15 Best Blog Platforms to Start Your Blogging Journey – One of the most important and main things to create a personal or professional blog besides finding the best hosting, domain, and TLD is to determine blogging platforms.
15 Best Blog Platforms to Start Your Blogging Journey 2024
You have to be careful when choosing a blogging platform because not all of them are the same. The platform you choose must have the features needed to create online your blog.
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There are many blogging platforms you can use to start a blog, which will allow even your first blog post to be read by visitors in a matter of hours. Typically, these platforms fall into the category of Content Management Systems (CMS), which are created to help you publish content on the web.
Considerations When Choosing a Blog Platform 2023
Before making your choice, there are several things you should consider. Make sure the best blogging platform you choose has the following features:
- Built-in text edit option. Almost all blogs are completely about the text. So, it is very important that the blogging platform you choose provides a number of formatting options.
- Comments feature. One of the best ways to develop and increase the popularity of your blog is to provide a comment section. For this reason, your blogging platform should offer convenience in managing comments written by readers.
- Customizable. These days, many CMSs make it easy for you to change the look and functionality of your site using add-ons. This feature is important even for a simple blog because you can add some new features at any time.
- Scalability. Ideally, you should choose a blogging platform that can handle a lot of content without experiencing performance issues. Thus, your blog can grow and achieve a high amount of traffic.
- Ease of use. Creating a blog isn’t always difficult, and you don’t have to have knowledge or experience as a developer to put a blog online. The best blogging platform should make it easy for you to set up and manage it.
There are still other features that you should look for and know if you want to get the best blogging platform according to your wants and needs. In addition, there are also more and more blog CMS choices. That’s why, in this article, we have summarized the 9 best blogging platforms that can be your reference.
15 Best Blogging Platforms in 2023
Before we dive any further, it is important for you to know that the nine blogging platforms below are ‘self-hosted’ CMS. Even though it’s free, to install and activate it, you need hosting, for example, shared hosting or CMS hosting.
Here are the best blogging platforms to start a blog:
#1. WordPress
Have you ever visited our blog? From there you can conclude that we are loyal WordPress users. This CMS accommodates more than 30% of websites, and this is one of its strengths. However, this does not necessarily make WordPress the best blogging platform for you. Of course, all of this returns to your needs and desires and also the website.
Ease of use and availability of various features are two things that set WordPress apart from other blog CMS. Most of today’s providers make it easy for you to install WordPress in just a few clicks. After that, you can search for and install suitable themes and plugins to make your website rich in features:
In addition to a number of add-ons, WordPress also has a large community. So, if you encounter a platform-related problem, the solution can easily be found in various tutorials, articles, and even online forums. In short, WordPress is the safest choice if you want to develop your website to the fullest. WordPress is also the best solution if this is your first time creating a blog and getting in touch with the world of hosting.
Excess:
- Most hosting providers offer hosting packages for WordPress-based websites.
- You have access to thousands of add-ons in the form of themes and plugins (all of which you can get for free or for a fee).
- It has a simple learning curve so it’s easy for you to find a solution when you encounter an error.
- Apart from blogs, WordPress can also be used to create any type of website.
Lack:
- Changing the appearance of your blog will be difficult if you don’t install a page builder plugin, especially if this is your first time getting to know WordPress.
- There are lots of themes and plugins that aren’t that great and you should avoid them.
#2. Joomla!
Talking about the best CMS, Joomla! worthy of being juxtaposed with WordPress. The two platforms have a lot in common. For example, Joomla! and WordPress is an open-source and feature-rich platform.
However, there are some unique features of Joomla! that WordPress doesn’t have. When compared to WordPress, Joomla! provides a variety of settings that you can take advantage of. You can see the settings in the example dashboard below:
Even though the settings vary, on the other hand, it can also mean that Joomla’s learning curve is more difficult. Though, on the one hand, Joomla! makes it easier for you to manage and develop your website. Based on our experience, it is not uncommon for you to encounter problems after Joomla! updated or renewed.
Generally, most users choose WordPress or Drupal because both platforms offer more space for add-ons. However, Joomla! can be an alternative if you are confused about choosing between WordPress or Drupal. This CMS is easy to manage, doesn’t require you to be a developer to be able to create a website here, and even provides enough options that you might feel that extensions are ‘not needed’ for now.
Excess:
- Offers more built-in settings than WordPress.
- Websites built in Joomla! easier to manage because the update process seems to be without problems.
- Easy to use, even if it’s your first time creating a website in Joomla!
- Offers help services, mainly through comprehensive articles and tutorials.
Lack:
- The themes or extensions offered are not as many as the two main competitors.
#3. Drupal
Drupal is one of the names that come up, usually after WordPress and Joomla!, when we talk about the best CMS. This platform is popular among enterprise-level websites because it offers the best and fastest performance.
When we talk about blogs, Drupal provides a variety of features that you can use to create a professional website. In this CMS, you will get built-in functionality to create content, edit features, and much more. You can feel the various advantages and advantages of this blogging platform after successfully creating a blog.
Another reason for choosing Drupal is its layer of security and its sophistication and power when compared to Joomla! or WordPress. Just like any other CMS, this blogging platform also has its drawbacks. Drupal is difficult to manage if you have no experience as a developer. Even this platform is not the right choice if you just want to create a simple blog.
Drupal is more suitable as a platform for corporate blogs, and also if you want to hire a developer (unless you are already familiar with website development). Managing Drupal without the help of a developer is like making it hard on yourself.
Excess:
- Access to enterprise-level security and performance is available.
- There are thousands of free plugins and templates to modify your website.
- Ease in scaling the website. All of this is thanks to the powerful platform architecture.
- Availability of custom Drupal distributions for creating custom websites.
Lack:
- A little difficult to learn, unless you have some experience in web development.
#4. Pyros
Up here, we have discussed the three most used blogging platforms. It’s time for us to introduce a CMS that not many people know or are even familiar with.
Pyro is a CMS based on Laravel and is especially for developers. When it comes to blogging, Pyro offers a grid-based layout system which means you have full control over how your posts look. Apart from that, this platform also makes it easy to edit all your content.
The first thing you see immediately after installing and activating Pyro is a modern and organized dashboard:
Overall, Pyro is the best choice for both simple blogs and more complex websites. Unfortunately, you will have a hard time upgrading from a simple blog to a website. This is because you have to customize the website code for the various changes you want to make. Likewise, the Pyro extension costs quite a bit of money. Inevitably you have to spend some money if you want to add more functionality.
Excess:
- There is a built-in grid system so you can gain full control over the page layout.
- The availability of a dashboard with a modern appearance provides various options for your blog or website.
Lack:
- When you want to run advanced features, sometimes you are required to have experience using PHP first.
- Most of the Pyro modules are paid and quite expensive. You have to spend some money to have access to it.
#5. SilverStripe
If you are looking for a blogging platform that offers a combination of ease of use and power then SilverStripe is the answer. At first glance, this CMS doesn’t look as flashy as the four platforms we’ve covered before:
It’s just that, if you look deeper, this blogging platform has more options. For example, the SilverStripe platform editor makes it easy for you to see a preview view of the blog posts you write and also offers built-in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) options so you can improve content rankings.
Even this platform also has a built-in error reporting feature. With this feature, you can more easily monitor problems that occur on the site directly from the dashboard.
Based on our experience, the only thing that disappointed SilverStripe was the template. There are only a few templates that you can choose from, and not all of them install and run successfully. Every website page can be customized using HTML and CSS, but unfortunately, this is difficult to do, especially if you are new to the website world.
Excess:
- There is access to a variety of powerful content management features.
- Built-in SEO features are available.
- Monitor errors on the page directly from the dashboard.
- Plugins and themes are available to manage and develop websites.
Lack:
- Not all of the themes on this platform can be activated
- You must understand the basics of coding to edit website pages.
#6. Textpatterns
Let’s say you’ve seen ‘all-in-one’ CMSs, like WordPress and Joomla!, but then you think for a moment and say “I don’t think I need all of these”. Then, Textpattern is the perfect solution if you are looking for the best and simplest blogging platform.
So far, Textpattern is the simplest blogging CMS among the five platforms we’ve covered. You can see the simplicity on the dashboard:
Textpattern doesn’t have a visual editor. Instead, this CMS works with the Textile and Markdown languages, which of course provides a lot of flexibility. Only, it means you have to add tags to the content. On the other hand, in Textpattern, creating and adding pages to your website requires you to use code, mainly HTML, CMS, and JavaScript.
While both plugins and themes are available on this platform, the choice of these two types of add-ons is very basic. There are lots of the best add-ons that you can choose from. However, Textpattern ‘thinks’ that all you need is a simple blog and you only need to know and understand the basics of coding to get it up and running.
Excess:
- It is the lightest and simplest blogging platform.
- Works with Markdown and Textile languages.
- Makes it easy for you to use HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and built-in tags when creating website pages.
Lack:
- You must know the basics of web development and programming languages to format text.
- Choice of themes and plugins themselves.
#7. Serendipity
Instead of a CMS, Serendipity dubs itself a weblog engine. This is indeed legitimate considering the features it offers. Everything on this platform is related to blogging, so it should be the only choice if you want to create a simple website that looks attractive and professional.
Most of the templates offered by Serendipity are basic or basic. In other words, if you want to create websites with various sophisticated and powerful designs, then Serendipity is not the right choice.
Fortunately, this CMS provides a number of features that are intended for blogging. For example, Serendipity includes a powerful text editor, media management features, and advanced taxonomy settings.
Even the Serendipity platform also has built-in spam protection and can be used for multiple users. In short, this CMS has all the features you would want from a great blogging platform, and you don’t even have to know web development.
Excess:
- You will get various basic things related to blogging.
- There is a built-in protection feature against spam.
Lack:
- The Serendipity theme or template has a less attractive design, although you can still use it.
- The possibility of creating a website other than a blog is very limited.
#8. Jekyll
Unlike the other blogging platforms on the list in this article, Jekyll works entirely from your command line and has absolutely no graphical interface software. If you think this is not the right choice, then you can look for other alternatives in the list of the best blog CMS in this article.
If you don’t have a problem with the command line, to create a blog, of course, Jekyll has a myriad of advantages that can be maximized. This blogging platform wins in its class because it’s lightweight and makes it easy for you to create fast static websites.
With Jekyll, you can use HTML, CSS, Markdown text, and Liquid templates to build simple sites. The philosophy behind the platform is to minimize as many extra but non-essential features from the content creation process as possible and allow developers to create blogs in minutes.
On Jekyll, you can also find basic features, such as pages, posts, custom layouts, and categories for each content you want to post. It’s just that this platform does not use a database or does not provide a comment feature.
Excess:
- Makes it easy for you to run a blog using the command line.
- Has a blog taxonomy.
- Helping you create websites using HTML, CSS, Markdown, and Liquid templates.
Lack:
- This is the only viable option if you want to get your blog up and running using the command line.
- In order to customize a Jekyll-based website, you need to know the basics of HTML and CSS.
- Does not have a visual text editor feature.
#9. Subrions
The next blogging platform is Subrion. If you have to compare this blog platform with the very first platform we mentioned, then we can honestly say that the best is still WordPress. When you first log in, you will find a neat and simple dashboard area:
In terms of features, Subrion has all the basic features you need to create a blog. These features even make it easier for you to create and add pages and posts. Subrion also includes a powerful text editor, built-in SEO features, and tons of other functionality.
One of Subrion’s features even makes it easy for you to manage your subscriptions for your website from scratch. For example, you create a personal blog. If you want to monitor how much income you get from the blog, then you can do it directly from the dashboard. This platform also provides themes and templates, although not as many as WordPress.
Excess:
- Makes it easier for you to create blogs and various other types of websites.
- Makes it easier for you to subscribe to sites and monitor revenue.
- Availability of access to various plugins and themes.
Lack:
- The add-ons offered are not as many as other blogging platforms.
#10. Ghosts
Looking for a free and powerful platform that doesn’t require you to use a lot of plugins? Ghost is the right choice. This blogging platform includes many tools that allow you to easily publish and manage your posts.
Ghost also has built-in SEO features, including an automated sitemap, metadata for each page and post, canonical tags, and permalinks. Apart from that, Ghost also provides integrated AMP support, which can help your blog load times faster on mobile devices and get higher rankings for SEO.
For multi-user management, Ghost provides user administration features to assign roles and permissions. And because these blogging platforms have an automatic content backup system, your data will be better protected.
Unfortunately, Ghost is quite difficult to learn because it uses a Markdown editor, not a visual editing page. This platform is also developed based on Node.js, which is generally not supported by many hosting providers.
Take advantage of one of its integrations to upgrade your site. Then, feel free to create custom add-ons if you are familiar with JavaScript and Markup languages.
Excess:
- The easy team collaboration system
- Provides SEO tools so you don’t have to use third-party plugins
- Has integrated AMP support to speed up loading times on mobile devices
Lack:
- Does not have a child theme
- It took a long time to learn Markdown
#11. Postleaf
With Postleaf, the size of the image that you insert into the post will be adjusted to the dimensions requested by the visitor’s browser. Even cooler, you can easily use cut, flip, rotate, and even blur photos using Postleaf.
Postleaf has a zen mode editor that allows users to write without interruption and is available in two versions of the interface, namely day and night mode. This editor page lacks font, size, and color options, which helps authors focus more on content.
Using this blogging platform, you can also easily manage web files. With an integrated file manager, users can easily use the drag-and-drop feature to upload images. This feature also supports selecting more than one item, as well as deleting, downloading, and previewing images.
Another important feature that Postleaf has is the quick blog post. This function allows you to draft or post ideas directly from your smartphone.
However, Postleaf is a self-funded project with no dedicated support team so it can be quite difficult to get help when you run into a problem. Luckily, you can leave comments in the community forum.
And like Ghost, Postleaf is also based on Node.js. If you’re more into PHP development, you might find it a bit difficult to install and use.
Excess:
- Displays responsive images automatically
- The zen mode editor lets you focus on blog post content
- Easy web file management
- Helpful drag-and-drop feature
Lack:
- Few resources available to help with technical issues
#12. Omeka
Omeka is specially designed for sharing digital collections online, such as images, videos, and audio recordings. This free blogging platform is suitable for those of you who work in the academic field, librarians, and museum staff.
Even though Omeka is not as customizable as other free blogging platforms, many academic institutions choose this service because of its highly supportive features for creating online exhibitions.
Omeka has a built-in exhibition plugin that can combine items on your blog with any narrative text. This tool can also customize your exhibition with a different theme or logo.
Users can allow visitors to contribute and share images, articles, and other files. Then, visitors can also share their favorite content on social networks.
Even cooler, Omeka lets you import metadata sets or create custom metadata vocabularies so that visitors can quickly search and find any information on your blog.
While it includes all the tools needed to create a complete digital archive, Omeka may not be the best choice for a free blogging platform for individual or group projects. You have to understand the basics of coding to install and use it, and the maintenance and development process also can’t be done by one person.
Omeka also doesn’t have many plugins so there are very few options to improve your site’s performance.
Excess:
- You can create a narrative based on a collection of items
- Allows you to collect media files from visitors
- Content can be easily shared on social networks
- Provides metadata fields on each item according to Dublin Core
Lack:
- Less flexible and difficult to use
- Does not provide a large selection of plugins
#13. ImpressPages
Another free blogging platform that offers a modern and simple interface is ImpressPages. This blogging site has a drag-and-drop editor, making it easy for you to create blog posts or pages without any coding. There is also a user-friendly dashboard for you to start a free online blog without any hassle.
Because ImpressPages supports many types of content, such as images, HTML code, and videos, users can use this CMS to create websites other than blogs.
ImpressPages also provides free multilingual support. The translation engine can interpret any string in your coding so you don’t need to use any plugins so that your blog can be read by visitors from all over the world.
If you want to upload content and make it downloadable, use ImpressPage’s built-in file widget to add items to your site. Apart from that, you can also take advantage of the ImpressPages form feature to create subscription forms and increase mailing list entries.
How about SEO? Relax, you don’t need to worry because this blogging platform is designed to optimize your website for search engines. Some of the free tools included are automatic sitemap generation, social media, and SEO-friendly URLs.
However, ImpressPages does not have many extensions and themes. However, if you have extensive technical knowledge, you can adjust and improve the performance of your website using coding.
Excess:
- User-friendly interface
- Multilingual support for your website
- Supports various types of content
Lack:
- There are fewer themes and plugins available than most CMS platforms
- Lack of documentation on how to use the platform
#14. CMS Made Simple
As the name implies, this CMS provides an easy experience for creating and managing content. With a sophisticated WYSIWYG editor, users can make changes and see a preview on the same page.
In providing functionality, CMS Made Simple doesn’t beat around the bush by providing unnecessary features that will slow down website loading performance. However, you can choose the module that best suits your needs.
Apart from modules, CMS Made Simple also provides themes, dynamic menus, tags and translations. Even so, this platform still requires you to understand coding, at least HTML and CSS to maximize its use.
If you need a module or web design that isn’t in the Made Simple CMS archive, you may have to code the add-on yourself or hire a developer to build it.
So, it can be concluded that CMS Made Simple is best suited for designers or developers as it provides the features and flexibility needed to create sophisticated websites quickly and easily.
Excess:
- Features a drag-and-drop editor for easy content creation
- Provides many modules to enhance site functionality
- Allows you to make changes using shortcodes
Lack:
- You must have the technical knowledge to customize the website
#15. Soholaunch
The best blogging platform that we recommend is Soholaunch. If you have plans to sell products on your blog, Soholaunch is the right choice. This free blogging platform comes with a full shopping cart feature, including tools such as payment options, redemption policies, and coupons.
Soholaunch also uses an easy-to-use visual editor. You can customize your website by adding elements such as text, photo albums, online forms, and maps.
Don’t forget to take advantage of its management features which have a neat interface and include useful blog management activity functions, from unlimited entries to blog archives.
To help target visitors, Soholaunch allows you to provide a unique title, description, and keywords for each page. This platform can also be used to create static web pages so that they are more accessible to search engines.
Another plus point of Soholaunch is its event calendar feature. With this tool, you can advertise upcoming events and open registration on the website.
Unfortunately, the Soholaunch plugin is not available in the latest version of this platform. But, all the cool features that it offers are enough to start a blog that will attract lots of visitors.
Excess:
- You can sell products on the blog
- Its manager features include all the essential features for creating content
- The editor is easy to use for beginners
Lack:
- Add-ins are not available in the latest version
Conclusion:
Remember that the blogging platform you choose today is an investment in the future. That’s why, in choosing the best blog CMS, you have to be careful and thorough. Find out what you really need.
We all love WordPress, but this CMS isn’t our only choice. There are still many platforms for blogging out there that you can use. Each of the options that we have discussed here has different advantages and disadvantages for each website project and user.
Do you have a question about how to choose the best blogging platform? Please write your comments in the column below!
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