This in-depth guide will compare the most popular free blog sites so you can choose the right platform for you.

When it comes to learning how to start a blog for free, your main concern may be how much blog websites costs. Luckily, there are free blog sites that can turn your dream to create a blog into a reality.

How to Start a Blog for Free

Imagine being able to start a blog for free, with absolutely no money required? Talk about a frugal dream come true! 

Ready to create a blog for free on the best platform?

I’ll also share with you the #1 secret most bloggers won’t tell you. Read on. 

The Big Six Best Free Blog Sites

This post will review the six most popular free blog websites. Please click on the platform below to quickly go to it’s detailed description.

• WORDPRESS.COM

The #1 free blog website. If you just want to start a blog for free as a “testing ground”, choosing this blogging platform is perfect. Why? Because when you’re ready to turn your blog into a business, it is super easy to convert your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org – the real money making blogging platform.

• WORDPRESS.ORG

The best place on the internet to start your blog for almost free. WordPress.org does require a hosting platform, which costs as low as $3 per month. If you think how quickly you spend $3 on a cup of Starbucks, it’s phenomenally cheap to start a blog for so little. Want to know why WordPress.org is superior to WordPress.com?

• WIX

Wix is pretty, easy to use and free. It’s great for starting a blog for free, especially if it’s a hobby blog. Your domain name will contain wix in it, such as www.mywebsite.wix.com – not very professional, but a good start. 

• WEEBLY

Weebly and Wix are similar in the sense that they are both easy to use and offer free plans. Weebly allows you to drag and drop your items on your website. Pretty nifty for a free online tool! 

• SQUARESPACE

Squarespace is fancy. They don’t offer a true free version, but only a free 14 day trial. Squarespace is a great blog platform to create gorgeous websites – but their starting packages are the highest in the industry, at $12 per month. 

• BLOGGER

Blogger is Google’s blog platform. It’s a great place to create a free blog to share family memories or updates. But it’s not the go to solution if you want to create a professional website or make money with it later on.

The chart below shows a super comparison of each blogging platform.

TOP BLOGGER PLATFORMS TO CONSIDER

Let’s get into it, here are the top blogger platforms that deserve your consideration when trying to choose how to create a blog for free.

MOST OF THE INTERNET RUNS ON A PLATFORM CALLED WORDPRESS.

There are two versions of it, a free one and a paid one. You know, just to make starting a blog super confusing! I’ll explain the difference between the two versions in a very unique way, to clear things up for you. I’ll also go into more detail in the post below too!

WORDPRESS.COM VS WORDPRESS.ORG

This one confuses a lot of people and I understand! There are two ways to use the WordPress platform.

• WORDPRESS.ORG

WordPress.org is called “self-hosted.” That means you have complete control over what you do to your website. You can put advertisements on it to sell products, you can collect email addresses to build your audience… you can basically do anything you want in order to grow your business online.

I like to think of it as living out in a rural area that doesn’t have any homeowner’s association with strict regulations on what you do in your home or in your front yard. You’re in the driver’s seat.

• WORDPRESS.COM

WordPress.com is a “hosted” solution. Basically, you live in their HOA, you have to play by their rules. This means you can’t put ads up on your site (they actually put ads on YOUR site and THEY make money… oh goodness!). You also have a very limited selection of themes and plugins to customize your site (white picket fence anyone?).

The bottom line between these two platforms is this: If you want to build a business online, you need to get on WordPress.org. If you just want to share your thoughts in an online diary and you don’t plan on turning it into a business, WordPress.com should be fine 🙂

Now let’s dive into the details.

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more information.

WORDPRESS.COM

The Free “Hosted” WordPress

FREE BLOG PLATFORM: WORDPRESS.COM “HOSTED”

WordPress is an extremely popular free choice among new bloggers because of its ease of use. When it comes to using WordPress as your free blogging platform, there are some definite positives to consider!

PROS OF WORDPRESS.COM

• Considered one of the best free blog sites
• Community support available
• Includes a WordPress.com subdomain (example: www.MyAwesomeBlog.wordpress.com)
• Limited free theme options
• Monetization is allowed but limited

CONS OF WORDPRESS.COM

• Limited storage space
• The free version of WordPress has ads displayed (this can look very off brand)
• You cannot use Google Analytics to check your traffic and stats
• Plugins cannot be installed when using the free WordPress version

While starting your blog on WordPress.com is considered free, this gives you limited storage space to use. It is free for only up to 3GB, and once you hit that, you will have to look at options to pay to upgrade. (see the WordPress.org section below)

One other aspect to consider is that the free version of WordPress typically has ads that come with it as well. One of the catches of this free blog site is that you don’t have control of turning off those ads without paying a monthly fee to do so.

SHOULD YOU START A BLOG FOR FREE?

Starting out on the free version of WordPress isn’t a bad idea if you are just starting out or looking at blogging as more of a “here and there” type venture or side hobby.

However, if you are wanting to make it your full-time business or look at having the option to generate some real revenue, upgrading to a self-hosted site is the way to go. For as low as $3 per month with a self-hosted site, you will many different options that can really take your blogging to the next level.

But again, if you want to test the waters and start a completely free blog (with limitations), you can begin on WordPress.com. Just promise me, that when you become serious about blogging, you’ll switch to the right solution so you can grow your blog into a business.

That’s the #1 secret most bloggers don’t want to share. You CAN start for free, it’s just not the smartest option. But it does allow you to test the waters before diving in. 🙂 

Writing and Publishing a Blog Post in WordPress.com

This is what it looks like when you’re writing a blog post in WordPress.com.

And this is what it looks like when it’s published. See the gray box at the bottom?

That will be where WordPress.com places advertisements on your site. They make money off your content. If you don’t want this, you’ll need to pay for a self-hosted solution.

The WordPress.com version is easy and super simple to use. But it also comes with a lot of limitations.

If you don’t have $3 per month to spare to get a self-hosted WordPress.org site, then go ahead and start with WordPress.com.

WORDPRESS.ORG

The “Self-Hosted” WordPress

Start Your Blog Here

HOSTED BLOG PLATFORM: WORDPRESS.ORG “SELF-HOSTED”

In my opinion, WordPress.org is one of the best blogging platforms to use and start to monetize your blog. In fact, WordPress users compose 32% of the internet. In the online space, that’s massive. The support and options that come along with using this version of WordPress are quite stellar and tend to pay for themselves.

PROS OF WORDPRESS.ORG

• Best blog site used by most of the internet
• Options to a ton of different themes for your blog, many of which are free
• Plugins are allowed and easily downloadable and added
• Any type of revenue that you earn from your site, you get to keep 100%
• SEO-friendly – this means you get more traffic from Google
• Google Analytics can be used to keep track of your blog traffic
• Social media icons can be added

CONS OF WORDPRESS.ORG

• There are monthly fees involved that you have to pay to be hosted by WordPress (starting at $3/month)
• There is a slight learning curve (but there are tons of fantastic courses to help you master it quickly!)

WHO USES WORDPRESS.ORG FOR THEIR BLOGGING WEBSITE?

You really can not go wrong with building your blog on WordPress.org. Popular websites like TechCrunch, BBC America, Facebook Newsroom and The Walt Disney Company uses WordPress.org to host their sites. Even Beyonce blogs on WordPress.org – and you know she’s a brilliant business woman!

BEST BLOG HOSTING SITES

To get your blog on the WordPress.org platform, you need a self-hosting company to host all of your files. Your blog will be built on the WordPress.org platform, but your files need to live somewhere on the internet, and that’s what a hosting company can do for you. The two best hosting companies for beginners that I highly recommend and have used myself are SiteGround and BlueHost.

I currently have sites on both SiteGround and BlueHost. Things you want to take into consideration when choosing a host is cost, uptime, speed, and customer service. The WordPress.org platform is free with both of these hosts. And on BlueHost your domain name is free too, on SiteGround it will cost you around $15 when you register.

Here is a quick overview of the two hosts for beginners.

Best Hosting Providers for Beginning Bloggers

• Start a blog with BlueHost
• Start a blog with SiteGround

For less than the price of a fancy Starbucks coffee, you can rent online space to host your blog.

Just think of how much it would cost to rent a brick and mortar store in the mall? It would easily cost thousands per month, and you’re limited to mall customers.

If you start a blog, you can reach millions of people; practically anyone with an internet connection could be your customer.

Writing and Publishing a Blog Post in WordPress.org

This is what it looks like when you’re writing a blog post in WordPress.org. Yes, there is a bit more to it than the free WordPress.com version.

You can also do so much more, and you have complete control! If you genuinely want to turn your blog into a business, this is the tool you need. If you just want to hobby blog, this may not be for you.

And this is what the post looks like what it’s published. You can literally make your WordPress.org website look like anything.

Depending on your theme, you can start with a blank white page and build your site to your exact specifications. And it’s not hard, many professional themes have drag and drop visual builders. 

Examples of websites that utilize Wordress.org:

• Start A Mom Blog
• HodgePodge Hippie

WIX

I look good, what?!

WIX

With 45,000 users signing up to use Wix every single day, Wix is a real contender in the blogging world. Many people tend to overlook Wix because it seems to be not as familiar as some of the other blogging hosts, but the truth of the matter is that there are over 90 million blogs that have chosen Wix as their host. That’s no number to laugh at! Why do so many people love Wix? Here are just a few of the positives! 

PROS OF WIX

• Extremely simple to use
• Free plan option that allows you to start blogging once set up
• Blog posts can be shared to social media
• Opportunities to sell merchandise, etc. can be added to your posts

CONS OF WIX

• Using the free version of Wix will cause your blog domain to appear like this: yourwebsite.wix.com
• Once a theme is chosen, it can be hard to change or alter

If you decide that you like Wix, you can later upgrade to varying paid versions with the cheapest version starting at $5/month. This will give you more options, storage, and flexibility to be able to incorporate more of “you” into your blog. Check out Wix.

WEEBLY

The OG drag and dropper

WEEBLY

Weebly is no small potato in the blogging world. In fact, they are one of the fastest growing platforms out there. Many businesses have turned to use Weebly for their ease of use and convenience.

PROS OF WEEBLY

• Weebly is pretty much all-inclusive when it comes to what it can offer and do
• Know for quick site speed
• Provides hosting for all sites
• Assist with hacking and spam

CONS OF WEEBLY

• The free version will have your domain listed like this: http://yourwebsite.weebly.com
• Minimal theme options
• No plugin options
• Free version maxes out at 6 pages

You can choose to upgrade to the paid version, which starts out at $8/month. That gives you the opportunity for revenue optimization as well as ad removal from Weebly directly.

The one aspect that many people tend to love about Weebly is the amount of support that is offered, no matter if you are on the free plan or the paid version.

Check out Weebly.

SQUARESPACE

For the designers

SQUARESPACE

Squarespace is known for their beautiful and amazing templates that they offer. Bloggers around the world can’t say enough good things about their offerings.

Squarespace is often what people use if they are searching for something even easier than WordPress so keep this on your radar when searching for free personal blog sites! But it is one of the priciest options starting out.

PROS OF SQUARESPACE

• Beautiful templates with a modern look
• Optimized for mobile viewing
• Hosting and domain are included
• Great customer service
• All offered plans are ad free
• Widgets, social media icons, etc. can be added

CONS OF SQUARESPACE

• Their “free” plan is actually just a 14-day trial – then you have to upgrade
• Monthly options are more expensive with Squarespace – starting at $12/month
• Site speed is slower

Checkout SquareSpace.

BLOGGER

Your Public Online Diary

BLOGGER (ALSO KNOWN AS BLOGSPOT)

In the blogging world, Google is huge…and Google created their own hosting site to try to appeal to the millions of bloggers out there who are wanting to produce great content for others to read.

Is it worth choosing Blogger for your free blog site? Here are some pros and cons to consider!

PROS OF BLOGGER

• Good security that comes along with the backing of Google
• Easy and very simple to use

CONS OF BLOGGER

• Limited support
• Hasn’t had any sort of upgrade in a very long time
• Google technically owns the right to suspend your blog at any point in time should they choose (may I remind you of what happened to Google Plus, the internet elephant graveyard?) 

Checkout Blogger.

THE BEST BLOG SITES TO START A BLOG FOR FREE

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know my story. I studied Industrial Engineering, married a shorter Thor, had three beautiful children and started to blog. I never expected that the decision to start a blog would change my life so much. Since starting a blog I’ve paid off the mortgage, retired my husband and allowed my students to do the same!

I put together this quick chart for you so you can see, at a high level, the different major blogging platforms. In this post, I’ll dive deeply into each of the blogging platforms below, and I’ll list the pros and cons of each.

You’ll quickly see that most of the internet runs on a platform called WordPress, but there are other popular platforms too that you can use. I’ve played around with most of them and they all have unique perks which I’ll discuss below.

But for now, save this chart or pin it to Pinterest so you can refer back to it at any time!

FREE BLOGGING SITES – IMPORTANT NOTE

While there are plenty of free resources available, it’s important to choose the best blogging platform for you. This post showcase the best blogging platforms so you can make the best and most informed decision.

Keep in mind that the free blog sites have limits which I’ll review below. In the blogging world what works for one may not work for all so doing your research is key in making your blogging dreams come true!

SHOULD YOU USE A FREE BLOGGING WEBSITE?

If you’re serious about taking the first step in learning how to start and making money with your blog, a free blogging website may not be the best solution. 

If you want to start a hobby blog and have a personal website, then a free blog website will be your best solution. 

Blogging is something that is extremely near and dear to my heart and has opened up so many doors for me and my family.

Several years ago, I was sitting exactly where you are now, and I’ll never forget the moment that I decided to take the plunge and create my own blog. That decision truly changed my life for the better (like a paid off mortgage before turning 30 years old) and I hope that you know it can happen for you as well.

I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO START A BLOG FOR FREE

Fantastic, if you want the free route, read on! Blogging can be free or nearly darn close to it. 

When choosing where to find a platform for your blog, here is important information and tips about all the popular free blog sites that are available for you to use. 

THE BEST BLOGGING PLATFORM TO START A BLOG

Honestly, there are many different options where you can start your blog, and you can always move from one place to another (although some moves are a bit trickier than others). The first thing that you have to know is what you want to blog about and who you want to reach. Once you have that down, finding out where you can start is the easy part.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR BEST BLOG SITE

Choosing your blog site doesn’t have to be overly difficult because the majority of hosts all offer their own decent perks to join. I am a huge researcher so I always recommend that you do your own personal research on any of the free blog sites that you are considering using.

Read forums, read the pros and cons of each below, ask other blogging friends what they use or have used in the past and then weigh out all the information.

While it’s true that you can change your blog website later on down the road, that can be a process that can be avoided if you do your research in the beginning! (Trust me…it isn’t always an easy process to change!)

FREE BEST BLOGGING WEBSITES REVIEW

With all these free websites for blogs, it just shows you that there are so many great options to choose from. Before deciding what blogging platform is best for you, sit down and really think about your long-term goals for yourself and your blog.

Where do you see yourself in one year? Or ten years down the road? 

CHOOSING BEST BLOGGING PLATFORM IS IMPORTANT

If you feel deep down that you want your blog to become your career, you need to start off on the right foot from the very beginning. Learning how to start a blog and making money off that blog doesn’t have to be overly complicated!

I’m a firm believer that the more that you prepare now, the less stress that you’ll have later down the road. And honestly…if you want your blog to be your next career move, it’s crucial to set a strong foundation for your blog to be able to grow.

As with any type of business venture, there may be a few bumps and hiccups along the way; however, don’t give up. Blogging is not hard. It just takes consistent effort. Just like any new skill – the more you do it – the better you’ll become!

Leave a comment below and let me know what blogging platform you use!