10 Best Blogging Platforms To Start A Blog In 2021 (7 Are FREE) – 19coders

Finding the correct working a weblog platform is all about who you is perhaps and what it’s essential acquire. If you’re merely starting a weblog for the first time, you’ll most probably want an entire decision that takes care of the complete nuts and bolts for you.

Meanwhile, these with further technical know-how is maybe ready to sacrifice a bit on ease of use for extra creative administration and efficiency.

Either method, the platform you choose should make your weblog look good and embrace a great deal of customization decisions, with the intention to represent your self appropriately.

As your weblog grows, your platform must be versatile adequate to develop with you, with a great deal of additional choices. And – most importantly of all – it shouldn’t worth the earth. Blogging must be pleasurable, not a financial burden.

Keeping all of this in ideas, I put just a few of the most popular platforms to the check out to be taught the best way they in distinction on these key choices. Here’s how all of them did.

What We Look For within the Best Blogging Platforms

To sort the proper from the remaining, I’ve focused on just a few key components that matter most to aspiring bloggers:

• Ease of use. This could be very important within the occasion you’re merely getting started, because you don’t have to get slowed down in tutorials and the way-to motion pictures. Most of the platforms on my file are beginner-nice, nevertheless merely in case you want one factor further superior, I’ve moreover included just a few decisions the place the steeper finding out curve truly pays off.
• Built-in efficiency. Some working a weblog platforms have a really DIY methodology, which isn’t to all people’s type. I’ve appeared for platforms that package deal deal up the complete key working a weblog choices into one straightforward product, so establishing your weblog will probably be a breeze.
• Well-designed templates. Sometimes the one issue separating a great weblog from a harmful one is design. My picks will help you create good-making an attempt blogs that may encourage your visitors to stay spherical.
• Value for money. Whether working a weblog is your passion or what you’re selling, the platform you make the most of shouldn’t be a financial thorn in your facet. These decisions each provide a free plan or will probably be value every penny of your funding.
• Scalability. As you develop in confidence, your weblog will get bigger and additional formidable. You need a platform that’s versatile and gives you room to develop – meaning it ought to provide a great deal of additional choices and customization decisions.

One of the popular website builders within the market, Wix gives some good devices for aspiring bloggers. But what I like most about Wix is that it gives a completely-constructed-in working a weblog decision which may be very, very simple to make use of.

With Wix, chances are you’ll get your weblog up and dealing in decrease than an hour – or in a few minutes, within the occasion you determine to make use of Wix’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) gadget.

This will probably be considerably simple within the occasion you start with thought of considered one of Wix’s weblog templates (there are 72+ for 7 completely completely different niches), which embrace necessary working a weblog choices constructed in.

One potential draw back about this platform is that whenever you’ve chosen a template, you gained’t provide the likelihood to alter to a brand new one with out dropping all of your edits.

However, Wix gives so many customization decisions – from fonts and hues to buttons and layouts – that you just’re on no account going to be caught with a template that doesn’t exactly symbolize your mannequin. And as a result of the drag-and-drop editor is very easy to make use of, it’s going to presumably all be achieved with merely just a few straightforward clicks.

In phrases of working a weblog choices, Wix has larger than adequate for budding and established bloggers alike. To make life great simple, you get a dashboard the place you presumably can create new posts, add courses, deal with suggestions, and research weblog analytics.

Your readers can create member profiles, like and observe posts, comment, and even flip into contributing writers. There’s moreover an computerized email correspondence subscription attribute that helps you collect leads instantly out of your website.

Wix does provide a free plan, nonetheless it’s comparatively restricted and may populate your weblog with Wix branding. It’s good for getting started and determining whether or not or not the platform is for you, nevertheless most bloggers will most probably resolve to enhance.

Features

• Built-in analytics gadget. Wix’s weblog analytics gives you all the knowledge you wish to optimize your weblog and develop your readership.
• Membership choices. Members can create and customise their very personal profile pages, attempt each others’ posts, followers, and suggestions, and get updates – all good for driving people once more to your weblog.
• Monetize your weblog. Wix gives quite a few decisions for monetizing your weblog. These embrace displaying commercials, offering subscription plans, and dealing a small on-line retailer.
• Translate your weblog. You can merely enable every Wix Blog and Wix Multilingual choices to translate your weblog content material materials into completely different languages and attain a world viewers.

Want to be taught extra? Check out our skilled Wix evaluate.

When you’re contemplating of starting a weblog, the place larger to place down roots than with WordPress, the popular working a weblog software program program on the earth?

WordPress.com is the hosted mannequin of WordPress.org (further on this platform later), and a further full decision than its .org cousin. It covers web internet hosting, custom-made domains, backups, and security so that you simply don’t should do all that legwork your self.

Still, WordPress.com comes with a steeper finding out curve in distinction to Wix, and it positively takes some time to get used to. But there’s an enormous payoff: WordPress gives further power and customizability than nearly another platform, making it a particularly-scalable risk.

If you’ve further formidable plans in your weblog and don’t ideas doing a bit little bit of homework, this may occasionally very properly be the reply for you.

There are larger than 70 free WordPress.com weblog themes, along with a complete lot of premium themes, so that you simply’re sure to find one which inserts you. There’s moreover customization decisions galore, meaning you’ve nearly limitless different in terms of colors, fonts, and layouts – although you’ll have to enhance to a paid plan so as so that you can edit the CSS.

In phrases of working a weblog choices, WordPress.com is simply in regards to the gold commonplace. It lets you categorize and tag posts, schedule posts and social shares, and administration your put up format correct right down to the scale of your content material materials blocks, the state of affairs and type of your photos, the color of your put up titles, and so forth.

WordPress.com does provide a free-for-life plan, nevertheless your weblog might have a subdomain and present WordPress commercials. It’s an exquisite means to get used to the platform, nevertheless WordPress.com truly solely involves its private whilst you purchase entry to its enormous plugin library – which solely happens on the Business plan and higher.

Features

• WordPress.com cell app. This app lets you publish posts, reply to reader suggestions, and additional, all whereas on the go.
• So many plugins. On the Business plan and up, you presumably can lengthen the efficiency of your web site in infinite strategies with tens of a whole lot of free and premium plugins.
• Fast, intuitive editor. It’s simple to create good-making an attempt, flowing weblog posts with a tried-and-examined editor that provides (amongst completely different choices) a useful autosave function.
• Built-in social sharing. This efficiency allows you to routinely ship new posts to Twitter, Facebook, and completely different social platforms, along with add social devices to help readers share your content material materials themselves.

Need extra information? Read our in-depth WordPress.com evaluate.

If you want your weblog to look good above all else, you could look to Squarespace, which is broadly regarded as having the proper-designed templates in the marketplace.

This makes it a pleasant platform for bloggers with loads of seen content material materials, much like artists, photographers, or designers. For small firms, it’s moreover an exquisite technique of getting your self a great-making an attempt website with out having to lease a web designer or developer.

Squarespace is one different all-in-one website builder that provides budding bloggers a simple method to start their web site. It’s a bit a lot much less intuitive than Wix, nevertheless further shopper-nice than WordPress.com, and its drag-and-drop editor gives you a great deal of freedom to customize your templates.

You don’t get complete creative freedom the easiest way you’ll with Wix, nevertheless the upside is that just a few Squarespace internet sites ever end up making an attempt ugly (severely, it’s nearly unimaginable). With 13 weblog templates to pick out from, all you’ve to do is select your favorite and start modifying.

As for working a weblog choices, Squarespace gives commonplace devices like the facility to set courses, tags, contributor permissions, and featured posts. It moreover has a constructed-in put up scheduler and search engine advertising, social media, analytics, and email correspondence promoting and advertising devices.

However, in distinction to Wix’s app market and WordPress’s plugins, Squarespace’s suite of third-get collectively integrations (which contains Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr, Google Workspace, and Mailchimp) could actually really feel a bit limiting.

In addition, Squarespace doesn’t provide a free plan, and it’s positively considered one of many pricier decisions on this file. But to ensure that you a great-making an attempt weblog with zero maintenance and updating duties, the extra worth could correctly be value it.

Features

• Extra social media capabilities for blogs. These embrace alternate social sharing pictures and computerized posting.
• AMP Integration. Squarespace optimizes your weblog posts for cell viewing, so your readers have the best possible experience all through all devices.
• search engine advertising devices. You get title, alt tag, URL customizations, and additional – all so you can even make your weblog further seen in engines like google.
• RSS blocks. This attribute makes it simple for visitors so as to add your feed to their reader by that features a subscribe button in your website.

Find out extra about Squarespace in our skilled evaluate.

Another all-in-one website builder, SITE123 is doubtless one of many best decisions on this file – nevertheless that doesn’t primarily indicate it gained’t have the efficiency you need.

If it’s essential assemble your private weblog reasonably than use an exterior platform like Medium or LinkedIn (further on these later), SITE123 is doubtless among the best strategies to do it. It has all of the important devices you’ll wish to assemble a working a weblog website and could also be very simple to make use of – nevertheless the tradeoff is significantly restricted creative freedom.

SITE123 gives larger than 20 weblog templates, all of which can be free and cell-nice, nevertheless there’s not a ton of choice. One foremost draw back is that this platform reserves quite a lot of its customization decisions for paid plans. But on the plus facet, its modifying bar is (you guessed it) very simple to make use of.

The free plan does embrace weblog pages, which embrace necessary choices like analytics, social bookmarking, a search function, and an RSS feed. Once you enhance, you presumably can take away commercials, be a part of a custom-made space, get further storage and bandwidth, and ship further promoting and advertising emails each month.

One great useful attribute is SITE123’s library of royalty-free pictures, which is right for together with visuals to your weblog posts. However, there are some notable gaps in working a weblog efficiency, along with the facility to archive and categorize posts.

Features

• Free motion pictures & icons library. SITE123 gives you free entry to a complete lot of royalty-free motion pictures, pictures, and symbols to create visually collaborating weblog posts.
• Free search engine advertising devices. This suite of regular devices will present you tips on how to drive guests to your weblog.
• Built-in internet affiliate marketing on-line. You have the selection to monetize your weblog with internet affiliate marketing on-line for SITE123.
• Third-party plugins. You can add extra choices to your weblog with plugins for points like reside chat, analytics, and name varieties.

Get all the main points about SITE123 in our full evaluate.

Free and easy to make use of, Blogger is the place many newbie bloggers get their start. It is maybe a bit little bit of an earlier hat (it launched once more in 1999!), nonetheless it’s nonetheless obtained rather a lot working in its favor – not least that it’s 100% free to make use of. You’ll get a blogspot.com subdomain, nevertheless you’ll even have the selection to affix your private, custom-made space with out price.

Blogger is a Google service, so it integrates with completely different useful Google merchandise like Google AdSense (a simple method to monetize your weblog with commercials), and Google Analytics, which lets you monitor buyer statistics.

However, its template selection is pretty elementary (as chances are you’ll depend on with a free platform). Its customization decisions are moreover restricted, and it has little to provide in phrases of extending your weblog’s efficiency. For this motive, many bloggers shortly outgrow the Blogger platform.

Features

• Make money out of your posts. The Google AdSense integration gives a simple method to monetize your content material materials.
• Connect a custom-made space with out price. Blogger is the one risk on this file that provides this attribute on a free plan. You even have the selection to make use of a free subdomain.
• Automatic Google Search indexing. You can improve your weblog’s search engine advertising rankings with computerized indexing.

Read our expert consider to get an in-depth check out Blogger.

6. Medium – Best For Growing an Audience

Medium is a bit completely completely different from just a few of the completely different decisions on this file in that it capabilities further like a social networking web site. You create a free Medium account, and you may start publishing posts using Medium’s great-straightforward WYSIWYG editor with out paying any subscription expenses by any means.

Medium’s profit lies in the actual fact it comes with a constructed-in viewers, making it an exquisite means to find and develop a following. If thought of considered one of your posts options traction with Medium’s readers, it might very properly be featured as considered one of many platform’s excessive tales. Plus, within the occasion you be a part of the free Partner Program, you could possibly presumably earn money from the time people spend finding out your posts.

The draw again? You’ll be restricted by Medium’s format – you presumably can’t have your private customized URL, your weblog will look like every completely different Medium weblog, and there will not be any monetization decisions furthermore the Partner Program (which primarily relies upon in your articles getting seen by Medium’s moderators).

Features

• Ready-made viewers. When you publish a Medium article, you access a readership of over 60 million people.
• Easy-to-use put up editor. Medium’s WYSIWYG editor lets you create correctly-designed, cell-responsive weblog posts in merely just a few straightforward steps.
• Minimal effort. Since the complete “web site” facet of points is already taken care of, you’re free to focus in your writing.

7. Tumblr – Best For Visual Blogs

Tumblr is another option that straddles the highway between a working a weblog platform and a social media platform. It’s positively not the place for prolonged-sort writers,as Tumblr focuses on snappy (and primarily seen) content material materials, along with Spotify tracks, pictures, GIFs, and flicks.

Tumblr is free with a tumblr.com subdomain (you possibly can even determine to affix a custom-made space title within the occasion you’d like), and it’s very simple to rearrange and use. Since it’s focused on creating a bunch of shoppers, it gives you a great deal of decisions for sharing, following, and reblogging content material materials.

However, there’s no method to elongate Tumblr’s restricted set of choices, so as your weblog develops, you’re potential to outgrow the platform. It moreover doesn’t provide any method to monetize your content material materials.

Features

• Perfect for seen content material materials. This is an ideal platform in case your weblog is heavy on footage, GIFs or motion pictures.
• Free and easy to make use of. Unless you select a premium template, Tumblr will on a regular basis be free to make use of.
• Ideal for use on a cell system. Like any social group, Tumblr is great cell-nice.

8. LinkedIn – Best For Connecting With Professionals

Rather than “half social community, half running a blog platform” like Tumblr, LinkedIn is a full-on social group with some working a weblog choices constructed-in. However, its give consideration to enterprise professionals makes it the proper platform for sharing enterprise content material materials.

When you write an article, LinkedIn will notify your connections, so within the occasion that they like it, they may share it. And if a LinkedIn editor likes it, they may attribute it, exposing your work to a rather a lot broader viewers of like-minded professionals. It’s an exquisite means to assemble connections and cultivate enterprise relationships.

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LinkedIn choices a WordPress-sort article editor, making it the one social media platform the place you presumably can produce polished, expert-making an attempt B2B content material materials. On the draw again, the editor has just a few customization decisions and also you’ll’t schedule posts to publish in the long run.

Features

• Free-to-use publishing platform. You’ll on no account pay to publish a single put up.
• Built-in expert viewers. Get your content material materials in entrance of 260 million energetic clients per 30 days.
• Intuitive, full editor. You can create neat, correctly-designed posts with the LinkedIn editor.

9. WordPress.org – Best For Customizability

If you’ve be taught this far, you’ll don’t forget that I described WordPress.com as WordPress.org’s neatly-packaged cousin. Well, it’s true WordPress.org is a scrappier decision – nevertheless whenever you get used to her strategies, boy oh boy, does she ship.

WordPress.org has a lot of the similar choices as its .com counterpart, nonetheless it’s obtained a total suite of superior decisions, custom-made plugins and themes, and additional modifying devices – meaning you presumably can personalize your weblog to your exact needs.

For occasion, you presumably can monetize your WordPress.org weblog nonetheless you need, with none restrictions on on-line funds or exterior commercials positioned on you by most “packaged” website builders.

The tradeoff is that this platform isn’t simple for newcomers to make use of efficiently. There’s a steep finding out curve involved.

On excessive of this, not like with WordPress.com, with WordPress.org you’ve to cope with the complete transferring components your self – like web internet hosting, security, and backups. So, as Spiderman says, with good power comes good responsibility. Which may or might be to not all people’s type.

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Pro Tip: If it’s essential use WordPress.org, nevertheless you’re undecided tips on how to get started, attempt our file of the best WordPress web internet hosting suppliers in 2021. Many of these hosts provide full choices that embrace a tutorial to rearrange your web site, constructed-in security devices, and additional.

While WordPress.org itself is completely free to make use of, it’s best to should pay for a space title, web internet hosting, and a premium theme (within the occasion you resolve to make use of one). You’ll even should pay for any premium plugins you add to boost your weblog.

Features

• Over 55,000 plugins, apps and extensions. These embrace a differ of custom-made plugins and devices not obtainable on WordPress.com.
• Fully customizable. The sky’s the limit in phrases of personalizing your web site – within the occasion you’ve obtained the tech skills for it.
• Endless variety of responsive themes. WordPress.org gives not solely free and premium however moreover custom-made themes.

10. Drupal – Best For Tech-Savvy Bloggers

Like WordPress.org, Drupal isn’t merely a working a weblog platform – it’s a full CMS (content material materials administration system). This signifies that it’s best to use it to create any sort of webpage, in any sort of sort, with distinctive, self-crafted elements that can present you tips on how to stand out from the gang.

Clearly, Drupal gives unbelievable flexibility – further so than another risk on this file – nevertheless you’ll need a great deal of technical know-tips on how to benefit from its power.

If you’re merely making an attempt to rearrange a straightforward weblog, Drupal most probably has rather a lot further choices than you’ll ever need (and even want), along with a whole lot of free plugins and templates, custom-made content material materials varieties, and enterprise-diploma security and effectivity.

In addition, the coaching curve is even steeper than with WordPress – so till you lease a developer (in any other case you’re a developer your self!) you’ll most probably wrestle to get your Drupal weblog working exactly the easiest way you want it to.

Pro Tip: If it’s essential assemble a big weblog, nevertheless you don’t have the know-tips on how to use Drupal to your profit, you presumably can head over to Fiverr and uncover an moderately priced freelance web developer who will assemble your working a weblog framework for you.

Features

• Completely free platform. Drupal is an open-provide decision, meaning it’s free to acquire, nevertheless web internet hosting and plugins usually worth extra.
• Super scalable. With a free library of really a whole lot of plugins, it’s the correct platform for formidable internet sites.
• Flexible taxonomy system. Ideal for coping with loads of content material materials.

There’s a Blogging Platform to Suit Every Blogger

Ultimately, which platform is greatest for you’ll depend on what you’re making an attempt to get out of your weblog. Although some social media-sort platforms like LinkedIn and Medium present the chance to get your content material materials in entrance of most likely hundreds and hundreds of eyes, many bloggers determine to rearrange their very personal website to permit them to have further administration over their mannequin.

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For a full, all-rounder decision, my go-to different must be Wix. Its correctly-designed templates and intuitive editor make it great simple to get your weblog up and dealing. And as your weblog grows, you presumably can merely add further choices due to the App Market.

On the other hand, within the occasion you’re not afraid of digging a bit deeper into the technical facet of points,you presumably can’t beat WordPress.com for power, customizability, scalability, and monetization decisions. Seriously, the sky’s the limit.

FAQ

Which is the proper working a weblog platform?That depends on who you is perhaps and what it’s essential acquire. If you’re a beginner, you’d most probably be most cosy with an all-in-one decision like Wix or Squarespace.
If you’ve obtained further technical know-how and are planning on rising your weblog shortly, chances are you’ll wish to associate with a platform that provides you further flexibility, much like WordPress.com.
Most website builders provide partaking working a weblog choices and an entire subscription plan. Check out our file of the best website builders in 2021 to see which we’d recommend.What’s the proper working a weblog platform to earn money in 2021?If your goal is to earn money alongside together with your weblog, you’ll need a working a weblog platform that lets you promote merchandise, present commercials, or embrace affiliate hyperlinks. You can’t usually do these things on a free plan, so it’ll be troublesome to monetize your weblog till you enhance.
However, some platforms, much like WordPress.org and Blogger, help you run commercials with out price (although with WordPress.org, you’ll should pay for web internet hosting).3. Which working a weblog platform is the best to make use of?Lots of working a weblog platforms make it very simple to start posting content material materials, along with Medium, LinkedIn, Blogger and Tumblr. However, the tradeoff is that you just sacrifice a measure of administration over your content material materials.
For this motive, many people choose to create their very personal weblog by the use of a website builder like Wix or SITE123, every of which can be very simple to make use of.4. Can I start a weblog with out price?Yes! There are loads of decisions for starting a weblog with out price. You can be a part of to a publishing platform like Medium or Tumblr and start writing. Or, so as so that you can preserve full administration over your content material materials, you presumably can spend some time creating your private working a weblog website (most web site builders have free plans).
That acknowledged, within the occasion you ever want to enhance to a paid plan (as an illustration, to get a custom-made URL or start monetizing your weblog), make sure you go to our coupon internet web page to reap the advantages of the proper gives.