If you are searching for an easy to handle and reliable blogging platform, you have come to the right place. With a view to limit your search, we have provided a detailed comparison of the best blogging platforms available out there.

This updated comparison sheet sheds some light on the latest features and offers provided by these blogging platforms. So let’s start our topic without wasting a single minute.

WordPress.org (self-hosted)

This downloadable website management software and blogging platform is a renowned and widely used solution. Since it is the most popular blogging platform, it powers more than 25% of all the blogs available on the web.

The problem is the unavailability of a domain. You need to buy a custom domain name for running a  blog using WordPress.org. Being a simple to use platform, no skills are required to handle the interface. It just takes 20 minutes or so to install and configure this platform.

The best part associated with WordPress is the availability of numerous designs. There are free themes that can give an attractive look to your blog without spending a single penny. You can also purchase themes from 3rd parties to use for WordPress blogs. There are loads of Plugins available with WordPress and it also offers an extreme level of extendability.

Pros

• Huge library of designs available free of cost
• WordPress community is always there to help you out
• Most popular and widely used platform
• Offers a wide range of plugins

Cons

• Hosting services are not included
• Can cost you in terms of consuming your valuable time while setting up your blog or site in accordance with your needs

Price

You can’t get anything better when it comes to a free blogging platform. So this free and easy to use platform is capable of meeting all your primary needs regarding a blogging platform.

WordPress.com (online)

This is a hosted blogging platform created by using WordPress software. In other words, it is a hosted version of WordPress. It allows you to start blogging within minutes by just signing up at WordPress.com. This blogging platform is widely used by the popular influencers.

Just like other similar solutions, no domain is available with the plan. However, you can opt for the sub-domain offered by this platform. Setting up the blog is quite easy with WordPress.com. In addition, there is a limited choice of designs to choose.

Pros

• Start blogging without any hassle
• Provides sub-domain and hosting services
• Free to use blogging platform

Cons

• Inability to install your preferred custom themes
• No extensions or plugins

Price

There are different plans including the free one. You can get a basic plan by paying subscription charges of $99 per year. Moreover, $299 per year plan is ideal for advanced business solutions.

Blogger

Blogger is a commonly used hosted blogging platform, which is a kind of old-school solution. At present, Blogger runs under the Google arm, which means that all you have to do is to sign in to your Google account. Just like WordPress.com, Blogger handles all the technical aspect associated with a blog. This allows you to keep focusing on creating new content.

There is no domain available with the plan; you can get a sub-domain though. You can get a separate domain for this purpose. Since Blogger is a simple to use blogging platform, it requires no major skills to handle its interface.

Blogger is considered an outdated version as compared to the modern solutions, but serves the job well due to its user-friendly interface. It is a piece of cake to set up your blog using Blogger.

Pros

• You can get a blog started in under a minute.
• Simple interface for content creation
• Hosting and sub-domain included

Cons

• No plugins or extensions
• No designs for giving a unique look to your blog

Price

Blogger is a free to use platform, which also offers hosting services without charging you a penny.

Tumblr

Tumblr is a micro-blogging platform used with a view to avail social networking benefits. It is an ideal blogging platform, which is specifically optimized for the bloggers publishing content like microblogs, images, quotes, animated GIFs and videos.

There is no domain available by default; however, you can use a sub-domain (tumblr.com). There is no need to learn relevant skills to handle this platform. So, you can start using Tumbler quickly.

In addition, the interface offered by Tumblr is user-friendly. Blogs using the Tumblr platform are easy to set up and are highly manageable. The most notable feature offered by Tumblr is the availability of countless designs.

Pros

• Tumblr is a blogging as well as a popular social network platform
• Available free of cost
• The plan includes sub-domain and hosting services
• Ultra easy user interface
• Get attractive styles for your content by using built-in styles offered by Tumblr

Cons

• Lacks free plugins or extensions
• Offers limited features as compared to other available platforms

Price

You can use this solution without spending a single penny. Moreover, Tumblr does provide hosting services for your blog.

Medium

Medium is normally used as a publishing platform for blog posts, articles and stories. It has gained much popularity as over a million people have opted for using Medium in past few years. It is a viable option for writers and bloggers as it is available free of cost.

Medium is easy to use and requires no skills for handling this platform. You can access all its features by just signing up and start publishing interesting stories or posts immediately. Extensions and plugins are not available. This fact limits the usability of the site.

Pros

• Allows other users to lend you a helping hand for improving your content
• Easy to handle interface
• Free to use platform
• Ideal typography settings to meet the customization needs

Cons

• Medium lacks custom designs; hence, the element of uniqueness is missing in the sites
• Medium shares the control over posts and stories published by the users

Price

It is absolutely free. The best part associated with this platform is that hosting is also included in the plan.

Ghost

Ghost is a hosted blogging platform and downloadable blogging software. The basic theme behind launching Ghost was to introduce a more user-friendly version of WordPress. It is a simple and interactive blogging platform, leaving behind the hassle of dealing with content management features.

If you go for Ghost Pro, no skills are required for handling this blogging platform. However, for the downloadable version, things are a bit tricky and you may need some more skills. Although the interface is not as friendly, you will be used to it after managing it for few days.

A huge library of themes is included and you can choose one that suits your needs. Although most of them are not free, their trendy designs and perfect layout do pay off in the end. In addition, numerous plugins and extensions are also available to enhance the usability of the site. For instance, social media, SEO and comments are available as a built-in option.

Pros

• Perfectly designed blogging platform
• Clear interface for publishing and writing
• Optimized for quick SEO

Cons

• Minimum customization options as compared to WordPress
• Limited extendability
• Domain is not included within the offered plans

Price

The pro-version starts at $8 and goes up to $200. The difference in price is dependent on the number of blogs and traffic volume you may expect. However, the downloadable version is absolutely free.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a user-friendly and all-in-one website building platform. You launch blogs, business sites and e-commerce stores by simply using this solution. You get a custom domain with each subscription. Moreover, Squarespace is easy to handle and can be used by a person having limited knowledge.

It has a clear and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to publish your new content. This platform offers a wide range of attractive and modern designs. Squarespace follows the latest trends and makes your site stand out among the rest.

The plug-ins and extensions are also available and these built-in options assist you in customizing your site with reference to your requirement. It is a great option for business owners who are looking for an optimized and perfect looking website. Being an all-in-one solution, it offers assistance while building a professionally looking blog or website.

Pros

• Both custom domain and hosting facilities are included in the plan
• Offers handy and easy to use customization options
• Interactive and user-friendly interface
• Relieves you from the headache of learning development or design skills
• 24/7 customer assistance

Cons

• May turn out to be expensive at times, especially when monthly subscription costs is added
• Not suitable for a simple blog

Price

The subscription-based plans start from as low as $8 and may go up to $24 per month. Hosting is also included within these plans.

Wix

Wix is a user-friendly website hosting and building service available online. It is similar to Squarespace, however, there are numerous aspects which keep them apart. Wix offers the same features regarding blog and website-building facility. Nevertheless, there is a slight difference with respect to the execution.

Since it is an easy to use website builder, specific skills are not required. Wix gives you  assistance through its step-by-step wizard. As for the designs, you can access more than 500 unique designs available online. Besides this, there are numerous plug-ins and extensions for extending your site up to the desired level.

There are a large a number of essential site management features. Apart from this, you can also extend your site through the Wix App Market. Wix is a viable option as an alternative to Squarespace. It works perfectly for start-ups or those users who have a limited budget.

Pros

• Availability of free plan
• Online knowledge base and friendly customer support services
• Easy to handle content building interface (Drag-and-drop)

Cons

• Not ideal for bloggers due to its limited customization offers
• Less interactive blogging platform

Price

Apart from free plans, subscription-based plans may cost up to $18 per month. Hosting is available with these packages.

Weebly

This particular hosted platform helps you to build a website by utilizing drag and drop tools only. It provides a wide range of ready-to-use themes, which can be customized through web-based interface.

Pros

• Simple and Quick setup
• Hosting facility offered by Weebly
• Free trial plan to judge the service standards before buying it
• Requires minimum or no technical assistance due to its easy-to-use drag and drop website building tools

Cons

• Offers limited built-in features
• Inability to add new features
• Shows less integration while using third party platforms
• It is rather difficult to transfer to another platform

Pricing

The paid plans of this platform start from $8 per month. The features included in such plans are limited and you have to pay $49 to unlock all the available features.

Joomla 

Joomla resembles WordPress.org as it is an open-source content management system or software. It also serves as a self-hosted system, which requires you to get web hosting and a domain name to use it.

Pros

• This powerful and flexible platform is capable of building any type of blog or website
• You can add more features through its available extensions or apps
• Choose the templates of your choice and customize the design of your site in accordance with your preferences

Cons

• Joomla is much smaller than the WordPress community. The benefit of having numerous themes and add-ons is not accessible through Joomla.
• Offers a limited support option for the community, whereas the paid support is not viable to be accessed due to the cost
• Hassle of managing updates, security, and backups on your own.

Pricing

You can use Joomla as a free platform; however, a domain is required which may cost you up to $14.99/year. Similarly, hosting services can be obtained by spending $7.99/month.

Conclusion

To conclude the above discussion, it may be stated that all the blogging platforms mentioned above have an edge with reference to their individual aspects. So it’s up to you to pick the option that best suits your needs.

Also published on Medium.