writing for free.
Templates and Themes
Do you want to customize your blog?
Lots of blogging platforms out there allow you to write content without any personality on the page. It’s essentially black text on a white background, with nothing else. That’s fine for some use cases, but most people want more customization.
Check out website builders and CMS platforms on our list if you’re interested in customizable templates and themes. If that’s not important to you, then just go with a minimalist blogging platform.
SEO Tools
What happens once your blog has been published on the web?
In order for people to find your content online, you need to make sure that it’s optimized for search engines. The best blogging platforms will make it easy for you to prioritize SEO. Check out the built-in SEO tools and third-party plugin capabilities as you’re evaluating different options.
Self-Hosted vs. Hosted
Most blogging platforms can be segmented into two categories—hosted and self-hosted.
A hosted platform means you get everything out of the box. You won’t have to worry about searching for web hosting elsewhere. Just sign up with one platform, and start writing. Most self-hosted platforms are free, but come with a subdomain. Hosted platforms typically restrict your freedom, flexibility, and customization.
With a self-hosted platform, you’ll need to buy a domain and get your web hosting from a third party. It involves a couple of extra steps, but it’s the best way to give yourself complete flexibility for blogging.
Wix
Best Blogging Website Builder
Drag-and-drop website builder that’s perfect for beginners. Adding a blog is easy and it’s free to start. Free domain for one year.
Summary
What’s the best blogging platform?
It depends on what you’re looking for. Wix and WordPress are our top overall recommendations, but they are not for everyone.
The best way to find the best blogging platform for you is by trying different options. Use the methodology that we described in this guide to help you evaluate prospective platforms. Whether you’re a solo blogger writing for fun, trying to monetize your blog, or managing a large-scale publication business, there’s an option for everyone on our list.
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