Blogging is getting immensely popular with every passing day. Some people prefer starting with a professional self-hosted WordPress blog, while others prefer using free blogging platforms.
As against most people think, selecting a good blogging platform is very critical if you want to reach the right audience. This is the reason I thought of writing this post to help people choose the best free blogging sites.
Is It Advisable To Use Free Blogging Sites?
I usually don't advice to go with a free blogging platforms if you are serious about blogging as a career. This is because most of the free blogging sites have their own set of limitations which makes them unsuitable for professional blogging.
However, free blogging sites are recommended in certain scenarios. So let us find out the pros and cons of each blogging sites.
Pros And Cons Of Free Blogging Sites
Below are the pros and cons of free blogging sites in general.
Pros Of Free Blogging Sites
Cons Of Free Blogging Sites
Do We Recommend Free Blogging Sites?
Free blogging sites have a lot of cons as compared to the pros. So, if you are planning to be a professional blogger, we DO NOT recommend free blogging platforms. This especially when you can start self-hosted WordPress blog for just $35.4 (Price including Hosting For 1 Year, Free Domain For 1 Year and Free Domain Privacy For 1 Year with Dreamhost
And if you don't mind paying higher amount upfront for cheaper plans, you can check out Hostinger that will cost you just $1.99/month when paid for 4 years. (Check our Hostinger Review and our exclusive Hostinger Coupon Code)
In fact, if you are a casual blogger, you can always get a free hosting from 000WebHost to host your blog. However, as I said this hosting is recommended only for casual bloggers as their web hosting plans are heavily restricted for a professional blog.
What Are The Best Free Blogging Sites In 2023?
Below is the list of best and free blogging sites in 2023
1. WordPress.com
WordPress.com is often confused with self-hosted WordPress.org. However as against WordPress.org which requires you to buy Hosting server and Domain name, WordPress.com is a free blogging platform. By registering with WordPress.com you get free hosting services along with a subdomain of the format example.wordpress.com.
WordPress.com is considered to be the Best Blogging platform among the free ones. This is mainly because of its ease to set up a blog. It hardly takes 5-10 minutes to get started on WordPress. It also offers a large number of high-quality themes which most other free blogging platforms lack.
Pros And Cons Of WordPress.com
Pros Of WordPress.com
Cons Of WordPress.com
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2. Strikingly
Strikingly is the new kid on the block having started operations as late as 2012. However, since then they have grown exponentially to become one of the most popular website builders.
As such, the idea of Strikingly is to create a simple single page website. Strikingly allows you to integrate your blog for free on this page. However, if you want to integrate blog at multiple places, you have to upgrade to their Pro plan.
Pros And Cons Of Strikingly
Pros Of Strikingly
Cons Of Strikingly
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3. Blogger
Blogger is the oldest Blogging site which comes from the house of Google. It was started way back in 1999 by Pyra labs and was acquired by Google in 2003. Since then it has emerged out to be one of the most popular blogging platform.
Pros And Cons Of Blogger
Pros Of Blogger
Cons Of Blogger
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4. Tumblr
Tumblr is another very popular blogging site owned by Automattic, the same company that owns WordPress.com. It is considered as the best blogging platform for Microblogging.
Though Tumblr does not have any word restrictions, most Tumblr bloggers keep their posts between 100-500 words which makes it an ideal option for Personal Blogging.
It can be considered a bridge between a conventional blog and Social Media Platform. I say so because, like Facebook and Twitter, at Tumblr you can share pictures and quotes, follow people and like their content. Tumblr's "Reblog" feature works very similar to "Retweet" feature of Twitter and you will find many people "Reblogging" your content which can often make your content go viral.
However, unlike social media, at Tumblr, you write and create original content which is more like blogging. One more feature that separates it from social media is the ability to have multiple authors for a blog.
Pros And Cons Of Tumblr
Pros Of Tumblr
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5. Medium
Medium is a blogging site founded by Twitter's co-founder Evan Williams. It was created with the intention of providing a platform for users which provides more than just 140 characters of Twitter.
Unlike Blogger or WordPress, Medium displays your blog posts on its home page with most recent and popular posts making it to the top. This makes sure your blog post gets a lot of exposure. Because of this reason, a lot of small businesses prefer using Medium as their blogging platform.
Pros And Cons Of Medium
Pros Of Medium
Cons Of Medium
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6. Weebly
Weebly is a more of a Drag and Drop website builder than a blogging platform. Nevertheless, it does allow you to create a blog along with some free blog themes. It offers free as well as premium services. Free services do come with Weebly branding and some usage restrictions.
Pros And Cons Of Weebly
Pros Of Weebly
Cons Of Weebly
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7. LinkedIn Pulse
LinkedIn is world's largest professional network. I am sure everyone knows about it. LinkedIn Pulse is not a full-fledged blogging site but it does allow you to share your articles with fellow LinkedIn users.
Since LinkedIn is a professional network, it is a great platform for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs who are into the B2B sector to get more exposure.
Pros And Cons Of LinkedIn
Pros Of LinkedIn
Cons Of LinkedIn
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8. LiveJournal
LiveJournal is one of the oldest blogging sites which was launched in the year 1999. Apart from the blogging feature, it does provide you updates and news from various Journals around the world.
LiveJournal allows you to blog anonymously. So if you want to stay anonymous, Livejournal is the option you can consider.
Pros And Cons Of LiveJournal
Pros Of LiveJournal
Cons Of LiveJournal
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9. Postach.io
If you are someone who uses Evernote extensively, Postachio can be a great blogging platform for you. Postachio allows you to turn your Evernote notebook into a blog by just tagging the post as "Published"
It is a freemium blogging site which offers limited functionalities with their free plan.
Pros And Cons Of Postachio
Pros Of Postachio
Cons Of Postachio
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Factors To Consider While Selecting A Free Blogging Platform
Since there are a number of different free blogging sites available, it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. Here are a few factors to consider while selecting a blogging platform:
1. Ease of Use
One of the most important factors to consider while choosing a blogging platform is how easy it is to use. If you're not comfortable with technology, you'll want to choose a platform that is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
2. Features
Another factor to consider is what features are offered by the platform. Some platforms offer more features than others, so be sure to choose one that offers the features you need.
3. Flexibility
The level of flexibility offered by the platform is also an important factor to consider. Some platforms offer more flexibility than others, so be sure to choose one that offers the level of flexibility you need.
4. Support
The level of support offered by the platform is also an important factor to consider. Some platforms offer more support than others, so be sure to choose one that offers the level of support you need.
5. Community
The size and activity of the community surrounding the platform are also important factors to consider. Choose a platform that has a large and active community so you can get help and feedback from other users.
6. Security
The security of the platform is also an important factor to consider. Be sure to choose a platform that offers the level of security you need.
7. Reliability
The reliability of the platform is also an important factor to consider. Some platforms are more reliable than others, so be sure to choose one that is reliable and has a good reputation.
8. Overall Satisfaction
The overall satisfaction with the platform is also an important factor to consider. Choose a platform that has a high satisfaction rating from users.
These are just a few factors to consider while choosing a blogging platform. Be sure to consider all of these factors before making a decision.
Final Words
Each of the free blogging sites has their own pros and cons. Most of them offer limited functionality with free plans. The paid version do offer some professional functionalities but they are costlier than hosting your own website on a quality server. Therefore, free blogging sites are never recommended for professional blogging.
I have made sure to include the best blogging platforms which are free to use. Do you know any good free blogging site which I might have skipped? If yes, then do share it with us through the comments below.
Found it very informative.
Hello Mr. Aquif Sir, thanks for sharing this, these sites are so important for me, Please keep continue. Thanks a lot
My pleasure Shehraz.
Thanks for sharing this important blog. When I saw and read your blog, I knew it was very useful to me. I got a lot of ideas from the 9 blog lists you gave.
Hey Aquif Shaikh,
Aadarsh this side. You have shared an an awesome post and best blogging platform for blogger to use. I really like & appreciate the way you have introduced each blogging platform. You have presented each blogging platform in a very nice way along with vital information and every necessary details that are true enough to understand.
I am aware of all your included platform but Postach.io is new for me, so kindly thanks for making me aware of it. Your all the blogging platform are great, offer helpful features and effective to use but according to me WordPress, Wix, Weebly and Blogger are best ones among the list. After reading this complete guide i got ideas and am sure that this post will definitely help lots of reader, people, bloggers and especially those who are looking for the best blogging platform to use.
Very useful and keep sharing more similar post.
Thanks,
-Aadarsh