The best blogging sites make it simple and convenient to set up a blog or online journal.
Best blogging site: quick links
Blogs offer us all an opportunity to record and share our experiences, opinions, and insights on the things that matter most to us. Thanks to the growing popularity of blogging sites and the best website builders, it is now easier than ever to start a professional-looking blog, often with little or no cost.
Our experts have tested countless website builders and blogging platforms. Now we have created a list of the very best. So, whether you are a professional blogger, just looking to make a little extra income from a blog, or want somewhere to share your passion – we cover your best options below.
Many of the sites we explore in this guide are totally free and aimed at hobbyists. They offer a complete package to get you started, allowing you to create and manage your blog online, as well as offering hosting on the blogging platform’s own servers. Although of course, they have limits.
Alternatively, if you want to get more professional with your blog, we have also covered the best paid options. These provide advanced tools for building and growing your blog, such as allowing you to connect a custom domain.
Ready to get blogging? Let’s find you the best platform…
These are the best blogging sites of 2024:
In this guide we offer a detailed insight into the best blogging platforms on the market. However, if you just want the bottom line on the top 3 blogging platforms we recommend, you can find them here.
The best blogging sites of 2024 in full:
Below we list all of the best blogging sites by category. So, whether you are looking for the best overall blogging site, or something more specialized, read on to find all the information you need to make an informed decision.
Best overall
Wix has a range of paid-for subscription plans, but also a free offering. Although it’s best to note upfront that this has some caveats. With the free product, your site will have Wix branding, and you’ll be limited to 500MB of data transfer per month, so it’s not for heavily-trafficked sites. You also only get 500MB of storage, so bear that in mind.
Those limits aside, you are free to build a blog with an unlimited number of pages, and where Wix really distinguishes itself is with its powerful blog functionality. The editor may be simple, but you get access to all the stuff you need – from image galleries through to videos and music – and there are a ton of ways to customize a post.
There’s also a lot of flexibility in the way you can schedule posts and neat touches like being able to set up things so that posts are automatically pushed to Facebook when they’re published. A great way to automate the promotion of your blog posts.
What makes Wix truly compelling is that on top of this, you get the run of the rest of what this website builder offers aside from blog support. That includes using Wix’s ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) editor, which will ask for some basic info regarding the kind of site you wish to create, the features you want, and will then swiftly produce something along those lines for you. That’s an impressive feature for novices, of course.
There’s also commendably diverse support for various different types of media, and quality customer support to boot (yes, even on the free plan). The Wix Turbo feature is also on hand, and this increases the speed and performance of websites considerably.
When you consider what you’re getting for nothing, the bandwidth and data limits don’t seem like such a heavy set of shackles. And you can always upgrade at a later date if you want to break free of them in the longer run.
Get the full picture with our Wix review.
Best for design
Squarespace lets bloggers get creative with its wide selection of templates, encouraging all types of bloggers to express themselves, their brand or company online. They offer 100+ flexible templates that fully adapt to mobile devices.
With Squarespace, you can create the blog using a specific group of templates, or if you already have a Squarespace website, you can simply add a blog page.
There is also the flexibility of posting on your blog monthly, weekly, or daily, with ease as Squarespace offers a scheduling feature for you to pick the time and date you want your content to go live. You can also add other contributors to your blog so collaborators add their own posts.
If you run into any trouble while creating your blogging site on Squarespace, you’ll have access to personalized support from Squarespace’s customer care team via email or live chat – who work with designers and engineers in Squarespace’s New York, Dublin and Portland offices.
To get started, you will be required to answer several questions about the type of blog you will be creating in order for Squarespace to deliver the right products for you.
Read our full Squarespace review.
Best for features
WordPress is a brilliant platform for blogs of any size, and bloggers of all levels of experience.
Creating your first blog is very straightforward, with a simple wizard that guides you through the process of choosing a name and suitable theme. You can leave it there and begin writing posts immediately, but the real fun lies in the more advanced editor, which lets you customize virtually every aspect of your blog’s appearance.
WordPress now offers a drag-and-drop website builder, similar to many of its main competitors. This makes its offering even more compelling for bloggers, making it easier than ever to create stunning websites with very little/no website design skill.
The post-writing interface is much like an ordinary desktop word processor (though some options are presented in a toolbar at the top, while others are in a menu at the side, which can be a little confusing at first). Time spent getting to know the interface is rewarded with advanced features like customizable social media sharing buttons, geotagging, and the ability to pick a custom style for individual posts.
As your blog grows, WordPress lets you track its stats, including page views, visitors, likes, and comments over time. You can also see how readers reach your site, which content they viewed, and where they are in the world, all of which are very useful in terms of being able to tailor your content accordingly.
Your site is hosted on WordPress servers, with an address in the format yoursite.wordpress.com. Users of the free service don’t get email or live chat support, but the WordPress community forums are very active and questions are usually answered within a few minutes. Additionally, privacy protection for domains that are registered at WordPress.com is free.
WordPress displays ads on free blogs, but provided you can live with that, it’s a top-notch solution for a free blogging site.
Read our full WordPress.com website builder review.
Best for beginners
Blogger is another superb blogging platform. It’s not quite as powerful as WordPress, but on the other hand, it is more accessible for new users, which comes as no surprise when you learn that it’s owned by Google.
Blogger offers an excellent selection of templates, all of which include mobile versions optimized for smaller screens – a very sensible addition with so many people accessing online content through smartphones these days. Blogger is also web responsive.
Blogger’s post-editing tool is much like WordPress, but offers fewer options. As a result, its toolbars are less confusing – a trade-off between power and usability.
One of Blogger’s best features is its integration with other Google apps and services. For example, it uses your Google Drive account to store images and other files for your blog. Google Drive gives you 15GB of space free, so Blogger is a good choice if you’re planning to share a lot of high-res photos.
Spam comments are a big problem on blogs, so Blogger’s automatic spam filter can help save your sanity. You can monitor comments via Blogger’s dashboard, which also lets you see visitor stats. There are some handy visualizations here, including a world map to show the global distribution of your readers.
Your blog will have an address in the format yoursite.blogger.com, and, like all Google services, will include ads. Support is available through the Blogger user forum, which is very active but has a strange layout that can be a little off-putting.
In all other respects, Blogger is brilliant – in short, it is one of the best free blogging sites if you prioritize ease of use over flexibility, particularly if you are a fan of the Google ecosystem too.
Best for ease-of-use
Weebly takes a modular approach to blog building, with a drag-and-drop editor that lets you choose which elements to add to your site, and where.
Pick a basic template, then plonk various types of content onto the page, including social media links, text, images, maps, and sections of code. It’s a refreshingly simple way to build a blog that feels unique to you, but doesn’t require any messing about with menus.
It’s worth noting, however, that certain content blocks can only be positioned in certain areas; it isn’t a total free-for-all. This makes sense – forcing you to stick within the confines of your chosen template stops the page looking messy – but you might find it limiting.
Blog posts are made in the same way: drag text boxes, picture frames, buttons and page breaks into position, then click to edit them. One particularly nice feature is the ‘secret draft link’, which lets you preview your unpublished post, and even share it with others via email before releasing it into the wild.
Weebly has some other interesting tricks up its sleeve, including an area for pasting in Google Analytics tracking code (though it doesn’t offer analytics itself).
You’re only given 500MB for uploaded content, so photographers might want to look elsewhere. Weebly puts an ad in your site’s footer, but it doesn’t obscure any of your content.
Learn more about Weebly with our full Weebly review.
Best for built-in community and simplicity
Medium is a premier platform for blogs that focuses on content readability and user engagement above all. It’s the ideal platform for writers who want to share their write-ups online without the hassle of building a separate website.
Setting up a blog on Medium is super user-friendly and needs no time or investment to start publishing. It has an intuitive editor that lets writers concentrate on their content, along with Medium’s built-in user-base. It is particularly great for new writers/ bloggers who want to reach like-minded users with their blogs without any involvement of separate websites or SEO practices.
It comes with a very minimalist design that holds the reader’s attention and delivers a very neat, distraction-free experience. Another great feature of Medium is its robust community. You can have followers on your blog account, interact with them through comments, and even join or create publications on specific niches.
However, if you want to customize your blog, Medium won’t let you play around as it comes with a uniform design template, restricting you from altering the design or layout of your blog. Even for monetization, you don’t have a free hand to use Google AdSense or any other monetization strategies as it offers an in-house Partner Program.
Under this, writers can earn commissions based on how the readers are engaging with their blogs. While this is a great opportunity to make good money if you have eyes on your work, your earnings are completely dependent on Medium’s revenue-sharing model. That’s why these options may not be as lucrative as others available on platforms like WordPress.
That said, Medium is a great option for bloggers who are just starting out in this industry and want to prioritize ease of use, user engagement, and writing over technical website management and customizations.
Best for a diary
Penzu is a differn’t type of blogging site. Unlike the other free blogging sites we’ve looked at in this guide, each of which is designed to get as many eyeballs on your posts as possible, Penzu takes the opposite philosophy, and is the equivalent of a locked diary stashed in a safe.
Penzu is a journal platform that makes your posts private by default and locks them down with at least one password (even after you’re logged in, you need a second one to read or edit your posts). That’s because it’s designed for private thoughts and personal reflection. There are free apps for iOS and Android that enable you to update your Penzu diary anywhere, but the contents are for your eyes only.
Penzu isn’t a tool for self-promotion, so although it’s far from ugly, it understandably focuses on function rather than looks. Custom colors and backgrounds come at a price.
It’s a shame that 128-bit AES encryption is also limited to the paid-for version, and there’s a fair amount of pressure to upgrade applied by Penzu. Extra options are often dangled under your nose then yanked away, but the core offering is a good one, and if you simply want a place to record your thoughts and practice writing, Penzu could be just the ticket.
Best blogging sites compared
Below we have listed each of the best blogging sites we have included in this guide. For each we compare some key considerations including whether they offer a free plan, customer support, and the ability to connect your own domain.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Wix | Squarespace | WordPress | Blogger | Weebly | Medium | Penzu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐½ | NA | ⭐⭐⭐ | NA | NA |
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connect a custom domain | Yes – on paid plans | Yes | Yes – on paid plans | Yes | Yes – on paid plans | Yes – on paid plans | No |
| Customer support | Yes | Yes | Yes – forum on all plans, email and live chat on some paid plans | Forum only | Yes | Yes | Yes – on paid plans only |
How to choose the best blogging site tool for you
To find the best blogging site for you, you need to consider 3 key areas:
Your blogging goals
Firstly, ask yourself what it is you want to achieve. This will help you assess which tools and functionality you need.
Are you blogging for a hobby or professionally? Do you want to publish images and videos, or just text? Do you want to host the site on your own domain? How do you want to publish on your blog?
Create a list of points that are essential for your blog, that way, you’ll be able to align it with the features on offer from each provider. This will help you narrow down your choice and pick the best blogging site tool for you.
Tools and features
Consider how you want to interact with your blogging site. For example, if you want to quickly write and post blogs from your phone, then check how easy the mobile site or app is to use.
Aside from great templates, sufficient storage, easy interface, and SEO tools, you should also look out for mobile compatibility features, 24/7 customer support and useful analytics.
Price
Luckily, many of the best blogging sites we suggest have free plans or free trials, letting you get to grips with whether they are right for you without any upfront cost.
However, if you want to access advanced tools and have the ability to connect a custom domain, you will probably need a paid plan. So, it is worth considering your options.
How we test the best blogging sites
With blogging platforms, the decision is heavily based on the features each provider offers. We test the blogging platform’s SEO tools and features, themes and templates, as well as extension and integration capabilities.
Due to the fact that blogs are usually updated regularly, it’s important to choose a platform that is fast, reliable, and secure. We also test the ease of use of each blogging platform in order to determine which is the best for bloggers.
Read our full guide to how we test website builders at TechRadar.
Best blogging platforms: Summary
Starting a blog is easy with the blogging sites we have suggested in this guide. Taking the time to assess which option is best for you will ensure that your blog has all the tools you need to achieve your goals.
Whether you want to start an industry leading blog, or you just want somewhere to share your experiences, there is a blogging site for you. Luckily, with blogging sites like Wix and WordPress, you don’t need to decide straight away, as they offer you options to achieve both.
Best blogging sites: FAQs
Should I pick a free or paid blogging site?
Whether you should go for a free or paid blogging platform completely depends on your goals, budget, and the customization and control you wish to have. Free blogging platforms, like Medium offer an easy way to directly start writing your blogs on their platform without any upfront costs. They are great for beginners who want some visibility on their blogs or someone who just does it as a hobby. These platforms come with certain limitations in design, domain name branding, and monetization strategies.
On the other side, paid blogging platforms like Wix offer much more control and flexibility. You have the freedom to build your blog just the way you want, have your own domain name, and even have complete control over your monetization strategies. However, you can’t do this for free, and there are certain costs aligned with this strategy, including purchasing a domain, investing in a premium theme, getting hosting, and even using different website management tools to build your perfect blog website.
So, if you’re serious about writing a blog and want to make a living out of it, investing in a paid platform can be a better option for you. However, if you want to write blogs casually or are just starting out without having a solid investment, a free platform like Medium can do it all for you.
How often should I post on my blog?
Although there are some studies that attempt to show the optimal regularity with which you should post on your blog, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. This is because many factors come into play such as the niche in which your blog sits, your audience, the length and depth of your blog posts, and your other commitments.
For example, a blog in a fast moving niche such as social media trends may benefit from daily updates. On the other hand, a blog which goes into the deep technical details of how to restore classic cars may require a significant amount of research, meaning 2-4 posts (or less) a month are more than enough.
However, as a general rule, the more regularly you can post high-quality content on your blog the better. This will help you improve your search engine rankings and keep your audience engaged.
What is the best blogging platform?
There are several great blogging sites to choose from when starting a blog. Our top picks include Wix, WordPress, and Blogger. These are at the top of our list as each offers a free plan, ease-of-use blog builder, and other powerful blogging tools.
How do I start a blog?
Starting a blog is easy, especially if you pick one of the best blogging platforms from our list. Here are the steps you need to get started:
1. Pick your niche
You can blog about anything. Interested in cooking? You can blog about that. Want somewhere to share your insights on trains? Start a blog. Want to build a community around your favorite sport? Get blogging.
When deciding on your niche you may choose to blog about anything and everything that interests you. Alternatively, you may want to pick one topic and only blog that.
You don’t need to be an expert in your niche. In fact, many blogs are run by amateurs who use their blogs to document their journey and develop their knowledge in a chosen niche.
2. Pick a blogging platform
You can use our list of the best blogging sites to find the perfect platform. Which is right for you will depend on several factors that we have already covered in detail earlier in this guide.
3. Start creating
There is no better time to start creating blog content than now. You can use your blog to improve your content creation skills, test out new ideas, and develop your own style.
Although you don’t need to publish every day, you should try and stick to a regular schedule. This will help you build your search engine rankings and help your readers set their expectations.
4. Optimize for SEO
Take some time to optimize your blog for search engine rankings. This will boost rankings, helping those who are interested in what you have to say find your blog.
We have created a guide to optimizing your website for search engine ranking.
5. Promote your blog
As well as working to boost your search engine rankings, you can also promote your blog using social media platforms, email marketing, and paid advertising.
6. Use your analytics
Most of the platforms we mention in this guide have built-in analytics. Alternatively, you may install a separate tool such as Google Analytics to help you gather and assess data.
You can use your analytics to see what is and what isn’t working on your blog, helping you make an informed decision on which changes to make and where to focus your energy.
How do I monetize my blog?
If you have a successful blog there are many ways you can monetize it. Some methods include publishing ads from an ad network, working directly with businesses to publish their ads, affiliate marketing, and publishing sponsored content.
We have written a full guide on how to monetize your blog.
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Source: Best blogging site of 2024
