Nowadays, more than ever, people turn to the digital world and use free blogging platforms to grow their business. To avoid any confusion between the different platforms, we created this list of the 6 Best Free Blogging Platforms to Start Your Website In 2021!

Yup! We said FREE!

Platforms such as WordPress.com, Wix, or Weebly make it possible for thousands of brand new digital business owners to begin their journey at a relatively low cost!

When deciding on a blogging platform, there are so many factors you should consider. Things like speed, customization, SEO, support, etc., can make it a complicated process.

However, the best blog platform for you depends entirely on what you’re trying to accomplish. This is what we hope to help you figure out today!

P.S. If you’re interested in starting a blog and making money online, check out our #1 recommended method that we used to build our blog from scratch!

You’ll get access to step-by-step training, how-to videos, and a private business advisor to help you get started. It’s the perfect solution for beginners! 😁

Keep in mind that this article is only going to be focusing on the best free blogging platforms. If you’re willing to pay a little extra for more customization, then check out our other article about the best-paid blogging platforms to make money.

Before we give you our recommendations, let’s answer some of those questions you might have first…

What is a Blog Platform?

If you’ve never heard of a “blog platform” before, it’s a pretty simple concept…

A blogging platform serves as your “ingredients” (aka the foundation) of any blog.

All websites contain endless lines of written codes that get combined to create the websites that you see. If you start a website from scratch, you must complete all lines of coding for it to work (just like baking).

But don’t worry, you don’t need to learn how to code… a blog platform does that work for you!

The Difference Between Paid vs. Free Blog Platforms

Well, aside from the obvious…(duh)… the second most significant difference is that free blogging platforms have more limitations on what you can customize. 

Although, that may not be a bad thing!

A free blogging platform allows you to experiment and get creative with your blog before investing any of your hard-earned cash.

The majority of people who are using paid blogging platforms are trying to make an income from their blog. These bloggers want the ability to customize their blog and make it rank high on search results. They use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) keywords to help them.

Here are our biggest takeaways of free blogging platforms:

• It’s easy to use
• No maintenance hassles
• Limited customization

Why Should I Use a Free Blog Platform?

When you use a free blog platform, you are only renting the “house,” but when you use a paid platform, you now own the “house.” Just like when you own a house, you have the freedom to do anything you want with it.

However, if you rent a house, your freedom is limited to what the “landlord” says you can do. 

Most bloggers get started with free blogging tools, and it’s not a bad idea. However, if you want to make more money from your blog, it’s better to invest in a paid platform.

You will be able to utilize it the way you want with no restrictions.

Of course, if you plan on creating a blog just as a side hobby with no desire to make an income, then a free blog site is your go-to! It’s essential to have your ultimate goal of creating a blog in mind when you start the process of choosing the best blogging platform.

Alright, enough prologue. 

Let’s go over The Best Free Blog Platforms of 2021.

Best Blog Platform To Make Money

WordPress.com

Many people confuse WordPress.com with WordPress.org. The co-founder, Matt Mullenweg, created WordPress.com as a free version of their original paid platform to serve a broader audience.

Check out our comparison on WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.

Key Features:

Effortless Setup: Simply create your account, and you’ll already have a WordPress.com subdomain.

Community Support: WordPress.com comment support section can answer almost every question you may have.

Many Themes: WordPress.com allows you to choose from dozens of themes. It offers more flexibility and customization than other free blog platforms.

Essential Features: WordPress.com provides 3GB of storage, including automatic updates and backups.

Pros:

• It’s perfect for beginners who are just starting! You can get started within a few minutes of reading tutorials.
• WordPress offers the largest selection of themes of any free blogging platform.
• All themes are compatible with mobile, tablet, and desktop surfaces.
• Automatic updates, site security, and hosting are all taken care of through WordPress.com.
• You can use WordPress.com for projects and eCommerce stores.

Cons:

• WordPress branding will be on your subdomain. For example, your domain will show up as “YourBlogName.WordPress.com.”
• There are several limitations if you want to monetize your blog.
• WordPress.com will display ads on your page.

WordPress.com is best for… people who want to start a blog but aren’t too concerned about having access to a lot of features – at least for right now.

Best Blog Platform For Beginners

Wix

Wix was created to provide a blogging platform for absolute beginners and people who have no coding or website design experience.

In other words, the creators of Wix wanted to create the most straightforward blogging platform for new users to learn on.

Key Features:

Drag and Drop: You can easily customize texts, pictures, videos, etc., on your page to look as you see fit.

SEO: You have the option to customize your URL and add keywords that allows you to stand out more.

Beautiful Templates: You can choose from an extensive collection of templates and decide how you want your blog to look.

Free Hosting Included: All you need to do is design the layout, pick a template, and you’re good to go!

Pros:

• There’s no denying that Wix is one of the easiest and best free blog platforms to use.
• Wix provides you with a free logo maker to start your blog.
• Wix helps boost your blog’s ranking with SEO, which helps bring in a greater audience.

Cons:

• Your website will have Wix branding and advertisement displayed.
• Once you launch your website, you cannot change the template.
• Since Wix uses their own advertisements, you cannot run your own ads. (At least with the free version)

Wix is best for… beginners and people looking for the simplest way to start their blog for free.

Easiest Blog Platform

Weebly

Weebly provides you with all the tools you’ll need to grow your blog and design a website of your choice. It also comes with an eCommerce option that allows you to sell products online.

Key Features:

Drag and Drop: It’s very user friendly to new bloggers who are just starting.

Collaboration: Weebly has a feature that allows multiple users to collaborate on the same website simultaneously.

Membership Area: You have the option to access a members-only section of the website.

eCommerce: Weebly allows you to have a blogging and an eCommerce option for your website.

Pros:

• You can change the themes as often as you want.
• Use eCommerce to monetize your site.
• Weebly offers easy customization through the drag and drop tool.
• You have the option of using Google Analytics to get a better understanding of how well your content is performing.

Cons:

• Weebly is not as user friendly as compared to Wix.com
• You’re very limited in customizing your blog to the way you like.
• It’s difficult to migrate or export the website to another platform.

Weebly is best for… people looking for a simple blogging platform to use that includes an eCommerce option.

Best Blog Platform For Writers

Medium

Medium is a unique type of blogging platform because it’s the only platform on this list that isn’t a website builder. This platform operates more like a community of bloggers who came together to blog on various social media platforms.

Key Features:

SEO Friendly: Medium blog posts will regularly be ranked among the top search results making it easier for you to stand out.

Story Option: Unlike other free blogging platforms, Medium gives you the option to create a series of ‘blog stories’ to keep your readers engaged.

Built-In Audience: This allows users to repost past articles to reach a bigger audience.

Quality Viewers: If you want good quality readers, Medium is an excellent platform since it offers a paid subscription.

Pros:

• Medium is one of the easiest platforms available. Just create an account and start blogging away!
• It already has a built-in audience, which means when you’re writing, your audience already exists.
• The platform is very user friendly and well organized.
• You have the option to share your ‘blog stories’ on other blogging platforms as well.

Cons:

• Every Medium post looks the exact same. There’s almost no customization allowed.
• Medium doesn’t let you use for advertisements or eCommerce.
• You don’t own a website. You’ll be using the Medium platform to post your blog content.

Medium is best for… people who only want to focus on writing blog posts and don’t care too much about owning a website.

Other Free Blog Platforms

Blogger (Blogspot)

Blogger is one of the oldest free blogging platforms, but it remains a good option for beginner personal bloggers. We would recommend using Blogger if you want to use your blog as a hobby.

Key Features:

No Ads: Unlike other free blog platforms, Blogger gives you the option to include ads or not.

Simplistic: Blogger has a simple appearance, which allows the focus to remain on the content.

Easy User Interface: You can create a Blogger profile using your Gmail account in a few minutes. 

Google Integration: Since Google owns Blogger, it allows for straightforward content exporting.

Pros:

• You have the option to run Google Ads for monetization.
• Hosting services automatically come with the blogger platform.
• You can post up to 100 blogs per account.

Cons:

• You cannot use a custom domain or paid hosting options. 

• In general, Blogger is very limited on what you can customize. 

• Fewer templates and customization features available.

Blogger is best for… people who want to start a blog and earn extra side money without owning a website.

Joomla

Joomla is a Content Management System (CMS) that allows you to have a generous selection of customization features. It helps you build your website, and you have the option of creating online applications.

Key Features:

eCommerce: Joomla allows users to manage their website content as well as an online store.

Flexibility: It’s easy to upgrade your account when you feel ready.

Multilingual: Multilingual support is built-in without any additional plug-ins.

Easy To Use: Similar to WordPress, getting started with Joomla is a simple process.

Pros:

• Joomla has an extensive catalog of extensions to choose from.
• Constant security updates ensure your website is always secure.
• It’s an open-source and free platform.

Cons:

• Joomla requires you to self-host your website, which technically makes it not entirely “free.”

• It requires a basic understanding of technical skills and how coding works.

• You’re responsible for ensuring that your site is secured and stays maintained.

• Joomla is more complicated than other blogging platforms.

Joomla is best for… people who already have some technical knowledge and can manage a more advanced user interface system.

Which Is The Best Free Blog Platform?

It all depends! As we said earlier, the best blog platform for you will depend on whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. 

Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, but here are our recommendations if you’re looking for something specific.

If you’re looking for the best blogging platform to make money and monetize with,  we recommend you go with WordPress.com.

• You have many different theme options that allow you to customize your blog however you want

• Great customer support

• Themes are compatible with all devices

Once you get more experienced, we recommend checking out the paid version of WordPress.com, which is WordPress.org.

If you’re looking for a simple blogging platform, we recommend either Wix or Weebly.

• The setup is made for beginners or people who have little experience with website building. 

• Very easy to customize

• Great for beginners new to blogging

If you don’t want to build a website but still want to write blogs, we recommend Medium.

• You already have a built-in audience waiting to read your content.

• It’s easy to use and has a simple design layout.

• SEO friendly, which means it will rank higher on search engines.

If you’re more interested in a paid option that provides more customization and freedom, check out our article on paid blogging platforms!

What comes next?

At this point, you should have a basic understanding of the Best Free Blog Platforms that are available to you.

Great! Deciding on your blog platform is one of the very first steps.

The next step is where you learn how to write blog content that converts well with your readers. This step may seem intimidating at first, but trust us, once you know the basics, it’s not that bad!

We made it our goal and personal commitment to educate as many people as possible who want to work from home and start an online business that will provide them with freedom of time, money, and life.

Take this next step to learn the exact step-by-step strategy that we used to make money online and start our online business. This is our #1 recommended method if you’re looking to achieve a new level of personal and financial freedom! 

CLICK HERE to Get Started!

P.S. Did this post on the 6 Best Free Blogging Platforms to Start Your Website in 2021 help you? Are you ready to start a blog? What would it be about? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below!

You can follow us on social media here!