Are you looking for free software to help you share your passion for writing with the world? We’ve put together the ten best free blog platforms to help you easily create a blog. A blogging platform is a software or web-based service used to manage and publish content on the internet as a blog. Basically, this platform enables the user to create, organize, and publish written and visual content online.
1. WordPress.org (Self-Hosted WordPress)
You will encounter WordPress in the list twice, but they are entirely different platforms. First, let’s talk about WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress. This open-source software is by far the most popular free blog platform. As of February 2025, 43.6% of all websites use WordPress.
Features:
- Flexible. With WordPress, you can create any website you want. It helps you start a personal blog, a photoblog, a business website, a professional portfolio, a government website, and a magazine, among others.
- Allows easy website creation and content publishing.
- WordPress makes it easy for you to manage your content through publishing tools.
- User management
- Media management
- Easy theme system
- Extend with plugins
- Built-in comments
- Search Engine Optimized
- Available in more than 70 languages.
- Easy Installation and Upgrades
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2. WordPress.com
Whether you are a beginner or a more advanced writer, WordPress.com can cater to the needs of writers at any level. It is an all-in-one solution, which includes hosting and a domain, and it’s much easier to use.
With simple free plans or premium options starting at $4 per month, creating your blog on WordPress.com is easy. For those who are more advanced, they also have scalability for those who want to grow their blogs over time.
Features:
- Community Features
- User-Friendly Interface
- Themes & Customization
- Free and Paid Plans
- Built-in Hosting
- Automatic Updates
- Content Management
- Mobile-Friendly
- Built-in SEO Tools
- Integrated Social Sharing
- Plugin Support (for higher-tier plans
- Custom Domain (available for premium plans)
- E-commerce Support
- Analytics & Statistics
- Multilingual Support:
- Customer Support
3. Wix
Wix is a free website builder software that is easy to use and beginner-friendly. The main feature of this platform is its drag-and-drop options. The design is intuitive and can be used by both beginners and advanced users.
Features:
- It allows you to start a personal blog, a portfolio website, or even an online store.
- There are over 500 themes available.
- It offers a large number of templates arranged in different categories.
- Offers features for sending & managing invoices.
- Multilingual stores.
- Allow tracking of website traffic via Google Analytics.
4. Weebly
Weebly is a website builder that you can use to blog and sell products or showcase your portfolio. It is similar to Wix because it provides a WYSIWYG editor with drag-and-drop elements. If you want to add a specific button, you can move it to the page and tweak it. It also applies to photo galleries, slideshows, and other multimedia elements.
Features:
- t will enable you to change the blog template.
- Offers a limited-time free plan, allowing you to try their services on a small scale before paying.
- Offers built-in easy-to-understand SEO guides.
5. Substack
Substack is a free, subscription-focused platform that allows writers, journalists, and bloggers to tap into an existing community, attract a portion of it to their content, and eventually accept payment for their work. It provides a simple publishing interface, and in recent years, it has also added features to give users additional tools for growing and engaging their audience.
Features:
- Email Newsletter Creation
- Subscription Management
- Paid Subscriptions & Monetization
- Custom Domains
- Newsletter Analytics
- Mobile-Friendly Interface
- Design Customization
- Comment Section & Community Engagement
- Integrations (e.g., Stripe for Payments)
- Cross-Platform Publishing
6. Joomla
Like WordPress, the Joomla software is free, but you need web hosting and a domain. Bluehost is one of the most-recommended hosting providers because it is cheap and reliable (and includes a free domain). Joomla is another popular CMS that allows you to build a website and professional blog for your business. It is one of the best free blogging sites, running smoothly on most web servers since it is easy to use and has powerful free-to-use CMS tools.
Features:
- It allows you to choose when articles are published.
- Add extra functions to your content in a single click.
- It offers a perfect balance between ease of use and complexity of functionality.
- Edit content without any knowledge of code.
- It provides a user-friendly admin interface.
7. LinkedIn
LinkedIn isn’t the first choice when it comes to free blogging sites. That being said, this platform does deserve some attention. Why? It’s because of LinkedIn’s easy-to-use tools and pre-existing audience. LinkedIn works best for business owners and professionals who want to reach a pre-existing audience.
Features:
- Drive more readers to your blog because of LinkedIn’s 500+ existing users and about 250 million monthly active users.
- Publishing content is free.
- Opportunity to show the users your skills and position yourself as an authority in your field.
- Increase lead-generating traffic to your blog.
- Your connections receive a notification whenever you publish a new article.
8. Medium
Medium is a multipurpose platform where anyone with an account can write. The significant advantage of Medium is that your articles will be exposed to a broad audience since 60 million readers visit the platform (*) per month (and the number increases every year).
Medium is best for people who want to write, are looking for a built-in audience, and don’t care much about having their “own site.”
Features:
- Automated story descriptions.
- Provide an option for URL customization.
- It offers an easy-to-use editor that lets writers focus on their content creation rather than formatting.
- Offers a partnership program for an individual or business
- Interests customization.
9. Strikingly
Strikingly is a simple drag-and-drop builder that lets beginners create sites without web design or development knowledge. It is a no-code site creator that makes it easy for novices to become website owners with little effort. The website builder has been around for over a decade and powers about 100,000 sites.
Features:
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Mobile-responsive designs
- E-commerce functionality with Simple Store
- Built-in analytics
- Custom domain support
- HTTPS security for all sites
- Social media integration
- Contact and signup forms
- Password protection option
- Multiple-page support (Pro plan and above)
- HTML/CSS/JavaScript customization (Pro plan and above)
10. Ghost
Ghost is a top-rated free, open-source blogging platform for the more advanced blogger. With paid options starting at $9 monthly, you can focus on content creation using the platform’s distraction-free interface. Overall, this blogging platform is an excellent choice for writers who want to monetize their blogs through memberships and subscriptions.
Features:
- Open-source platform
- Customizable themes
- Built-in SEO tools
- Integrated email newsletters
- Monetization options
- Advanced editor
- Membership functionality
- Native analytics
- Social media integrations
- Custom domains
- Offers and promotions
- Payment gateways
The Essential Role of Blogging in Business
The rising popularity of free (and paid) blogging platforms shows that blogging isn’t dead. Blogging is a reliable content marketing tactic that helps companies improve online visibility. However, visibility is not the only benefit. Below are the essential benefits of blogs and blog writing for your business:
Increase website traffic
When expanding its online presence, consistent publishing of curated content increases the number of pages on your company website. The more web traffic you get, the more potential clients you will reach. It can also give you a competitive advantage against rivals who don’t have a blog.
Boost conversions
It is best to know that blogging does not immediately pay off like advertising, particularly online advertising. Many corporate blogs do not get a positive ROI until they’ve blogged regularly for six to 12 months. In short, blogs become more impactful over time, resulting in a longer lifespan than advertisements. Furthermore, adding clear and actionable CTAs to blog posts is essential for optimizing content for conversions.
Support easier cross-promotion
Imagine your blog as the hub and your social media channels as the outposts. To maximize effectiveness, find out where your target audience hangs out online and use these platforms to build client relationships. Remember, every click on your blog is crucial for improving SEO and building brand awareness. So, make sure to add share buttons to your blog posts to increase the chance for readers to share your posts within their communities.
Improved authority
Blogging can also help you become an expert in your industry. Posting valuable content allows easier identification of your business as a useful resource. This can result in repeat viewership and prompt Google and other search engines that your website is a reliable source.
Small businesses find blogging a valuable tool for establishing themselves as market authorities. It can position you higher than your competitors in search engines, resulting in more potential customers visiting your website.
Conclusion
What do you think about the features of the best free blog platforms? Which one sounds like the best solution to help you achieve your blogging objectives? To sum it up, the most common features you should consider when choosing a blogging platform are:
- Easy to use and setup
- Low-Cost Web Presence
- It helps you increase the audience
- Allows you to establish your business brand
- Offers performance tracking
- Option for comment and RSS feed
If most of these features are offered by a platform that matches your blogging goals and requirements, you are making a good choice. And for your website design and blog graphics services, Penji is there to help. They have a pool of professional website designers who are always ready to assist in taking your website to the next level.
