Getting started on your first blog post is super easy. You only need to choose your perfect design from their collection of easy-to-use templates. All blogger templates come with flexible layouts and hundreds of background images. You also have the freedom to build it yourself in which case you’ll need to do a little tweaking, customizations and maybe editing here and there. However, going by their ready-made templates is the better option in my view because there’s not much hassle and strain. That done, you will get a free domain from BlogSpot. You can also opt for a custom domain at a cost though. Needless to say that custom domains are much better than free types. They offer immense flexibility and also gives you the freedom to manipulate different parameters on your budding blogger.com account. Only that and you are ready to start blogging like an expert. You can generate a few bucks by adding different income generating ads like Google AdSense. This review has rounded up some of the best free blogging sites like Blogger.com. We have provided a detailed description for each site alongside its defining features. Be sure to compare and contrast each of them in order to get the best alternative site.
1. WordPress
If you are talking about mainly putting in content into a website, this is the best alternative for you. It gives out more customization options on your website. If you want to, you may have a hosting company host it with a domain of your choice and make it your own .com website. Complete control of its customization options can be done with the help of WordPress. This one is not for beginners though. Beginners may have this one, but not be able to fully utilize all of the features of WordPress. This one is mostly used by professionals who have their own websites for different purposes. There are free options when using this website, but if you really want to have those amazing features and at the same time have the budget of spending a fortune, then go for the paid options of WordPress. Overall, WordPress is the very best alternative that you could find when Blogger or BlogSpot is not around.
2. Tumblr
Who would expect something like Tumblr would pop out in this list? Well, if you look closely, Tumblr is a potential alternative for Blogger and BlogSpot, here’s why. It is almost like a Twitter with a WordPress platform in it, you can interact with other people in just less effort, but at the same time have your own website to show to everyone in the world. This one is a good alternative because of its mobile adaptability. If you are someone that is traveling without your own PC around you, then you can just log in to your Tumblr account and upgrade your blog using your mobile device. You can just submit content in a matter of few clicks and have it published in your website, of course, with proper formatting and design.
3. Weebly
One of the classics in terms of platforms for creating websites. Weebly has upgraded its purpose throughout the years, from being a simple website builder in the past into a blogging platform that is great for businesses. This is because of its features that are very easy to use, paired with its drag and drop options in terms of editing the website. If you are someone who does not want to learn how to code in order to have a very good website output, then this one is the best solution for you. Coding experts have no place in Weebly (in case if they want to showcase their coding skills in this platform). So, this is just mainly for those who want to create quick websites and blogs. Weebly can be used for web building and blogging at the same time, which makes it convenient for all of the users. Quickly create your blogs with more designs around it, with the help of Weebly.
4. Wix
If you have a programming background and you have a little sense of HTML5, then Wix should be the one for you. It is the easiest platform that you will ever be able to use to create your own blog or website. It is so simple that you just have to drag and drop everything else to place them in the website. If you are not fond of creating your own design and layout, then you may check out one of the 500 designer-made templates available for all of the users. There are even apps and features made available to make your website become more interactive and fun. In every free Wix account, you will have a 1GB bandwidth and 500MB storage available. But there is always more available if you are willing to pay for something. Similar to other platforms, Wix can also offer you to have your own domain as well. There are also other features available, like Google Analytics, online stores, online storage and more found in their premium plans.
5. Medium
If you are someone with advanced skills in HTML and CSS, then Medium should be the best platform for you. You can share all your writing, skills, thoughts and concern via making a blog-post easily in this platform. If you want people to immediately see your content, then say hello to the built-in audience of Medium that has the chance of reacting to your posts in a matter of time. This makes Medium questionable if it is a platform or a publisher, but we all enjoy it though. Joining the Medium is free for all, business entities or individuals. You can publish all your posts and whatnot. The readers around the platform can also comment, react and recommend to the posts of other users. There are lots of possible options that you could use with Medium, which makes it a very good platform. But then it just has a lot around it, which makes you need to undergo through a steep learning curve in order to perfect all of its features. It is worth it in the end though, as great results have already been shown when using Medium.
6. Hubpages
Hubpages has been there for a long time already. It was made famous because some people have been using it in order to earn money online. It is a revenue-share writing site, meaning that you can put pretty much about anything in this website, put it as your own content and then the ads will do the work for you, in terms of earning. So much for earning, Hubpages are for those that are creative in making their own blogs. Simply because of the wide variety of its widgets. You can add links to products, polls, pictures, videos, slideshows and more. All of them can be adjusted and modified by just dragging and dropping. Make them appear wherever you want or however you want, just with the work of your mouse. This is one of the reasons why many users love to use Hubpages and create hubs. But if you focus on just mainly creating and writing content, then this one might not be the one for you. As the editing process may be as tedious as it seems it would be.
7. Joomla
Joomla is a content management platform or system that is open source too. This one is considered a good alternative for Blogger and BlogSpot because of some certain reasons. This one is very flexible and powerful, because of its ability to help you create your own layout and then render it to HTML in forms of arrays/objects of data. This one is very useful if you consider yourself as a programmer with strong HTML backgrounds. Not just that, it uses Bootstrap on some of its contents, so expect to have a responsive website around you. It is the same as how WordPress does its job in creating a domain. This one can be hosted by others hosts or it can just be self-hosted. Unlike the WordPress community, the community Joomla has is much lesser, meaning you cannot find lots of people to ask for help and tips with. Also, Joomla has lesser add-ons and widgets compared to the other platforms. But still, the hundreds of templates lying around are useful for customizing your website.
8. Yola
A platform that offers you a good size of storage and bandwidth, a rough 1GB on each category. But here is the catch, you can only create up to two or three web pages if you are using its free plan. Well, you get to enjoy the huge storage size and bandwidth offered though, so you can add all the photos and videos and contents that you want to put in each of the web pages that you have. Find out how to get free Photoshop and start editing your photos professionally, creating collages to make your blog look great and modern. One good feature that Yola offers too is that you will not have so many ads around the place. This means that your blog will not be that annoying when users will come and visit it. There are lots of templates that you can choose from when starting in Yola. To make your website more interactive, there are lots of widgets that you can put around it, all via dragging and dropping. Finally, if you have a good background regarding CSS, then it might be a little bit helpful along the way.
9. Ghost
Ghost is a blogging platform that is mainly dedicated to creating blogs. Unlike other platforms, it has a very simple and clean interface, which means you will be able to easily understand it without much knowledge or background about making websites. One notable feature that it has is the live preview feature. You can start to edit and make content while at the same time having a live preview beside you. This is helpful in case you might not be noticing that you are having errors around your project. This one might be the very best platform for all beginners, but most of the experts also recommend using this one. Simply because of its simple and clean interface, way too different compared to the other blogging platforms out there. Take note that this one is difficult to install, as there are a lot of things that you need to set-up first before being good to go, but it is all worth the shot.
10. Drupal
A very good option when wanting to create blogs that are aligned with businesses. This one is not just any other blogging platform out there, it can also be a content management system. This means that web content and web pages can also be created inside your blog, and then you can fully customize and manage it all. Drupal does not offer self-hosting service, this means that you need to find other hosting services if you want your blog to be put inside a domain and use it professionally. But then Drupal is also not for those beginner bloggers out there. This one is best used when you want to upgrade your blogging experience. If you want to experience things more professionally, then this one is a very good option for you.
Conclusion
There are definitely lots and lots of platforms out there. We do not know what is best for you, because it all depends on your preference. Choose wisely if you consider yourself as a beginner or expert in terms of blogging. If you are willing to spend a good amount of money, then there are more options for you around the internet. Blogging is such so much fun that it is highly recommended for people to dive into it. Well, let’s just hope that Blogger and BlogSpot will not be shut down, or else the world has to go and choose from our posted alternatives. Happy blogging!
