Kevin Espiritu launched his Epic Gardening blog more than a decade ago. Initially, he monetized the blog through affiliate and brand deals, but when he realized he could tap directly into the audience he built, he launched an ecommerce shop to sell seeds, gardening kits, and raised beds.
Stories like Kevin’s show why it’s important to pick the right blogging platform. While you should aim for a user-friendly blogging platform, you should also consider whether it can grow with you as your audience grows and you potentially expand into different areas.
There is a wide range of online blog software solutions, and they all offer different features. Here are eight platforms that can help novice and experienced bloggers start and run blogs that support their goals, plus overviews of features and pricing to help you choose the best blogging platform for your business.
Top blogging platforms
Shopify
ALT: Screenshot of Shopify admin showing how to add a blog post.
Shopify is an all-in-one website builder that helps ecommerce business owners design and launch attractive, functional online stores. All Shopify plans include hosting services and come with built-in blogging tools and advanced sales and marketing features.
Unlike other blogging platforms, Shopify is specifically for ecommerce, making it a great blogging platform for online store owners.
Who it’s for
Entrepreneurs and ecommerce business owners
Features
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Hosting included
- Free subdomains
- Custom domain names available
- User-friendly interface
- More than 100 free and premium templates
- Advanced ecommerce functionality
- Mobile-friendly display
- Advanced customization options
- SEO tools
- G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.4
Plans and pricing
Shopify offers a wide range of plans to support businesses of all sizes:
- Starter: $5 per month
- Basic: $29 per month
- Grow: $79 per month
- Advanced: $299 per month
Start your Shopify free trial, no credit card required. Get three days free, then the first three months for $1 per month.
Ghost
Ghost offers a few ways to connect with your audience. After you launch your blog, you can offer paid subscriptions. You can also send posts to your audience via newsletters. You don’t need extra plug-ins for SEO tools or newsletter functionality, or to offer memberships.
It features a minimalist user interface, making it easy to use, but because it’s open source, it is highly customizable.
Who it’s for
Writers
Features
- Analytics
- Built-in SEO, social, and newsletter
- Tailor-made for journalists and publishers
- Open source
- Can monetize through paid subscriptions
- A minimal, distraction-free interface
- G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.1
Plans and pricing
- Starter: $18 per month
- Publisher: $35 per month
- Business: $239 per month
Tumblr
Tumblr is a social networking platform that supports blogging features. While you can share blogs of all lengths, short posts (or microblogs) are better suited for the visual platform. It’s a popular site for sharing niche content, fan fiction, photography, GIFs, and memes.
When it comes to domain names, you have a few options: You can purchase a unique domain name, opt for a free subdomain, or add your own custom domain purchased from a third-party provider. While Tumblr doesn’t have ecommerce functionalities, you can still monetize your blog through affiliate marketing and by running ads.
Who’s it for
Individuals and visual artists
Features
- Free tumblr.com subdomain
- Custom domain names available for a fee
- Social sharing functions
- Supports multimedia
- More than 1,000 free and premium themes
- Mobile friendly
- Monetization options
- Built-in audience
Plans and pricing
- Free
- Tumblr Premium: $6.99 per month
WordPress
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) and web hosting provider. A WordPress blog is free, but web hosting and custom domain names aren’t offered with the free plan.
Instead, you can purchase web hosting from WordPress or integrate the platform’s free blogging software with a third-party hosting provider like Bluehost or Hostinger. WordPress is also highly customizable and offers thousands of plug-ins and integrations, making it easy to connect a WordPress site to your other marketing tools, such as social media platforms.
Who’s it for
Writers and small business owners
Features
- Free subdomains
- Custom domain names available
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Customizable
- Thousands of free and paid themes
- More than 65,000 integrations and plug-ins
- Integrates with Google Analytics
- Includes SEO tools
- G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.4
Plans and pricing
- Free
- Personal: $8 per month
- Premium: $18 per month
- Business: $40 per month
- Commerce: $70 per month
Blogger
Blogger is Google’s free blogging platform. It’s easy to use and integrates with Google’s full suite of products—including Google AdSense, which you can use to monetize your professional or personal blog by hosting ads on your site.
Blogger offers fairly limited features compared to other platforms, and you can’t install plug-ins, meaning you may need to switch platforms as your blog grows.
Who’s it for
Individuals and hobbyists
Features
- Automatic Google indexing
- Free subdomains
- User-friendly interface
- Integrates with Google Workplace
- Customizable templates
- Monetization options
Plans and pricing
-
Free
Squarespace
Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder designed to help individuals build personal and business websites. It can also support ecommerce, although ecommerce functions are available only on more expensive plans and aren’t as advanced as some competitors’ offerings.
Squarespace blogs come with built-in analytics, but integrations with third-party tools are only offered through the site’s limited library of extensions.
Who’s it for
Creatives, small businesses
Features
- Free domain name with annual plan
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Web hosting included
- User-friendly interface
- Integrates with Google Workspace
- Mobile-optimized templates
- More than 140 customizable templates
- Some plans support ecommerce
- G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.4
Plans and pricing
- Basic: $25 per month
- Core: $36 per month
- Plus: $56 per month
- Advanced: $139 per month
Medium
Medium is a digital publishing platform with an audience of more than 100 million readers and built-in social sharing and discovery tools, making for an easy way to start blogging and building your readership. It also offers monetization opportunities through the Medium Partner Program, which pays creators when Medium members read their content.
Who’s it for
Writers
Features
- Free subdomains
- Ability to connect a custom domain name
- Internal recommendation engine
- Easy to use
- Built-in audience
- Monetization opportunities
Plans and pricing
- Free
- Medium Member: $5 per month
- Friend of Medium: $15 per month
Wix
Wix is an all-in-one website builder that includes built-in blogging tools. Wix offers both free and paid plans. Unlike many free platforms, it also offers no-cost hosting to users willing to display ads on their blogs, which can limit your ability to monetize your blog.
Although Wix offers a drag-and-drop editor, advanced customizations require more web development experience than on some other platforms.
Who’s it for
Freelancers and businesses
Features
- Free subdomain
- Custom domain offered with paid plans
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Free web hosting
- More than 800 templates offered
- Ecommerce functionality available with paid plans
- SEO tools offered
- G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.2
Plans and pricing
- Free
- Light: $17 per month
- Core: $29 per month
- Business: $39 per month
- Business Elite: $159 per month
Tips for choosing a blogging platform
- Opt for a user-friendly interface
- Consider how you want your blog to look
- Keep SEO features top of mind
- Evaluate integrations
- Weigh costs
There are many ways to start a blog and just as many blogging tools to consider. The right blogging platform depends on your goals, specific needs, and level of familiarity with web development skills. Here are five factors to keep in mind as you start your blogging journey:
1. Opt for a user-friendly interface
Selecting a blogging platform with a user-friendly interface (such as an intuitive dashboard where the learning curve isn’t too steep) can support your blogging efforts. Instead of spending time wrestling with a clunky system that has too many options or doesn’t load quickly, you can focus efforts on creating high-quality content for your audience.
Many blogging platforms offer free trials that let you experiment with the interface and test its ease of use before purchasing a subscription.
2. Consider how you want your blog to look
Blogging platforms allow different levels of customization, ranging from being able to change colors and fonts to letting you create something from scratch through coding, so consider how you want your blog posts to look. Identify customizations that are important for your strategy, such as the ability to apply unique branding, control formatting, or determine the order in which posts appear.
3. Keep SEO features top of mind
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to helping a blog appear higher in search engine rankings. Many platforms include SEO tools designed to help you increase search engine visibility. For example, through the Shopify App Store, you can connect to SEO tools like Yoast SEO or Avada SEO Image Optimizer.
When evaluating a blog platform for SEO potential, consider what tools support the SEO process and your intended goals. For example, if you need help with meta tags, you might choose a platform that has an AI tool to help you create these short snippets.
4. Evaluate integrations
Many of the best blogging platforms offer integrations that let you connect your blog with third-party tools. The benefit of using integrations is that you don’t have to sign in to different platforms to use them and you can manage them from one place.
Look for a platform that integrates with your other marketing tools, including your CMS (if you already have one), email service provider, social media accounts, and marketing analytics system. If you have yet to choose these tools, consider blogging platforms that have some of these features (such as analytics) built in.
5. Weigh costs
Evaluate your budget and compare platform costs, keeping in mind that many free blogging platforms don’t offer custom domain names or require all content to live within the publisher’s content ecosystem, limiting SEO benefits to your online store.
Yearly subscriptions are often a more cost-effective option, with plans being cheaper than monthly subscriptions. Another thing to consider is that some blogging platforms offer other tools, like email, at a discounted price for a limited time.
Best blogging platforms FAQ
Which blogging platform is best for beginners?
Beginners can benefit from using blogging platforms (like Blogger or Medium) or website builders (like Shopify and Squarespace). Ecommerce-first platforms like Shopify can be particularly effective tools for online business owners who want blog functionality on their sites.
What site do most bloggers use?
WordPress is the most popular blogging platform on the web. Millions of bloggers also use Tumblr, Medium, Shopify, and Wix to publish content.
Which blogging platform is best for blogging?
The best blogging platform for you depends on your goals, budget, and level of technical web development experience. Shopify, WordPress, and Squarespace are all popular and reliable blogging platforms.
Can you use Shopify for blogging?
Yes. Shopify’s built-in blogging tools and advanced ecommerce features make it a go-to blogging platform for online business owners.
Which blogging platform pays the most?
The blogging platform that pays the most depends on several factors, such as the monetization method and number of readers. If you’re aiming to find the best-paying platform, look for a platform that offers more flexibility, such as the ability to run ads, join a creator program, or set up an ecommerce store.
