11 Best Blogging Platforms (Compared)

Are you looking to start a blog but don’t know the best blogging platform to choose? If so, we have your back covered.

As a beginner, the platform you choose should be simple, SEO-friendly, and full of customization options.

Read on to find the best platform for your blogging adventure to make money blogging.

11 Best Blogging Platforms

Below, we look at free and paid blogging platforms to help you choose the best option for your needs. 

You’ll discover features and pricing so you can pick the best platform for your style and pocket.

Let us start with one of the most incredible blogging platforms to ever grace the internet.

WordPress.org with Cloudways

WordPress.org is the Earth’s most popular blogging platform trusted by small and big-name brands. And for good reason.

Low setup costs and ease of use are two main reasons WordPress is the best blogging platform for beginners.

For starters, WordPress.org is a free and open-source blogging platform. Free since you don’t pay for the WordPress software. And open source so you can use and modify the platform as you wish.

WordPress, just like MS Word, is easy to use. If you use a word processor, you will whip up a decent WordPress blog in no time.

To figure things out, There are a ton of useful guides covering WordPress. Simply fire up Google to find what you need.

On top of that, you can easily customize your WordPress blog thanks to a ton of WordPress themes and plugins. 

To absolute beginners, a WordPress theme is simply a pre-made design template that allows you to easily customize the look of your blog. 

On the other hand, WordPress plugins (there are more than 60k at the time of writing) allow you to add extra features to your blog with no coding on your part.

What’s more?

WordPress is quite a scalable platform, which is why superstar bloggers with huge followings stick with WordPress. It doesn’t matter whether you have ten or 10 million readers, WordPress holds up just fine.

Note that WordPress.org is a self-hosted blogging platform. You must purchase a domain name and web hosting, and install the WordPress blogging software.

The great thing is most web hosts worth their salt pre-install the WordPress software so you can hit the ground running. One such web host is Cloudways. 

We recommend managed WordPress hosting from our good peeps at Cloudways. They are budget-friendly and you can start instantly for free! 

Well, at least for three days to test the waters, then pay as you go depending on your needs.

Pros

• WordPress is affordable
• Unlimited customization options
• Scalable
• SEO-friendly
• Gives you complete control over your blog
• Large and involved community, which is great if you ever need support

Cons

• A slight learning curve but you get the hang of it fast
• Get ready to handle admin tasks there are plugins (and services) for this

Overall, WordPress is the best blogging platform for both beginner and hardened bloggers.

Webflow

Webflow trusts its platform so much that it created its website (webflow.com) on the platform. Speak of drinking their own Kool-Aid, which means good things for an aspiring blogger who doesn’t know which platform to trust. 

Webflow is a popular website builder trusted by over 1.7 million content creators and designers across the world.

It features the relaxed Webflow Designer, which allows you to create a fascinating blog without writing any code, even though you (or your developer) can add code for basic customization. If need be, you can export the HTML, CSS, JS, and images in a ZIP file to use as you wish.

Webflow comes with other handy features such as a flex-box (for mobile-friendly design), global color swatches, over 2000 web fonts, responsive images, 100+ website templates, CMS, dynamic SEO settings, and so many CSS properties that give you total creative control.

Pros

• Live prototyping
• No plugins are required to create a blog
• Effective team collaborations – Different teams can collaborate on your project
• Secure hosting
• User-friendly

Cons

• Limited code customization – You can only add basic code customization
• No mobile app to make edits to your blog
• eCommerce restrictions

Webflow is free but for more power and features, you will pay at least $14/mo billed annually.

HubSpot CMS

The HubSpot blogging software is more suited for business blogs as opposed to beginners fresh out the door. As a business trying to expand its online presence, blogging offers you the jet fuel you need to fly.

HubSpot CMS offers you a ton of features meant to boost conversions in a single package making it the best blogging platform to make money. It is easy to use and comes with the HubSpot CRM that helps with email marketing,

Since it’s an all-in-one solution, you can expect to find other features such as landing pages, marketing automation, analytics, lead management, SEO, and social media. The platform allows you to optimize thy blog like the pros. 

But in terms of blogging, it offers basic features i.e., it is a simple business blogging tool. For instance, WordPress blows HubSpot out of the water in terms of features and flexibility.

HubSpot CMS is a simple blogging platform for simple blog posts. It doesn’t get in your way, which is perfect for businesses with little time.

Pros

• Intuitive and easy to use with a drag-and-drop page builder
• SEO-friendly
• You get the HubSpot CRM for gratis
• 24/7 customer support

Cons

• Steep pricing with no free version. The cheapest plan costs $30/mo billed annually at the time of writing. 
• No built-in eCommerce

HubSpot CMS is a paid blogging platform for business blogs looking to boost lead generation.

Web.com

Founded in 1999, Web.com is one of the oldest website builders on the web. It is also one of the easiest blogging platforms for absolute beginners.

With the starter plan going for just $11.99 a month, Web.com is also one of the cheapest blogging platforms around. It’s popular, too, with more than three million users worldwide.

You can use their DIY website builder if you have the design chops or hire an expert to design and build a website for $199.

I may be biased here, but Web.com blogging doesn’t have anything on WordPress. Still, it is a simple blogging platform and ships with many beautiful design templates. 

However, customizing the designs will make you cry if you’ve ever used WordPress. 

To get you through the door, Web.com offers you a free domain name, email address, analytics, SEO tools, and more.

Pros

• Easy to use making the best blog platform for newbies
• Tons of beautiful website design templates
• Access to stock images
• Free domain name

Cons

• Limited blogging functionality
• You can only add 50 products to your eCommerce store

Interested in Web.com? You’ll put down at least $11.99 per month for the starter plan if you pay annually, so prepare beforehand.

Wix.com

I took Wix.com for a spin and I don’t know what I feel about the platform. The team there has done a tremendous job, that’s right, but I feel Wix could use some improvements in the blogging department.

For instance, while the drag-and-drop website builder is cool, it’s cranky – at least when I tested it for this article.

Still, Wix is easy to learn and use compared to other blogging platforms. Setting up a blog is easy and you should be up and running in a matter of minutes.

The platform comes with a nice suite of features such as 800 templates, a drag-and-drop builder, and eCommerce tools.

For anywhere between $17 and $35 per month billed annually, Wix allows you to create a blog, add a custom domain name and make money with an eCommerce store.

They offer you a 14-day trial with a full money-back guarantee if you feel Wix.com isn’t for you.

Pros

• Drag-and-drop interface for non-coders
• Plenty of templates
• Easy to learn and use
• Neat collection of eCommerce tools

Cons

• The design library could use more templates
• Limited blogging features

Use Wix to create a quick and simple blog or website. Note that you have some “rigid” templates to work with but I guess that’s fine if you don’t need lots of design alterations.

WordPress.com

Yes, I know – but they are two slightly different flavors. While the underlying framework remains the same, WordPress.com is a bit different from WordPess.org, the first blogging platform we covered.

WordPress/com is a SaaS version of WordPress.org. They offer you a free blog on a subdomain e.g., yourblog.wordpress.com but you can always upgrade to a paid subscription for about $5 per month.

It’s a good way to explore the world of WordPress and run a basic blog. To enjoy all that the WordPress platform offers, I recommend going with WordPress.org instead.

WordPress.com is the best free blogging platform for hobbyists and personal blogs. You’d even wager that everyone who uses WordPress.org started (or has a blog) at WordPess.com.

Pros

• Easy to set up – simply sign up with your email and voila! 
• Free
• Backups and security
• User-friendly
• Create as many blogs as you want

Cons

• Limited customization options
• Comes with advertisements
• You don’t have full control over your blog

WordPress.com is a great way to enter WordPress.org. You learn more about WP without paying a dime.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a design-focused blogging platform that makes it incredibly easy to add an eCommerce store to your site.

At the same time, it’s quite limited in other areas. For instance, the platform limits the use of third-party apps and extensions, which wouldn’t sit well with any blogger looking to grow their website.

As far as blogging goes, Squarespace offers you features such as customizable layouts that allow you to use content blocks such as text, audio, video, markdown, podcast, and more.

On top of that, you can draft, schedule and publish posts without breaking a sweat. Other than that, the platform supports seamless AMP and email campaign integration, and RSS syndication.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Beautiful templates
• eCommerce-ready
• SEO features
• Support for Google AdSense

Cons

• Limited 3rd-party app functionality
• Few marketing tools
• IMO, Squarespace is a great website builder to create simple blogs but you’ll need a different platform for a more powerful site. Plans start at $16/month if you spring for annual billing.

Weebly

Weebly claims that over 40 million people worldwide have already used their website builder to create the “perfect” website. Still, when it comes to its blogging capabilities, they still have a long way to go compared to other more powerful blogging tools on our list.

The power blogger looking for advanced features will have a hard time at Weebly thanks to a limited set of blogging options. For simple blogs, however, Weebly is sufficient.

The platform ships with features such as a drag-and-drop blog builder, powerful design elements, free dedicated hosting, blog templates, SEO features, social sharing, and a couple of third-party integrations.

Pros

• Free blogging platform
• Freebies such as a free SSL certificate for every website
• Promotional tools to help you grow your email list

Cons

• Difficult to export your blog to another platform
• Limited 3rd-party integrations
• Limited built-in features

Weebly is free but you must fork out more than $12 a month to use a custom domain and remove their branded adverts.

Medium

Medium is an open blogging platform boasting more than 100 million readers from all walks of life. It’s where ideas “…take shape, take off, and spark conversation.”

With such a huge user base, Medium is a great blogging platform to find people who are interested in what you have to say on your blog.

The platform offers you a nice set of publishing tools to create a free blog. You can write, publish, brand, and monetize your content with a couple of clicks.

Other notable features include audience insights, social connectivity, powerful networking, email subscriptions, interactive discussions, and custom design.

Pros

• Easy to use – You simply need to sign to start writing
• A powerful analytics tool
• A content-first approach that allows you to focus on writing while Medium takes care of the design
• Partner program that allows you to earn money once you have 100 followers

Cons

• Few monetization options – You only have the partner program to make money
• Limited control over your content
• Limited features to customize the design of your blog

Medium is a free blogging platform perfect for beginners who don’t have advanced design skills.

Blogger

Blogger, Google’s blogging platform, is one of the oldest options in today’s list. But being one of the oldest platforms and the fact that it’s owned and run by the tech giant doesn’t mean it’s the best blogging platform there is. It is a far cry from the best.

To start using the platform, you simply need a free Google account. And while it’s easy and free to set up and use, Blogger severely lacks in the features department.

People who start at Blogger soon find out they need to move to another platform. The good thing is it’s simple to export your content from Blogger to other blogging platforms such as WordPress.org.

Other nifty features to keep in mind include ease-of-use templates, a .blogspot.com subdomain (alternatively, you can buy and connect a custom domain), Google AdSense to monetize your blog, and audience insights.

Pros

• Free
• Ease-of-use
• Owned by Google meaning it’s secure and reliable
• Free subdomain i.e., yourblog.blogspot.com
• Google AdSense

Cons

• Blogger is a dated platform that can hardly compete with modern solutions
• Limited customization and design options
• Limited blogging features

Blogger is a free blogging platform perfect for hobbyists and newbies. You’ll definitely need to find an alternative blogging tool if you’re looking to grow your blog in the future.

Ghost

Ghost is a powerful open-source blogging platform that empowers you to publish, share and grow your blog without breaking your back.

It’s incredibly easy to use and you should be up and running within the next hour. However, be prepared to contend with a limited number of 3rd-party integrations that would otherwise offer your blog extended functionality. But there is a workaround albeit a bit pricey.

To connect with 3rd-party apps via Zapier, you’ll cough up at least $25 per month with an annual plan, which – if you ask me –  is ridiculous given you have cheaper platforms.

Pros

• Easy to use
• No setup is required if you choose the hosted version of Ghost
• Built-in SEO features

Cons

• Limited customization options
• Costly for basic blogging features

The hosted version of Ghost starts at $29/month, which supports up to 100,000 page views for two users. You can always choose self-hosted Ghost, which means purchasing a custom domain and web hosting individually. Much like what we did with WordPress.org + Cloudways earlier in the article.

What is a Blogging Platform?

A blogging platform is a software that allows authors to write, publish and manage content online. It comes with extra functionality such as themes (templates), plugins (add-ons), commenting, and social sharing features.

How Can I Choose a Blogging Platform?

Choosing a blogging platform is simple. As a beginner, you should choose a blogging platform that is easy to use and comes with plenty of customization options.

Blogging Platforms FAQs

Final Thoughts

Choosing the best blogging platform for your adventure needn’t be a challenge provided you know what you seek to achieve with your blog. 

Keep your budget and business needs in mind when making your choice because each business is unique. What works for another business is not necessarily suitable for yours.

We hope you find the best blogging platform for your needs from today’s list. Which is your favorite blog platform? If you enjoyed the article, please consider sharing. Happy blogging!