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WPBeginner» Blog» Beginners Guide» How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform in 2021 (Compared)

How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform in 2021 (Compared)

Last updated on January 2nd, 2021 by Editorial Staff
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How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform in 2021 (Compared)

Are you looking to start your own blog, but can’t figure out how to choose the best blogging platform? It’s a tough choice since there are several different blogging platforms out there. How do you find out which one is right for you?

In this article, we’ll help you choose the best blogging platform by going over the pros and cons of the most popular blogging sites.

How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform

Here are the popular blogging platforms we’ll be comparing in this article. If you’re interested in a particular platform, you can click the link to skip ahead in the article.

  1. WordPress.org
  2. Constant Contact Website Builder
  3. Wix
  4. Gator
  5. WordPress.com
  6. Blogger
  7. Tumblr
  8. Medium
  9. Squarespace
  10. Ghost

Choosing The Best Blogging Platform – What to Look for?

Before diving in the list, it is helpful to know what you’re looking for in a blogging platform.

As a beginner, you’ll want a blogging platform that’s easy to set up, has a low learning curve, and doesn’t require any coding skills.

You’ll also need to think about what kind of blog you want to create, now and in the future.

As your blog grows, you may want to change the look of your site and add more features for your growing audience. That means it’s important to choose a blogging platform that’s flexible, with room to grow.

Starting off with the wrong platform can make it very difficult to switch later on.

Lastly, even if you don’t have plans to make money blogging right now, it’s smart to make sure you have the option to do so in the future.

With all that in mind, let’s compare the best blogging platforms for beginners.

1. WordPress.org

WordPress.org Best Blogging and Website Platform

WordPress.org is the world’s most popular blogging software. Started in 2003, WordPress now powers more than 39% of all websites on the internet.

Note: It’s easy to confuse WordPress.org with WordPress.com, which is a blog hosting service mentioned later in this list. See our guide on the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

WordPress.org is an open source free blogging platform that allows you to build your website or blog within minutes.

It is a self-hosted solution which means that you will need to sign up with a WordPress hosting provider. WordPress is a great option if you want to have full control over your blog’s future.

Pros

  • WordPress.org gives you control over every aspect of your website.
  • You can grow your blog and add extra features like forums, online store, and paid membership. This makes WordPress the best blogging platform to make money.
  • There are thousands of free themes available for WordPress. This allows you to create a beautiful website that stands apart from the crowd.
  • You also get access to more than 58,000 free plugins. These plugins are like apps for your WordPress blog that allow you to add features like contact forms, galleries, etc.
  • WordPress is search engine friendly. You can easily create SEO friendly URLs, categories, and tags for your posts. Plus, there’re a good number of great SEO plugins for additional features.

Cons

  • Managing your own website comes with a bit of a learning curve.
  • You will have to manage your own backups and security.

Pricing

WordPress software is free, but you’ll need to have a domain name (about $14.99/year) and hosting (usually starting from $7.99/month).

You need a domain name and web hosting for starting any type of website.

WPBeginner users can get started for only $2.75 per month with Bluehost, an official WordPress recommended hosting provider. They are offering our users 60% off on web hosting and a FREE domain name.

See our guide on how to start a WordPress blog for complete step by step instructions.

2. Constant Contact Website Builder

Constant Contact

Constant Contact Website Builder is an intelligent A.I. powered website builder that allows you to create a free blog, business website, and even an online store within minutes.

You can start with their large templates collection and customize your website design using an easy to use drag and drop interface. You also get access to other helpful tools such as a custom logo maker, professional stock photo library of over 550,000 images, online store, and a whole lot more.

Pros

  • Easy-to-use drag and drop website builder with no technical skills required.
  • Quick and easy setup, since Constant Contact will host your website for you.
  • Free 60 day trial that allows you to try out the service and even build an online store before buying.
  • Free SSL certificate is included with all paid plans.

Cons

  • The developer ecosystem is small, so there aren’t as many third party plugins like WordPress.
  • Limited integration with third party platforms.
  • Exporting your site from Constant Contact website builder to another platform is difficult.

Pricing

Constant Contact website builder offers a generous 60 day free trial that allows you to create a blog, business website, logo, and even an online eCommerce store.

You can upgrade to the Website Builder plan for $10 per month which gives you access to a custom domain name, free SSL certificate, and other powerful platform features along with 24/7 phone based support which is a big plus considering most other website builders don’t offer phone support.

If you’re a small business who don’t want to use WordPress, then Constant Contact is the next best choice considering everything you get for the price.

3. Wix

Wix Best Blogging Platform and Website Builder

Wix is a popular hosted platform to build websites. Their drag & drop website builder offers a solution for small businesses to easily build a website. You can also add a blog to your website by adding the Wix Blog app.

Wix.com was founded in 2006 as a platform where anyone could create their own stunning website with no coding skills required. It has currently over 110 million users across the globe.

Pros

  • You can customize your site using dozens of templates and third party apps.
  • Build your site with easy drag and drop tools; no coding skills required.
  • Setup is quick and easy.

Cons

  • The free account is limited and shows Wix branding and ads on your site.
  • Free third party apps are limited.
  • Once you choose a template you cannot change it.
  • Ecommerce features are limited to paid plans, and even those features are limited.

See our article on Wix vs WordPress for a detailed comparison of the two platforms.

Pricing

The basic Wix website builder is free. With a free Wix account, you’ll get a Wix subdomain that looks like this: https://username.wixsite.com/example.

However, you can add a custom domain for $4.50/month. Their premium plans start from $8.50/month and go up to $24.50/month.

4. Gator by HostGator

Gator Website Builder

Gator is a website builder and blogging platform created by HostGator, the popular web hosting company that we use to host the WPBeginner website. Gator offers a drag & drop tool that you can use to build any type of website including blogs, business sites, and even an online store.

It’s important that you don’t confuse the Gator builder with HostGator website hosting. You can use HostGator hosting service to start a WordPress blog like we have done.

However if you are looking for a non-WordPress all-in-one blog platform and hosting solution, then Gator is the perfect option.

Pros

  • Easy drag and drop builder to customize your blog & website design.
  • Quick setup – no technical hassle.
  • Backups, performance, and security is all handled by HostGator (no headaches).
  • Free Domain and SSL certificate is included in all plans.
  • Can easily add an online store to your blog with just a few clicks.

Cons

  • There is no free account, but they do have a 45-day money back guarantee.
  • Ecommerce features are restricted to higher plans only.
  • Limited number of apps and extensions.

Pricing

WPBeginner users get 55% off on all Gator builder plans. The Starter plan costs $3.46/month and it comes with all the features you need to start a successful blog including a free domain and SSL certificate.

You just need to make sure to use our Gator Website Builder coupon code: wpbeginner to get 55% off.

5. WordPress.com

WordPress.com Best Blog and Website Platform

WordPress.com is a blog hosting service offered by Automattic, a company created by WordPress.org co-founder Matt Mullenweg.

WordPress.com offers a basic blog hosting service for free. You can purchase additional options like a custom domain name, additional storage, and other premium services.

Started in 2005 with a goal to bring WordPress experience to a larger audience, WordPress.com is a good blogging site for users who don’t want the advanced features of self-hosted WordPress.

Pros

  • No setup required.
  • Easy to use and manage.
  • It’s completely free if you are happy with a WordPress.com subdomain. Your free website name looks like this: https://example.wordpress.com.

Cons

  • Limited options to extend your site. You cannot use custom themes and plugins for customizing your blog.
  • You cannot run advertisements on your blog. Instead, WordPress.com will show their ads on your free website.
  • You do not own your blog, and WordPress.com can suspend your account if they find you are violating their terms of service.

Pricing

The basic WordPress.com account is free, but it will have WordPress.com ads and branding.

You can upgrade to their Personal plan for $4/month (billed yearly) to remove WordPress.com logo and advertising from your website. You also get a custom domain (such as www.yoursite.com).

For $8/month (billed yearly) you can get additional design tools and extra storage.

Because of the similarity in names, beginners often start with WordPress.com thinking they are getting the powerful WordPress.org software. After seeing the limitations, users often end up switching from WordPress.com to WordPress.org to have more features and control over their website.

6. Blogger

Blogger Best Blogging Platform

Blogger is a free blogging service by Google. It offers a quick and easy way to create a blog for non-tech-savvy users.

Blogger is one of the earliest blogging platforms in existence. It was first launched in 1999 by Pyra Labs. Later in 2003, Google acquired Blogger and redesigned it as the product we know today.

All you need is a Google account to start a free blog on Blogger.

Pros

  • Blogger is free.
  • It’s easy to use and manage without any technical skills.
  • Has the added advantage of Google’s robust secure platform and reliability.

Cons

  • You’re limited to basic blogging tools, and can’t add new features as your blog grows in popularity.
  • Design options are limited, with fewer templates available. Third party templates for Blogger are often low quality.
  • Blogger does not receive frequent updates or new features.
  • Google can suspend your blog at any time, or even cancel the Blogger service altogether. (They have a history of abandoning projects without warning, such as Feedburner.)

For more pros and cons of Blogger, see our comparison of WordPress vs Blogger (Pros and cons).

Some users start out with Blogger because it’s free, but eventually as their blog grows, they end up switching from Blogger to WordPress to get more features and control over their website.

Pricing

Blogger is free with a Blogger subdomain like https://example.blogspot.com. If you want to use a custom domain, you need to buy from a third-party domain registrar.

7. Tumblr

Tumblr Blogging and Social Networking Platform

Tumblr is a little different than other blogging platforms. It is a microblogging platform with social networking features including following other blogs, reblogging, built-in sharing tools, and more.

Pros

  • Tumblr is free with a Tumblr subdomain like https://example.tumblr.com. You can also connect a premium custom domain name.
  • It is very easy to set up and use.
  • It has an integrated social media component.
  • As a microblogging tool, Tumblr makes it easy to quickly blog videos, GIFs, images, and audio formats.

Cons

  • Tumblr comes with a limited set of features that you cannot extend as your blog grows.
  • There are many themes available for Tumblr, but they can’t offer additional features.
  • Backing up your Tumblr blog or importing it to other platforms is difficult (see our guide on how to move from Tumblr to WordPress).

Pricing

Tumblr is free to use. You can use a custom domain (purchased separately) for your Tumblr blog, and there are also third-party themes and apps available to purchase.

8. Medium

Medium Blogging platform

Launched in 2012, Medium has grown into a community of writers, bloggers, journalists, and experts. It is an easy-to-use blogging platform with limited social networking features.

Medium works much like a social networking site where you can create an account and start publishing your articles. After you sign up, you’ll have a profile address like this: https://medium.com/@yourname. But you cannot use your own domain.

Pros

  • Medium is easy to use, with no setup required and no coding skills needed.
  • It allows you to reach an existing online community of people of similar interests.
  • You can focus solely on writing, instead of designing a website.

Cons

  • Features are very limited in terms of design or building a brand.
  • Medium owns your audience, so losing your blog means losing all your followers.
  • You cannot use your own domain name. You’ll simply get a profile page like in Facebook, e.g. https://medium.com/@yourname.
  • You cannot run your own ads to make money.

For more detailed comparison, see our guide on WordPress vs Medium – which one is better?.

Pricing

Medium is free to use.

While the platform looks attractive at first, the lack of monetization and control leads to most people switching from Medium to WordPress.

9. Squarespace

Squarespace Website Builder and Blog Platform

Squarespace is a website building service that allows you to create beautiful websites using easy drag and drop tools. It focuses on small business owners who are looking for an easy way to create an online presence.

Started in 2003, Squarespace currently powers millions of websites online.

Pros

  • Squarespace is simple and easy to use for beginners who aren’t very tech-savvy.
  • It has beautiful professionally designed templates.
  • It separately offers domain name with SSL/HTTPs and eCommerce stores.

Cons

  • Squarespace is limited to the features built into their proprietary platform.
  • Integrations are limited to a select few services and tools.

See our guide on WordPress vs Squarespace for a more detailed comparison.

Pricing

Squarespace has different pricing plans for websites and online stores.

Pricing for their Personal website plan starts at $16/month, or $12/month if you pay for the year in advance. For the Business plan, pricing starts at $26/month, or $18/month billed annually.

Whereas pricing for online stores starts from $26/month and up to $40/month.

Often users end up switching from Squarespace to WordPress to minimize their expenses and add more features on their websites.

10. Ghost

Ghost Simple Blogging Platform

Ghost is a minimalist blogging platform with features entirely focused on writing blog posts. Started in 2013, Ghost is available as a hosted platform and as a software that you can install / host yourself. We’ll take a look at both options.

Pros

  • Focused on blogging and writing.
  • Clean, clutter-free, and intuitive user interface.
  • Written in JavaScript, so it’s super fast.
  • No setup required for the hosted version.

Cons

  • Not easy to customize with apps.
  • The simplified user interface means options are very limited.
  • Not enough themes to change appearance of your site.
  • Complicated setup if you install it yourself.

Take a look at our comparison of WordPress vs Ghost for more details on the topic.

Pricing

The self-hosted version needs a custom domain (about $14.99/year) and web hosting (starting from about $7.99/month).

Pricing for the hosted version starts at $29/month for 2 staff users with a 100k page view limit. Unless you buy a custom domain from a third-party domain registrar, your blog will be a Ghost subdomain ending with ghost.io.

Our Pick for the Best Blogging Platform

We believe that WordPress.org outperforms all other blogging sites. It is powerful, easy to use, affordable, and the most flexible of all available blogging platforms. Here are all the reasons why you should use WordPress.

To help you start your own WordPress site, we have created a complete guide on how to start a blog in 7 Easy Steps.

If you need help, then WPBeginner’s team of experts can even help setup your blog for free. Learn more about our free WordPress blog setup service.

If you’re looking for a WordPress alternative, then our second choice for the best blogging platform would be Constant Contact website builder.

Their free A.I powered drag & drop website builder makes it easy to build any type of website from blog to business website to an online store.

We hope this article helped you choose the best blogging platform for your next blog. You may also want to see our guide on 27 proven tips to increase your blog traffic.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

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214 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Cloudi5 says:
    Jan 2, 2019 at 12:31 am

    I found your write up really helpful, that I made a full note out of it. Thank you so much.
    But if I may ask, for how long, how much posts do you have to write, or how much traffic does one need before one earns from the new blog?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 3, 2019 at 2:00 pm

      Sadly, with the number of factors involved in a site, there is no easy answer for a question like that and it can vary from person to person.

      Reply
  2. arvind says:
    Dec 28, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    Hi

    I find this website useful however, I also find it bias towards WordPress. Like at the top of the page list the blogging pros for each then the cons NOT WORDPRESS so they suck. Am I the only one who got that vibe? Guess I will keep poking around. Thank you xx

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 3, 2019 at 2:17 pm

      Thank you for your feedback, we will certainly look into our wording for future articles and updates and we may have a bias as we use WordPress daily :)

      Reply
  3. Lor says:
    Dec 13, 2018 at 6:43 pm

    I just created my blog yesterday using blogger platform…its easy to use and its free

    Reply
  4. Giaa says:
    Nov 13, 2018 at 1:21 pm

    My friends and I wanted to start a blog just to see if we like it. The problem is the money, after reading the article it seems as though the free websites have major setbacks. Would it be worth the setbacks just to try it or should we just pay the money?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Nov 13, 2018 at 8:03 pm

      Hi Giaa,

      If you and your friends are serious about the project, then it is worth spending money on. You can start with free platforms but later it would be a headache to move your site to a self-hosted platform.

      Reply
  5. gary n. smith says:
    Nov 7, 2018 at 4:58 pm

    Hello, Shalom: I want to cancel my subscription with Weebly. It is to difficult even at the start to use the system for blogging. I am a university student and our teacher wanted us to use Weebly in the free ad. Help. Could you give me a phone number or address were I can cancel. Today at 1:150PM on 11/7/2018 I signed up. Thank you, Gary.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Nov 7, 2018 at 11:09 pm

      Hi Gary,

      Please contact Weebly to cancel your subscription.

      Reply
  6. contacthp says:
    Oct 26, 2018 at 8:43 am

    Thank you so much for providing this information.

    Reply
  7. zikin says:
    Oct 24, 2018 at 10:59 pm

    Choosing a Blogging Platform that is suitable for my blog is quite difficult. And I’m looking for it. Glad you share it. Thanks for the recommendations. This will also help others.

    Reply
  8. kyrie says:
    Oct 22, 2018 at 5:46 pm

    wordpress is NOT easy!! If you understand computers and can set up a web page, it might be easy. For those of us who have NO concept of these platforms, it is beyond difficult. I spent hours on WordPress and was never able to successfully able to set up the website. The learning curve is VERY high!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Oct 30, 2018 at 2:25 pm

      Hi Kyrie,

      We understand. It can be frustrating for a beginner to try for the first time and fail. However, there is plenty of help available online and learning curve is becoming significantly lower as more web hosts now install WordPress automatically.

      Reply
  9. Mohammad Naurose says:
    Oct 20, 2018 at 7:04 am

    HI
    wordpress is the best platform for blogging in my opinion not only fr blogging wordpress i getting improved day by day i was reading on wordpress offical webste that wordpress can handle easly more than 1 Lac products for online store. this is something impresses me alot.

    Reply
  10. ItsJustMe says:
    Sep 18, 2018 at 12:00 am

    Hey Guys, I disagree with your summary of Joomla….I have been working with Joomla from the beginning, it is extremely flexible, there are many free extensions available and as long as you work with developers/extensions from the JED (Joomla Extension Directory) the support is normally pretty good. Of course, there are some developers that do not respond, but I have found the same with WP. The possibilities with Joomla are far less restricted and it is much more easily customised if you are looking to personalise your site.

    Reply
  11. Pavani.Rajulapati says:
    Sep 4, 2018 at 10:21 am

    Hello!
    I’m a student and I’m having passion towards writing. I can’t pay to the sites.so,can I get any suggestion to get a free of cost site? I wanted to exhibit my skill of writing stories!!!!!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 6, 2018 at 8:45 pm

      Hi Pavani,

      You can get started with platforms like Blogger or WordPress.com. However, as your writings become popular you will soon feel the need for more features. This is why we recommend starting with WordPress.org. You will have to pay for hosting and a domain name (which is quite low cost for a starter blog) but you will have the freedom to do whatever you want.

      Reply
  12. Tapas says:
    Aug 24, 2018 at 4:33 am

    Hi, i am going to start my health and fitness blog website, which plartform will be good for me?

    Reply
  13. Scott Lankford says:
    Aug 20, 2018 at 5:53 pm

    Medium is no longer “free” and so this part of your article very badly needs an update.

    I recently wasted quite a lot of time buidling a blog on Medium, with the intention of “blogging my book.”

    Belatedly discovered that my readers can only access three articles per month for free. After that it’s a $5 per month “membership” subscription. That would make the total cost of reading my book in blog form far, far in excess of the cost of an ordinary book. My intent was to put my book out there completely for free. So it’s a no go, and I’ve wasted tons of time for nothing.

    On the upside, Medium looks completely amazing on a smartphone. My old reliable, Typepad, looks like crap on a smartphone. Sigh.

    Still searching for “true blogging love” for free…

    Reply
  14. Varsity says:
    Aug 19, 2018 at 10:44 am

    Sir how can I start a website that I can upload music and videos for download and also have blog on it tell me the website that can host that type of site

    Reply
  15. Saranya says:
    Aug 13, 2018 at 5:37 am

    This Article is very useful for Beginner who want to start blogging .Thanks for Sharing.

    Reply
  16. Jason Avey says:
    Aug 4, 2018 at 10:30 pm

    I am sorry to say this but wordrpress is rubbish, 98% of all the templates do not work, the previews show a nice theme but once you install it, it is very uncustomisable.

    Weebly is the best.

    Reply
  17. jay says:
    Aug 2, 2018 at 9:21 pm

    I want to start a blog that will later on have the capability of advertising and sponsorship later down the track. I wont be selling anything so no eCommerce requirement – what do you recommend?

    Money is tight and monthly hosting costs isnt an option

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Aug 5, 2018 at 8:03 pm

      Hi Jay,

      We will recommend self-hosted WordPress.org site as mentioned in the article.

      Reply
  18. Suresh Kuamr says:
    Jul 24, 2018 at 10:46 pm

    Thanks For getting me inform as there are diffrent types of plate from each other easy to decide what i am looking for

    Reply
  19. durgaprasad says:
    Jul 15, 2018 at 3:07 am

    It was really very useful blog and my hearty thanks to u

    Reply
  20. Andrew Best says:
    Jun 24, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    hello! thank you for this article. I want to set up an e-commerce website, would you recommend WordPress or Magento?

    thank you!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jun 24, 2018 at 8:00 pm

      Hi Andrew,

      We will recommend WordPress and WooCommerce. For more details, please see our article on how to start an online store.

      Reply
      • Yamini Kahaliya says:
        Jul 16, 2018 at 5:12 am

        i want to start a blog & earn money . the blog is related with educations. i make notes so suggest me which platform is best for me. i have no coding skills.

        Reply
  21. Michelle says:
    Jun 8, 2018 at 10:39 pm

    Hello there!

    I found all the discusions really useful in terms of applications for blogging that I haven’t really ever considered!

    However I’m looking to set up a blog for my own ‘satisfaction’ and don’t believe it’s the kind of site that people are going to find interesting/ I don’t expect any traffic and has no sales element! I guess what I’m looking for is also a diary that people are welcome to read (and make comments if they wish) so I really want something that’s free (or costs less than the price of a paper journal)

    Admittedly there always word, but I’m keen to engage in media like blogging and understand it more !

    Please could anyone recommend a free & easy site to use?
    I already tried ( only very briefly) but I couldn’t see anything obvious for blogging
    Hope some one can help!, if not thank you for reading anyway!

    Reply
    • Ryan says:
      Jun 13, 2018 at 6:37 am

      I’d go with a free hosted blog on WordPress.com.

      WordPress is the biggest blogging platform for a reason. They’ve been at it for a while, and they do a great job.

      And an upside, if you decide to pay a bit of money, it’d be a seamless transition into a paid WordPress site which would allow you more freedoms to customize, monetize, and more.

      Reply
    • amna mazhar says:
      Jun 25, 2018 at 7:08 am

      i am a student. i have a passion for writing . but the problem is that i cannott pay money for these sites. what is a way to start blogging for free? does wordpress helps if i want to blog for free on a domain?

      Reply
      • WPBeginner Support says:
        Jun 25, 2018 at 9:10 pm

        Hi Amna,

        You can create a free account on WordPress.com or Blogger. However, if you want to take blogging seriously then you need to start with a self hosted WordPress.org website.

        Reply
    • Kola Lanai says:
      Jul 26, 2018 at 10:01 pm

      “a blog for my own ‘satisfaction’ and don’t believe it’s the kind of site that people are going to find interesting/ I don’t expect any traffic and has no sales element! ”

      …..HA HA SAME HERE!!!!

      Reply
  22. Alejandra says:
    Jun 6, 2018 at 6:55 pm

    hello! thank you for this article. I want to set up an astrology blog to gain an audience and clients for astrology readings. Which blog host do you recommend?
    thank you!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jun 7, 2018 at 12:30 pm

      Hi Alejandra,

      Please take a look at our guide on how to choose the best WordPress hosting.

      Reply
  23. Towhid says:
    Jun 4, 2018 at 2:23 am

    Hello
    I want to create a website for blogging and selling art works. What platform you can recommend for this?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jun 5, 2018 at 12:35 pm

      Hi Towhid,

      We recommend using WordPress. It allows you to easily create a blog and you can also add an online store to sell your artwork.

      Reply
  24. kosigro says:
    May 23, 2018 at 7:48 am

    May i know why wordpress is so famous

    Reply
  25. Peter Underwood says:
    May 6, 2018 at 3:23 am

    Hi there, and thank you for a great review of blogging options.

    After careful reading, I like the idea of MEDIUM but when I tried to sign up all they offered was Google or Facebook. I wish to use my own domain based email as noted here and not the awful gmail option, which is all that seems to be available at MEDIUM. I would welcome your advice.

    BTW, since MEDIUM uses Google or FB, clearly there is some kind of link and perhaps modfications will be made in future to monetize content and no doubt enable Google or FB to utilise all the blogg data thus compromising authors.

    Reply
  26. Sumi says:
    May 3, 2018 at 5:47 am

    Hi there,

    Thank you for the great post.

    As this is my initial phase to enter in blogging field, do you think it’s better to start off with google free blogger and then change to wordpress once i have enough post in my blog?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      May 7, 2018 at 7:52 pm

      Hi Sumi,

      We will recommend against it. It is time consuming to move your website, you can miss some traffic and followers, and starting it with the right platform is crucial to give you a solid foundation to begin with.

      Reply
  27. Davidson says:
    May 1, 2018 at 2:12 am

    Thanks bro I choose wordpress because it is easy to opreate.

    Reply
    • Arby says:
      Jun 1, 2019 at 4:17 am

      WP is easy enough to operate (basics only) only once you’ve set it up. Good luck with that!

      Reply
  28. Beckie says:
    Apr 21, 2018 at 2:13 pm

    I agree that wordpress is an awesome site, However I have been working with it and find that there is a serious limit to what you can do with it if you’re not going to pay the 300 dollar fee for the business platform. Which most people can’t just throw out. You can not USE ANY PLUGINS OR VERY LIMITED PLUGINS ( the ones that matter) without the business platform. So here I am finding that after all I did last night to get my review blog up and running was worthless. I am angry! Excuse my ENGLISH!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Apr 21, 2018 at 7:55 pm

      Hi Beckie,

      There are two types of WordPress websites. Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.

      Reply
  29. mathew says:
    Apr 16, 2018 at 11:02 am

    can i pay monthly charges for domain name?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Apr 16, 2018 at 6:24 pm

      Hi Mathew,

      While you can pay for website hosting on a monthly basis, domain registrations are on yearly basis and cannot be paid monthly.

      Reply
  30. Pallav Gogoi says:
    Apr 14, 2018 at 2:52 am

    Blogger is the best and it’s getting regular updates now. It’s a Google Product hence you can rank high in search.

    Reply
  31. jim says:
    Mar 30, 2018 at 11:14 am

    I am completely new to blogging world. I want to start a blogging site for sharing competion exam preparation strategy and study material. Which blogging platform I should opt ?

    Reply
  32. Rochelle says:
    Mar 15, 2018 at 10:55 am

    Hello
    I want to create a website for blogging and selling art works. What platform you can recommend for this?

    Reply
  33. Joan Dahlen says:
    Mar 9, 2018 at 2:35 pm

    Hi,
    I have a blog that uses a wordpress theme, and blue host hosts my domain name. However, I don’t really understand what a platform is and I don’t know what my platform is. I am planning to start a new food blog with a different focus and use wordpress.org (whatever that actually means.) Does wordpress.org help you with setting up and explaining whether or not they are your platform? I am a granny (79 to be exact.) I have a three year old cooking blog that never gets visitors except for family and friends. I would like to do better with my blog, but I don’t even understand the idea of platform. Can you give me some advice as to how to proceed?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 9, 2018 at 9:52 pm

      Hi Joan,

      A platform is a software or service you are using to run your blog. In your case, you are already using self-hosted WordPress.org blog. If you want to get more traffic to your blog, then a good place to start would be our WordPress SEO Guide for beginners.

      Reply
  34. Kathi A Wright says:
    Mar 2, 2018 at 12:32 am

    I am wanting to start a blog focusing on writing and craft/art, and photography, perhaps with reader story submissions. Is this a good platform? I know that is a lot of stuff. And what if i want affiliate links? Would this support that?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 5, 2018 at 9:47 am

      Hi Kathi,

      You can create arts, crafts, and photography website with WordPress. You can also accept user submissions and add affiliate links.

      Reply
  35. Friday says:
    Feb 18, 2018 at 4:16 pm

    Can I use my smart phone for blogging.
    Will WordPress features work well using phone or I need a laptop.
    How do I pay and get started with the WordPress. Org.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 19, 2018 at 10:31 am

      Hi,

      You can manage a WordPress blog from mobile browser. However, this will be difficult as many features on your screen would appear different or may not be visible. Plugins will be unable to adjust their settings page to your device size. In short, it is not practical in the long run.

      Please see our guide on how to start a WordPress blog for step by step instructions.

      Reply
  36. Ricardo says:
    Feb 9, 2018 at 3:36 pm

    I would like to create a tech blog but also would like to be able to develop web apps and tools for the users at the same time, to show case my project and skills, so along with the blog I would need to run code and have access to database. Any host option ?

    Reply
  37. Alex says:
    Jan 19, 2018 at 8:57 am

    I just want to set up a website where I can put pictures, poems, articles, maybe rants. Mainly poems though. What would you recommend?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 22, 2018 at 4:39 am

      Hi Alex,

      We will recommend self hosted WordPress.org website.

      Reply
  38. Luthfar Rahman says:
    Nov 28, 2017 at 3:21 am

    Hei There,
    Thanks for the nice article. Actually, this post is really helpful for the newcomer in the world of blogging. I will try to follow this post on my next journey to choosing the best blogging platform.

    Reply
  39. Zonia says:
    Nov 10, 2017 at 2:24 pm

    Another important thing to point out, which should be a bullet point for each of these, is social network integration. Blogger, for instance, is what I have been using for years and am now looking to move away from it because it has never done a good job of integrating with various social networks. Like, when sharing to Twitter it doesn’t even use a Twitter “card” so the only thing you see is an anonymous URL. Not very helpful when getting the word out about your latest blog post. Thanks for the great comparison, though. This has given me some good ideas on what to move to.

    Reply
  40. Hedi says:
    Sep 20, 2017 at 3:05 am

    I choose wordpress cause is easy to operate

    Reply
  41. Vedic Seva says:
    Aug 14, 2017 at 3:09 am

    It was really very useful blog and my hearty thanks to u ….

    Reply
  42. hildah says:
    Jul 24, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    Hi I want to be a blogger and also join a platform how do I start?Please contact ASAP I really need help

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jul 24, 2017 at 8:55 pm

      Hi Hildah,

      Please take a look at our step by step guide on how to start a WordPress blog.

      Reply
  43. Beginner Blogger says:
    Jul 23, 2017 at 6:07 pm

    Is there a hosting service where you can actually pay BY THE MONTH? I get that you have a money back guarantee, but that’s still a lot of money for me to shell out for something that I’m just starting out. If you are looking to blog to hopefully help generate income, then it seems natural to me for a host to let someone start out slowly.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jul 23, 2017 at 7:22 pm

      Hi,

      You can pay on a monthly basis. Most WordPress hosting companies have monthly plans too. However, monthly plans cost more than annual plans, in the end you’ll end up paying more for the same service.

      Reply
  44. frank says:
    Jul 2, 2017 at 8:24 am

    Hey nice article….can you add joomla template along with wordpress in a hosting account so that both will merge as one website….maybe you can click a link from wordpress theme into joomla theme…..
    The reason is just to get both best features of each theme combined together like linking a joomla ecommerce theme with wordpress blog theme

    Reply
  45. Tonja Jean Miller says:
    Jun 14, 2017 at 4:24 am

    I find this website useful however, I also find it bias towards WordPress. Like at the top of the page list the blogging pros for each then the cons NOT WORDPRESS so they suck. Am I the only one who got that vibe? Guess I will keep poking around. Thank you xx

    Reply
    • Andre says:
      Jul 1, 2017 at 4:13 am

      WPBeginner is a very big and popular site which focuses on WordPress more than anything, so this article is on the bias. I would also hope that the author actually used each platform to get a fair accessment too. However, I will give my two cents into this WP vs all others….

      WordPress was built to be a blogging platform and will always be a blogging platform. It does it well and perfect for blog only sites. However, once you start incorporating other functionality into your site such as membership based concepts, e-commerce, basically more complex website structure and content, my choice would go to Joomla! hands down. I’ve got over 10 years of Joomla experience and 7 for WP, so it’s a bit easier for me to make that statement.

      I’m about to build another theme site/shop and was going to use WP, but based on past experiences, I am going to use Joomla because I know the capabilities and flexibility will make managing a site like this (which will have a blog in it), go much smoother, and then there’s security.

      I would love to write a comparison between WP and Joomla and detail why it depends on the kind of website you plan to build, but I would end up with a long article length comment :)

      Reply
      • Julia says:
        Nov 26, 2017 at 10:09 am

        Hi Andre!
        Would you recommend wordpress for a travel blog?

        Reply
  46. Hari Mohan Sharma says:
    Jun 8, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    Can I post same contents on more than one website? Is there anything wrong in doing so?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jun 9, 2017 at 4:11 pm

      It would be duplicate content and Google will penalize your site for that.

      Reply
  47. Coward says:
    Dec 14, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    Can you send me more tools and info for beginner
    blogger

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 14, 2016 at 9:07 pm

      Please follow Facebook or Facebook for more WordPress tips and tutorials. You can also signup for our mailing list.

      Reply
  48. Coward says:
    Dec 14, 2016 at 8:21 pm

    Can I post many pictures on blog

    Reply
  49. Coward says:
    Dec 14, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    How to build a wordpress.org website for realtor

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 14, 2016 at 9:09 pm

      There are multiple ways to do that. First you would need to start a WordPress blog and then you can install a real estate theme.

      Reply
  50. Rick Rottman says:
    Nov 10, 2016 at 4:34 pm

    Anyone wanting to create a blog dedicated to blogging, Medium is the way to go. I’ve maintained a WordPress blog for ten years now and the only thing stopping me from migrating everything over is that you can’t migrate comments.

    Reply
    • jbanks123 says:
      Jan 31, 2017 at 1:41 pm

      Thanks Rick

      Reply
    • Dana says:
      Feb 8, 2017 at 11:04 pm

      Why do you find that you now’d prefer Medium over WordPress? (If you don’t mind sharing.) Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jason Prest says:
        Aug 19, 2018 at 1:11 am

        Hi Dana

        I think it all depends on your needs,plans and vision for running your blog.Some people enjoy blogging as it is and for this reason they prefer ready simple solutions such as Medium,Ghost,Blogr,Svtble,etc. while other prefer to spend more time and efforts on building beautiful sites.

        Reply
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