18 Best Blogging Platforms for Free Blogging in 2023

Are you eager to express your thoughts but can’t figure out how and where? The best option you have is blogging. It gives you a perfect platform to express your ideas and connect with people who think like you. Whether you are looking to create a blog for personal passion or to generate income through your business, finding the right blogging platform is crucial for your success.

There are an umpteen number of blogging websites that will do the job. It will be tough to choose the right one for you. However, this article will help you find the best platform and understand its pros and cons.

Let’s have a quick overview of the 18 popular blogging platforms mentioned in this article:

1. WordPress.com
2. Wix.com
3. WordPress.org
4. Medium.com
5. HubSpot CMS
6. Drupal
7. Ghost
8. Blogger
9. Tumblr
10. Weebly
11. Web.com
12. Squarespace
13. LinkedIn
14. TypePad
15. Postach.io
16. Joomla
17. Gator by HostGator
18. Instagram

What Makes The Best Blogging Platform?

Everyone understands the idea of a blog, but no one has defined it in a way that helps people understand what it is. A blog is a website with additional pages, where blog posts give more importance and are arranged reverse chronologically. This medium allows people to see the newest post first. 

When you choose a blogging service, it has to have the essential tools to set up an easy-to-use blog, and the blog posts that we write must have a fully-featured backend. Some of the preferred characteristics that these platforms should possess are:

• Affordable: If you aim for a massive amount of traffic, you must pay a considerable amount to unlock the premium version. When you start a blog, it is easy to start with a free blogging website and save up for the big screen. This way, affordability is a crucial criterion when choosing a platform for blogging.

• Modifiable: You have to be aware that for your blog to flourish, it should be customizable. This medium can help you build a theme for your blog that will not bore your customers or followers. The increase in traffic depends on how easy it is to customize your blog. So, choose the site that has fantastic tools for customization.

• Supportive: It is clear that you must have a website that is easy to use and change. But remember that you will need the help of the technical tools for your blog to function correctly. Tutorials or a dedicated customer care team will help you build a successful blog, and they are necessary. However, it would be best if you prepared to spend accordingly for a valuable outcome.

What To Look For When Choosing The Best Blogging Platform?

The list given might confuse you if you are not aware of what you should look for when choosing the perfect blogging site for your purpose. It is always helpful to know what you are looking for, which will filter down half of the blogging process.

If you are a beginner, it is easier when you choose that can be set up quickly and does not require any coding skills. You must be aware of the changes that you must make when your blog grows. That means the blog you create now should be able to evolve in the future.

When your blog gains more followers, you must start to make changes for your blog. That includes adding more features that will enhance your blog site. This means that when you choose your blogging platform, it must be flexible and have space to flourish.

Blogs have options in which we can make money and not. To be honest, it is easy if you choose the right blogging platform where you can make money, even if you don’t want to at present. This will help you when you have a change of mind to expand your blog.

Why Do We Need Free Blogging Platform?

Truth be told, blogging can be expensive. If you are experienced in the field, however, funding your blogging platform will not be a significant hassle. You will make money through blogging and spend it at your own pace.

If you are a beginner, you have to experiment with how the blogging site works. You can experiment better with a blogging platform that is free, which will help you save money for the future. The platform that is not free will give you a bad experience on the first try.

Having a free plan for your blogging platform will allow you to choose your topics quickly, and you can find out which one has potential. At the same time, you will be able to evaluate your competitors in your niche and produce ideas that will be valuable to rank higher. This experiment will not require any money if you choose the right platform.

Best Blogging Platforms in 2023

Allow me to introduce you to the popular free blog sites (even paid) in 2023. They have been carefully assorted to help you choose a blogging platform that’s perfect to enhance your blogging career.

1. WordPress.com

WordPress is the recent most popular blogging platform. It is free for starters, and if you need a host, you have to pay for hosting. WordPress.com is the hosted version of the platform WordPress.org. It comes with a project that offers free plans, and if you are looking for an upgrade, the premium plan will cover it. It is the overall best blogging platform.

If you are an absolute beginner and want to build your blogging site without any technical knowledge, WordPress.com is your answer. The online publishing software is free, and you can try the software by creating an account on the WordPress.com site. This will be leverage for you when planning to expand your blog with time, as the premium plan offers you exciting options. For a beginner, the free which is free is enough to flourish. WordPress also has the option of installing plugins to cache and cookie files.

WordPress is the best as it gradually updates, providing accessible and valuable features. It is a blog hosting service offered by Automattic. WordPress.org co-founder Matt Mullenweg created it in 2005. Its goal was to familiarize a larger audience with WordPress. 

Why choose WordPress.com?

• User-friendly and easy to manage
• No initial setup is necessary
• Global navigation
• You can use WordPress for an SEO-friendly content structure
• The basic plan is free
• Tech issues that you are not familiar with are handled
• Built-in feature for marketing
• Built-in features for security site statistics, which are from Jetpack
• Community and reliable support is offered

What does WordPress.com lack?

• Limited option for customizing your blog using themes and plugins
• WordPress.com will show its ads on your free website, which will hinder you from running your ads
• They can easily take your website down if you violate their terms and conditions
• For free plans, there are monetization restrictions

Available plans

WordPress.com comes with various plans like Free, Personal, Premium, Business Plan, and e-commerce Plans.

2. Wix.com

Wix.com is the best blogging platform for beginners. It is also a website builder, and it does not require any coding skills, so that you can start your blog quickly. This allows beginners to look like professionals, as they can build a perfect website without the technical stuff.

Wix walks you through creating a blog, and the fun part is you can start blogging in minutes. They provide numerous templates across many categories, including travel blogs, photography, simple portfolios, etc. 

They offer 24/7 chat support and allow you to surf through the topics that might be useful for you. They help beginners with all the basic and advanced knowledge you must have while blogging. 

Wix’s blog management is simple and has SEO built right in. The essential feature one craves to add to their blog is handled entirely. They allow you to include all the social media trending tools like comments, likes, hashtags, subscribers, etc. It is a boon for small businesses to build a website, as Wix offers a solution for every need. 

Wix.com was founded in 2006, which allowed people to create their websites without any coding. It is an excellent alternative for people who want to use an easier WordPress and those who want a website where a blog is just one part. 

Why choose Wix.com?

• Have the flexibility to customize your site with a variety of templates and third-party extensions
• User-friendly as it does not require coding or HTML skills to build your website
• The setup process is fast and easy
• Easy for beginners
• Sell digital products and run marketing programs

What does Wix.com lack?

• Free account is limited
• Free third-party apps are limited
• You cannot change the chosen template
• Wix would show their ads if you did not select a paid plan
• Features for e-commerce plans are limited
• SEO options are limited

Available Plans

Wix.com provides eight different plans: Free, Connect Domain, Combo, Unlimited, VIP, and Business, and eCommerce plans (that include Basic, Unlimited, and VIP)

3. WordPress.org

WordPress.org is considered to be the world’s most popular blogging site. It is an open-source blogging platform that helps you build your website within minutes. The .org website is the home of WordPress’s open-source, self-hosted content management system, which enables you to create, publish, and manage your blog’s content.

WordPress can be considered the leader of all other blogging platforms. It helps users create a website for their business and allows it to look professional. WordPress is one of the most visited sites, and people use it because it provides 55k+ free plugins and 7k+ free various themes covering all categories from blogging to spiritual WordPress themes.

Hundreds of developers are working to fix every bug and issue immediately. This provides good security for bloggers. It also means that it is effortless to get help and guidance in every field. WordPress.com is also SEO-friendly, which makes it easier to rank in search engines. 

Free WordPress comes with a powerful administration area or Dashboard, which makes publishing blogs easy. It also allows you to have full authority over your blog’s future. This is also a self-hosted solution, so you must sign up with a fast WordPress hosting provider.

Why choose WordPress.org?

• WordPress.org gives you the overall control on your website.
• It allows adding extra features like a paid membership, online store, and courses. This makes WordPress a great free blogging platform to monetize your blog.
• More than 59,000 free plugins are available. They help you to add features like galleries, contact forms, etc. You can even ensure people with disabilities can use your site by leveraging an accessibility plugin.
• It also offers thousands of free themes which can make your blog unique. They all come with built-in customization that allows you to control your design without editing.
• It is search engine friendly, which helps you to create tags, URLs, and categories to rank higher in SERP. Valuable SEO plugins are also available. It is the best blogging platform for SEO.
• WordPress easily enables Google Analytics. This helps grow your blog traffic.
• The drag-and-drop editor helps you easily customize the content on your blog site. Without any technical stuff, you can add videos, social media feeds, graphs, charts, etc.
• It has a simple publishing process, and it is reliable with high security.
• It provides a multi-user environment with password protection.

What lacks in WordPress.org?

• To manage your website, you would have to familiarize yourself with WordPress. It might take some time to learn all their features and how to use them. The learning curve remains a challenge for beginners.
• Managing security and backups will be tricky.
• You have to make sure the plugins and themes are compatible and up-to-date.
• It lacks customer support.
• You are responsible for getting your own domain name and hosting platform.

Available Plans

4. Medium.com

Medium is an easy-to-use blogging platform to create free blogs. It was launched in 2012, and it grew into a large community of bloggers, writers, and journalists. It emphasizes the quality of the content published. But you will not have any control over your content. Medium will own it after you publish it. At the same time, there are more competitors for you here than anywhere else. Millions of people post their content on Medium, and it might be a task for you to make your content rank higher. 

People choose Medium solely because it is free. You can make the best blog for content marketing and earn money through the likes and claps you receive for your content. It also allows the writers to write about the things that they have a passion for, and they don’t have to worry about the coding process. Medium allows you to repurpose your content from platforms like WordPress. You can use WordPress content that you have published to post on Medium, and it will only make you more professional. 

Writing content for Medium is the easiest. It is a blog platform that allows the insertion of pictures and videos, like every other media platform.  

Why choose Medium.com?

• Free to use
• No setup and coding skills are required
• You don’t have to worry about hosting
• Your blog will reach a wider audience because of the vast community of readers on Medium
• Designs are already done for you so that writing gets all your focus
• The paid subscription option allows writers to earn money

Why shouldn’t you choose Medium?

• Limited features of designs for brands
• Medium owns your blog, and if you are to lose your blog, your followers go with it.
• You cannot run your ads to make money and grow your blog.
• You cannot use your domain name.

Available Plans

5. HubSpot CMS

HubSpot CMS is considered a website builder and blogging platform that uses drag and drop editor, which makes it easy for casual bloggers. It acts as an all-in-one top blogging platform for all the big and small enterprises. It is an easy-to-use platform for marketing professionals and developers because it possesses the tools and technologies they need to build a CRM-powered blog. 

The CRM tools allow you to create a website to gain subscribers and increase your customer list by distributing newsletters. They also help you customize your content for more organic traffic. 

HubSpot’s marketing tools include helpful features like email marketing, forms, pop-ups, landing pages, etc. The process of publishing a blog is also simple. It only takes a few minutes to complete the process, including entering the details and choosing a template. 

Why should I choose HubSpot CMS?

• HubSpot will be your host so that you can easily set up your website
• Drag and drop website builder makes it user-friendly
• No coding skills required
• Free SSL certificate
• SEO-friendly
• Contact attribution for understanding your sales
• Custom tools and templates

What lacks in HubSpot CMS?

• The cost is comparatively high
• Migration from another platform to HubSpot will be tricky
• The learning curve for beginners is high
• It is harder to learn than on any other platforms

Available Plans

6. Drupal

Drupal is considered to be the second largest open-source CMS platform. It is professional and uses strict blogging tools. Content management and scheduling in Drupal are built into its core. They support multilingual sites that help in partnering up with larger companies all over the world. 

It is suitable for advanced users, which makes it challenging to use for casual blogging. You should aim for Drupal if you are a techy person with software experience. It has advanced user permissions that give you control over content editors and site admins to customize your content. 

Why choose Drupal? 

• It helps in website monetization
• You can customize your themes and templates for your blog
• They have advanced SEO options and an SEO-friendly content structure
• Personalized access control and password protection

What lacks in Drupal?

• It takes time to learn all the features
• Applicable only to advanced bloggers and developers

Available Plans

7. Ghost

Ghost was launched in 2013 as the strictest but easiest-to-use blogging platform. Its features focus entirely on writing blogs. You can install the software and host Ghost yourself, or you can access the hosted platform. 

Its features evolved, allowing you to post content, send newsletters, create popups, and offer subscriptions from their dashboard. One of the significant perks of Ghost is that the premium features are available at a low price. Ghost allows you to include images, dividers, HTML, and other content types.

Why should you choose Ghost?

• Elegant for writing and blogging
• Quick and easy for readers and writers because it is written in JavaScript
• Continuous updates that provide better results
• Email marketing tools and membership are included to improve your views
• Free from clutter and intuitive user interface
• Markdown or HTML can be used for writing your posts
• Powerful SEO tools and complete control over content management

Why shouldn’t you choose Ghost?

• Lack of hosting support
•Limited customization options because it is a self-hosted platform
• If you are installing it yourself, you will find it hard to work it out if you are not a techy
• Limited theme options

Available Plans

8. Blogger

Blogger is one of the best free blogging platforms provided by Google. It offers a free and simple way for beginners to build a blog. Blogger was launched in 1999 and Google redesigned it in 2003.

To build a new blog, you must sign up for a free Google account and follow specific Google guidelines provided on Blogger. It is suitable for beginners and can be tested without any commitments. It strictly focuses on blogging and helps you create a popular blog.

Why choose Blogger?

• Blogger is entirely free
• No technical skills are required
• Integrated with your Google account
• It is easy to track analytics
• Free layouts available
• Media files can be stored with Google
• Custom URLs are free with Google security and reliability

What lacks in Blogger?

• New blogging features are not available
• Templates and designs are limited, and they are mostly of lower quality
• No frequent updates
• Google is allowed to suspend or cancel your blog at any time
• AdSense ads are typical, and you cannot customize ads

Available Plans

9. Tumblr

Tumblr is considered a microblogging platform with social networking features. Founded in 2007, it includes reblogging, built-in sharing tools, and the ability to add other blogs to your blog. Tumblr’s primary focus is on short-form content and multimedia. 

People usually share their personal experiences through Tumblr, and you can add files like photos, videos, and audio files to enhance your blog. It acts as a social media platform where you can connect with people of the same interests. Tumblr also provides you with the option to design your blog with personalized themes, layouts, and fonts. It mainly focuses on visual content, and millions of people visit their favorite blog to connect. 

Creating new posts on Tumblr is easy: You add a title, create content, and click the post button. Tumblr’s ease of use makes it more appealing to bloggers. 

Why choose Tumblr?

• Easy to set and use
• It is a microblogging tool that allows you to create quick blog videos, images, and GIFs
• Free Tumblr subdomain
• Blogging and content creation are easy, and it is a platform that focuses on building a community
• Stable and secure
• By reblogging, you can keep your blog active

Why shouldn’t you choose Tumblr?

• It does not follow the traditional blogging pattern, and people might find the commenting feature confusing
• Limited customizable options
• Audience information is not controlled
• Customizing ads cannot monetize your blog
• It does not provide additional themes or features

Available Plans

10. Weebly.com

Weebly is considered a hosted website builder that can be seen as a website or a blog. This blogging platform offers a drag-and-drop editor for free, and it is considered more user-friendly than WordPress. This platform is owned by Square, which uses website-building tools for connective eCommerce stores and business websites.

Weebly allows you to build your blog using functional themes and other features. The hosting provider enhances the loading time of your website. You can create a blog within minutes with this platform, as it provides you with the latest blogging tools. 

Why should you choose Weebly.com?

• Weebly is a fully hosted-website
• No setup
• User-friendly
• Professional themes and plugins are available
• Robust eCommerce platform with a protected payment portal
• Technical experience is not required to use Weebly

What lacks in Weebly.com?

• Limited free plan
• Limited customization options
• Less SEO-friendly
• A paid subscription is comparatively expensive

Available Plans

11. Web.com

Web.com is also a website-builder platform that helps you add your blog to your business website. The builder’s drag-and-drop interface is helpful, and non-techies will quickly understand the procedure. 

It provides a pre-made template to customize your blog’s layout. Web.com is also SEO-friendly, which includes blog security, backup, analytics, etc. It may feel like WordPress, but the Web is more accessible to write and maintain.

Why choose Web.com?

• A wide variety of design templates are available
• Drag and drop editor is user-friendly
• No technical difficulties because Web.com includes hosting
• Affordable plans
• 24/7 customer support

Why shouldn’t you choose Web.com?

• It is a website builder, so the blogging function is limited and powerless
• Poor template designs
• You have to pay for advanced features
• Switching to another website is tricky

Available Plans

12. Squarespace

Squarespace is a website-building platform that also uses drag and drop editor. They focus on supporting small businesses searching for an online presence. Squarespace was started in 2003 with the necessary business tools that will gear eCommerce users.

They provide a good value without any technical experience. It also allows you to connect with social media to sell your products. Squarespace offers applicable blog editing tools and customizing features. It is a great way to personalize their content and products to rank higher than their competitors.

They also offer email marketing tools and promotional pop-ups to reach the correct audience and enable social media promotions to gain traffic.

Why should you choose SquareSpace?

• Out-of-the-box website designs are provided
• Free templates available
• It does not require another host; it is self-hosted
• Mainly focus on running a website
• Full audience control
• Easy to use without technical experience

What lacks in SquareSpace?

• Limited built-in features
• Limited services and tools
• Tied to their platform
• The monthly fee is comparatively higher
• Cannot add outside themes

Available Plans

13. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is considered a social networking platform that helps you achieve thought leadership by sharing articles through your LinkedIn feed. It gives you a built-in audience of professionals from all fields, like digital marketing, HR, tech, and finance. Most of them share their ideas frequently, and you can create your community by connecting with people in your business niche.

It is a great platform to establish yourself as an influence and grow your business if you are ready to post an article daily. Your involvement in this platform ranks you higher, and the more you post, the more connections you will attract.

Blogging on LinkedIn is tailored for industry professionals, and it has excellent potential to reach the targeted audience. Feedback from your clients and colleagues helps showcase your expertise through B2B-oriented articles. This way, you can turn your audience into customers. 

Creating a blog on LinkedIn is as easy as making an account on it, and it is free. A post and an article published on LinkedIn differ because a post is a minor update on your business or life with your connections. An article is more prolonged and profound, which might help the audience on LinkedIn at some level. So, it is not a traditional blogging platform but is an effective blogging equipment to increase your followers. Overall, LinkedIn is a decent blogging platform, primarily when you use it to support the business website you own. It does not provide a direct monetization option, but your activity on the platform will increase your followers and connections.

Why choose LinkedIn?

• Easy to set and use
• It is free to use and has a simple design
• It helps you gain a social media presence
• Does not require technical assistance
• People will be given an alert if you are to post a new article
• Build-in audiences

What lacks in LinkedIn?

• Tricky to find the article you published
• No access to archived articles
• Limited customization options
• Appropriate only for businesses and professionals

Available Plans

14. TypePad

TypePad is a blogging platform that offers exciting customer support. It was launched in 2003, and it is user-friendly. They also come up with various design tools to personalize your blog. Seth Godin used to run their blog using TypePad.

You can even earn money using ads and other services, and they will take care of the technicalities. Hosted blogging platforms like TypePad can be helpful for business leaders and journalists.

Why should you choose TypePad?

• Content scheduling is available
• It can be used on any device for writing and publishing blogs
• Fantastic theme builder and designer tools are available
• Built-in tools for SEO and social networking are a boon
• Google Analytics integration

What lacks in TypePad?

• Fewer streams these days
• They do not accept new sign-ups

Available Plans

15. Postach.io

Postach.io is a platform that helps you convert your notes into blogs, and Evernote powers it. To get started on Postach.io, you must make a new account, or you can use your existing Evernote account. First, you must install Evernote and then integrate it with Postach.io to link your notes. The dashboard will provide you with the option to customize your blog. It can be considered to be the most convenient way to be introduced to the blogging world. 

You can create a free blog here, but if you need a custom domain, you’ll need to subscribe to a premium package. They also offer free and premium plans that provide incredible themes to make your blog visually splendid. You can insert images and integrate notebooks with Evernote sync. 

Why choose Postach.io?

• Easy to use and no technical hassle
• You can insert a logo or avatar to customize your blog
• Solid dashboard

Why shouldn’t you choose Postach.io?

• Only the premium plan includes more customization

Available Plans

16. Joomla!

Joomla was launched in 2005 and is an open-source content management system. It is a community-building platform with advanced content management features. It is a blogging platform that’s flexible, and it offers customization without any technical hassle. You can use templates and extensions to enhance your website look. It provides multilingual support and suggests the best user management tools. Joomla 5, with new features, will be available soon.

Why should you choose Joomla?

• Offers rich extensions to modify your website
• SEO-friendly content structure
• Improved media manager and editor
• Customizable email templates are available
• Build a powerful PHP application

What lacks in Joomla?

• It takes time to set up
• The steeper learning curve for starters
• Limited customization for templates and designs

Available Plans

17. Gator by HostGator

Gator is also a website builder and blogging platform that uses the famous hosting company HostGator. It also uses the drag-and-drop editor tool, which helps you to create any type of website, like blogs, business sites, and stores.

Host Gator is a hosting service, and you can use it for other blogging sites for more accuracy. But Gator act as one of the best blog platform with a trusted hosting solution, which will make your blogging experience easy and secure.

Why choose Gator?

• Easy to setup
• No technical assistance is required
• Domain is free with SSL certification
• HostGator provides the best backup and security for your website
• Drag and drop editor tool helps in customizing your blog and its designs

What lacks in Gator?

• Limited apps and extensions
• It is a 45-day money-back guarantee plan other than a free account
• Exciting features are available for only higher plans

Available Plans

18. Instagram

Instagram is considered one of the largest social media platforms in the world. Facebook owns it, mainly using pictures and videos to attract followers. It might not be the best for traditional blogging, but it is perfect for microblogging. People will upload an image or video shot by them or others and create a short content as the caption. 

It is effortless to create an account on Instagram. Type your email address or mobile number with a preferred username and a strong password. This way, you can sign up for Instagram, and you can use it on every device. 

It can be the apt platform for models, chefs, photographers, and everyone more interested in visuals. 

Why should you choose Instagram?

• Visually appealing
• Microblogging at its best
• Ideal on mobile

Why shouldn’t you choose Instagram?

• 2,200 character limit
• You can use only one hyperlink

Available Plans

FAQs

What is the best blogging platform?

WordPress.com is considered to be the best platform for blogging. It is the most popular among bloggers, and it offers a user-friendly interface. It provides built-in SEO tools and a varied range of themes and plugins. It is more secure than any other platform, and the frequent updates they provide come in handy all the time.

How do I make money from blogging?

You can monetize a blog by including advertisements, digital and physical product selling, sponsored posts, or through affiliate marketing. Bloggers also find ways to earn money by partnering up with business heads for collaboration through donations and memberships. If you find the right audience for your niche, it will be easy to earn through your content.

What is the best blogging platform for SEO?

HubSpot CMS is the most popular platform that offers the best SEO tools. These include site maps, custom meta descriptions, and canonical URLs. The platform also has an analytics dashboard to track website traffic and engagement and allows you to connect with social media and email marketing tools easily. This proves that it is an excellent choice for bloggers who genuinely care about SEO. 

What is the best platform to blog for starters?

WordPress.org is a brilliant option for starters. It is user-friendly and requires no technical assistance. Someone new to blogging will find it easy to create and publish a blog on WordPress. It also offers various free themes and plugins, allowing users to customize their blogs without assistance.

How many times a week should I blog?

It is more important to stick to a routine when publishing a blog. You do not have to post a lot when you start your blog. You are more likely to gain followers if you start posting one blog per week. Continue doing this for three consecutive weeks. After that, try increasing the blog count by two and see how it works. It is always better to gradually increase your blog count.

Name 5 best platforms for blogging.

There are many blogging platforms to help you set up your own blog without any hassle. I recommend the ones mentioned below;

• WordPress.com
• Wix.com
• WordPress.org
• HubSpot CMS
• Medium.com