Blogging platforms allow you to customize your blog experience and functionality based on your expertise level and long-term goals.
We have assessed blog sites in this guide by considering their ease of use, potential costs and fees, levels of customization, additional features, and customer support. Our chosen options for the top free blogging platforms of 2023 include WordPress.org, Wix, Weebly, Drupal, Craft CMS, Write.as, and Medium.
Best free blogging platforms
1. Wix
Creating a Wix blogging site is a simple process as Wix’s free plan provides web hosting, 500MB of storage and bandwidth, as well as an assigned URL (accountname.wixsite.com/siteaddress).
You have the option to select from more than 800 website templates and utilize its “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) editor to construct a personalized site or respond to some inquiries and have Wix generate the site for you. It is probable that you will need to make additional adjustments to the automated site in order to meet your requirements and preferences, but Wix’s automated websites serve as a great foundation for swiftly creating an appealing blog.
Just like most free plans, there are certain restrictions that are highly likely to prompt you to upgrade at the earliest opportunity. Each webpage on Wix displays ads.
You cannot add a custom domain or sell items on the free site, but you can create a fully functioning blogging website using the free plan and later upgrade to a premium plan.
The most cost-effective plan offered is the Combo plan which costs $16 each month and includes 2GB of storage, a free custom domain for one year, an SSL certificate, and round-the-clock support.
The best-value Pro plan, which is reported to be $27 per month, includes all the features of the Combo plan along with additional benefits such as a logo, social media logo files, ad vouchers, 50GB of storage space, and visitor analytics for post performance. The Business and e-commerce plans range from $27 to $59 per month.
2. Weebly
The free plan of Weebly provides a WYSIWYG editor for building a free blog. Available design options consist of custom fonts, parallax and reveal animation effects, an image editor, video backgrounds, and the ability to customize designs using HTML/CSS and JavaScript (JS).
Additionally, the plan includes various features such as an SSL certificate to ensure website security, a shopping cart, unlimited e-commerce items, inventory management capabilities, a tax calculator, SEO tools, lead capture tools, as well as chat and email support.
Weebly’s free plan provides a restricted storage capacity of 500MB. Additionally, you are required to utilize a Weebly-branded subdomain rather than a personalized domain that aligns with your brand. To employ a custom domain, an upgrade to a premium plan is necessary.
Additionally, there is no phone support available for any issues encountered during the process of building or managing your blog. Square ads will also be displayed on your blog pages unless you choose to upgrade to the Professional or Performance premium plan.
Weebly’s free plan provides a way to start your blog, but its premium plans will undoubtedly provide additional features to enhance your blog. Beginning with the reasonably priced personal plan, which costs $10 per month (when billed annually), you can link a custom domain to your blog.
The Professional plan, which costs $12 per month when billed annually, also provides blog-friendly features such as unlimited storage, analytics, a free domain, an ad-free blogging experience, and phone support.
3. WordPress.org
WordPress.org is a type of software that is open-source, which means that you have the ability to utilize it for constructing your blog without any charge. When compared to other open-source alternatives, WordPress.org provides a variety of features through plugins and themes, making the process of creating your blog comparatively simpler.
Users have access to more than 55,000 plugins, of which many are free, including drag-and-drop builders. By utilizing these drag-and-drop builders alongside free templates, it is simple to craft a personalized blog site.
WordPress.org, being open-source software, does not include website hosting or a domain. Therefore, you will need to purchase these separately from other sources and link them to your WordPress account. Nevertheless, numerous hosting services provide a complimentary domain when you opt for their premium packages.
For instance, GoDaddy provides WordPress hosting at a starting price of $8.99 per month, including a free domain. The customer support of hosting providers is usually available to assist users in adding hosting and a domain to their WordPress account.
4. Blogger
Blogger, provided by Google, the creators of a famous search engine, is a free blogging platform. You have the option to create a free blog using the .blogspot.com subdomain (such as yourblog.blogspot.com), or you can obtain your own domain name and utilize it with Blogger at no cost.
In general, it is a good option for simple blogs; nonetheless, it occasionally appears old-fashioned and other blogging platforms provide more contemporary features and interfaces.
5. WordPress (Self-Hosted)
Among the best free blogging sites, our top preference is Self-Hosted WordPress. This open-source blog platform is entirely free to use and is currently employed by 43% of all websites on the internet.
To use WordPress, you will need to have a paid web hosting plan and obtain a domain name (i.e., self-hosting). Although there are free WordPress hosting options available, it is recommended to choose a reliable WordPress host by paying a reasonable cost for a better long-term solution.
We highly recommend Bluehost as a cost-effective and dependable web hosting option. We have been utilizing their services for an extended period and are extremely pleased with their offerings.
If you choose their least expensive plan, which costs around $2.95 per month, you will receive numerous amazing features. These include a complimentary SSL certificate, a complimentary domain name, and a complimentary CDN. Additionally, their exceptional 24/7 technical support is available to assist you with any issues you may encounter.
In addition, this hosting company is among the three officially recommended by WordPress (the other two being DreamHost and SiteGround). Additionally, it offers an effortless 1-click installation process for setting up WordPress, which serves as the free software supporting your blog unnoticed.
Side notes
Since 2021, we have been successfully making money through blogs, which is considered one of the top methods to earn online in this digital era.
Generally speaking, there are two types of blogs: free blogs and self-hosted blogs (also known as premium), which require payment. Each type has its own set of pros and cons.
