14 Best Blogging Sites To Build Your Blog On – 2024 Guide

A Comprehensive and Detailed Guide To Premium and Free Blogging Platforms

Blogging is a great way to connect with the world. It’s how I managed to escape the matrix, the 9 to 5, the full-time job.

Whether you want to escape the matrix, blog to express your passion for your hobbies, to connect on a personal level with others or to help promote a business, starting a blog can be rewarding in so many ways.

In this article I will be reviewing each of the popular blogging sites available today, in detail, so you can make an informed decision on what blogging platform is right for you.

Since blogging is much more than just writing or posting photos, finding the best platform is vital. You’ll want to have a platform that’s easy to use and provides you with the customization tools you’re looking for to give your audience everything they need to read and interact with your blog.

If you have never blogged before, you will want to choose blog platforms that cater to beginners. This means in many cases you will be giving up the option to change HTML or CSS code. If you who have been blogging for a while, these options for coding may be more important to you.

As a blogger you will also have to decide whether you want to pay for the options that come with some platforms or stick to the free platforms that may have less options available.

This choice can be determined by what your blog’s focus is and whether you plan to make money from the blog itself.

There are also blogging sites that provide both free and paid services, which can be useful when your small blog turns into a big hit. Here are some of the top blogging sites that are available and the pros and cons of using each to create your next home on the Internet.

What To Look For When Choosing The Best Blogging Platform?

If you’re starting out as a beginner it’s important to opt for a blogging platform that is easy to set up, doesn’t require you to do any coding and that is easy to learn.

You might want to consider where your blog is going to be in 2 or 3 years time. What ambitions do you have for your blog and does it fit well with the platform you’re thinking of using?

Choosing a blogging platform that will grow with your blog is an important consideration. You might need additional features and functionality as your blog grows. Can the blogging platform cope with that/

If you choose the wrong blog site at the start, it can cause you a lot of trouble in the future.

One last thing that you need to consider… 

If you plan on making money with your blog either now or in the future, say with ads from Adsense or Mediavine, then make sure you choose a blogging platform that will allow you to do just that.

Ok, let’s get to it!!!

The Major Blogging Platforms Compared ( Best Blog Sites – Free & Premium)

Here are the following blogging sites that I’m going to be covering in this guide. The popular blogging platforms all have positives and negatives, especially when you take into consideration your level of skills as a blogger and as a coder.

#1WordPress.org – requires a hosting provider
#2Wix
#3WordPress.com
#4Gator
#5Drupal – requires a hosting provider
#6Joomla – requires a hosting provider
#7Constant Contact Web Builder
#8Medium
#9Weebly
#10Squarespace
#11Typepad
#12Blogger
#13Tumblr
#14Ghost

#1 – WordPress.org
(free blogging platform – hosting + domain required)

Choosing a blogging platform - WordPress


As a full-time blogger and online entrepreneur, there is no better blogging platform than WordPress.

Fact!

WordPress is the most popular blogging software in the world and powers more than 40% of the websites on the internet.

The .org version of WordPress provides many of the same features as its .com counterpart, but it also provides advanced features and additional customization tools.

The WordPress.org option works out well for people who want to have complete and full control over the customization of their blog, monitor traffic via Google Analytics and to freely monetize their website.

It’s not 100% easy for beginners to use effectively, but there are lots of free and paid options to learn WordPress. Once you get the hang of it, you won’t look at any other platform.

WordPress.org lets you install your own custom plugins and free themes to make your blog look exactly how you want it to look.

To use this platform for your blog, you will have to find your own web host, perform routine backups and maintain the blog on your own.

For this I recommend you use BlueHost as your blog hosting provider. They offer an easy one-click WordPress installation process, reliable up time and excellent support.

Their hosting services are also officially recommended by WordPress.

In fact, I use Bluehost for many websites that I own.

You can now get BlueHost’s high quality hosting plan for just  $2.95 per month – (36 months sign up) plus you get a free domain name.

Normally $7.99 per month. Personally I’d go for the Choice Plus plan for just $5.45 ( was $14.99 per month ) It’s actually the same price as the Plus plan!

Use this link to get a FREE DOMAIN NAME with your hosting.

If you’re looking for a managed WordPress hosting solution which then I’d also recommend Cloudways.

Pros of WordPress.org

  • Extremely flexible platform gives you complete control over every single aspect of your site.
  • Over 54,000 plugins, apps, and extensions available for full customization
  • Endless variety of mobile responsive themes to choose from
  • An excellent and cost effective way of getting started on line, especially if you’re just starting out in business or blogging
  • Search engine and social media-friendly
  • Large developer community with a ton of support options

Cons of WordPress.org

  • Beginner-friendly, but there is a slight learning curve
  • Security, performance, and backups are your responsibility

Pricing

WordPress.org is completely free to use.

However, you’ll need to pay for a domain name, hosting, and a premium theme should you choose to use one. You’ll also need to pay for any premium plugins you may want to add to improve the flexibility of your blog.

Again, we recommend Bluehost for hosting & domain.

Best for…

  • Professional bloggers and those wanting full site control
  • Online businesses
  • Business blogs
  • Just about any site online today

Check out our guide on how to start a WordPress blog for easy step by step instructions.

Wix Website Builder – (free / premium blogging platform)

wix-blogging-platform

Wix.com is a website builder platform that is mainly set up to build websites, but it can also be used to start a blog. The key feature of Wix is that the web pages or blogs you create with the platform are supported for portable devices, so your readers can see your work easily displayed on their smartphone or tablet.

Wix also provides a good amount of information and support for its users, including email and phone support for customized answers to your questions. Although Wix offers an easy to use solution it has a lot of negatives from an SEO perspective.

Pros of Wix

  • Easy-to-use interface with no coding skills required
  • Plenty of third-party apps and templates to customize your site
  • Quick and easy to set up with hosting included
  • Provides a lot of design options
  • Unique A.I. feature will design your blog automatically
  • Comes with lots of stock images to choose from

Cons of Wix

  • Free account features Wix branding and limited capabilities
  • Limited number of free apps
  • Limited ecommerce functionality
  • Stuck with a template once it’s chosen
  • Unable to migrate your site to another host
  • Add-on charges can rack up quickly

Pricing

While Wix offers a free account, it’s extremely limited and full of Wix branding. This is only ideal for learning the ropes of web design.

Wix paid packages start at $4.50 a month. At this price, you get a custom domain name, 500MB of storage, and 1GB of bandwidth.

Higher plans offer more storage, bandwidth, apps, and the ability to build an online store. The highest plan also comes with around-the-clock VIP support, but it will run you $24.50 a month.

Best for…

  • Artists, musicians, and other creative types
  • Small websites
  • People with little to no web development experience
  • Businesses in need of a blog to complement their website

Gator by HostGator
(premium blogging platform – hosting + domain required)

Created by the popular hosting company HostGator, Gator is an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop blogging platform and website builder you can use to build any website, including blogs. Gator can even be used to create an online store.

The Gator builder is separate from HostGator’s website hosting. Many bloggers use HostGator hosting with WordPress to start a blog, but Gator provides you with an all-in-one hosting solution and blogging platform, allowing you to control every facet of your site from a single location.

Pros of Gator

  • User-friendly, drag-and-drop website builder and blogging platform
  • Quick & easy setup with no technical know-how needed
  • Free domain name and SSL certificate included
  • Performance, security, and backups handled by HostGator
  • Adding ecom functionality only takes a few clicks

Cons of Gator

  • No free account, but there is a money-back guarantee
  • Limited apps and extensions
  • Can only access ecom features with higher-priced plan

Pricing

There are three different Gator website and blog builder plans. The Starter plan starts at $3.84 a month and includes free hosting, free domain name and SSL certificate, the drag-and-drop builder tool, customizable templates, site analytics, and 24/7 support.

The Premium plan starts at $5.99 a month and includes everything in the Starter plan plus priority support. Lastly, the eCommerce plan starts at $9.22 a month. It includes everything in the other plans but offers ecommerce functionality as well.

Best for…

  • Beginning bloggers
  • First-time website owners
  • Anyone interested in an all-in-one blogging/hosting solution

Constant Contact Website Builder
(AI Powered Web Builder – Ideal for new bloggers)

Constant Contact is best known for its email marketing service, but they also claim to have the “industry’s best website building and ecommerce platform.” I take claims like this with a grain of salt, and while I wasn’t blown away with the web builder, it has plenty of redeeming qualities.

Not only does it use AI to auto-generate a website for you, but unlike Wix, it walks you through the site building process step-by-step in a simple and straightforward manner.

You simply tell the platform what your site is about, pick a title, add a main image and/or logo, pick a color scheme, choose your font, and you’re good to go. If you already have content created, you can create a website in mere minutes.

Pros of Constant Contact

• AI makes building a site easy as 1-2-3
• Not bombarded with advanced features and options
• Excellent email functionality
• In-depth yet simple to understand analytics
• Generous free plan

Cons of Constant Contact

• Features are basic and not great for advanced users
• Designs are a bit underwhelming
• Backend glitches from time to time

Pricing

There are three Constant Contact pricing plans to choose from. There’s a Free plan, a Starter plan at $10 a month, and a Business Plus plan at $20 a month.

The Free plan offers a generous helping of features. In fact, it includes all of the features discussed above, and then some, which is quite impressive considering the fact that it’s, well, free. That said, there are some strings attached.

For instance, you can only use a Constant Contact subdomain and not a custom domain name. Your website will also display not-so-subtle Constant Contact ads. The paid plans also come with $200 in Google and Bing ad credits, which you won’t get going the free route. You also won’t get phone support or the ability to sell more than three products. However, it’s worth noting that these drawbacks are typical of most free plans offered by other web builders.

The Starter plan is geared to those wanting a more professional-looking website. At $10 a month, you get all of the features of the free plan and more without the drawbacks of having to use an unprofessional subdomain or display Constant Contact ads all over your page. With this mid-level plan, you can also sell up to 10 products, which is great if you’re looking to dip your toes into ecommerce.

On the topic of ecommerce, if selling is your main motivation for building a website, the Business Plus plan is the way to go. In addition to unlocking the power to sell an unlimited number of products, it also unlocks more dynamic and robust analytics. Most importantly, however, it eliminates the three percent transaction fee imposed by the other two plans.

Best for…..

• New bloggers
• First-time website owners
• Online marketers
• People with limited web development skills
• Anyone interested in a simple web building solution

Drupal
(free blogging platform – hosting + domain required)

drupal_logo_big

Drupal is a great option for blogs associated with businesses because it is not just a blogging platform, but a complete content management system. This means that along with your blog, web pages and other online content can be created and organized within this platform. Drupal does not host blogs for users, so bloggers using this platform will have to find their own host someplace else. Drupal is also not a platform that readily accommodates beginners, so it is better for those upgrading from a free blogging platform rather than for the blogger just starting out.

Pros of Drupal

  • Great for building advanced, feature-rich sites
  • Access to tons of free modules and features
  • Custom content types for added flexibility
  • Built-in access control system helps manage user permissions
  • Great taxonomy system for handling tons of data
  • Core multilingual site support

Cons of Drupal

  • Not very beginner-friendly and as easy to use as WordPress or Joomla
  • Installation requires technical expertise
  • Need to add modules to get rid of Drupal’s out-of-the-box feel

Pricing

Drupal is an open-source platform, so it’s completely free.

Best for…

  • Developers
  • Designers
  • Editors
  • Anyone with the patience to learn the ropes

Joomla
(free blogging platform – hosting + domain required)

joomla_logo_big

If you are looking for a full content management system, Joomla is another great option for bloggers. In terms of the ease of use, Joomla may have more of a learning curve than WordPress, but can be much easier to use than Drupal. Many businesses and large corporations prefer this type of platform because it can give you flexibility with a wide range of content options.

Joomla in an open source content management system and free to use, however, you will need to buy hosting and a domain name. For many novice bloggers, this can be a high cost unless the blog is attached to an existing business that already generates a profit.

Pros of Joomla!:

  • Very flexible and suitable for creating several types of websites, not just blogs
  • Dozens of professional-looking templates
  • Easy to make design changes
  • Lots of extensions available for more blog features and functionality

Cons of Joomla!:

  • Not beginner-friendly
  • Requires some HTML and CSS coding knowledge
  • Security, performance, and backups are your responsibility

Pricing

Like several other blogging platforms that require a little knowledge and work by their users, Joomla is completely free to download. When building a blog with Joomla, you simply need to pay for a domain and hosting.

Best for…

  • Technically advanced users
  • Business websites
  • Large, dynamic blogs
  • Online stores

WordPress.com
(free / premium blogging platform)

WordPress.com blogging platform

WordPress is one of the most popular free blogging platforms on the Internet. Millions of WordPress website users like the options it provides for simple, free blog creation and maintenance.

The platform is free and offers services such as hosting, the ability to have a custom domain name, integrating your blog with social media and popular features such as comments and polls are available without installing WordPress plugins. A number of paid upgrades are also available.

The biggest issue with this version of WordPress is that options such as custom themes, plugins and editing HTML are not available. However, WordPress.com also has a sister site, WordPress.org that provides many more customization options.

Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org are also known for the detailed amount of support provided. Not only do these sites have the standard tutorials to get you started building on these platforms, but WordPress also has a large community of users that are more than willing to help out a fellow user with common questions and concerns about various aspects of blogging on WordPress.

With all of the information available, it can be easy to learn this platform quickly so you can start customizing your site without too much trouble. I am a huge WordPress fan and recommend it for all my clients, check out my free tutorial if you want to start blogging with a WordPress site.

WordPress.com in my opinion is probably the best free blogging site around. If you’re a novice to blogging and you’re just starting out on your blogging journey, then WordPress.com is worth considering. It’s great for those who don’t want the advanced features that come with WordPress.org. A simple and easy to use blogging platform.

Pros of WordPress.com

  • Hosting is included
  • Installation wizard makes setup a breeze
  • Streamlined, easy-to-use interface
  • Built-in community functions
  • No need to worry about site maintenance
  • Dedicated support

Cons of WordPress.com

  • Free version is very limiting
  • Few customization options
  • Access to third-party plugins and themes only available with Business plans
  • Free account includes branding and ads

Pricing

Wordpress.org is open-source and completely free. WordPress.com is not. While a free version is available, it’s extremely limiting and filled with branding.

The paid plans range in price from $4-$25 a month with annual billing. With each tier you go up, you receive more storage space, support, and features.

Best for…

  • Hobby bloggers
  • Beginner bloggers
  • Non-dynamic websites

WordPress.com is an excellent starting point for people new to blogging. As your blog grows and you want greater control, you can easily migrate your blog from WordPress.com over to Wordpress.org and continue growing from there.

Medium
(free blogging platform)

medium-blogging-platform

There are many great publishing platforms out there for starting your own blog. They include sites with customizable HTML and CSS for those with more advanced skills. Medium.com is a place to share your thoughts and writing with a wide audience.

Unlike some of the other blogging platforms, Medium has a built-in audience, which makes it often debatable whether it’s a publisher or a platform.

Signing Up
Individuals or businesses can sign up for a Medium account since it’s free. Those individuals or businesses can publish their own posts, add their voice and style to other publications or curate posts or publications. Publications are collections of posts that are curated by users and Medium itself.

Posting and Commenting
Readers can comment on other’s posts, recommend posts and follow and share their favorites. The process is like many other blogging platforms except Medium has a slight twist on the commenting process. Readers can highlight and focus parts of the text and make their comments in the margins.

Embedding
Medium allows third party embedding from other sites around the web. Creators can embed videos from YouTube or Vimeo. They can add content from Twitter, Vine, Instagram and SoundCloud.

Traffic and Views
On every post, readers get to see how many minutes it would take to read a post. They’ll immediately know whether they have time to read through the story or whether they should bookmark it for later. Another feature on the front page for viewers to see is how many views it’s gotten on the platform. Recommendations and reads are also available to creators. The dashboard allows creators to see where traffic originated from too.

Best Practises to Create Posts
There is no minimum word count for posts, but Medium suggests that content over 400 words are popular. The headline should be compelling and clickable, but should also stick to the topic of your content. They recommend high quality photographs for the content as well.

Great for Beginners
The platform is a terrific starting point for beginners to the blogging world. It’s simple to use and doesn’t require coding knowledge. It’s also used by brands to recycle their content onto another platform to gain further reads and new readers of their content. A highly recommended free blog site for small business owners and freelance professionals.

Pros of Medium

  • Completely focused on blogging and content creation
  • Quick and easy to sign up and get started
  • Excellent user interface
  • Embed content from Twitter, YouTube, and more

Cons of Medium

  • Very few customization options
  • You don’t control your content
  • No site migrations
  • Limited marketing features ad monetization options

Pricing

Medium is free to use. You can hook your domain up to individual stories, but you’re unable to sync it user accounts.

Perfect for…

  • Professional writers and bloggers
  • Hobby bloggers
  • Anyone looking to improve their brand visibility through great curated content

Squarespace
(premium blogging platform – $12 – $40 pm)

choosing the right blogging platform - SquareSpace

When it comes to customization, Squarespace is a platform that offers a wide variety of options. The best part about customizing your blog on this platform is that you can change everything without knowing how to code.

It is also a platform that lets your expand your services which is a great option if you are using your blog for your business. It also has its own analytics dashboard, so you can see where your website’s traffic is coming from, what pages your visitors are looking at, how they’re engaging with your content and so much more.

The downside to Squarespace for bloggers is that theme and plugin support is not a great as it could be. If you want these options on Squarespace, knowledge of code will be necessary.

Pros of Squarespace

  • Very beginner-friendly and easy to use
  • Hosting and custom domain name included
  • Variety of professional design templates to choose from
  • Built-in SSL encryption
  • Ecommerce functionality
  • 24/7 support

Cons of Squarespace

  • Limited to only using the platform’s features
  • Very few third-party integrations
  • Personal plan allows for limited number of pages and contributors

Pricing

Like many other paid blogging platforms, Squarespace operates via the subscription model. You can choose from one of two plans. The Personal plan is $16 a month and the Business plan is $26 a month.

Both plans offer unlimited bandwidth and storage. However, the Business plan also includes several marketing features, the ability to customize designs, and the ability to create an online store.

Best for…

  • Professional and hobby bloggers
  • Business owners
  • Ecommerce stores
  • Portfolio websites

Weebly.com
(free / premium blogging platform)

weebly blogging platform

Another blogging platform that is great for businesses who want to maintain a blog on their website is Weebly. This platform provides a wide range of easy-to-use features, including drag and drop options for those who do not want to learn coding to make simply changes.

Since Weebly can be used for blogging and web building, business owners find this platform a lot easier to use than other platforms where blogs and websites are created separately. To start with you can sign up to their free plan which will give you some practice writing and constructing blog posts without spending any money.

Expert coding options are also not available on this platform. If you are a blogger who wants to be able to change and customize HTML or CSS on the blog, this Weebly.com makes it difficult to do so because it focuses its services on those who want to quickly create and update a blog without a lot of hassle.

Pros of Weebly

  • Easy to use with drag-and-drop blog building tool
  • Good selection of mobile apps
  • Strong SEO features
  • Integrates with Google Analytics

Cons of Weebly

  • Few integrated features
  • Limited number of third-party integrations
  • Difficult to export sites
  • Free plan features Weebly branding and subdomain

Pricing

Weebly offers a free account, but it’s limited to 500MB of storage and includes Weebly branding and a subdomain. As far as paid plans go, the initial plan comes with a custom domain name and costs just $4 a month.

If you want site statistics, membership options, video backgrounds, and other features, you’ll need to go with one of the higher-tier plans, which costs $8-$25 a month. If you want to create an online store, Weebly has separate ecommerce plans that cost a little more.

Best for…

  • Beginner bloggers with little technical skills
  • Business websites in need of blogging capabilities
  • Portfolio websites

Typepad
(premium blogging platform $8.95 to $49.95 pm)

TypePad Blogging Platform

Typepad is a blogging platform that provides an easy-to-use interface for beginning and experience bloggers. The platform provides a wide range of themes to choose from as well as plugins so you can make your blog your own.

A key drawback to using Typepad is that all of the blogs are hosting by them on their server, so you do not have the option to use the platform with your own blog host.

It is also a platform that makes editing code difficult because it is geared towards bloggers who may not be as confident in editing HTML code for example.

Pros of Typepad

  • Active dashboard for quick drafting
    and publishing of content
  • Several social media integrations
  • Google-friendly posting features
  • Supports live audio and video podcasts
  • Unique tip jar and other monetization features
  • Both blog and individual post data analysis

Cons of Typepad

  • Free 14-day trial, but Typepad is a paid platform
  • Restrictions on the number of blogs you can create
  • Few integrated widgets

Pricing

Typepad offers several pricing plans to meet the needs of a variety of users. The Plus plan is $8.95 a month. With it, you get unlimited storage, an array of design templates, domain mapping, and personal support.

The next step up is the Unlimited plan at $14.95 a month. With it you get everything in the Plus plan as well as fully customizable designs and the ability to publish unlimited blogs.

Meanwhile, the Premium plan is $29.95 a month, and it includes all of the above plus priority support. There is also an enterprise plan for $49.95 per month.

A free 14-day trial is available with all of the plans.

Best for…

  • Professional bloggers
  • Industry influencers
  • Large organizations

Blogger.com
(free blogging platform)

blogger

If there is one platform that is easy for beginners to use, it is Blogger. This is a free blogging platform that is simple to use for anyone just starting out with a blog.

With this platform a user can just type their content, add photos and publish. Blogger.com also lets users edit HTML and add widgets to blog, which many blogging sites for beginners do not offer.

Blogger is a Google service, so users will have to have a Google account and may find the Google-related add-ons redundant or useless for their blog. It is also one of the blogging platforms that many bloggers grow out of once they learn more about blogging since it does not have any upgrade options.

Here’s a more detailed comparison of Blogger versus WordPress.

Pros of Blogger

  • Free and easy to use
  • Takes care of hosting, maintenance, and more
  • Several mobile responsive templates to choose from
  • Integrates with Google Drive and other Google products
  • Useful anti-spam comment feature

Cons of Blogger

  • Limited blogging tools
  • Zero integration with third-party apps and services
  • Few design options
  • Ads are displayed on your blog

Pricing

Blogger has been around for what seems like forever, and while it lacks the functionality and design options of WordPress and several other of today’s popular blogging platforms, it costs absolutely nothing to use.

In fact, the only expense you’ll have with a Blogger blog is a custom domain name, but going this route is completely up to you. If you want to use a custom domain, you need to buy from a domain registrar.

If you don’t go for a custom domain name, then you’ll receive a free Blogger subdomain like https://example.blogspot.com.

Best for…

  • Hobby bloggers
  • Personal blogs

Tumblr.com
(free blogging platform)

Tumblr is a blogging platform that is very popular with younger audiences. Traditionally created for “microblogging”, the platform itself is very simple to use and enables the user to obtain a free website ( although you will never own the content or domain name.

One of the best features of Tumblr is that it is focused on the community of bloggers, so it provides a variety of options for sharing and reblogging content. The downside to blogging on Tumblr.com is that it does not focus on text content, but photos and GIFs. Visual bloggers will love it, but writers may want to find another platform to use.

The idea of reblogging content may also lack appeal with bloggers, particularly if you are blogging material that you want to have complete control over copyright and other such protections.

Pros of Tumblr

  • Free and easy to use
  • Includes hosting, but uses a subdomain
  • Integrated sharing and re-blogging social features
  • Several design options
  • Easy to publish images, videos, audio, and other multimedia

Cons of Tumblr

  • Features are quite limited
  • Backing up your files and content isn’t impossible, but it’s definitely not easy

Pricing

Like Blogger and several other blogging platforms, Tumblr is completely free to use. There are costs for a custom domain name and third-party themes and apps, but these are optional.

Best for…

  • Hobby bloggers
  • Personal and micro blogs

Ghost
(premium blogging platform – $9 – $199 pm)

Choosing A Blogging Platform - Ghost

Ghost is an open source blogging platform that provides a simple, clean interface that makes it very easy to use. It also provides a live preview of your post while you are writing it, so you can easily correct any writing or coding mistakes as you go along.

This platform can be great for beginners because of its ease of use, but expert bloggers may also prefer it because of its interface compared to other blogging services.

The downside to Ghost is that it can be difficult to install at first but once it is, it can be a great tool for any blogger.

Again for running a blog on Ghost you will require web hosting – I recommend BlueHost.

Pros of Ghost

  • Emphasis on blogging
  • Clean, streamlined, and intuitive interface
  • Built on JavaScript, so it’s super-fast
  • Live blog post previews
  • Built-in social media and SEO capabilities
  • Accelerated Mobile Pages function
  • Zero setup for hosted version

Cons of Ghost

  • Customizing could be easier
  • Limited configuration options
  • Limited number of themes
  • Self-hosted version is difficult to set up

Pricing

The self-hosted version of Ghost is completely free, but it’s difficult to set up and definitely not for everyone. Fortunately, Ghost offers paid hosted plans as well. As with most paid plans, the more you pay, the more storage, bandwidth, and features you receive.

The Starter plan costs $9 a month. With it, you get a blog, SSL encryption and CDN.

Pricing is quite complex. There’s a sliding scale pricing mechanism on their site which shows you the price in accordance to the level of traffic your site gets.

Best for…

  • Bloggers in need of advanced technical solutions
  • Professional bloggers with a growing online presence
  • Serious publishers

Conclusion…

The best way to find the right platform for your needs is to understand whether each platform focuses on beginners or experts, how much it costs to use and how much customization your audience will demand.

Remember that it can be easy to upgrade to a better platform in most cases, so starting with an easy-to-use option is great for anyone just starting out in the blogosphere and wanting to learn how to start a blog.

That’s the end of our guide. If you haven’t decided on a blog platform yet – don’t worry.

You can head right over to BlueHost to get your web hosting, and pick up a subscription of Envato Elements too.

That way, you can play around with all of these different blogging platforms, while at the same time having access to some of their most premium themes, and unlimited stock photos too.

That way, you can get started with actual hosting and unlimited creative freedom for less than $35 per month!

The Blogging Platforms Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We get a lot of questions about blogging platforms. So many in fact that we thought it might be useful for our readers to publish them here.

#1 – What blogging platform is best if I’m planning on making money blogging?

I think there’s two options that stand out above the rest.

A self hosted WordPress blog is my #1 choice. You can get a WordPress blog with Bluehost + a free domain. It’s hassle free and you’ll be up and running in no time.

My #2 choice has to be Wix.com. It’s easy to set up and has all the features you need to monetize your blogging efforts. With easy to use drag and drop web building features, you literally can be live with a great website in less than a few hours.

#2 –  What is the best 100% free blogging platform?

If you don’t want to spend a penny on your blogging platform, then there’s a few options that stand out.

1- WordPress.com 

Completely free, but you won’t be able to have your own custom domain, nor will you be able to monetize your blog with ads / affiliate offers etc.

2- Linkedin.com – Ideal for business / finance bloggers

Not exactly a blogging platform, but if you’re blogging about business then you will want to write where your audience hangs out.

3- Medium – Ideal for traditional bloggers / high-end content

#3 –  What is the best blogging platform for beginners?

Without a doubt, WordPress.org or WordPress.com. Both are easy to use and set up and you can have a solid blog up and live in just an hour. The other option would be Wix.com. With WordPress.org, you will need to self host with a custom domain.

#4 – What the best blog site for business?

Linkedin. Again, its not really a blogging platform, but it certainly lends itself to blogging about business. If you crave to be a thought-leader in a certain industry then LinkedIn is one of the best places to blog on, as LinkedIn users are highly engaged, ready to interact with your content and content hungry.

#5 – What the blog site has the largest audience?

Facebook has the largest audience. Again, its not really a blogging platform, but it certainly lends itself to blogging about any given subject. The audience on Facebook is vast, so it makes sense to populate it with your content. Even if it’s just used to syndicate your blog site content, Facebook can be a very useful blogging tool.

Alternatives To Blogging Platforms

An alternative to setting up your own blog and building your own audience is to piggy back on some of the big social platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram aren’t blogging platforms as such, but can be used to as your own blogging channel.

People get huge amounts of success from posting on these social networks as it’s so much easier to get your content in front of millions of people. 

It takes very little time to set up and to build an audience in your niche. The only downside is that you have to adhere to the rules and algorithms of these platforms and you won’t own your own content.

The Ultimate Blogging Platforms Comparison Chart 2024 For Both Premium & Free Blogging Sites


To help you even further with your quest to find the best blogging platform for your new or existing website or blog, I have put together a pretty comprehensive comparison chart. The chart is easy to digest and covers the pros and cons, features, detailed information and ratings on each blogging platform for both premium and free blogging options.

155 thoughts on “14 Best Blogging Sites To Build Your Blog On – 2024 Guide”

  1. hey jamie,
    i’ve been stewing on a lot of ideas for a blog for a couple of years now and i want to get started. My idea is not business or neish based, nor do i have much motivation for making money. The main intention of my blog would be to reach people with ideas and concepts that promote personal and cultural progress as well as sharing my personal experience. i would like to be able to reach a measurably large audience.
    I set things up with wordpress and blue host a few years ago, but it was a bit confusing and i was very busy at the time so i pulled the plug.
    ive been looking at wix because it sounds easier. Is wix good? or is there a better option? retry wordpress?

    p.s. iim not completely apposed to making money
    – charlie

    Reply
    • Hey Charles

      Definitely look at WordPress again. Self-hosted is the best. Avoid Wix. Too expensive and not that great when it comes to SEO.

      Reply
  2. Outstanding post, well done! I’m familiar with these builder sites, most of which can be installed from inside the hosting C-Panel. Personally I use Blue Host and prefer installing WordPress as my site builder.

    Reply
    • BlueHost is amazing for me, never had any problems with them in 4 years, easy to setup and really cheap, they even give you a 100$ Google Ads voucher

      Reply
  3. Hi Jamie,

    Thank you so much for the post, it really helped me. I now know what I need to do but will really appreciate it if you can confirm if I am right or wrong.

    My vision:
    1.I want to start a blog which will generate money for me.
    2. I want to make money through affiliate programmes and adsense among others as well.
    3.I need something that will not give me difficulties when my traffic increases or when I need to do some changes.

    My choice:
    I decided to choose Wordpress.org and have blueHost as my host.
    By the way I am a newbie and don`t know anything about IT.

    Please advise if my choice will support my vision, because I don`t want to have difficulties in the future.

    Reply
      • I agree Jamie. Paulina chose well, I’m using the exact method. Just remember to place the target keyword as the first word of both domain name and site title (H1 Header). And use a plugin called WP Insert to display banner ads. This way banner HTML will not interfere with your blog SEO score in Google.

  4. Thanks for your very detailed article. I wonder how you arrived at WIX’s Blogger being in the top ten… unless the others are just that much worse. I just was forced to migrate to the newer version of blogger and it really stinks. The editor is non-existent, moving/sizing pictures is much more limited than on the previous version, none of my hyperlinks survived the migration, and the text formatting was skewed. I’m basically having to re-edit every single blog post… six years worth. I’m pretty upset with WIX. Tech support told me they’ve been working on this new version for the past two years…. really?! It seems to me that the functionality in the blogger editor has gone down over the years, not improved. I’m not finding any other blog platforms out there that will work on WIX and give me the SEO on my site that I’m looking for. This is quite a pickle.

    Reply
  5. Hi Isaac,
    You’re right. WordPress.org has everything you could ever want from a CMS, but WordPress.com is a great starting point for newbies and a good platform to start learning how to start up your own site. You can easily manage it with your own requirement. No previous knowledge is required. Just watch some videos about wordpress & one can easily handle it.
    Cheers,
    shanto kumer

    Reply
  6. Thanks, this was a very helpful article!

    I am currently running wordpress.com and came here, anytime I wish to add new features they cost more money; plus it is VERY limiting if you want to do any type of expansion, advertising, affiliate marketing, business, etc. I’m going to try to switch to wordpress.org and start over. Sigh.

    Reply
  7. Nice article for the content writers. The given sites are most useful for the blogging platform of the best articles or thesis writing. Most of the content writers get failed to write the content. But hereafter the tools are used to publish the blog successfully. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Hey, Great infographics!
    This is something I was looking for. I have scanned all your pictures and get a quick idea which blogging platform I should choose next.

    I already own a blog on WordPress.org now I want something that is less costly. And luckily I have found one from your list.

    Thanks for sharing this guide.

    Reply
  9. Nice review! I’m using Wordpress, I think I’m comfortable because I’ve used that platform from several years ago. But now I’ve started to study new options and your article helps me a lot. Thank you

    Reply
  10. Hey Jamie thank you very much for the breakdown. I had seen ghost mentioned a few times recently but never had an in depth look. I have moved onto Laravel/custom development however still huge fan of WordPress for some projects. Ghost looks interesting, may have to spend sometime this weekend playing around with it!

    Reply
  11. Maybe I’m a traditionalist, but placing wix or weebly is not quite right. These are systems for creating websites that are fully focused on earning. Other more free.

    Reply
    • I disagree. These platforms work well for blogging. Some people prefer these drag and drop systems over WordPress or Tumblr. This is why they have been included in this blog sites guide.

      Reply
  12. Great post! I chose WordPress, because of the large community behind it. Every problem can be solved by going to the WordPress forum. The mass of helpful reaction you receive is insane…

    Reply
  13. Jamie,
    Your advice and charts have been so helpful, as have the comments and your replies.

    I am so very new to blogging however, so some of the terms you use are a foreign language to me. Could you explain these terms or point me to a good site to learn what they mean? The particular terms are: hosting; plug-ins; domain (domain name); stable platform; and widget. (SEO I know.)

    Based on your advice and my familiarity with the name I am strongly leaning toward WordPress.com. My new blog is all about a historical event and I need to incorporate pictures, videos, digitized documents and links to them. The comments sections will be vital to my site.

    I am going now to check out the links you’ve provided. Meanwhile I will appreciate whatever advice you can give. Again, thank you.

    Reply
  14. Great article! I’m sure many newbies have found your guide on blogging sites extremely helpful. Anyway, I’ve tried several companies that claim to be the best website hosts but so far I think only BlueHost can back up their claims with actual proof. I’ve seen that BlueHost is mentioned in your article a lot, and that makes perfect sense as one of the best website hosts. You might also wanna recommend HostGator in your article–their uptime and speed are quite excellent as well. But, re: topic, I’ve been using WordPress for my sites as I feel like it’s the only one that offers all the features that my website needs.

    Reply
    • There’s no wrong and right blogging platform for any individual niche. It’s what you are comfortable using, what functionality you need and most important, budget.

      Reply
  15. Hi Jamie,

    Thanks for your chart! It’s very helpful for babybloggers like me. I want your comparison chart on my site, but the picture doesn’t show.. You wouldn’t have any idea why, would you?

    Say, what did you use to make the infographic?

    Thanks,

    Enzo

    Reply
  16. Hi Jamie! I rarely write comments on any website but I just discovered your you and really like the way you 1. have designed your page ( colours, themes, layouts etc) and 2. your writing style and how everything is so neat and structured.
    2 things I would like to ask you:
    Are you gonna be releasing a post with fitness related content i.e like the ones you have on your blog about the best wordpress themes for travel bloggers. Something relevant to fitness and exercise?
    Are there any other peoples websites/blogs that you personally like the way they are presented/made. I am currently making my own website and I want to take some ideas. I am asking you since you look like you are focusing on quality on your work and I am guessing you will be looking for quality when you are surfing the web too.
    Thanks for reading this whole thing!

    Reply
    • Thanks for taking the time to comment.

      That’s a great idea about the fitness wordpress themes. I will certainly look into that later in the month. Thanks for the tip.

      I think from a quality content and design layout perspective gaps.com is pretty spot on. It’s a new project from the guy who created Viperchill ( Glen Allsop ). Check it out. There’s some inspirational stuff on there.

      Reply
  17. Great post! I choosed wordpress, because of the large community behind it. Every problem, you can go to the wordpress forum, men the mass of helpful reaction you receive is insane!

    Reply
  18. Hi, Jamie

    I have a website on Weebly, with a paid domain name, that I had to create for a certification. I would now like to start a blog (with content not related to what’s on my website now), but Weebly does not look like it measures up as a blog option.

    What would be your suggestion?

    Thank you,

    Reply
    • Sorry to keep saying this, but it sounds like WordPress is the platform you need. Weebly is a great platform, but it lacks from a blogging standpoint. Same goes for Wix.
      Have a look at my WordPress blog tutorial which should help you get started.

      Reply
  19. Hi Jamie !

    Thank you so much for this post, very instructive post, I have a question and I would love to get your feedback.

    I’m currently trying to decide whether or not I should move from hosting my on blogs to PhrasePress, I get very few traffic for all the hard work I put in, also my content is pretty interesting … most of my friends have been recommending PhrasePress to me, but on their website, it says they’re going to launch on the 1st of february, so i’m a bit sceptical about it being newly created.

    I did some research and contacted them. They seem to have all the tools to help me as a newbie blogger, but still, i need the opinion of an experienced blogger. Do you think it would be a good idea ?
    Thank you !

    Reply
    • Hi there.

      I’ve never heard of them before. I personally would stick with a platform that has been around for years and years and is trusted by millions and millions of users ( WordPress ) Get yourself some hosting (iPage is just $1.99 a month) and you can install WordPress with just one click. Easy.

      There’s nothing on PhrasePress’ website that is unique. Everything they say they can do, can be done easily and much better on WordPress.

      Good luck with your decision. For me WordPress is a no brainer.

      Reply
  20. Thanks for a very informative post, Jamie. I have a few questions, for which your suggestions will be very helpful.

    I am considering moving from blogger now after several years. My blog gets a fair volume of audience but blogger is pretty restrictive in making improvements to the layout, and features.

    I have purchased a domain name today. I am trying to decide from bluehost and 2 other hosting providers. Since, currently there is no revenue coming in from the blog, I am looking for a decent (read, inexpensive) hosting option to start with. I understand, there will be additional costs to set up the website – themes, plugins, etc. Can you suggest what additional features / components I may need to purchase and any estimate cost around it..? Will it be possible to import my current blog from blogger? I prefer a clean, simplistic theme, file hosting, and a way to sell from the site (payment gateway?). Thank You.

    Reply
    • Hi Ganesh

      I would recommend iPage for price $1.99 p/m. Ideal if you’re just getting started.
      Bluehost and InMotion are both excellent WordPress hosts and are both doing deals of just $2.95 p/m. Both I would recommend as their shared hosting packages are of a better quality than ipage, and if you anticipate your site will get lots of traffic, then these are a better choice to start with.

      You can check out more reviews of hosts here

      The only costs I can see for you is a premium theme. Mythemeshop has some great premium themes and plugins. At the moment they are doing a $19 per theme offer.

      I suggest you forget about your old blogger theme and move forward with a brand new look for your new site.

      Hope this has helped.

      Jamie

      Reply
  21. I noticed partway through the reviews you stopped mentioning which ones were free or required fees and that was one of the areas I wanted to compare (just in case you want to add that).

    I am looking for a site that is free, and that has room for me to grow (if this is successful I may want to move to a paid version and I don’t want that to be difficult). I don’t mind coding or figuring out a complex program I just want to keep my initial costs down while I leave my potential open. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • I’m not a fan of building a blog on 3rd party platforms – it can be handy to use sites like Linkedin pulse or Medium to amplify your posts.

      Reply
  22. For me its wordpress followed by joomla. WordPress has grown from a baby to a professional now. It certainly has the biggest plugin market and is most customizable and easy to develop. By the way thank you for this wonderful article.

    Reply
  23. Hi Jamie,

    I want to start a blog/website and I have a friend to host it on his server. My question is: what is the best way to create the blog itself?

    Steve

    Reply
  24. Hi I really liked your post! Thank you for all the info!
    Could you help me to choose what’s best for me?
    I have a website to promote my services and I have thought about a blog. My site is built by a third party and they don’t offer an integrated blog. What should I do? Link a to. WordPress blog? I had one and I found it complicated. I would like to blog texts, pictures and embed videos or podcasts.
    Would linking the blog enhance the website traffic or not?
    Sorry I am not 100% technical ??

    Reply
    • Hi Rita

      Linking to the blog from your third party platform would make no difference. If you can, move all your content to a self hosted wordpress site or premium Weebly / Wix subscription.

      Reply
  25. Hi Jamie,
    Great article and useful information which I have bookmarked and will come back to.
    I have a question about a simple blog…I want to create a cheap and easy blog for a special event for someone who is away and will be missing their significant birthday. Basically I want a platform for people to post photos and/or videos and their best wishes. Is there such a thing? I know I could do a Facebook page and block her from it but I thought a blog might be slightly more cool. Is this even possible? I use wordpress for my other blogs but didn’t think it would be possible to allow others to post photos and videos on a blog without giving them all the sign in code which I’d rather not do. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

    Reply
  26. Hi Jammie
    Thanks for this post. A few questions though.
    1. When you say a free domain name , does that mean if I want to keep the name of my blog young millionaire then can I get young millionaire.com if that’s available.
    Regards
    Manish

    Reply
  27. Hello, Jamie. Thank you for sharing with us your perspective of these platforms. I truly love your article. It helps me to figure out what I’m looking for as a blogger.

    I am a college girl who is willing to create my personal blog after entering new year as my online journal. I’ve been blogging since I was 12 with different platforms (the very first one I used is blogspot) and I now I’m sticking with WIX. The reason why I picked WIX is because it gives me easier way to build up my site since I’m so bad in coding, and it provides a lot of themes. But I don’t see wix is a better idea for me to daily blog since it takes so long time to load/enter the site (especially via mobile phone).

    These last few weeks, I see that WordPress should have been my choice since long time ago but sadly I just realize it now. Therefore, I’ll probably choose WordPress as my new brand step in blogging.
    By the way, I want to choose a minimalist blog theme for my up-coming site on WordPress. Do you have any recommendations for minimalist theme’s collection sites to be applied on WordPress? And how to promote my new personal blog to attract brands endorsing me for their products?

    Reply
    • I hear your pain Sella. This is quite common. Bloggers start out on platforms where there is no coding required, but then over time you do start to see the limitations. You can move wix sites to WordPress, so if you wanted to do this you can. Just make sure you have your own hosting set up as well as your own domain name. I see you have a wix domain name, which leads me to assume that this is a free wix site?? This could be why the site is so slow to load.

      As for minimalist themes, I suggest you check out this page. https://colorlib.com/wp/clean-wordpress-themes/ Loads of really nice and clean themes for you to consider for your new site.

      And how to promote my new personal blog to attract brands endorsing me for their products? There is no short answer to this.
      Brands will only want to advertise on your site if you get loads of highly targeted traffic that fits in with their product/service. SO basically you need loads of traffic and the way to do that is to create stuff on your site that people really want to read and that they find useful. Build up an audience on social networks, build up an email list.

      Have a look at these articles for some ideas
      https://makeawebsitehub.com/how-to-make-money-blogging/
      https://makeawebsitehub.com/blog-ideas/

      Reply
  28. Thanks for this blogging platform comparison Jamie, you might want to check out Impact Instrument. A new upcoming blogging platform.

    Reply
  29. Hey Jamie,
    What would you suggest for a craft blog and make money, I am planning to post tutorial and free /paid pattern for my crafts.
    Thanks,Beatriz

    Reply
    • Hi Beatriz

      WordPress.org (self-hosted WordPress site) is probably your best bet in terms of cost effectiveness and the ability to earn money from ad revenue and affiliate schemes.

      Squarespace and Wix are also very good and probably a lot more user friendly in terms of the ability to quickly build sites without the need for coding.
      But these two options are more expensive than buying hosting and installing WordPress.

      If I were you I’d probably go for WordPress.org, get a domain, get hosting and buy yourself a really good theme.

      Hope that helps.

      Jamie

      Reply
  30. Hi Jamie. I am a newbie when it comes to blogging and I’m ready to start a blog on E-markering. Not for myself only but for other interested companies. Which platform would you advise and how would you advise on e- marketing/business blogging?

    Reply
    • Hi Puleng. Not sure I understand the question 100% but I will try and answer it the best I can.
      If it’s an e-marketing blog that you want to set up then the easiest platform for you would be WordPress.org or maybe wix

      Reply
  31. Good summary of available options for start blogging. I would suggest to include GitHub Pages that offers several options, such as e.g. running a blog with Jekyll platform. It’s free, secure and uses static pages with markdown. Might not be for the average user as it expects some technical background, but personally I think it’s a great solution and very easy to map your GitHub Pages site to an existing domain, for free.

    Reply
  32. Hi Jamie. I am beginning a new Interior Design blog. I’ve secured my own Domain, and have been busy creating my blog and web page on WIX because it is very user friendly (and because I am a novice with no code experience or desire)., but I haven’t launched it yet. Been reading a lot reviews, your’s and others’. I’m interested in posting ads and making money in the future but feel from what I’ve learned WIX might not be the best choice. WordPress.com won’t allow me to make money eventually, and WordPress.org seems to complicated and tedious. What would you recommend.

    Reply
    • If I were you I’d start getting your head around WordPress. It’s not complicated. There’s some amazing tutorials out there including my one here. This way you are in complete control of your online money making activities. It truly is the best way forward.

      Reply
  33. Hello. I’m definitely a novice. I would,like,to know what you charge to set up a blog. Honestly I want every thing done for me. If this is a possibility, please let me know. I have signed up with WordPress.

    Reply
    • Hi Donna

      If you sign up to Bluehost through one of my affiliate links, then I can help you set up your WordPress install and install a theme of your choice. Any further help would need to come in the form of a web designer / developer, as I no longer do client work.

      You can buy hosting through this link Once you have purchased your hosting, email me your username and password and I will set up the wordpress install for you.

      Hope that helps.

      Jamie

      Reply
    • Hi Isaac. You’re right. WordPress.org has everything you could ever want from a CMS, but WordPress.com is a great starting point for newbies and a good platform to start learning how to start up your own site.

      Reply
  34. I am wanting to do a family genealogy/biography blog for for future generations to be able to easily learn about past family members. I need a blog which will be here 50-100 years from now. It could be that we won’t even be blogging then, but I want the stories of past family members preserved into perpetuity. What blogging service has the best chance of outlasting all the others?

    Reply
    • Ohhh, and because I won’t always be alive, the service and hosting would need to be free because I would not be around to pay for it obviously.

      Reply
  35. Hi there,
    I found this to be a very interesting read, but as a visual artist who draws I am curious to know what blog platform you would recommend to some one such as myself ? I would be sharing my art and WIP along with other art related information.

    Reply
    • Hi Kim

      WordPress would be great for this. Self hosted with a decent premium theme from Themeforest.
      Or Squarespace do some great sites that fit in with your ideas.

      Reply
  36. Hi
    I was just about ready to start with a weebly pro plan. I have a solid niche and would like to eventually get some display ads. The site is blogs( essays) and eventually reviewing quality audio components
    Question: my other core niche has been my career for years where the former has always been a hobby . If I try both niches I will need different web sites( blog sites). Can weebly account take 2 different pro sites on one account?? ( everyone says have one niche to get best results and possible monetization)
    Thanks
    Howard
    pS. I’ve read WordPress is to complicated for a beginner wanting to concentrate on content?)

    Reply
    • Really?

      Did you not know you can run Ghost on port 80 instead of 2368 with a “Dedicated IP” on a Bluehost VPS? No otherwise you’d not be leaving comments with a fake name. Yeah it might not be as easy as a one-click install but it’s the same as if you were running Node.js and Ghost on any other server.

      Disable Apache and then you can install node.js

      Bluehost have a BBB rating of A+… many web hosts don’t

      Bluehost offer reliable shared hosting for newbies around $3 p/m… many hosts don’t

      So maybe if you did your research you might not feel the need to troll

      Reply
  37. Hi! So i would like to get start with WordPress.org with bluehost, but I was wondering. Will my account be billed per month or all at once?

    Reply
  38. Hi ; good article. I am not familiar with coding and font want to be haggled and hung up with possible learning curve of WordPress.
    What would you recommend to use so that it’s a bit easier with good options, ideal SEO and the ability to put ads or banner ads from prospective advertisers ( that’s how to make money in the long run). Also, is WordPress the only one that a person can literally ” own” as his own compared to managed sites?
    Thanks
    Howard

    Reply
    • Hi Howard

      Wix or Weebly. They have a really easy drag and drop platform, that works a dream for newbies. You’ll have to sign up to the premium subscription if you want to monetize the site with ads. Probably the best way forward if you don’t want to self host with WordPress.org..

      Reply
  39. Another addition to my initial comment/question. One thing I want to be able to do is post events (gigs) with their location and a link to the venue. We will be staying in campgrounds down the East Coast, I would also want to be able to add links to campgrounds so that people can book reservations if they are coming to the area. Sorry, This is overwhelming and I know I am overthinking it. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Hi Heather. If you’re buying your own domain then you may as well buy hosting and then get yourself set up with WordPress. This will cost you about $60 a year.
      There’s some great music related themes that you can purchase from Themeforest.

      Reply
  40. Great insight although I am still new to all of this. My husband and I are in the midst of selling everything we own and heading south with our camper to play music. I want to create something that I can have a link on our FB page for family, friends, and fans to follow us. I am not a stranger to computers….but I was clueless when “coding” was mentioned here. What can I use that I can easily download photos, add links to different venues, etc, connect with FB (?), and customize to a point? At this point I would rather stay in the free range. I do not mind having to pay for a domain name. I just dont have time to do all the comparison. Any easy answer will be much appreciated.

    Reply
    • Wow! Good luck with the mother of all adventures!!!
      WordPress.com might be a good fit for you. They offer free accounts and you’d be able to add images to your site.

      Reply
  41. Fascinating read…thanks for the wealth of information here! I want to blog about, what else, my travels ;-) and plan them city-wise. wordpress.com seems the best option to start with till I see myself going somewhere with this. A quick question to start: does it have a limit on the number of photos per page? some cities would need 20-25 photos for my topic. Thanks

    Reply
  42. Thanks, Jamie for all helpful info. I have been doing my research all night of getting started with blogging, but you, by far, have been the most helpful. Thanks for making it so easy to get started with your tutorial on starting with BlueHost and then installing WordPress from there. I just wanted to know for sure whether it would send me WordPress.com or .org; I know you said .org was better.

    Reply
    • WordPress.com is free. WordPress.org is for when you want to self host your blog. I would go for that option, as then you can build your own brand online, rather than being just another wordpress free hosted blog.

      Reply
  43. I am starting a blog/website. I’m a fine writer. Now I am afraid of WordPress.org learning time. So if I go to weebly or joomla or modern or square space…?
    Money is no concern… Just the technical aspects. I want Google tools and the ability to put in picture ads ( banner?) from companies whose products I review ( paid ads). I need speed and easy to learn process. Will use blue host .
    Recommendation please
    Thanks
    Howard

    Reply
    • WordPress.org is really simple to use and install. Bluehost have a one click install facility, as do other hosts.
      Weebly & Squarespace are simple drag and drop web builders, that are fully SEO friendly. You can easily drop your Google tracking code into their platform so that you can access Google Webmaster tools.

      Reply
  44. hi, very useful information.
    i’m just starting out and from what i understand in your post, wordpress.com is great for beginners. but if i grow out of it and want to own my domain etc. can i switch to wordpress.org?

    Reply
    • It will certainly be a lot harder to rank with a new extension like .xyz, but not impossible. I would always go for a .com .org simply because it has more trust with search engines.

      Reply
  45. Wow! This is one awesome post! Thank you for this great piece of writing, The only problem I have with word press is that you need to buy a few plugins like security for your website or blog.

    Reply
  46. Awesome stuff Jamie! I have to say that WordPress is pretty useful for newbies who want to get into starting a blog of their own. I personally use drupal as I need a bit more robustness for the purposes of my own websites.

    Reply
  47. Hi Jamie. This is a nice to-the-point blog post.
    I am presently using WordPress as it has the most
    “bells and whistles” to work with and personalize
    the site. It is certainly not perfect by any stretch.

    The free sites just don’t have the versatility that the
    self-hosted sites have. They are certainly a great
    place to start as a hobby, but is limited for
    business purposes.

    Reply
    • Hi Robert. Thanks for your comment. I have to agree with you. The free blogging platforms are good to start out with, but there comes a point when you want your own domain and the ability to reap the rewards of your hard work. You can’t do that with a URL given to you by WordPress.com or Blogger.

      I liken it to owning your own house. Self hosting is the equivalent of owning your own house. WordPress.com / Blogger you are simply renting and all the power and equity you build up in that free hosted site belongs to Google or WordPress.

      Reply
  48. Hi I want to start a blog site with links to social media and youtube videos, I don’t mind paying a small monthly fee. I have a couple of companies that supply me with equipment to use when I’m out and would need to put links to their website and some advertising photos. What can you recommend,
    Thanks
    Dave

    Reply
  49. How can Medium can be a Blogging Platfrom, if so BlogBeats also a Blogging Platfrom and what ever the portals provides the platform to create blog posts can be treated as Blogging Platforms!!

    Reply
    • It is a blogging / publishing platform and I also feel it is good enough to be added to my best blogging platforms page. Deal with it Sundeep!

      Reply
  50. Hi Jamie. I love how comprehensive your guide is. I’m about to launch my new blog and I went with Blog Site which I noticed you didn’t cover. I’m a little unsure about my decision for using this platform. But I ended up choosing it because I like what I have been able to do on it – incorporate website and blog posts on the one page. I am announcing the launch of my blog tomorrow. But I’m not particularly happy with the way it translates onto mobile device. I’m using image gallery grids on the non-blog sections and they are just not appearing as I would like. I have this nagging feeling that I should consider moving to something else. I would love very much your opinion on what I should do before I work on my next issue for August.

    Reply
  51. Jamie – This is a super overview of blogging options. Thanks! I am a novice blogger looking to start a travel blog for family and friends when we move overseas next month. I am liking the look of Square Space for this purpose, but I don’t understand the pricing. The $8 per month allows 20 pages. Is that per month? Would that mean I could not post something each day? Thanks for any clarification you can offer! Also, if you think another platform might be better for this purpose, I would love to know that.

    Reply
    • Hi Kate

      I think you’ll be ok with SquareSpace as blog posts are not included in the 20 page limit.

      See below:

      The pages that count towards the page limit are:

      Regular Pages
      Product Pages
      Cover Pages
      Album Pages
      Blog Pages (not individual blog posts)
      Gallery Pages
      Event Pages
      Index Pages
      Pages in the Not Linked section of your navigation
      Template Demo Pages

      I think SquareSpace is a good fit for what you want to do, although there are some cheaper alternatives like WordPress and Blogger.

      Good luck with your move overseas.

      Reply
  52. Thanks for the great help! What is the difference between WordPress.org and wordpress.com? Does it depend upon whether you choose a .com or a .org domain? Thanks!

    Reply
    • The .org version of WordPress has a lot of the same features as WordPress.com, but the difference is that there is a greater level of customization for your blog. This WordPress option is great if you want to self host and own your domain name.

      WordPress.com is generally used by people who don’t mind having a WordPress.com customised URL and who just wants a basic site that doesn’t cost them a dime to manage or create.

      Reply
  53. Thank so much Jamie for this awesome post. It’s helped me no end. With this resource I’m armed to start blogging!!

    Reply
  54. I really enjoyed this post. I’m with both blogger and WordPress, because I can’t choose. Lol thanks again <3

    Reply
  55. Well, thanks to this post I found our some new blogging platforms that I hadn’t heard before.

    But, still I think WordPress.org is the best if you are serious about your blogging. It is the most advanced one.

    Reply
  56. Hey Jaime. I’d love to try something new in terms of starting up a blog and would love to start blogging and to make money on the side. Problem is that I don’t know which site to choose. Please help.

    Reply
  57. me again, sorry, here is another question,
    i had a wordpress.com site, then had the wordpress.org (the one i told you about previously). somehow i can see all sites from wordpress.com admin but not on wordpress.org.
    I don´t even remember how they got “linked” maybe by an email address…. Anyway, am trying to create another one, but i prefer wordpress.org.
    So how do i create another one (with same username or email or whatever) and how do i “put” them all together so i can manage them all and they are all linked to me?

    Reply
    • I don’t have any experience with BlogPress. I will check it out at some point and if I think its a valid platform, then I will add it to the list.

      Reply
  58. Hi Jamie
    thanks for the info
    i have had a website for years http://www.yasminesamiry.com and from there you can find my blog http://www.yasminesamiry.com/blog that you can click from within the website. My website was created by a pro and am paying quite a bit for it but am not satisfied with it plus i want to “downgrade” meaning my website is not that important anymore,
    i would like to create a free one. My blog is from wordpress.org and the link between blog and web was made by that company, who also created the website. Am not a tech person and even though wordpress takes me ages to make anything and solve all problems, i have managed so far but still lack some basic knowledge-
    I use godaddy for my domain, used them for years now, no issues so far.
    My question is if i stop my website and create one of my own using wordpress, will my web and blog still be connected? Can i have a custom name for my blog? will i require another domain name then? what do i have to do if this is the case even though am not sure if i want these connected in the future.
    what steps do i need to take if i want to stop paying that company for my website and transfer it to wordpress (both website and blog, together or separately).
    thanks in advance for your reply

    Reply
    • Hey Yasmine,

      Ok moving your blog content from your old blog to your newly built one is very easy. Next time you log in to your WordPress website take a look in the left sidebar for “Tools” in there is an import and export feature. As for your design as you have paid your web designer for this they should hand it over no questions asked and this will be uploaded in your Appearance themes section.

      As is some times the case web designers can hold people to ransom (they shouldn’t) but getting lawyers involved is not cheap. If that is the case then you can always get a nice professional theme from Studiopress or Themeforest for under $100.

      Once the content and design is moved to your new WordPress site then you will just need to change the nameservers in Godaddy from your old web host to your new one. I recommend BlueHost for new websites but there are other good WordPress web hosts too.

      Let me know if you need any more advice.

      -J

      Reply
      • thanks Jamie, you know i posted the same thing in the support forum from wordpress and the only answer i got was a patronising one linking to pages like, before you start, reading for beginners, etc. i may not know much but still….
        By the way, i paid for the hosting and web but it wasn´t really a custom design ( i don´t care much about the design) more like a template type that i had to fill myself. Which is very basic and not practical. I have been paying automatically every year because didn´t know what else to do with it. Anyway now it has been renewed until November! but am looking into it now and prefer to do it before hand just to make sure…Can i do this transfer at the same time, i mean while one is still in use just to test it?

        Something you didn´t mention….Do i need to worry about the connection from my web to my blog or this will be automatic? I want my web and my blog to be 2 different things even though linked to each other. So when i import my web, do i need to have another account or another user…how does it work? can i have a web and a blog or more than a blog under the same name/roof?
        thanks again!

  59. Hi Jamie, first of all, thanks a lot for your great content and tips. I am a beginner in blogworld, I am thinking about WordPress OR Google+, as they recommend the latter in a lot of other ‘tips’ articles. Which would you recommend for a beginner? Looking for a lifestyle blogging platform with the potential to monetize later on. Thanks a lot!! Cheers, Hayat

    Reply
    • Hayat,

      Google+ is not a blogging website. I would go with WordPress.org, Blogger or Squarespace with your own domain.

      Jamie

      Reply
  60. Hi Jamie,
    I am a student and I would like to create an IT blog, not to make money but to reach the largest audience. I thought about the platform called Medium. Surprised that you didn’t mention this one.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • WordPress is probably your best option. Although I’d always recommend spending that little bit extra to get your own domain name and hosting.

      Reply
  61. Blogspot is also a good platform for blogging. I think google server is the fastest and best server. It is also easy to create and maintain. thanks for sharing nice post.

    Reply
  62. WordPress is my favorite blogging platform. I use All in one seo pack for SEO purpose. please tell me how safe this plugin from being hacked. Have you any suggestion to make WordPress more secured.

    Reply
  63. Very helpful articlel. I am looking for an alternative to WordPress, which I detest. I have used it for many years, and it is time for change. I have used Blogger, which I like, and monetise effectively. However, the lack of support and times off line is of concern. However, I will now try one of your other suggestions. By the way, I used Bluehost for many years, but their excellent customer support rapidly deteriorated a couple of years ago – I think the company changed hands. Been with Inmotion ever since, and I cannot fault them. Thanks for your tips.

    Reply
    • Thanks Brian, I appreciate WordPress isn’t for everyone but it has a lot of scope if people want to grow.

      As for Bluehost I have used them for years with out issue but have heard good things about Inmotion recently, Bluehost were bought by Endurance a few years ago, there were some teething problems at first but I do know things have improved recently.

      Reply
  64. I have a website with Wix, and blog through them as well. Disappointed to hear SEO concerns. Have been online for a couple of months but still no hits. Should I leave?

    Reply
  65. This post is very helpful.
    I already have a blog with blogger and since I know that wordpress is more popular nowadays, I am confused as to continue with blogger or shift to wordpress.
    I hope you can help me decide. Yes, I also want to earn money with my blog.

    -Alvin

    Reply
    • Thank you so much for very comprehensive post for starting a website. I am going with WordPress and Bluehost/ siteground. But I am really undecided which one I will going with maybe it is siteground or bluehost. Because people are recommending Bluehost and some are saying siteground is also good.

      Reply

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