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Blogging platforms make it easy for people to share their thoughts and ideas with the world, connect with others who share similar interests, and promote an open dialogue and exchange of ideas. These platforms can also be a useful tool for marketing and branding, as strong blogs can reach a large audience and build a loyal following.
Here are the best blogging platforms available today. Find the best solution for your needs and budget.
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Featured Partners
1
Bluehost
Price Per Month
From INR 165.53 ($1.99) onwards
Benefits
Free CDN, Domain and SSL for 1st year
Features
10 GB SSD Storage and 1 Website
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2
Hostinger
Price per month
INR 149 onwards
Features
Drag-and-Drop Editor, Free Domain and Unlimited Free SSL
Free trial
30 days
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Price per month
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Features
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The Best Blogging Platforms of 2024
- WordPress: Best for customization
- Wix: Best for drag and drop
- Weebly: Best for e-commerce blogging
- Drupal: Best for developers
- Squarespace: Best all-in-one platform
- CMS Hub: Best for marketers
- Medium: Best for Its built-in audience
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER
BEST FOR CUSTOMIZATION
WordPress
4.4
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Free Trial
N/A (Product is free)
Starting Price
Free
Mobile App
Yes
Free Trial
N/A (Product is free)
Starting Price
Free
Mobile App
Yes
Why We Picked It
WordPress is the best platform for bloggers who want to have complete control over their websites. It’s an open source platform you can use to create a website or blog for free using WordPress.org, or you can pay for a hosted WordPress.com site. If you want to make money as a traditional blogger, you must have a self-hosted WordPress.org site, as most brands won’t work with a blogger using a platform, such as Wix or Squarespace.
WordPress is also a very popular platform, so there are thousands of resources available online to help you set up and use your blog. With its endless customization options comes the requirement for some level of coding knowledge, or the ability to follow a technical tutorial. This is because WordPress operates on a codebase that you can manipulate to make your blog look and work the way you want.
If you’re not comfortable editing code or don’t have the time to learn, you can find a developer or designer on UpWork or Fiverr to help you out. Some web hosts provide WordPress help, depending on the plan level you pay for.
Who should use it:
WordPress is best for bloggers who want complete control over their website, want to customize it heavily and are comfortable using code.
Pros & Cons
- It’s free to use (although you must pay a web host for self-hosted sites)
- Highly customizable
- There are thousands of tutorials and resources for using WordPress
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Great for search engine optimization (SEO)
- Not the most beginner-friendly
- Some plugins and themes cost money
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER
BEST FOR DRAG AND DROP
Wix
4.3
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Free Trial
No, but offers a free plan
Starting Price
Free; INR 80 per month (paid annually)
Mobile App
Yes
Free Trial
No, but offers a free plan
Starting Price
Free; INR 80 per month (paid annually)
Mobile App
Yes
Why We Picked It
Wix is a great platform for bloggers who want a simple, easy-to-use platform with drag-and-drop functionality. It’s perfect for beginners, and you can create a website or blog for free with Wix.com. There are also many paid plans available if you want to add more features to your website. It also has a mobile app, so you can easily update your blog on the go.
Its free plan is pretty limited and isn’t well suited for blogging. For example, Wix ads show on every page as well as the favicon in your URL. You can’t have a custom domain, your storage is limited to 500 MB and you can’t have Google Analytics. For bloggers, consider investing in the Unlimited plan or higher.
With the Unlimited plan, pay INR 325 per month and get a custom domain (free for the first year), no Wix ads, a free SSL certificate and 24/7 customer support.
Who should use it:
Wix is best for bloggers who want a simple platform with drag-and-drop functionality and don’t need a lot of customization options.
Pros & Cons
- Industry-leading drag-and-drop editor
- Over 800 free templates available
- Zero coding required
- Free domain name with paid plans
- Free SSL certificate with paid plans
- Its free option isn’t ideal for professional bloggers
- Free plan has ads and you can’t set up Google Analytics
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER
BEST FOR E-COMMERCE BLOGGING
Weebly
4.3
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Free Trial
No, but offers a free plan
Starting Price
Free; Around INR 820 per month for Personal plan (paid annually)
Mobile App
Yes
On Weebly's Website
Free Trial
No, but offers a free plan
Starting Price
Free; Around INR 820 per month for Personal plan (paid annually)
Mobile App
Yes
Why We Picked It
Weebly is a great platform for bloggers who want to start an online store along with their blog. It’s powered by Square, is easy to use and has a mobile app. You can create a website or blog for free with Weebly.com, and there are also paid plans available.
For a custom domain, you must use a paid plan. However, all plans—even the free one—include e-commerce features such as a shopping cart, unlimited items, Quick Shop, inventory management, coupons and in-store pickup.
Who should use it:
Weebly is best for bloggers who want to start a blog alongside their e-commerce store.
Pros & Cons
- Its Free plan includes a free SSL certificate
- Sell online with any plan
- Its Professional and Performance plans include a free domain
- No phone support for the Free or Personal plans
- You’ll have Square ads on the Free and Personal plans
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER
BEST FOR DEVELOPERS
Drupal
4.3
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Free Trial
N/A
Starting Price
Free
Mobile App
No
Free Trial
N/A
Starting Price
Free
Mobile App
No
Why We Picked It
Drupal is a content management system that enables you to create and manage your website with endless possibilities; it’s a developer’s playground. It uses open source software, so it is free to download and use. Drupal is released under the GNU General Public License, which provides individuals and organizations with the freedom to modify and redistribute the software.
It is a community-driven project, and there is a thriving ecosystem of developers who contribute to the project. With modules, which are plugins that add new features or functionality to Drupal, you can do just about anything you want with your blog.
Who should use it:
Drupal is best for developers who want to create a custom blog or website, want complete control over the functionality and want to use open source software.
Pros & Cons
- Free, open-source software
- Clean interface
- Translate your blog into multiple languages seamlessly
- Steep learning curve
- No plug-and-play options—it’ll take time to get started
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BEST ALL-IN-ONE PLATFORM
Squarespace
4.0
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Free Trial
14 days
Starting Price
Around INR 1,313 per month (paid annually)
Mobile App
Yes
On Squarespace's Website
Free Trial
14 days
Starting Price
Around INR 1,313 per month (paid annually)
Mobile App
Yes
Why We Picked It
Squarespace is a website builder and hosting platform that allows users to create and edit websites. Users get a drag-and-drop interface, predesigned templates and 24/7 customer support. It’s known for its sleek designs and easy-to-use platform. Choose from a variety of templates and then customize the design with your own content.
Squarespace also offers e-commerce features, such as an integrated shopping cart, product pages and payment processing. In addition, Squarespace provides users with access to 24/7 customer support. It’s a great option for those looking for an easy-to-use website builder with robust features.
Who should use it:
Squarespace is best for users who want an easy-to-use platform with a wide range of features.
Pros & Cons
- Free 14-day trial
- Award-winning templates for free
- Easy-to-use site builder
- Annual plans include a free domain
- Unlimited bandwidth on all plans
- Built-in marketing tools
- Not the best for SEO
- Not as customizable as other options
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER
BEST FOR MARKETERS
CMS Hub
3.8
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Free Trial
14 days
Starting Price
Around INR 1,887 per month
Mobile App
No
Free Trial
14 days
Starting Price
Around INR 1,887 per month
Mobile App
No
Why We Picked It
CMS Hub is a content management system created by HubSpot. It helps businesses easily create, publish and manage their website content. CMS Hub includes a drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy to create and update web pages, as well as a variety of tools for managing website content.
It also offers integration with other HubSpot products, such as Sales Hub and Service Hub, which can help businesses streamline their sales and customer service processes. Plans start at around INR 1,887 per month and include additional features, such as dynamic themes, memberships and personalized pages for each visitor.
Who should use it:
CMS Hub is best for marketers because of its adaptive testing, where you can create up to five variations of a page before HubSpot will deliver the best-performing page.
Pros & Cons
- Advanced insights and analytics to help you optimize content
- HubSpot CRM integration
- Offers a free 14-day trial
- It’s more expensive than its competitors
- Not the most user-friendly
- No mobile app
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER
BEST FOR ITS BUILT-IN AUDIENCE
Medium
3.1
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Free Trial
N/A
Starting Price
Free
Mobile App
Yes
Free Trial
N/A
Starting Price
Free
Mobile App
Yes
Why We Picked It
Anyone can use Medium to share their stories and ideas with the world. Medium uses an algorithm to surface the most interesting and insightful content from a variety of sources and also allows readers to follow specific topics or writers that they’re interested in.
Medium also provides tools for writers to help them format their articles and get discovered by new readers. Articles on Medium can be any length, and can be published anonymously or with a byline. Medium has recently switched from a like-based payment model for writers to one that gives readers money based on total read time for articles.
Who should use it:
Medium is best for individuals or businesses who want to share their stories and ideas with a wider audience.
Pros & Cons
- It’s free
- Beginner-friendly
- Enormous database of readers
- Earn money directly on the platform
- You don’t keep the traffic and authority—Medium does
- There’s a lot of competition
Methodology
Forbes Advisor’s team of experts has rated and reviewed the best blogging platforms to help you choose the right one for your needs. To make our recommendations, we looked at 17 data points that include ease of use, costs, customer support, reviews, features and functionality.
We then assign each platform a score out of five in each category, with five being the highest. In addition, we also took into account the needs of different types of users such as bloggers, businesses and marketers. Here are some of the categories we used to rank the providers that made the top of the list.
Pricing
For pricing, we considered whether a blogging platform offered a free version or free trial. For those that charge fees, we looked at what the starting price was, what the range of prices was between the various tiers available and whether each higher tier offered valuable add-ons that benefit users. Pricing totaled 20% of our weighted scoring.
General Features
Features were broken down into two categories: general features and additional features. For general features, we were looking for factors that each platform should have and whether it was available automatically or as a paid add-on. These general features include multimedia support, drag-and-drop functionality, SEO tools, analytics and third-party integrations. We weighted general features at 25% of our total score.
Additional Features
Then we looked for features that we considered to be more unique offerings in the field. Again, we used the same criteria, meaning whether the feature was included automatically with the platform or whether it was necessary to purchase it for an additional price. These unique features included offering free domain names and ecommerce functionality. Additional features accounted for 20% of the total score.
Third-party reviews
We turned to popular third-party review websites, including G2, Capterra and Trustpilot, to find out what real users of these blogging platforms thought about them. To score these, we looked for reviews on each site that scored at least 3.5 out of 5 points and rated the companies on how many reviews were left in that range for each blogging platform. These customer reviews accounted for 5% of the total score.
Expert analysis
Using all of the market research and the categories listed above, we also ranked additional criteria from customer reviews, such as popularity, value for the money, ease of use and stand-out features. This final section accounted for 30% of the total score.
Featured Partners
1
Bluehost
Price Per Month
From INR 165.53 ($1.99) onwards
Benefits
Free CDN, Domain and SSL for 1st year
Features
10 GB SSD Storage and 1 Website
On Bluehost’s secure website
2
Hostinger
Price per month
INR 149 onwards
Features
Drag-and-Drop Editor, Free Domain and Unlimited Free SSL
Free trial
30 days
On Hostinger’s secure Website
3
HostGator
Price per month
INR 219 ($2.64) per month
Benefits
Free domain and SSL for 1st year
Features
10GB SSD Storage and Basic email included
On HostGator’s secure website
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Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
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