15 Best Free Blogging Platforms for Bloggers (Updated 2024)

best blogging platforms

Whether it’s about earning a passive income or establishing a strong readers’ base, it’s a blog that helps you reach out to a wide range of people without posing any geographical boundaries.

On top of that, with the availability of free blogging sites, things have become even easier and effortless.

What Are Blogging Platforms?

Blogging platforms are the kind of websites that simplify the creation of blogs to publish content. These content management systems are available in different forms, such as website builders (there are many specified guides at Website Advisor that define builders in particular), simplified blogging software, and blogging applications.

Although they have been around for more than two decades, however, it’s lately that they’ve come into the limelight and people have started realizing their importance.

10 Key Factors for Choosing a Blogging Platform

These are the 10 factors to consider when selecting a Blogging Platform:

10 Key Factors for Choosing a Blogging Platform

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How to Choose a Blogging Platform?

Before you dive into choosing any one option, it’s better to have an idea of what you should be expecting from blogging platforms. As a novice, you’d want to choose such a platform that:

  • Is easy to set up
  • Comprises exciting learning aspects
  • Doesn’t demand coding skills

Moreover, a few years down the lane, you’d also wish to add more new features in the blog to provide something enthralling and convincing to your visitors, isn’t it? In such a scenario, make sure that the platform is flexible and offers enough room to grow.

Keeping all of these essential factors in mind, here are the top 15 platforms that you can consider for an exceptionally amazing experience.

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List of Free Blogging Sites to Consider in 2023:

1 WordPress.org

wordpressorg

Source

Being one of the most popular blogging software, WordPress.org was launched in 2003, and today, it has powered more than 40% of the websites available on the internet. It’s an open-source platform that doesn’t cost you a single penny unless you wish to have a customized domain name.

WordPress.org is self-hosted; hence, you’d have to sign up with the hosting provider of WordPress. Owing to this, you’ll get complete control over how your website functions and looks.

Once you have selected a WordPress theme for your website, you just have to customize it and go live. There are even fantastic ready site templates available from which you can start a website in 5 mins.

Pros:

  • Free & open source
  • Customizable & versatile
  • Easily navigable dashboard

Cons:

  • Installation might need a bit of learning
  • You’d have to take care of the hosting
  • You’ll have to take care of security and backups

Pricing:

One of the best things about this platform is that it’s free; therefore, you wouldn’t have to pay any sort of additional costs. Even if WordPress gets updated, it’ll be free of charge.

2. Wix

wix


Wix is one of the most considerable free blogging sites that allow you to handle every aspect of it. The primary element of this platform is that it comprises a drag-and-drop method; thus, you wouldn’t have to handle anything in the back-end of it.

The design is extremely modern and intuitive. The best thing about Wix is that it not just provides you a variety of templates but can also create an entire blog for you.

Another good thing about this site is that it offers free hosting, so you’d just have to sign up and begin the process of blog development.

Pros:

  • Customization through third-party apps and templates
  • Quick and easy setup
  • No coding skills required

Cons:

  • Limited free account
  • Limited free third-party apps
  • No option to choose the selected template

Pricing:

Although the basic access to this website is free of cost. If you’re using that option, you’ll have to work with the Wix subdomain.
On the flip side, you can add a custom domain to your website. And, the cost of the same would be $4.50/month. Also, the premium plan of Wix begins from $8.50/month and goes up to $24.50/month.

3. Medium

medium


Being a multipurpose site, it lets everyone write, as long as they have an account. Every month, at least 60 million readers land upon this platform to read and educate themselves. Hence, if you’re choosing Medium, you get higher chances to gain content exposure.

Moreover, this platform is also straightforward when it comes to using it. You’d have to sign up and begin writing. It’s pretty much all about it. However, one thing that you must keep in mind is that Medium doesn’t let you create your own space as WordPress does. So, your content will be posted on Medium and not any individual blog.

Pros:

  • Easy to use and set up
  • Better exposure to existing readers’ community
  • Primary focus on writing

Cons:

  • Limited features in terms of designing
  • No availability of a custom domain name
  • No option to run ads to make money

Pricing:

Medium is free to use. But, if you wish to have more, you can choose their membership plan, which would cost you $5/month and $50/year. It includes extra access to content, audio versions, off-line reading, and more.

4. Ghost

ghost


This one is another popular blogging website that you can consider to build an exceptionally profitable blog. It’s a self-hosted platform and charges an amount for that. Similar to WordPress, this one is equipped with a myriad of interesting features.

With a rich editor and adaptable content management system, Ghost lets you create quality content with ease.

Moreover, if you wish to have a team of your own, with this platform, working in accord with them will become a seamless journey.

Pros:

  • Written in JavaScript, super-fast
  • Clutter-free and intuitive interface
  • Focused on writing and blogging

Cons:

  • Not enough options for themes
  • Limited user interface options
  • Customization with apps isn’t easy

Pricing:

If you’re choosing the self-hosted version, you’d require a custom domain and web hosting, which will cost you $14.99/year and $7.99/month respectively. Moreover, the pricing plan has been divided into three parts, Basic, Standard, and Business – starting from $29/month.

You can also have a 14-days free trial to assess different aspects of this platform before you dive into the premium versions.

5. Blogger

blogger


One of the oldest websites in the blogging domain is Blogger. Although its popularity has dunked in the last few years, however, it’s still considered a solid thing for personal blogs and not for professional use. This one is hosted by Google and can be accessed through a subdomain of blogspot.com.

Blogger’s interface is somewhat similar to Google+ profile, and its editor looks exactly like a word page. There is a bunch of themes from where you can select the best one and begin jotting down your thoughts.

Pros:

  • Free of cost
  • Easy to use and manage
  • Google’s reliability and secure platform

Cons:

  • Restricted basic blogging tools
  • Fewer templates & lesser design options
  • No frequent updates or features

Pricing:

This platform is completely free and comes with a blogger subdomain. If you wish to use a custom domain, you’d have to purchase it from a third-party.

6. Tumblr

tumblr


Tumblr is one of the most considerate free blog sites on the internet. Unlike other platforms, this one is mainly designed as a social media or multimedia like content. Its interface is quitter playful, and you can easily get started with it once you’ve signed up.

It offers more social media vibes; thus, it’d be better for personal use and doesn’t fit for business purposes. However, still, it allows you to display ads on the page, integrate Google Analytics with the blog, and use affiliate links. As a regular blogging platform, it offers different post formats that you can use to create and share a variety of content.

Pros:

  • Easy to set up and use
  • Integrated with social media components
  • Different formats to use

Cons:

  • A limited set of features
  • No additional features in themes
  • Backing up is difficult

Pricing:

This platform doesn’t cost a penny. You can either use a custom domain or subdomain by Tumblr. And then, there are even third-party apps and themes available that you can purchase.

7. Weebly

weebly

Weebly cannot only be used to build blogging platforms but to showcase portfolio and sell products as well. To an extent, it’s a bit similar to Wix as it offers drag-and-drop elements along with WYSIWYG editor.

It’s a fully hosted platform and offers dozens of amazing features, including media boxes, ad spaces, sidebars, forms, newsletters, social media icons, and much more.

Pros:

  • Drag-and-drop website builder
  • Easy and quick setup
  • Option to try before buying

Cons:

  • Limited inbuilt features
  • Restricted third-party integration
  • Difficult export of the site to another platform

Pricing:

If you’re happy with a Weebly subdomain, you can choose its free option. If not, you can consider specific plans, starting from $5/month but would have limited features. To unlock all the features, you’d have to pay up to $25/month.

If you’re contemplating to use this platform to sell products, Weebly offers three different types of plans, such as $12/month, $25/month, and $38/month.

8. Joomla

joomla


Source

Your inquisitiveness to how to create a blog for free can come to an end with Joomla. Much like WordPress.org, this platform is free, but you’d need to have a domain and hosting since it’s a self-hosted platform. Its interface is quite flexible that you can use not just for blogs but complex sites as well.

It comprises a simple editor, which looks mostly like Microsoft Word. Right from the background to tables, size, emoticons, font, and color, there is so much that you can choose and create.

Pros:

  • Powerful interface
  • Variety of template options
  • Availability of extensions

Cons:

  • The community is smaller than WordPress
  • Self-management of security, updates, and backup
  • Limited support options

Pricing:

Although it’s free, you’d need a domain and hosting, which might cost you an approximate of $14.99/year and $7.99/month respectively.

9 WordPress.com

wordpresscom

Who isn’t aware of WordPress? However, one thing that confuses a lot of people is WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Mind you; these two are completely different things. Talking about WordPress.com, it offers basic blog hosting services without any charges.

Being a self-hosted platform, it lets you choose your own hosting provider. Additionally, there’s so much more that you can add, such as additional storage, domain name, and other premium services.

Pros:

  • No coding skills required
  • Easy to manage and use
  • Completely free

Cons:

  • Limited options to extend the site
  • No opportunity to run ads
  • No right over the blog

Pricing:

The primary account of WordPress.com is free; however, it will run branding ads. You can upgrade the personal plan by paying $4/month, which will be billed monthly.

This will remove the logo and ads from WordPress, and you can also have a custom domain. By paying $8/month, you can get additional storage and extra design tools as well.

10. Squarespace

squarespace


Source

Squarespace is one such blog building platform that lets you create interactive sites through drag and drop interface. Initiated in 2003, currently, this platform is powering millions of websites on the internet.

It’s an all-in-one hosted platform; hence, you can easily avail their interactive designs, smooth functionality, and the hosting services, within one single package.

Pros:

  • Simple and easy for beginners
  • Separately provides domain name with HTTPs/SSL & e-commerce stores
  • Beautifully designed templates

Cons:

  • Limited features
  • Limited integrations of tools and services
  • No preview mode

Pricing:

The pricing plans for online stores and websites are different. For a personal blog, the price starts from $16/month. If you pay for a year, it will cost you $12/month.

For a business site, the starting price is $26/month, if billing annually, then it’ll be $18/month. On the other hand, for an online store, it starts from $26/month and goes up to $40/month.

11. LiveJournal.com:

livejournal

Live Journal is one of the best blog sites that’s available in both paid and free versions. Equipped with an array of options, this platform lets you do a lot of things, including multiple author blogs, commenting, calendars and polls.

With more than 16 million people using this platform, it gives you the freedom to create blogs in different languages, such as French, Dutch, English, German, and more.

Pros:

  • Extensive range of languages
  • User-friendly interface
  • Anonymous use of blogging

Cons:

  • No professional templates
  • Not for professional use
  • Ads in the free version

Pricing:

There are three different packages that this platform offers. You can buy monthly, semi-annual, and annual package at the cost of $5, $15, $25. You can even assess this platform through a trial version.

12. Jimdo.com

jimdo

Whether you wish to start just a blog or create an online shop, this platform can fit all your needs seamlessly. It uses the AI-powered algorithm to generate a beautifully-design website within a few minutes. It comprises ready-to-use templates and blocks that make your work even easier.

One of the best things about this platform is that it provides free hosting to its blogs and sites. Moreover, it’s reliable, secure, and super-fast.

Pros:

  • A free platform to build functional sites
  • Exceptional design freedom for a coder
  • The idea for small to medium size businesses

Cons:

  • Certain template restrictions
  • Not many editing options in comparison with WordPress
  • No option to insert payment gateway or credit card

Pricing:

Although the basic features can be availed free of cost, there are four different plans as well that this platform offers, starting from $4.25/month and going up to $17.72/month.

13 Postach.io

postach


Source

Postach is another significant platform to start a blog for free. It uses Evernote to create blog posts and manage the content. The basic idea behind Postach is to remove the hassle of using separate platforms and blog from the existing tool.

Hence, to use this platform, you’d need to have an Evernote account. If you wish to have a custom domain, you can purchase it as well. Other than that, there are several things that it supports, like Google analytics integration, social media links, customization, and much more.

Pros:

  • Fun and easy posting
  • No limitation of storage
  • Adequate content management

Cons:

  • Limited customization
  • No post preview
  • No audio & video support

Pricing:

There are three different packages that it offers to meet diverse needs. These packages cost $5/month, $15/month, and $25/month. You can also get a trial version before purchasing any of the packages.

14 Svbtle.com

svbtle


Source

Accordingly, this platform is known to provide the smoothest user experience out of several free personal blog sites. The interface is very intuitive and turns out to be an exciting aspect where you can jot down your ideas.
The layout is also elegant and can attract your readers instantly. Although it does allow custom domain, however, it’d be better to host the blog on your domain.

Pros:

  • Extreme minimalism
  • Limited commenting more reading
  • Straightforward editing tool

Cons:

  • Use of markdown to make edits
  • No widgets or tools for theme customization
  • Lack of community

Pricing:

The first two weeks after the sign up are entirely free of cost. However, later on, you may have to purchase the package, which would cost you $6/month and $70/year.

15 Drupal

drupal

Source

Drupal is another well-known name that has gathered a lot of attention over the past few years. It’s famous for business blogs and offers superior performance. It has everything that you’d need to develop an intuitive site.

Right from inbuilt content creation functionality to editing features, you’ll find a lot of things here. Moreover, it’s incredibly secure as well. Along with the opportunity to create a blog, it provides hosting services as well.

Pros:

  • Enterprise-level security
  • Thousands of free templates and plugins
  • Custom Drupal distributions

Cons:

  • Requires advance programming
  • Not compatible with older systems
  • Average performance

Pricing:

Drupal is an open-source and free platform; therefore, you wouldn’t have to pay anything from your pocket to use it.

Conclusion:

Although all of these options comprise a unique set of features and advantages; however, we believe that WordPress.org outdoes all of them. Not only WordPress is affordable and flexible, but it is effortless to use as well.
Let us know which one you liked the most and what’s going to be your pick for the very first blog.

Are you looking to switch different theme? Grab Responsive theme today!

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