
You’re here because you’re looking for the best sites to start a blog.
Whether it’s for expressing your passion or hobby, or for business purposes, it’s important that you find the best blogging platform that perfectly suits your needs.
What are the Best Blog Sites for Me?
While there are countless free blogging sites out there, not all of them provide the necessities to help you effectively grow your blog. Some simply don’t offer critical features that would allow you to drive traffic to your blog and generate revenue/income.
Self-hosted blogs (WordPress.org), while requiring hosting and your own domain name, offer unbeatable advantages that most of the top free blog sites just can’t compete with. So, I definitely recommend them for business websites. But, free blogging platforms offer a lot of benefits too, as long as you choose the right one.
How to Choose your Blogging Platform
Just below is a comparison chart that details the top free blogging platforms such as WordPress, Weebly, Wix and Blogger, just to name a few. Look deeper into the pros and cons of each platform to see why they are regarded as the best free blog sites trusted by entrepreneurs and business owners.
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WordPress.org
Want the honest truth? Among these blog sites, the one I would recommend without hesitation is WordPress.
WordPress is the #1 and most popular blogging platform in this best free blog sites list, but what makes it so great?
Here’s the Deal:
WordPress offers you ultimate customization and easy to use options that are very beginner friendly.
If you want to be taken seriously and have the opportunity to generate income from your blog, WordPress is without a doubt the way to go. A small investment that can go a very long way (most of the largest blogs in the world that generate significant monthly income utilize WordPress).
To make things even better, it comes with a ton of really cool features and plugins that can easily help you make your blog look stunning and professional.
Constant Contact has you covered with the tools and expertise you need to get started. Check out their free trial today!
I’m so confident that you’ll love this that I was able to get you a special 50% off discount with BlueHost. Get started in minutes for just $2.95 per month, which also includes a free domain name and email address. You just can’t beat this offer.
On Blast Blog has negotiated a special hosting deal with Bluehost (plus a free domain name).
For only $2.95 per month, you can have your blog setup in less than an hour.
This deal is available because On Blast Blog has partnered with Bluehost to provide a special discount to our readers at 37% off the normal monthly price. You will also receive a free domain name as a bonus. Get started using this link.
Feeling unsure? Don’t worry, just follow my step-by-step guided tutorial to learn how to start a blog. I hand-hold you through the entire process and provide detailed visuals of exactly what you need to do to get started. It takes less than 10 minutes!
Here are some additional tidbits of information about the platform:
- Expert Recommended for all types of websites/blogs
- Founded on May 27th, 2003 (they’ve learned a lot)
- Total user count is 60 million, 19% of the internet uses it
- Highly user-friendly
- Requires a domain name and hosting service (most offer free domain names)
Wix.com
Wix is a free website building platform that helps you to create amazing, professional looking sites without a technical background. Wix sites are completely free, but you have the option to upgrade to a Premium Plan which gives you access to additional features such as connecting a domain name, removing Wix ads and additional storage and bandwidth. To learn more about Wix, click here.
Some additional Information:
- No technical or coding skills are required
- Sites are 100% search engine friendly
- Tons of site templates or you can build your site from scratch
- Over 110 million users in 190 countries
Blogger.com
Blogger is owned by Google and represents a free blog-hosting website. It was massively popular at the turn of the millennium but it has lost some ground since then. Even so, it still has some great services, even if they are a bit basic.
You can login with a Gmail account and have your first up within an hour. There is also an Adsense monetization option, layout customization, and the option to edit the coding.
The downsides here are that you don’t have a domain to call your own unless you pay $10/year. The options, while diverse, are basic when compared to other platforms previously mentioned.
Google essentially owns your blog so they can take it down whenever they want if you rub them the wrong way. Even with all this considered, Blogger is an excellent way to try out your hand at blogging.
Some additional Information:
- Recommend for beginner level bloggers
- Founded in August 1999
- Purchased by Google in February 2003
- Founded by Evan Williams of Pyra Labs
Tumblr.com
Tumblr was that guy that shows up to a brawl late. WordPress and Blogger were going at it when this company walked in awkwardly. They had a unique setup though and a different method of blogging that earned them a lot of users very quickly.
The entire website was built on the concept of “micro-blogging” and allows for easy uploading of short stories, videos, and photos. You won’t need to worry about publishing permissions or managing complex coding here.
Of course all is not perfect on Tumblr. There is no plugin compatibility here and limited visual customization options. It’s all very basic, but the user-friendly interface means that you can get content up and out there much faster than other sites, especially if you’re not versed in the more complex aspects of blogging.
Yahoo recently purchased them, so their growth isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Here is some additional information about the company:
- Founded in February 2007 by David Karp
- Has a user base of 152 million
- Easy to use and share other people’s work through re-blogging
- Missing out on customization options
- Free to use with the option of removing the “.tumblr” from the URL
- Great for art and photography, simple and easy to navigate design
Full List of Blogging Sites
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- Blog.Com
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- Blogger.Com
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- Medium.Com
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- Squarespace.Com
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- Wix.Com
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- Weebly.Com
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- Ghost.Org
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- Penzu.Com
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- Svbtle.Com
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- Webs.Com
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- Tumblr.Com
- WordPress.Com
Which of These Best Blogging Sites is Right for You?
These are a sampling of the platforms that are out there waiting to host your blog. As you can see, you have options, but some are better than others. What it comes down to is your own personal skill set and what you want from your blog.
If you need help creating your blog, remember to check out my guide on how to start a blog for a step-by-step breakdown of the process.
Best Blog Site By Far
Personally, my pick for the best blog site goes to the self-hosted WordPress blog, and I don’t seem to be alone on that one.
Don’t waste any more time, get your blog up and running today with WordPress. Use the exclusive and limited time coupon below!
For only $2.95 per month, you can have your blog setup in less than an hour.
This deal is available because On Blast Blog has partnered with Bluehost to provide a special discount to our readers at 37% off the normal monthly price. You will also receive a free domain name as a bonus. Get started using this link.
Bookmarked! Thanks for this resource, I will definitely refer back to it often.
You’re most welcome Lisa. Let me know if you have any questions, I’d be thrilled to help out!
I’ve been debating between creating a blogger or wordpress site, but now it’s apparent that WordPress is definitely my best option. Thanks for the insight!
Quick question – How do I determine which hosting provider is the best for me?
Hello Michelle,
I’m glad to hear that you’ve made your decision on what platform to use, WordPress is definitely the way to go in my opinion.
As far as hosting goes, it really depends on preference. I recommend BlueHost. I would suggest to check them out and give them a shot. Let me know how it goes!
Michelle,
You may want to try hosting specific for WordPress.
While standard hosting works you may not get the best results.
GoDaddy often flags my WordPress sites like this:
“Attention Required:
Your web hosting account is approaching or exceeding its resource limits.
Basically, they will recommend spending more money for additional resources.
You can avoid that complication by using hosting specifically setup fro WordPress
GoDaddy has a WordPress hosting that should not get these warning as does other hosts like SiteGround.
Siteground has very good support. That’s something you don’t usually find with inexpsensive hosting.
I agree with you my brother.
What about Ghost? It’s my 2nd option for blog sites, being wp my 1st, of course
I’ve never tried it Luan.
Why do you like it so much?
thanku you help me a lot with choosing the right blogging site for me
Woow I love this..I once wanted to create a list of best blog for bloggers on my blog.. You just inspire me. I love the way you break them down.. starting from WordPress.com ,WordPress. org you made it easy and simple. What caught my attention is the blog platform chart… Hope you don’t mind if I save it on my smartphone.. lolzz Nice one.
Nice article! I really appreciate how you compared the various blogging platforms and sites
Hi I am going to use this info graphics on my website yes, definitely its a great link building tool thanks.
I certainly agree to this. These are the best blogging platforms available nowadays. I am going to share this as well!
There is no question that setting up a WordPress site is the way to go, especially if you are
going to monetize your blog. As noted, WordPress has many more customization options
than other platforms.
Your infographic is shows a nice rundown of the positives and negatives of the various platforms.
Free is great if all that you are going to do is play, or write as a hobby. Anyone who is serious about
creating a following is really better off going the self-hosted route. WordPress, being the most
versatile, is probably the easiest with which to get started.
I want to start a blog in Tumblr. Please guide me.
Thanks.
This post on best blogging sites is fantastic. I’ve been considering using WordPress as my CMS. Would you recommend that over some of the other free blogging sites?
I want to know that all these blogging sites are dofollow or nofollow?
Hi Nitin, what do you mean?
These blogging sites are fantastic. I had no idea there were so many free options!
Very useful comparation. I was using blogspot but will change.
Thank you for the useful comparison. I am new to Blogging. You’ve given me a good basis to determine what will best fit my needs. I’m using WIX for my website. Will it integrate with WordPress?
Hi Cheryl – thanks for reaching out! I would highly recommend going with a self-hosted website with WordPress. You can get one by using the special discount link on this page. Email me if you need any help! 🙂
Below is a comparison of the top free blogging platforms, details of their pros and cons, and why they’re the best free blog sites. To be comprehensive, we reviewed WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace, respectively.
I use blogger and some of the items you have here are incorrect. You may want to review blogger. I have my own domain with them and also there are plugins.
Best and thanks for this article…very useful!
Buck
Thanks Buck! Have you tried using a self hosted blog with WordPress?
Thank you for sharing this post of blogging sites! I had no idea the minor differences between each platform.
Most people don’t, Roy! Glad this helped you.
Actually, which blogging site is better for the future? I don’t know because I’m a newcomer to this site and the blogging world. Please kindly tell me to which blogging platform I should go with? I can’t decide if I want to go with WordPress, Weebly, Tumbler, Wix or Squarespace. Thanks for your help!
I would go with WordPress without a doubt, Maria. The reasons are sprinkled throughout this article 🙂
I always recommend people that to use WordPress. But for the new user’s will get help through your article. There are lots of websites that give blogging platform but which one is best. Here you have mentioned the comparison between different blogging websites platforms beautifully.
Thanks for sharing.
Anytime, Ankit 🙂
thanks for the info.
Anytime, glad you liked it!
I’d like an easy to learn blogging platform. I’m totally new to blogging, and don’t even know the terminology for using it. ???? From your experience, what would you recommend? I want it to be free for now.
Hey Verna, Going with WordPress is your best bet, even though it will cost you around $2-$4/mo for hosting, it will be way worth it in the long run for you. You’ll have full freedom, and you will never have to worry about having to transfer your site to a new platform in the event you ever end up growing it to new heights (something you’d have to do if you started on a free platform). Let me know if you need any assistance, you can always follow my step by step guide on http://www.onblastblog.com!
The social media buttons on the left side obscures the content. It’s best to make the content smaller or shifted to the right. There’s an arrow to make it disappear but it’s not confinient nor efficient specially for tablets or phones
Whoa! I had no idea there were so many blogging platform options. I’ll probably go with WordPress though.
Great article! I agree with you, self hosted wordpress is definitely the way to go! I’m able to get more done, be more creative, and have more options.
I am very pleased with the WordPress (CMS) platform as my preferred blog site. This is very strong blogging system that proves reliable.
I am suggesting WordPress is the best open source platform for blogging and business. Updating it regularly is important. If anyone wants fully functional and integrated WordPress blogging platform for your business, Matt did an amazing job with this post.
So many free blogging sites! I’m literally blown away lol
One of the best articles I’ve read about deciding which blogging site to choose from.
Very informative, Thanks for sharing that.
Matt – I still can’t decide which platform is best for me. I want to sell bicycle seats online, but I can’t make a decision. Anything you can do to help point me in the right direction would be really appreciated!
Loving this infographic you created here, Matt. Looks like WordPress is a good choice for a free blog site. Thanks again for all your help!
oh my god, I’m so impressed by this comparison chart for blogging sites, as I am newbie to this blogging world. This helped me a lot and chosen the best platform for blogging thank you for such a good infographic
What a great list of blogging sites. I even didn’t know 3 or 4 of them. Well, I think these sites need more recognition through pictures or anything so that more people would come to know about them, well there are sites that provide real reviews for blogging platform. Thank you!
I am using for WordPress and blogger for a long time. haven’t got any issue with those so far. But having multiple platform will help in some way.
Fantastic Blog!…I’m just getting started and hoping to get more viewers. If you have any ideas or places I can post my blog, I can sure use some pointers. Thanks!
Excellent list of blogging options. This is precisely what I was looking for. Bookmarked!
Seems like WordPress is the best option to go with – is that right?
That’s what I’d recommend, Ira 🙂
I need help in deciding which blogging site is best for the floral niche. What do you think?
Hello Matt,
Very nice site and list, the chart is an awesome quick reference thanks for the work!
Great work pulling all this info together and then presenting it so vividly and concisely. One thing I haven’t seen in any of the comparison charts has to do with copyrights. Do you know how to research whether or not a particular blogging site lets the writer retain all copyrights?
I believe, for example, that with Google you sign away your copyrights by agreeing to their EULA (End User Lic. Agreement), right? SmugMug.com (a photo website) on the other hand lets the client retain all copyrights.
WordPress.org (self-hosted WordPress site) is probably your best bet in terms of cost effectiveness and the ability to earn money from ad revenue and affiliate schemes.
Squarespace and Wix are also very good and probably a lot more user friendly in terms of the ability to quickly build sites without the need for coding.
But these two options are more expensive than buying hosting and installing WordPress.
This is a very useful post. I like how you break things down. Thanks for sharing Matt!