Best blogging platforms in 2026: free and paid

The 10 best blogging platforms

Prices are US prices as of October 2026. New to blogging? Start with our guide on how to start a blog.

WordPress.org

Free, open-source software that powers 39.5% of all websites (W3Techs, October 29, 2026). You get more than 73,000 plugins, 8,745 free themes, built-in comments with moderation and a full XML export of posts, pages and comments.

• Price: free software, plus hosting (SiteGround StartUp is $2.99/month for the first 12 months, then $17.99/month) and a domain ($11.08/year for a .com at Porkbun).
• Free plan: no hosted plan; the software itself is free.
• Best for: full control and ownership.

WordPress.com

Hosted WordPress, so you skip managing a server. Every paid plan adds plugins and custom themes, and annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year.

• Price: Personal $4/month billed yearly ($9 month to month), Premium $8 ($18), Business $25 ($40).
• Free plan: yes, on a wordpress.com subdomain with 1 GB of storage, ads and no plugins.
• Best for: WordPress without managing hosting.

Ghost

A publishing platform that combines a blog, a newsletter and paid memberships. Ghost takes 0% of your revenue; only Stripe's 2.9% + 30 cents applies.

• Price: Ghost(Pro) Starter $15/month billed yearly ($18 monthly) for up to 1,000 members, without paid subscriptions; Publisher $29/month billed yearly adds paid subscriptions and custom themes.
• Free plan: no hosted free plan, but a 14-day free trial; the software is free to self-host (MIT license).
• Best for: paid newsletters and membership publications.

Substack

A blog and an email newsletter in one, plus a reader network: Substack says more than half of new subscribers come from it. See how it compares in our Ghost vs Substack guide.

• Price: free to publish; Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, plus Stripe fees. A custom domain is a one-time $50.
• Free plan: yes; the 10% applies only when readers pay.
• Best for: newsletter-first writers who want built-in discovery.

Medium

Medium puts your posts in front of its existing readers; any signed-in account can respond. For more control, see our Medium alternatives.

• Price: free to publish; membership is $5/month or $50/year and is required to earn through the Partner Program or use your own domain.
• Free plan: yes.
• Best for: reaching Medium's readers without running a site.

Blogger

Google's free blogging service. You can show AdSense ads and choose whether anyone, Google account holders or only blog members can comment.

• Price: free; a custom domain costs whatever your registrar charges (www-style addresses only, not bare domains).
• Free plan: yes, with a blogspot.com address.
• Best for: a free hobby blog.

Wix

A drag-and-drop site builder with a built-in blog. Blog comments are on by default, and the App Market has over 800 apps.

• Price: Light $17/month, Core $29, Business $39 and Business Elite $159, billed yearly; most yearly plans include a free domain voucher for 1 year.
• Free plan: yes, with Wix ads and a wixsite.com address.
• Best for: small business sites with a blog.

Squarespace

Polished templates for portfolios and brand sites. Annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year, and custom JavaScript (code injection) needs Core or higher. Compare it in WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace.

• Price: Basic $19/month billed yearly ($25 month to month), Core $29 ($39), Plus $49 ($65), Advanced $99 ($139).
• Free plan: no; a 14-day free trial with no credit card.
• Best for: design-led portfolio and brand sites.

beehiiv

A newsletter platform with a built-in website. Subscribers can comment on posts, and beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscriptions (Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 still applies).

• Price: Lite $49/month billed yearly or $59 month to month at 1,000 subscribers; Pro $95/month billed yearly. Custom domains need a paid plan.
• Free plan: yes, up to 2,500 subscribers.
• Best for: growth-focused newsletters.

Hashnode

A blogging platform for developers, with nested comments and a free plan to start.

• Price: Hashnode Pro is $5 per seat, monthly or yearly, and lets you map your own domain.
• Free plan: yes.
• Best for: developer blogs.

Blogging platforms compared

How to choose the right platform

• You want comments and community on your blog: CommentCamp, free with no ads.
• You want ownership and room to grow: WordPress.org.
• You're building a paid newsletter: Substack to start free and tap its network, or Ghost or beehiiv for a flat fee and a 0% take rate.
• You need a business site first and a blog second: Wix or Squarespace.
• You want to publish for $0 today: any of the 7 free hosted plans above.
• You write about software: Hashnode.

What to check before you commit

Exports. WordPress.org exports posts, pages and comments as an XML file at any time. Wix says: "Currently, it is not possible to export blog posts to other platforms." Squarespace exports one blog page, with up to 1,000 comments per post, in a WordPress-format file.

Comments. Squarespace visitors comment as guests, because "it's not currently possible for visitors to log in to comment." Ghost limits comments to members and beehiiv to subscribers, while Substack lets you choose per post: everyone, free or paid subscribers, paid only, founding members or no one.

Adding comments and community to your blog

CommentCamp adds free comments and community spaces to your own blog: unlimited comments, threaded replies, automated spam filtering and a moderation queue, plus optional reactions, Q&A answers, member levels and quests. It's $0 for site owners, forever, with no ads, funded by optional member Pro (cosmetic profile badges, theme customization and eligible XP boosts).

It launches with an official WordPress plugin and a universal embed script for any platform that accepts plugins or custom scripts (on Squarespace, custom JavaScript needs Core at $29/month billed yearly or higher). WordPress comment import and full data exports are on the roadmap. CommentCamp is in private early access; join the waitlist to get an invite.

Disclosure: CommentCamp is our product.

Tip: Switching comment systems? Export your existing comments first; WordPress includes them in its standard XML export.