The 5 Best Blog Sites Other Than WordPress and Blogger
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably decided that WordPress isn’t for you. If it’s because you tried WordPress and didn’t like the structure or design of the platform, then that’s fine. Totally valid.
But if it’s because you couldn’t configure WordPress properly, or if it was too much work to maintain and administer, we recommend reconsidering. Try using a managed WordPress host like WP Engine, which handles the hassle of WordPress sites for you and lets you focus entirely on your content.
If you still want to try WordPress and Blogger alternatives, here are some of the best blogging platforms for your content. These days we are all spoiled for choice.
Blogging platforms: make an informed decision
When considering your options, it’s a good idea to consider the features and components of a blog hosting site you’ll need:
- What kind of design tools do they offer? Some platforms offer hundreds of free templates; others require significant coding experience. Be sure to choose a platform that is at the right level of complexity (and quality) for your needs.
- What accommodation options are available? Some platforms offer free web hosting as part of their package. While this is convenient and cheap, it also means they retain certain rights to your content and technically have the ability to remove it at any time. Additionally, there may be significant limits on your site’s bandwidth and performance.
- How much does it cost? If you’re writing a hobby blog, chances are your budget won’t stretch very far. On the other hand, for blogs that are part of a larger business strategy, or blogs that are businesses themselves, it may be worth spending the money on a premium blogging platform.
- Who can you reach? Blog posts published on some platforms stay largely within that user base, while others are more likely to reach the general internet. Depending on the purpose of your blog, you may prefer one or the other.
So with those points in mind, let’s take a look at your options.
Medium is a platform dedicated to the essence of blogging: the art of writing. As a blogger, you can post text-heavy articles with a few videos or images to your Medium account. It also lets you create posts using the web tool or through Medium’s dedicated mobile apps.
To download: Medium for iOS | Android (free in-app purchases available)
Design tools
The uniform appearance of all Medium messages emphasizes your writing. You can accompany posts with audio, video, or images, but all posts will look the same and you won’t be able to customize your profile page.
Accommodation options
All profiles are hosted on Medium.
Cost
Completely free.
Reach
Medium has a strong community of writers sharing information on many topics. With hashtags, highlights, and replies, you can connect with other authors and reach new audiences.
Ideal choice for
If you’re just looking to put your words to paper and don’t care about how they look or setting up a freelance site, Medium might be the best choice for you. You can join a strong and existing community for free and will hardly spend any time working on anything other than writing.
Those looking for a customization, standalone URL, or multipurpose blog should look elsewhere. Check out this guide if you want to learn more about how to get started with Medium.
Tumblr, done right, is an effective microblogging platform. You can post videos, images, audio clips, text, GIFs, and links to your blog, which are accessible to other Tumblr users and the Internet in general. You can share unique content or reblog other users’ content using the Tumblr web platform or mobile apps.
To download: Tumblr for iOS | Android (free in-app purchases available)
Design tools
You can create custom themes for your Tumblr blog using basic HTML code or choose from a wide selection of existing free and paid blog templates. It’s important to note that while these themes will allow you to customize your blog’s homepage, they won’t affect how your posts are seen on other users’ Tumblr feeds.
Accommodation options
Blogs are automatically hosted on Tumblr, but you can choose to use an external URL for your blog from a different host.
Cost
Basic Tumblr features are free, but external hosting or upgraded themes cost extra.
Reach
If you get into the right community, Tumblr can have incredible reach. On the other hand, it’s also easy for your blog to slip into obscurity if your blog content doesn’t mesh well with Tumblr’s culture.
Hashtags and cross-promotion on other forms of social media are key to attracting followers. Unfortunately, Tumblr’s default analytics are significantly lacking compared to other platforms. You may need to add Google Analytics to your blog theme using HTML code. Here’s how you can start a blog with Tumblr.
Ideal choice for
Tumblr is suitable for casual bloggers who are willing to spend some time making minor changes to a pre-existing theme and who regularly use mobile devices to post. Additionally, bloggers interested in niche topics with an active Tumblr community are likely to succeed.
Those looking for a platform with heavy customization and analytics should probably choose another platform.
Okay, so you don’t want to join a new social media platform, you want a standalone, customizable blog that’s easy to build (and maybe with some eCommerce compatibility). In this case, Wix may be the ideal solution for you.
To download: Owner Wix for iOS | Android (Free)
Design tools
Wix prides itself on being a visually appealing platform. You will find a fantastic drag-and-drop design process with limited HTML customization. To remove Wix branding from your site, you must purchase a premium plan.
Accommodation options
By default, sites are hosted on Wix. But, custom domains are available with a premium plan.
Cost
Free to create. Premium plans start at $4.50/month.
Reach
Wix doesn’t have a built-in community, but has the advantage of being a standalone site with good opportunities for content promotion and SEO.
Ideal choice for
It is best for beginner bloggers who want to focus more on their writing than blog design, but want to grow in the future. More advanced bloggers looking for customization, security, and lots of meaningful plugins may prefer other options.
Here’s our guide to building a website with Wix.
Joomla is a powerful, open source and versatile blogging platform. However, with great power comes great responsibility: if you don’t know what you’re doing, you might get lost!
Design tools
Armed with HTML, your design options for a Joomla site are virtually endless. Or you can choose to use one of over 100 templates available.
Accommodation Options
You need to find an external host for websites using the Joomla platform.
Cost
Although creating your site with Joomla is free, you must renew it every 30 days and have a data limit of only 500MB. Depending on your blog’s performance, upgrading to lift these limitations may cost you dearly. You must also pay the external hosting costs.
Reach
Although some Joomla themes are mobile-friendly, that’s not true for all. The platform supports e-commerce, built-in analytics, and SEO plugins.
Ideal choice for
If your blog is part of a larger website or business, upgrading to a full-featured content management system like Joomla might make sense. The platform is secure, with great customer support and room to grow your blog in all directions. However, the cost and learning curve may make it less than ideal for newbie bloggers.
This is specifically Launch Joomla, which is a hosted version of Joomla. As with WordPress, you can always download Joomla for free and host it on your own web server. Here is a comparison of WordPress and Joomla.
Ghost is an open source platform focused on providing blogging functionality with a simple and intuitive interface. It’s ideal for those who appreciate beautiful content but aren’t quite ready for the intensity of a full-fledged content management system.
Design tools
Ghost has a live preview tool, which lets you notice any spelling or coding errors immediately. Ghost users have access to over 100 design templates and HTML customization.
Accommodation options
Custom domains are available with a premium plan; otherwise, Ghost hosts your blog for free.
Cost
Free to create. Premium plans start at $9/month.
Reach
Ghost has SEO optimization tools, as well as built-in ad integration and analytics tools.
Ideal choice for
It is suitable for experienced bloggers who want more design freedom than a free platform, but also appreciate the ease of use. Ghost is not ideal for people who need e-commerce functionality or are heavily dependent on plugins.
Here is our guide on how to install Ghost CMS on PC and Mac.
Which blogging platform is right for you?
If you want to move away from WordPress and Blogger, one of these alternative blogging platforms may be exactly what you’re looking for. You don’t like them? There are many other sites, including Weebly, TypePad, and Squarespace.
After trying all of these alternatives, if you decide that WordPress is the right blogging platform for you after all, consider using a managed WordPress host like WP Engine. This will make blog management much easier for you.
