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12 Best Blogging Platforms for Beginners

Updated: Jul 1

Ever gazed at a list of blogging stages and felt like you’re attempting to choose the culminate to begin with date—exciting but completely overwhelming?




We get it.




Starting a web journal is a huge step, and with so numerous alternatives out there, it’s simple to solidify up.




At SmartWpseo, we’re gigantic fans of blogging—not fair for making cash online, but as a powerhouse promoting instrument for your eCommerce location, trade, individual brand, or energy project.




Think of your blogging stage as the domestic base for your online dreams: the right one sets you up to sparkle, whereas the off-base one can baffle you.




That’s why I’ve done the overwhelming lifting, comparing the 12 best blogging stages for apprentices in 2025.




I’ve filtered through the clamor like covered up expenses, precarious setups, you title it. To bring you alternatives that are simple, reasonable, and prepared to develop with you.




Now, not each blogging stage is made break even with. Fair since a stage is well known doesn’t continuously make it the best choice for your special needs.




Through my hands-on investigate, we have distinguished a few variables you require to consider when choosing a blogging platform:




Your Purpose


Understand why you need to make a web journal. Underneath are a few reasons why individuals begin a blog:




Demonstrate authority


Make cash blogging


Write a journal


Once you get it your blogging reason, double-check whether your favored blogging stage makes a difference you fulfill it.




Ease of Use


Ease of utilize is another critical calculate you’ll require to consider when choosing a blogging stage. If the interface is not helpful, you’ll be investing a parcel of hours figuring out how to get things done.




Monetization


WordPress.com, for illustration, doesn’t permit you to monetize your web journal with Google AdSense or member showcasing. That implies if your objective is to make cash blogging, at that point you’ll need to double-check that your blogging stage permits you to win cash the way you want.




With these variables in intellect, we tried handfuls of blogging stages to see which ones tick all the boxes. This has permitted us to pick up a parcel of encounter in the subject and prompt our clients on the best one for them.




But this data is fair as well profitable to hold it for our internal circle. That is why we have made this post.




We need to share the best blogging stages we have utilized with you so that you, as well, can be way better situated to choose one.




Choosing the Best Blogging Stage – What to See For?


We get it that you may not have the time to go through the whole location. To offer assistance you, we have made a fast table to highlight our best blogging picks. You can press on any connect underneath to hop to that section.




WordPress.org: Best Blogging Stage Ever Built


Gator Site Builder: All in One Blogging Platform


WordPress.com: Best Free Blogging Platform


Blogger.com: Blogging Stage by Google


Tumblr: Best Microblogging Platform


Medium: Best Stage for Simplicity


Squarespace: Premium All-in-One Blogging Platform


Ghost: Best WordPress Alternative


Weebly: Best Drag and Drop Platform


LiveJournal: Best Diary for Beginners


TypePad: Blogging Benefit by Perseverance Group


Wix: Freemium Location / Web journal Builder


With that said, let us get into the list.




1. WordPress.org: Best Blogging Stage Ever Built


WordPress logo with "W" in a circle next to "WordPress" text on a white background. Grey color, simple and professional design.

WordPress.org, moreover known as self-hosted WordPress, is the most well known web journal stage in existence.




While WordPress.org was initially built as a blogging stage, it’s presently changed into a fully-fledged substance administration framework. With self-hosted WordPress, you can make any sort of site, counting eCommerce stores, gatherings, specialty social systems, and so on.




To begin a web journal with WordPress.org, you’ll require a space title and a web facilitating arrange, and at that point you’ll introduce WordPress on your web host.




A space title and facilitating costs can vary.




For illustration, if you need a .com or .org space, you will pay more for it. This is since these spaces are more well known and known by numerous. As a result, they are the standard for quality and trustworthiness.




To include to this, depending on your activity, transfer speed needs, security prerequisites, and whether you need devoted servers, the taken a toll of your facilitating will too vary.




It is too vital to check if a facilitating supplier permits you to scale without surpassing your budget. You can check this by seeing if there is an extra taken a toll to update or downsize. See if the update plans are inside your budget previously so you can expect future costs.




With that aside, on normal, a space title will fetched $14.99+ per year, and web facilitating administrations fetched $7.99 per month to begin a WordPress web journal. Since the combined taken a toll of the space and facilitating benefit is tall, we worked out a bargain with Bluehost for SmartWpseo users.




You’ll get a free space title, free SSL, and 65% OFF on WordPress facilitating. So, you as it were have to pay $1.99 per month.




Note: It’s simple to befuddle WordPress.org with WordPress.com, so we suggest you check out the contrasts between WordPress.org and WordPress.com




Pros:




It gives you full control over your blog


You can effectively customize the see of your web journal with free or premium WordPress themes


You can moreover upgrade the capabilities of your web journal with WordPress plugins


It’s simple to coordinated with Google Analytics


Cons:




Managing your claim web journal comes with a bit of a learning curve


Starting a web journal requires a budget for a space title and web host


Managing security and reinforcements is your responsibility


Pricing: FREE




Get begun with a WordPress web journal today!




Check out the most recent WordPress audit here.




2. Gator Site Builder: All-in-One Blogging Platform


Gator Website Builder plans: Starter at $3.46/mo, Premium at $5.39/mo, eCommerce at $8.30/mo. Offers 55% off. Blue background.

Gator Site Builder is an all-in-one site builder that lets you make any kind of site, counting a web journal, little commerce location, or eCommerce location. Indeed in spite of the fact that HostGator is essentially a facilitating and space title supplier, it still comes with a few amazing apparatuses to offer assistance you begin your blogging travel rapidly and easily.




It does this by bundling its facilitating and space title administrations with the site building. This not as it were makes it less demanding for tenderfoots to begin blogging but moreover cheaper. With the Gator Site Builder starter pack, you get free facilitating, and a space title to get the ball rolling for you.




Plus, you too get a drag and drop builder, which you can utilize to customize the site formats to guarantee you make a custom and one of a kind site.




Whether you’re a apprentice or a proficient blogger, you’ll discover Gator site builder exceptionally useful.




Pros:




It gives free space title enlistment with any plan


It comes with 200 mobile-optimized designs


Includes get to to analytics, social and efficiency tools


Friendly client bolster that is accessible 24/7 and 365 days a year


Cons:




Unlike other blogging stages, HostGator’s site builder is not free of cost


It’s not as feature-rich as WordPress.org


It offers restricted customization options


Pricing: The starter arrange( Hatchling arrange) costs $1.99 per month. Its premium (Infant Arrange) arrange costs $2.99 per month, which moreover incorporates need back. And, the Trade arrange costs $3.99 per month.




Get begun with Gator Site Builder today!




3. WordPress.com: Best Free Blogging Platform


Blue WordPress.com logo on a white background, featuring the stylized "W" in a circle next to the word "WordPress.com."

If you need to begin a free web journal with WordPress, at that point you might need to select WordPress.com.




WordPress.com is free and overseen by the same people behind WordPress.org. It is particularly outlined to be simple to set up and utilize making it one of the best web journal facilitating stages. With WordPress.com, you can begin a free web journal and update your membership with alternatives like a custom space title, extra capacity, and more.




One of the greatest reasons WordPress.com has developed so much is its colossal client base, which has driven to the creation of an astonishing online community. This community is able to offer assistance tenderfoots and share their encounters, guaranteeing indeed apprentices can rapidly get arrangements to any issue they face.




And, if the community is not able to offer assistance, the back group is continuously prepared to offer step by step arrangements through the community forums.




Pros:




No setup required


No budget required


No require to oversee security and reinforcement yourself


Cons:




You can’t monetize your free web journal with Google AdSense or member marketing


To include a custom space title that your guests can effortlessly keep in mind, you’ll have to overhaul to a premium plan


Switching to another blogging stage can be costly since you’ll have to pay for location redirection indeed after switching


Pricing: It has a free Essential arrange. The Individual arrange costs $48 per year, the Premium arrange costs $96 per year, and the Trade arrange costs $300 per year.




Get begun with WordPress.com today!




4. Blogger.com: Blogging Stage by Google


Orange Blogger logo with stylized white "B" icon, next to the word "Blogger" in dark blue text, on a light gray background.

Blogger.com is a free blogging stage by Google. This implies fair like with other Google items, you can effectively signup and log into the stage utilizing your Gmail account.




Plus, you can moreover set it up as portion of the Google Environment and intergrate it with items like Google Analytics, and Google Look Console.




Despite Blogger.com’s straightforwardness, you can construct astonishing web journal locales through pre-designed layouts and customize your format with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript if you are an progressed user.




For fledglings, you can appreciate programmed program upgrades and server support, guaranteeing your location is secure and optimized for performance.




Similar to WordPress.com, you can effortlessly make a unused web journal on Blogger without having to spend a dime. Furthermore, you can monetize your free web journal with AdSense, associate showcasing, and more.




For a way better comparison, check out this article on Blogger vs. WordPress.




Pros:




Easy setup and no budget required to begin a blog


Unlike WordPress.com, you can utilize a custom space without having to pay a membership expense to Blogger


Monetize your web journal the way you want


Cons:




Customization is limited


You can’t include improved functionalities like an eCommerce store to your blog


According to Blogger’s Terms of Benefit, they can suspend your web journal at any time without earlier notice.


Pricing: FREE




If you’re as of now utilizing it and looking for other choices, at that point check out this article on moving a web journal from blogger to WordPress.




Get begun with Blogger today!




If you are still looking for choices, here is an article on the Best Blogger Alternatives.




5. Tumblr: Best Microblogging Platform


The Tumblr logo in dark blue text is centered on a light gray background, featuring a bold, lowercase font with a period at the end.

Tumblr is a half breed free blogging, microblogging, and social organizing instrument that lets you easily share anything on the web, counting photographs, cites, and more. Since of its mixed media capabilities, Tumblr can reach numerous individuals naturally and keep them engaged.




To include to this, you can utilize Tumblr labels to reach more individuals in the communities, comparable to SEO watchword utilize, permitting your substance to have more reach. Since it coordinating with social media stages like Facebook and X (once in the past Twitter), clients can share your substance and reach modern audiences.




It’s likely the most easy-to-use blogging stage in presence. Other than being user-friendly, it is fun to utilize, with bounty of communities around nearly any point. Meaning anything your web journal is almost, you are beyond any doubt to get individuals who are interested in it on the platform.




As a result, Tumblr has a more youthful client statistic in comparison with other social systems. Right now, it has over 417 million blogs.




Pros:




The most effortless free blogging stage in existence


It has an coordinates social media component


Unlike other social media destinations, Tumblr gives you the capacity to intensely customize your possess page


Cons:




Compared to other blogging stages, Tumblr comes with a restricted set of features


While you can select from an broad collection of Tumblr subjects, you don’t have control over designing, comparative to other stages like WordPress.com


Exporting your location to another stage can be very difficult


Pricing: FREE




Get begun with Tumblr nowadays!


6. Medium: Best Stage for Simplicity


The image shows the word "Medium" in bold black font centered on a white background.

Medium is an online distributing stage propelled in Eminent 2012. It moreover lets you take after, perused, and connected with the stories that matter most to you. Medium has a awesome built-in instrument to moment substance from anyplace on the web and share it with your followers.




Pros:




Medium is an easy-to-use distributing stage that doesn’t require any setup


With Medium, you can center on what you’re truly great at composing. You can tally on the stage for everything else, counting the design


It comes with a effective announcing device that makes a difference you get it how your perusers lock in with your content


Cons:




No monetization is allowed


Limited control over your content


Limited highlights are given compared to other platforms


Pricing: FREE




If you’re as of now utilizing Medium and looking for an indeed way better stage, at that point check out our direct on how to move from Medium to WordPress.




Get begun with Medium today!




7. Squarespace: Premium All-in-One Blogging Platform


Squarespace logo with black abstract design on the left and "SQUARESPACE" text in black. White background, simple and modern look.

Squarespace is another location builder that lets you make a staggering site without any coding aptitudes. It empowers you to select from handfuls of site layouts, each with hundreds of customizable highlights. With an yearly Squarespace membership, you can indeed postpone the space title enrollment fee.




Pros:




It’s a pleasant stage to effectively construct a fundamental website


It too permits you to coordinated an eCommerce storefront into your site


You can select from an broad collection of profoundly customizable location templates


No exchange charge is charged for eCommerce transactions


Cons:




Unlike other location builders such as Wix.com, Squarespace doesn’t permit you to construct a free website


Limited showcasing apparatuses are available


No third-party apps or expansions are allowed


Pricing: The Individual arrange costs you $16 per month, the Trade arrange costs $23 per month, the Commerce Fundamental arrange costs you $28 per month, and the Commerce Progressed arrange begins from $52/ Month.




Here are a few of the best Squarespace options you don’t need to miss. Too, check out our step-by-step direct on exchanging from Squarespace to WordPress.




Get begun with Squarespace today!




8. Apparition: Best WordPress Alternative


The image shows the word "ghost" in black next to a stylized logo of lines and dots on a light gray background.

Ghost is a moderate blogging stage that makes it greatly simple to begin a web journal and distribute substance. It is planned to rearrange blogging for both person bloggers and online distributions. Fair like WordPress, Apparition is too accessible in both facilitated and self-hosted platforms.




Ghost is best suited for bloggers and distributions requiring consistent writing encounter so they can center only on making content.




Ghost might not be the right arrangement if you’re looking to construct an entry-level site with a constrained budget.




Pricing The essential arrange costs $9 per month.




Get begun with Phantom today!




9. Weebly: Best Drag and Drop Platform


The image shows the Weebly logo in blue lowercase letters with a white outline on a light gray background.

Weebly lets you rapidly construct a site the way you need with its easy-to-use drag and drop builder. You can include a web journal and indeed coordinated an eCommerce storefront onto your Weebly website.




Pros:




A free arrange is accessible that lets you begin a fundamental site on the Weebly.com subdomain


All plans come with free SSL


You can effortlessly begin and develop your e-mail list with Weebly Promote


Cons:




Exporting Weebly to another stage is difficult


Limited integration with third-party platforms


Limited built-in highlights to make a website


If you’re a Weebly client looking for a more adaptable stage, check out this direct on moving your site from Weebly to WordPress.




Pricing: The starter arrange is free. The essential Individual arrange costs $10 per month.




Get begun with Weebly today!




Check out the most recent Weebly audit here.




10. LiveJournal: Best Diary for Beginners


Blue pencil icon next to "LIVEJOURNAL" text on a white background, conveying a clean and minimalist design.

LiveJournal is a social arrange where WordPress scholars can keep a web journal or diary and interface with like-minded individuals. You might consider updating to a paid arrange if you require more strong highlights like surveys and picture transfers on your free LiveJournal blog.




Pros:




It’s a combination of blogging and social media apparatuses, making it the best blogging stage for writers


Besides blogging, clients can send and get private messages, connect communities, get to know other clients, and more


Available in numerous languages


Cons:




LiveJournal advertisements will be appeared on free blogs


Unlike other stages, you can’t discover proficient templates


Not suited for businesses or proficient blogging


Pricing: FREE




Get begun with LiveJournal today!




11. Typepad: Blogging Benefit by Continuance Group


Green TypePad logo with a leaf design on a white background.

TypePad is a blogging benefit claimed by Continuance Worldwide Gather. Not at all like other web journal stages, you’ll have to subscribe to a premium arrange in arrange to run a TypePad web journal. With TypePad, you get full control over substance monetization, boundless capacity, and individual support.




Unfortunately, TypePad is not tolerating unused signups. If you have an existing account, you can log in and proceed to utilize the platform.




Pros:




Thousands of formats are accessible to customize your blog’s design


Easy integration with Google Analytics


Built-in apparatuses for look and social discovery


Cons:




Since TypePad is a facilitated stage, it offers restricted customization


It’s a 100% blogging stage, meaning you won’t be able to include improved highlights like an eCommerce storefront with your TypePad blog


Pricing: TypePad is not tolerating modern signups. Plans as a rule begin from $8.95 per month.




Get begun with TypePad today!




12. Wix: Freemium Location / Web journal Builder


Wix.com logo with bold black text and an orange dot over the "i," set on a white background.

Wix is a drag and drop builder that permits you to make any sort of site, counting a web journal, trade site, eCommerce store, and more. You’re given hundreds of excellent formats to construct a Wix site with. You can coordinated a web journal into your site by means of the Web journal app. With the free arrange, you’ll be given 500 MB of capacity and 1 GB of transmission capacity. If you need to evacuate the Wix branding, include Google Analytics following, and utilize your claim space, at that point you’ll have to buy a premium plan.




Pros:




You can make a site the way you need with the drag and drop builder and hundreds of free templates


You get a mobile-optimized location that looks awesome on all devices


With a premium arrange, you can upgrade the functionalities of your site, such as eCommerce storefront integration


Cons:




Your site will show Wix-branded advertisements unless you update to a paid version


Wix is best suited for beginner-level clients to construct exceptionally essential websites, so you may get disappointed with impediments if you’re not a beginner


There are as it were a few third-party integrative available


Pricing: The starter arrange costs $4.50 per month, and the eCommerce arrange costs $17 per month.




Check out the most recent Wix survey here.




If you still require more data, check out this article on Wix vs. WordPress to compare some time recently you make your decision.




The Best Blogging Stages – Our Pick


If you’re genuine almost blogging, at that point we emphatically suggest you to utilize self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org). It comes with a total set of devices to get your web journal up and running.




You can effortlessly improve its highlights by introducing the right set of WordPress plugins on your blog.




WordPress.com and Blogger.com are the idealize blogging stage for consultants. With restricted assets, you can begin a web journal right absent and won’t get effectively distracted.




Tumblr is the best blogging stage for picture takers, specialists, and imaginative organizations. It has been a prevalent choice for youths to make a web journal and interface it with social networks.




We trust this article made a difference you discover the best blogging stage for fledglings. If you have any more questions, check out our FAQs below.




FAQs: Best Blogging Stages for Tenderfoots Compared


Which is the best free blogging stage to monetize?




Blogger.com permits you to monetize your location with Adsense since they are both Google items. But, you will require to meet the least prerequisites to be acknowledged in the Adsense program. You can moreover utilize WordPress.com as it too permits you to include a custom space title when you overhaul your arrange. Whereas the Fundamental arrange doesn’t permit coordinate monetization through Google AdSense, you can make cash through supported substance, member showcasing, offering your items, and more.




What is the best blogging stage for SEO?




WordPress.org stands out as the best blogging stage for SEO. It comes with a wide set of SEO instruments and plugins, such as Yoast SEO and All in One SEO, which permit you to optimize your substance for most extreme perceivability on look motor comes about pages. You can too customize your website’s metadata and make SEO-friendly URLs to advance upgrade your blog’s look motor optimization.




Which specialty is best for a blog?




You ought to check out specialties with high-ticket things like Tech, wellbeing, and way of life. But keep in mind any specialty can be high-performing with the right target gathering of people and catchphrase inquire about. You can moreover select a specialty that is not immersed and construct a community with individuals with comparable interests.




Can I include a custom space to a free blogging platform?




Absolutely! Numerous free blogging stages, such as WordPress.com and Blogger.com, permit you to include a custom space to your web journal. With WordPress.com, for case, you can effortlessly overhaul to a premium arrange that offers custom space integration. Additionally, Blogger.com permits you to utilize a custom space without any extra expenses, making your web journal show up more proficient and branded. So, if you’re looking to take your web journal to the another level with a custom space, rest guaranteed that numerous free blogging stages bolster this feature.




If you enjoyed this article, you might moreover appreciate How to Make a Site From Scratch (In 5 Simple Steps).




You can moreover check out these extra posts.




How to Customize a WordPress Site [Beginner’s Guide]


27 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Commerce Websites (Master Pick)


Best Free Websites and Assets to Learn WordPress (Fledglings & Developers)


The to begin with article educates you how to customize your WordPress location. The moment post records 27 must-have plugins for commerce websites. Whereas the final article examines the best assets to learn WordPress.

 
 
 

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