What’s the Best Blog Platform to Use?

June 25, 2012 By Danny Brown Filed Under: Blogging Tips 54 Comments

Best blog platform

The great thing about blogging is that there are several platforms to choose from when you first start. Not only that, but cross-connection now means it’s easier to switch from one platform to another as your needs change.

But what blog platform is best for you? Does one offer more than the other? Do more users prefer a specific blog platform over another, and if so why?

Well, yes and no. Like most things when it comes to blogging, it really boils down to two things – time and goals.

Frequency and Future Goals

The reason blogging is so popular is simple – there are no hard and fast rules as to how you should blog. You choose what you want from blogging and the rest will follow naturally.

Say you want a personal blog but your time is limited – then you may just want to post once a week, and use a free blog platform.

Say you want a business blog with frequent news and offers – you’ll need a platform that can grow with you, so a self-hosted blog platform would be better.

Say you have a design or portfolio blog, or a video or multimedia blog – a dedicated platform suitable for large image or media files or podcasts (audio blogs) would be better.

Choosing the platform comes down to the two reasons listed above. So with that in mind, which blog platforms are better for you? Below you’ll find the pros and cons of several of the most popular platforms – hopefully they’ll help you decide your best option.

Free Blogging Platforms

When you first start blogging, it’s usually best to start off with a free option. While self-hosted (see below) is definitely the preferred option, you just don’t know if blogging is going to be for you. Why waste money on a monthly web host and domain name if you’re going to give it up after a few months or less?

The word on blogging

The great news is, there are a ton of free blogging platforms available and each have solid blogging options both built-in and as add-on features. These free platforms are similar, but differ slightly in user-friendliness and upgrading at a later date.

WordPress.com – One of the most popular blogging platforms around (both from a free and self-hosted angle), WordPress is a great free starting point. There are a ton of design templates to choose from; widgets to help you make your blog more interactive (like Twitter and Flickr boxes, for example); stats to track your blog’s popularity; and many more. It’s also easy to migrate your existing blog over to your new WordPress one.

Blogger – The blogging platform from Google, Blogger is one of the oldest and still most popular for new bloggers. Much like WordPress, Blogger has a ton of templates to choose from; uses Google Analytics to track your visitor stats; create a team blog for multiple authors; add monetization to your blog easily through Google AdSense; and more.

Tumblr / Posterous – While many see both Tumblr and Posterous as “mini-blogging” platforms, they’re growing in popularity with both casual bloggers as well as more “professional” bloggers. The reason is simple – you can have a blog running in minutes; you can email posts in and the platform will post for you; you can have simple social sharing options; and there’s a huge growing community of users ready to connect with. Expect to see more features soon.

Pros of free blogs: You don’t need to worry about hosting or domains. You’re not committed to regular blogging. There are a ton of upgrade options. They allow you to see if you like blogging.

Cons of free blogs: You don’t have control over your content. You don’t have as many design options as a self-hosted platform. You may lose your blog if the platform goes out of business.

Self-Hosted Blog Platforms

While free blogging platforms are a great introduction to blogging (and can still be sued even when you start blogging more “seriously”), the preferred option for most bloggers is the self-hosted one.

Being in control

There are numerous reasons (see the Pros overview below), but the main one is you’re in complete control. For any blogger, this is the biggest plus point of any platform. So, what are your options here?

WordPress.org – Often confused with the free version, the self-hosted version of WordPress is still free to use – you just need to have a host to run it on. Someone like BlogOnCloud9 (affiliate link) is ideal, as they’re dedicated to WordPress bloggers. The benefits of WordPress include a huge range of premium themes to choose from; plug-ins to add functionality; perfect for personal, business, portfolios and more; great search engine visibility; and the ability to grow with you. This is the preferred platform of For Bloggers By Bloggers.

Typepad – Hugely popular with professional bloggers, Typepad is used by the likes of Seth Godin and Valeria Maltoni, which speaks volumes for its business use. Typepad also has hosting built-in to its price, so you don’t have to worry about choosing a web host. Its features include widgets to add functionality (much like WordPress plug-ins); domain mapping; and professional support as opposed to community support.

Squarespace – A platform I’ve dabbled in before moving to WordPress, Squarespace is a pretty cool platform that offers some great options for bloggers. Using a drag-and-drop feature for blog layout, you can get a blog up and running fairly quickly. Like Typepad, its pricing includes hosting; you can import your social network functions into Squarespace; you can track visitors; and there’s a cool built-in form builder to use across your blog.

Pros of self-hosting: Full control over your content. Choice of web hosts (with WordPress). Added layers of design options. Viewed more seriously for business blogging. Unlimited growth. Oodles (yes, oodles!) of functionality.

Cons of self-hosting: Monthly or annual investment financially. Less ready-made features.

Time to Blog

These are just some of the options available to help you either get started blogging, or become a more “serious” blogger. There are many more as well. Drupal and LoudBlog (perfect for media blogs and podcasters) are two, for instance.

Even Facebook Notes and MySpace blogs are useful for beginners (MySpace is ideal for up-and-coming bands that want to share their daily lives with fans, for example).

As I mention in the post, I believe that self-hosted WordPress is the best blog platform around. Which option you choose is up to you and your needs. If you think it’ll just be a hobby, maybe one of the free platforms is better. If you’re looking to invest time and use a blog to build your brand, then self-hosted is ideal.

The best thing to do? Look at your favourite bloggers and see what they’re using/recommending. Chances are, their reasons won’t be too different from the ones you need to decide with.

How about you? What’s your favourite blog platform, and why? Which ones aren’t covered here that you prefer? Share your experience in the comments.

image: Maria Reyes-McDavis
image:The Library of Congress

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About Danny Brown

Danny Brown is an award-winning marketer and blogger. His blog is recognized as the #1 marketing blog in the world by HubSpot. Danny is also the author of The Parables of Business and the upcoming book Influence Marketing: How to Create, Manage and Measure Brand Influencers in Social Media Marketing.

http://www.bobwp.com/ bobWP

Hey Danny Brown , well I don’t have to tell you which one I prefer : )

I appreciate the solid overview here, with the pros and cons. Even though I live and breathe WordPress, it’s still not the platform for everyone. Yes, I did say that…

But one clarification I would like to point out on the self-hosted. Unless things have changed, WordPress does have one huge benefit over Typepad and Squarespace. And that is your “total” control over the entire site, not just content, but structure.

With a WordPress self-hosted site, you can move everything to another host if you wish. Nothing loss, a total transfer. So if I have my site on Godaddy (God forbid) and decide they suck, I can move everything to another host.

Typepad, you are on their platform and, yes, you can export content, but from experience I know it’s a pain in the butt. But you cannot move the entire structure of your blog somewhere else.

Squarespace is a bit better, as you are able to move your site to another host if you want. But I remember asking them about this, and they said it can be done, but you will lose some features that are “Squarespace features only”. So again, there are limitations.

Just my .02 ; )
- http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown
  
  @bobWP Great reminder, mate. Haven’t looked in on the squarespace transfer process in a while, but like you say, if there are platform-specific features, you’re probably going to lose them.
  
  Mind you, that would probably work in reverse, no? A WordPress short code, for instance, would be lost elsewhere (at least I think it would?).
  
  The secret? Find a platform and be happy! As long as that platform is self-hosted WordPress…
  - http://www.bobwp.com/ bobWP
    
    @DannyBrown actually any shortcode in a self-hosted site should easily move as well since it’s in the database. At least that’s been my experience.
    
    Yes, self-hosted all the way ; )
- http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes
  
  @bobWP
  Sounds as though you’ve been around the block when it comes to blogging platforms… I started with WordPress not as a blogging platform, but as a CMS for a business website.
  
  Prior to that I spent hours, days, weeks knocking out html sites styled with CSS.
  The html sites were fabulously fast, but oh the time it took to add the IE hacks!
  
  I love everything about WordPress and the html and CSS skills are still useful.
  
  It’s starting to look like the comparison of VHS and Betamax videos or Microsoft Office and Lotus – you have to try and pick the platform, which has a future and wordpress.org looks good in that respect.
  - http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown
    
    @wmwebdes @bobWP Bob invented Laserdisc…
    - http://www.bobwp.com/ bobWP
      
      @DannyBrown @wmwebdes oh, no, now everyone knows!
  - http://www.bobwp.com/ bobWP
    
    @wmwebdes oh, the stories I could tell you : )
    
    And for sure, html and CSS skills are huge if you can add them to the WordPress pot.
    
    Betamax? Now I am going to have nightmares tonight!
    - http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes
      
      @bobWP
      Sorry Bob
      Try watching a few old movies with Judy.
      “Here’s looking at you kid.”
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv8MGYnP820
http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes

Hi Danny Just been over and tried to comment on…
http://dannybrown.me/2012/06/24/sunday-shorts-the-facebook-addicition-edition/

Livefyre keeps returning an error.
I’m using IE 8 at this end.
- http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown
  
  @wmwebdes Bah, sorry mate – having issues with the Livefyre 3 beta. Will switch off, but pinging jmatthicks and dharait for you, thanks for heads up.
  - http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes
    
    @DannyBrown
    No problem.
  - http://twitter.com/dharait Dhara Mistry
    
    @DannyBrown @wmwebdes Hey Keith, thanks for the heads up on that. Mind sharing what error you were seeing? Also, did you have a chance to try a different browser?
    - http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes
      
      @Dhara Mistry
      Red box with an error message.
      I’ll try Chrome.
      
      Just posted a comment using Chrome – no probs.
    - http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes
      
      @Dhara Mistry
      All screwed up on IE – no comment section at all.
      
      Getting the same very narrow strip that I reported to you some time ago.
      
      Good luck peeps.
    - http://www.bobwp.com/ bobWP
      
      @Dhara Mistry @DannyBrown @wmwebdes Just an FYI, I am using Safari and Firefox, no issues…
    - http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes
      
      @bobWP
      Between us we’ve run the Full Gamut of browsers – have we missed any?
      
      I’m starting to use Chrome more and more.
      Those developer tools are pretty good.
    - http://www.bobwp.com/ bobWP
      
      @wmwebdes Yeah, since I’m not doing dev stuff, and have used Safari for so long, it’s still my favorite. Of course being a Apple addict doesn’t help : )
      
      Firefox, off and on, but it always seems so bloated.
      
      Did anyone try IE 6? Oh, slap my face.
    - http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown
      
      @wmwebdes @Dhara Mistry I’d switched back to previous version of LF for your test comment, mate.
    - http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes
      
      @bobWP
      One or two of my clients… happy days.
    - http://twitter.com/dharait Dhara Mistry
      
      @wmwebdes Hey Keith, I was able to pull up the widget fine and comment successfully using IE8 on Danny’s site (http://d.pr/i/1SPC) Are you seeing that white strip for only Danny’s site or other Livefyre sites too?
    - http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown
      
      @Dhara Mistry @wmwebdes Hi Dhara,
      
      When Keith initially attempted to publish, it was LF3, so I reverted to the production version instead, which is the one you published to. Hope thst helps!
    - http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/ wmwebdes
      
      @Dhara Mistry
      Hi Dhara
      I have no problem with this version of LF even using IE.
      
      Actually I’m using IE9 not IE8 – sorry
    - http://twitter.com/dharait Dhara Mistry
      
      @DannyBrown @wmwebdes Ah ok! Thanks Danny!
      
      Hey Keith, I’ll appreciate if you could share the details of the issue you were seeing in the comments 3 feedback form here https://docs.google.com/a/livefyre.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHJhbWJfMy03ZWU0VUZjYjg0RkoxRUE6MQ#gid=0
      
      Thank you much!
http://www.saraharrow.co.uk/ SarahArrow

The free blogging options shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand, they can make a good/useful backlinking strategy. I know Posterous is excellent for this as well as the ability to mail a post in. Talking of which… I have to go and mail a guest post in…
- http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown
  
  @SarahArrow Agreed – I’m just a bigger fan of the self-hosted version, since third-party options can disappear (for example, will Posterous remain now that Twitter’s bought them?).
http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown

@Dhara Mistry @wmwebdes OK, switching LF3 beta back on to continue testing. Wish us luck!
http://www.ipnostudio.com/ Andrea T.H.W.

I begun with wp and stick with it, too many benefits and too little problems. Self hosted given that with a good hosting plan you can add as many sites as you want paying only for the domain. And there are too many plugins to use to change to another platform, imho.
http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown

@Andrea T.H.W. The plugin developer community is awesome – I also really like what they’re doing with some of the premium stuff over at Code Canyon:

http://codecanyon.net/category/wordpress
http://templatefaerie.blogspot.com/ Sarah Payne

This is a good comparison of common blogging platforms. Too often, people just say “use this platform. It’s the best.” But they never really go into detail. I’m sure this article will help a lot of people.

I use Blogger for a few reasons. First of all, it’s the platform I’ve been using for years. I’m comfortable with it. I’m so attached to it that I get miffed when somebody has something bad to say about it. Secondly, I’m a hobbyist blogger. Right now, I’d rather not pay for my blog when it’s not my business, and never will be. And thirdly, it would make no sense to use a different platform when my blog posts are sometimes aimed toward Blogger-users and I sometimes give away templates.

I think some people stray away from Blogger because they think it’s unprofessional, and it often looks that way, thanks to all the people who can’t post anything of value and think yellow text on black is pretty. But hey—it’s a free platform, so let’s go ruin the internet with a useless blog.

I have WordPress installed on my computer and honestly, I love it. It’s so versatile and much more customizable than Blogger. Eventually, I’ll probably start a WordPress blog just so I have an excuse to play with it more. I might make some templates too, but my PHP skills are rather pathetic at the moment.

I think Blogger is rather behind in their features compared to WordPress. Fortunately, they’re always rolling new ones out.

Happy blogging!
Sarah
- http://dannybrown.me/ DannyBrown
  
  Sarah Payne Hi there Sarah,Blogger is definitely still a strong contender in the blogging platform arena – especially if Google is going to be implementing their own social commenting system, along with full Google+ integration, as has been rumoured.I think the thing that miffs me the most about Blogger is the “previous blog / next blog” tab at the top of Blogger sites – why would you encourage readers to go elsewhere? Cheers!
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http://www.blogadvice.info/ larry1488

I would say for ease of use go with Blogger but when it comes to templates and options nothing beats WordPress. Although Blogger is what I am currently using I plan to move to WordPress in the near future due to the vast amount of premium templates and plug ins available. Another thing Blogger is known for is the duplicate tittle tags. Bad news there. They say you get what you pay for and when it come to blogging this is a true statement. Some do and some don`t you just have to try them out.
http://dermarollerreviewsguide.com/ AngieS

Hi,
I have a couple of questions and hopefully you’ve got a minute or two to help answer them
I have a small number of affiliate sites – all wordpress themes – individual domains, etc.
My sister isn’t very savvy on the computer but really wants to blog.
I can get her a domain and create the actual blog for her but I’m wondering – by giving her a domain, etc…will I be doing her a disservice? After all, how will she get readers and be part of a community without actually being on blogger or one of the other free platforms? Will she miss out on a potential readership of loyal followers if she’s not on an actual blogging platform? Do I set her up on Twitter and hope she finds followers there?
What’s the best thing I can do for her so that she’ll enjoy blogging, express her creativity and actually get interaction with real live readers?
Thanks in advance for your time and advice ~
AngieS
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http://templatefaerie.blogspot.com/ Sarah Payne

@Danny Brown The current commenting system for Blogger is, well, lousy. I hate it. Threaded comments have improved things tremendously, but it’s still not very user-friendly. To make things worse, there’s a weird bug that’s been effecting a lot of blogs that makes the comment form disappear half the time, which means no comments! That’s why I use IntenseDebate. I don’t want to have to put up with that stuff.

I agree with you about the previous/next blog button. It doesn’t make sense to me. Fortunately, that bar can be removed with some simple CSS.

-Sarah
Albena

Is there a chance to start with free platform like wordpress.com and after a while to move your blog on a self-hosted platform like wordpress.org ?
- http://dannybrown.me/ Danny Brown
  
  For sure – it’s even easier if you buy your own domain (around $10-$15) and then all you have to do is get hosting and export your posts when ready to move.
http://topbestlisted.blogspot.com/ aivil vin

i am impressed by Typepad. It’s really a very sleek and professional looking blogging platform. But, could you please guide, if we can use Ning as a blog since they offer it in for just around $2 plus something per month. But, it’s basically for networking sites, so i am confused if i can make a good blog out of it. Please reply!
- http://dannybrown.me/ Danny Brown
  
  Ning is better-suited to community sites, where individual members can create their own blogs as part of the network. Though you might also want to check out WordPress and WordPress MU as another alternative to that.
  - http://topbestlisted.blogspot.com/ aivil vin
    
    Thanks for the propmt reply…yeah you are right…will check WordPress MU.
    Thanks danny !
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ecanicxxx

TUMBLR IS THE BEST!
- http://dannybrown.me/ Danny Brown
  
  How’s SEO working out on Tumblr?
  
  It’s a great platform for short posts and media, I agree, but as a full-on blog platform, it’s not in the same league as WordPress or similar.
  - ecanicxxx
    
    The SEO is working out great actually! I And I use word press and most of the others too platforms and trust me TUMBLR IS THE BEST!
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Shital Thakker

I have tried both Blogger and WordPress for several blogs. I think WordPress is far ahead in number of features and support. It is highly flexible and has a large community of programmers to support with themes, plugins, etc. It is continuously revised by dedicated programmers. Moreover, whatever additional features you want, you can get in one or another plugin. So, my choice is WordPress.
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http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=901015474 Gil Dantas

I agree that there is no such a thing as “best”. Like you say there might be “best for me”… But I would argue that “complete control” might not be the “main reason” to choose a platform. On my platform http://culinote.com we see that users are enjoying the tool because, and not despite, it allowing limited customization. I think that customization can be good if you (a) know how to do it (b) know what you want (c) know how to make is appealing / easy for your readers. The fact is the 99% of the population doesn’t know these things, especially if they are serious bloggers, i.e. they have a tallent for writing, and not necessarily web design…
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http://www.facebook.com/people/Dean-Sherwin/1216622550 Dean Sherwin

Quick question – is it really so easy to switch from WordPress.com to wordpress.org & self host? I tried to set up WordPress on I think Bluehost and failed, it was too intricate to get working.. Also my understanding was that you cannot just transfer over the site/blog but have to re-create it, new templates etc. Originally created my own website back in like ’98 so cannot claim to be a complete neophyte. On the other hand found learning Dreamweaver too challenging, I think you have to be doing it every day to make use of professional programs like that. Perhaps was too traumatized to be able to work with WordPress!
Katharine

I have had a free blog on blogger for over a year now and have bought a domain for it – I am getting frustrated with it’s limitations though. Namely the lack of design options.

How can I move to a self hosted blog platform and keep my domain name? I like it and REALLY don’t want to loose it.

Thank you
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Victoria

Really useful article!! I am looking to set my company up with a blog… I am tempted to start with WordPress.com to see if it would be worth it in the long run but if the blog did take off would I then be able to transfer this over to WordPress.org?

Thank you!