10 Best Blogging Platforms for Beginners in 2024 (Pros & Cons)

Starting a blog and wondering which blogging platform is best for beginners? It might be difficult to decide since so many different options are available.

We’ve tried and tested some of these best blogging platforms for beginners, which we’ll go over in this article to help you decide the best one for you.

If You’re In A Rush

This article will go into great detail to ensure that you have all of the information you need to decide which blog platform is best for your needs.

But if you don’t have time to read it all, here are our top recommendations for the best blogging platforms:

• WordPress.org: The overall best blog platform for beginners and experienced bloggers, thanks to complete flexibility and ownership.
• Blogger: The best free blog platform if you want to start a blog for free.
• Medium: The best blogging platform for writers with a built-in audience.

How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform?

Here are a few factors to consider before choosing a blogging platform:

• Is the platform easy to use?
• Does it allow for the adjustments you’re looking for?
• Will it allow you to build the design you have in mind?
• Does it provide the necessary features to help you achieve your goals?
• Can it fulfill your needs as you grow?
• Is it in your budget?

With all that in mind, let’s explore the best blogging platforms for beginners.

Top 10 Blogging Platforms for Beginners

Below are the best blog platforms for beginners:

1. WordPress.org

WordPress.org is the most popularly used blogging platform on the internet. WordPress was founded in 2003 and today runs over 43% of all websites on the internet.

It’s an open-source platform that you can use to create a website or blog for free using WordPress.org.

Further, it is also highly customizable, fast, and good for SEO (search engine optimization).

It’s a self-hosted blog platform, which means you’ll have to sign up for a WordPress hosting account.

Overall, WordPress is an excellent choice if you need complete control over the future of your site.

Pros:

• It’s easy to set up.
• You have total control over customizing the elements of your website using various design options.
• You may expand your blog by adding features such as forums, online stores, paid memberships, and the ability to sell online courses. As a result, WordPress is the best free blogging platform for making money.
• Thousands of free and premium WordPress themes are available to help you establish a great blog without the help of a designer.
• You have access to over 59,500+ free WordPress plugins as well. These plugins function as applications for your WordPress site, allowing you to add features such as contact forms, galleries, and more. See our list of essential WordPress plugins for all websites.
• WordPress.org is completely optimized for search engines. This makes it simple to rank your blog post in Google using search engine optimization (SEO), mainly if you use some best WordPress SEO plugins.
• In WordPress, you can easily add Google Analytics so that you can view the data that matters. This will help you in increasing your new blog’s traffic and subscribers.
• WordPress drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to create any content on your blog site.

Cons:

• Basic customization is simple, but there may be a learning curve if you want to make more complicated adjustments.
• It is self-hosted, which means you will need to take responsibility for hosting and any technical issues that may arise.
• You will have to manage your backups and security.

Pricing:

WordPress software is free, but you will need web hosting and a domain name to start a WordPress blog.

The average cost of a domain to start a blog ranges from $10 to $20 per year, and web hosting is around $5-10 per month. That a huge when you are just starting out.

If you are on a tight budget, you can use Bluehost or Hostinger as your hostinger provider, which starts from $2.95/mo and $2.99/mo, respectively. They also offer free domain, free SSL, one-click WordPress installation, and more.

Check out our list of the best cheap WordPress hosting.

2. Web.com

Web.com is the most user-friendly website builder for easily creating a blog on a budget. It’s also one of the first and most popular blog platforms, with over 3 million happy users since 1999.

Web.com has many ready-made blog website templates to help you get started quickly. Plus, you can easily customize the templates by pointing and clicking. You may also quickly add elements like contact forms, photo galleries, videos, social media links, and more.

Furthermore, the look and feel of Web.com’s blog writing tool are similar to WordPress’s. This might be due to the WordPress hosting options provided by Web.com. There aren’t many editing tools, but this isn’t a problem. The goal of Web.com is to make it simple to write and publish blog content.

Pros:

• A drag-and-drop website builder that is simple to use.
• Simple to set up and manage.
• Offer dozens of fully customizable templates for your blog.
• Free domain name for all paid plans.
• AI copywriting tool for website copy.
• 24/7 customer support.

Cons:

• The blogging feature is limited in comparison to other platforms, such as WordPress.org.
• Web.com is a proprietary website builder. Moving your blog to another platform in the future will be difficult.

Pricing:

Web.com pricing starts at $4.95/mo (first year) and includes a drag-and-drop site builder, blogging platform, 150+ beautiful templates, free domain, etc.

3. Wix

Wix.com is a popular website builder with blogging features. It’s perfect for beginners, and you can create a website or blog for free with Wix.com.

When you sign up for Wix, the setup process is simple, and the Wix dashboard is easy to use, so you can start publishing blog posts right away. Wix uses a post structure similar to WordPress, in which posts are divided into categories for easy structure.

In addition, if you’re thinking about moving platforms, Wix allows you to import WordPress posts from another site. Additionally, if you don’t have the time or desire to create a layout yourself, you can use a pre-made blog post template for your posts. The site builder is a simple site builder with a drag-and-drop interface. When you choose a template, you may have your blog up and running in under an hour.

Pros:

• Setting up your website is quick and easy.
• Create your site with simple drag-and-drop tools; no coding is required.
• Built-in tools for SEO, analytics, social media, and marketing.
• Hundreds of templates and third-party tools are available to help you customize your site.
• You will have a mobile-optimized website that will look amazing on all devices.

Cons:

• Wix’s free version is limited and displays Wix’s logo.
• There are just a few third-party apps that are available for free.
• You can’t edit a template after you’ve selected it.

See our comparison of WordPress vs. Wix for more pros and cons of Wix.

Pricing:

Wix is completely free, and after you sign up, you’ll be given a sub-domain URL like www.yourdomain.wix.com.

You may, however, add a custom domain for $4.50 per month. Their premium plans generally cost from $8.50 to $24.50 per month.

4. HubSpot CMS

HubSpot CMS Hub is a complete blogging platform for small, medium, and large businesses.

It’s built on top of HubSpot’s marketing and CRM tools, so you can create a website, get more subscribers, send newsletters, manage your customer list, and more, all from a single platform.

Their website builder allows you to change your website’s style easily, and you can even customize the content that visitors view depending on their previous actions.

Pros:

• It’s user-friendly, and you can create a blog using drag-and-drop features.
• You may quickly customize your blog based on the information and behaviors of your visitors.
• HubSpot includes built-in email marketing and newsletter features.
• Fully optimized for SEO and conversions.
• It includes a free SSL certificate.

Cons:

• The cost is higher than that of other less robust blogging platforms.
• HubSpot CMS Hub doesn’t have any eCommerce features, which is something to think about if you want to add a store to your blog in the future.

Pricing:

The HubSpot CMS plan starts at $23 per month and includes all of the essential features for maintaining a secure, well-designed blog, as well as the marketing tools you’ll need to grow it.

You’ll upgrade to the higher tiers for custom SEO recommendations and advanced features.

5. WordPress.com

WordPress.com is the most user-friendly free blogging platform for beginners. It comes from Automattic, a firm founded by Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress.org.

For beginners, WordPress.com has a few advantages. First and foremost, it is one of the best free WordPress hosting services available. Plus, you can select your own theme, install plugins, customize the design, and add users. However, these features are much more limited than WordPress.org. There is no setup, it is free for a basic account, and you can start writing your first blog post within minutes of signing up.

The free options are limited in what you can do and add, but for a monthly fee starting at around $4/mo (billed annually), you get a free domain, free SSL, and remove the WP.com advertising.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and use.
• The basic plan is free.
• Built-in features from Jetpack (security, site stats, and more).
• Display ads and earn with the WordAds program.

Cons:

• You have very few options with WordPress.com. You won’t customize your site using custom WordPress plugins and themes.
• WordPress.com does not accept advertisements. Instead, they’ll put their advertisements on your site.
• You do not own your blog, and WordPress.com can suspend your account if you do not follow its terms of service.

Pricing:

You can start a blog for free with a WordPress.com free account. However, this includes ads and subdomains. The premium plan starts from $4/mo (billed annually).

6. Ghost

Ghost began as a blogging platform but has developed in recent years. It promotes itself as a service for creators rather than simply bloggers. You may use the Ghost dashboard to publish content, send newsletters, provide paid subscriptions, create popups and opt-ins, and more.

When it comes to blogging, Ghost makes things simple. The UI is similar to WordPress’s Gutenberg, except there aren’t nearly as many options. You do have some content options, like images, dividers, HTML, and some other common content types.

In addition, Ghost’s membership management system makes it simple to handle both paid and free memberships.

Pros:

• Easy to use, even for beginners.
• Markdown or HTML to write your posts.
• Built-in integration for third-party tools.
• Ghost is open-source software.

Cons:

• As a self-hosted solution, you are limited to customization options.
• There are very few themes available without hand-coding your own.
• A limited selection of plugins compared to some other blog platforms like WordPress.

Pricing:

You can use Ghost’s 14-day free trial before purchasing its premium plan, which starts from $9/mo (billed annually).

7. Blogger

Blogger has been there since the beginning, and it is also one of the best free platforms for blogging.

Because of the limitations of plugins and themes, some users move from Blogger to WordPress to get more features and control over their websites.

Blogger integrated with Google Adsense to allow you to monetize your blogs. It is simple to activate using their dashboard.

You only need a Google account to start a free blog on Blogger.

Pros:

• Blogger is 100% free.
• Easy to use templates.
• Monetize by integrating with Google AdSense.
• Built-in analytics to see blog traffic.
• Store your media files with Google.

Cons:

• You can only use limited blogging tools, and you can’t add additional features as your blog increases in popularity.
• There are no plugins available to improve your blog’s functionality.
• You won’t be able to add an online store.
• Blogger does not receive regular upgrades or new features.
• Google has the power to suspend or even delete your blog at any moment.

See our comparison of WordPress vs. Blogger for more pros and cons of Blogger.

Pricing:

Blogger is entirely free if you use a Blogger subdomain such as https://example.blogspot.com. If you need to use a custom domain, you must purchase it from a third-party domain registrar.

8. Weebly

Weebly is a simple but powerful website builder that includes a blog setup option using an intuitive drag-and-drop editor.

It was bought by Square, a mobile payment company, in 2018. This shift shows their main focus is on websites, particularly eCommerce and small business websites. However, the platform offers blogging services, which anyone may try for free.

Weebly allows you total control over how you design your blog by providing stunning themes with builder features. There’s also a free built-in hosting service that ensures your website loads quickly. Overall, the Weebly platform provides the necessary tools, which may be combined with powerful features to create a blog in minutes.

Pros:

• Fully hosted website and blogging platform.
• A free plan to get started.
• All plans come with free SSL.
• SEO tools to rank your website.
• Integrates well with the Square payment platform.
• A little setup is required to get started.

Cons:

• Weebly branding in the free plan.
• Limited integration with third-party platforms.
• Not as flexible as WordPress.
• Exporting Weebly to another platform is difficult.

For more details, see our Weebly vs WordPress comparison.

Pricing:

Weebly is free for basic use; however, you will be limited to a Weebly-branded subdomain.

Paid plans that allow you to connect a custom domain starting at $10 per month (billed annually).

9. Medium

Medium is the best blog platform for writers. It allows you to write about whatever you are passionate about without worrying about coding, design, domain, or other challenges.

You can also use it as an additional channel to promote your blog. For example, you can repurpose content from your existing blog post created on other blogging platforms such as WordPress and post it on Medium. That is how most professional bloggers use it.

In addition, you can join the Medium Partner Programme to monetize your blog post while sharing your ideas and thoughts with the rest of the world.

Pros:

• Free and easy to join and use.
• It’s a content-first platform, so you can write while they take care of the design.
• With the Medium Partner Program, you may earn money.
• Powerful reporting tools to know your audience better.

Cons:

• Very limited in power and scope.
• It is not allowed to use a custom domain name.
• Medium has full control over the audience. It means that if you lose your blog, you’ll lose your readers.
• You can’t make money by running your advertising.

Pricing:

Medium is free to use.

10. Squarespace

Squarespace is an easy-to-use website-building platform with a drag-and-drop interface. It allows you to create beautiful websites and personal blogs without knowing how to code.

Squarespace focuses on small business owners who want a quick and easy solution to establish an online presence. It was founded in 2003 and now powers millions of websites worldwide.

Pros:

• It is simple and easy to use for non-technical users.
• Provides some beautiful and professionally created templates to ensure that your website looks great without a lot of effort.
• It provides domain names with SSL/HTTPs and eCommerce shops individually.

Cons:

• Only a few tools and services provide integrations.
• The user is limited to using the features available on a proprietary platform.

Pricing:

Squarespace has different prices for websites and online stores.

Monthly prices for personal websites start at $16. If you pay annually, the price each month is only $12. Pricing for the Business plan starts at $26 per month, or $18 per month billed annually.

Pricing for online stores begins at $26 per month.

Choosing the Best Blog Platforms as a Beginner

As a beginner, choosing the best platform for blogging is important as it can literally make or break the success of your blog.

If you’re still not sure which option is right for you, here’s a reminder of our top three recommendations:

• Choose WordPress.org if you want the best all-around option and complete control.
• Go with Blogger if you want to start a blog for free.
• Choose Medium if you want a built-in audience for your blog.

We hope you found this helpful. Good luck!

For more, check out these other helpful resources:

• Best Ways to Make Money With WordPress Blog
• 23 Proven Ways to Increase Your Blog Traffic for Free
• Best Website Builder for Small Business
• 10 Best CMS Platforms For New Websites

Lastly, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on the latest WordPress and blogging-related articles.