Best Blogging Platform to Make Money in 2022 [+ Free Blogging Platforms]

There are many different platforms out there that you can use to start making money online. Some of them are free, others require payment.

You need to choose one that will allow you to build up your blog quickly while also being easy for you to manage.

All Blogging platforms are not created equal!

Whether you want to build blogging sites, personal blogs, or want to create a self-hosted blog. Whatever your reason is…

After reading this post you will find out the best and the most simple blogging platforms so that you make the right choice at the start of your blogging journey.

Some have better features for making money than others. So which one should you choose? Here’s what we think about some of the most popular ones.

You can go with free blog sites if you are building a hobby blog but there are certain limitations that you have to take care of.

You cannot use custom themes, third-party themes, third-party plugins, third-party apps, etc.

However, if you want to start a professional blog and want to be successful in your blogging career then the best choice is to go with a self-hosted blogging platform.

For me the best self-hosted blogging platform is WordPress. You can read more on this inside the post.

Best Blogging Platforms To Make Money

There are many blogging platforms out there; trying all of them can be a bit overwhelming.

Each platform has its own use case. You can decide after reading this post which is best for you.

#1 WordPress.org

How about having complete ownership of your content?

If this is you then you can go for WordPress.org. 

Although WordPress.org is free you need a custom domain and hosting for this. The best part is it easy to set up.

Good hosting will make your website fast and your life easy.

If you are a blogger and treat blogging as a business. WordPress gives a ton of options to customize your website and blog.

If you are into blogging then you need the traffic to your website…

And…

One of the most effective ways to get traffic is to rank your website in SERP and the best part is WordPress is considered the best platform when it comes to SEO.

Note: Don’t get confused with WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Both are different. WordPress is a self-hosted WordPress platform.

Almost one out of two websites is made on WordPress. W3Techs reports that 43.2% of all websites on the internet are powered by WordPress in 2022, up from 39.5% in 2021.

Some of The Benefits of Using WordPress

Even a newbie can easily learn how to use and make websites on WordPress.

Access to thousands of free themes/Premium themes and plugins.

Can customize it according to your need.

You will own your content.

Doing SEO will be easy and Search Engines love WordPress. You will have access to a ton of SEO tools.

As many bloggers use WordPress, you can easily get community support.

It’s very cost-effective and cheap.

#2 Medium

If you love writing and don’t want to spend any money then MEDIUM could be a good choice. It can help you build your personal brand.

You will have limited control over the platform. You cannot make many changes and customize it according to your need.

I will recommend WordPress as you can use medium along with WordPress to extend your reach.

Tech, Entrepreneurs, and generally prefers Medium to generate leads and grow their email list.

Benefits of Using Medium

One of the benefits of using Medium is it reaches a highly targeted audience. 

You can connect with other authors and build your PIN (Personal Influencers Network).

Can help with EAT (“Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness”). This can benefit you if you are in the YMYL niche (Your money your life).

It has inbuilt statistics and analytics features which are very lucrative.

More than 136.5 Million users visit Medium. So with the right approach, you can reach a large audience.

If you want to show ads in your post and this platform is not for you. However, You can put affiliate links if you don’t spam.

Even you can earn money with Medium Partner Program. You can join the partner program once you publish at least one story and have a minimum of 100 followers.

#3 Blogger

The blogger platform is owned by Google and is free to use. However, a custom domain must be purchased in order to remove the blogger.com branding from the URL.

Blogger is easy to set up and you can get plenty of themes but you cannot customize your site easily unlike WordPress.

Most of the time you will have to use your custom codes to make simple changes. Generally, new bloggers who don’t want to spend money use bloggers.

Apart from Google Adsense, monetizing your website could be difficult. However, affiliate marketing is always a choice.

Benefits of Using Blogger

I see only one benefit from Blogger: it offers free blog hosting and a free Blogspot subdomain.

You don’t have resource limitations, unlike other hosting companies.

#4 Ghost

With Ghost, you can create a simple blog where you can blog if you own a domain and hosting. This is perfect only for blogging and creating simple blog post.

In addition to being an open-source platform, Ghost is also compatible with multiple platforms since anyone can contribute to it.

Ghost claims that some of the big names like OpenAI, Buffer, SkyNews, Apple, etc use Ghost as a blogging platform.

The basic version of Ghost is free, but premium features require a fee. It can be a great alternative to WordPress. With free plan you will have to use ghost subdomain.

The basic plan starts at $11/month.

Benefits of Using Ghost CMS

It is fast and secure.

Minimalist design.

Easy to write, edit and publish content.

It has membership management.

1,000+ Zapier integrations are available.

#5 Wix

WIX is a great option if you want a simple blog or website and aren’t afraid to spend some extra money.

Their templates make it easy to create basic attractive websites.

While Wix has a lot to offer, it lacks when it comes to creating larger websites. I don’t find it reasonable to spend more for a limited feature set.

You can use Wix for free if you are okay with their branding, but you will have to pay $16 per month to use your custom domain and other premium features.

Benefits of Using Wix

You can drag and drop elements to create websites.

Website speed is generally good.

With Wix, you can easily build attractive websites thanks to its good template collection.

#6 Tumblr

The Tumblr blog platform is a great way to publish visually appealing content and share it with your audience. It is more of a social media platform.

But…

…be aware…

… because Tumblr is a microblogging and social networking site, you cannot customize anything. However, you can use your affiliate link to monetize your blog.

In addition, you can monetize your site with ad networks such as Google AdSense.

With Tumblr, you can create a subscription-based blog where readers pay monthly to read your content and get started without much investment.

Benefits of Using Tumblr

It takes only a few minutes to set up a blog.

The interface is user-friendly.

You get unlimited storage.

 It’s Free.

#7 Squarespace

Using Squarespace’s drag-and-drop website builder, you can easily create your website. It’s beginner-friendly and has beautiful templates to help you get started.

You can easily create:

Online Store.
Portfolio.
Services.
Personal & CV.
Restaurant.
Local Business.
Blog.

If you don’t mind having Squarespace in your URL, you can use Squarespace for free. To remove their branding, you must pay $23 per month.

If you choose to be a paid customer you get many other premium features like:

SSL Security.
Unlimited Bandwidth.
Mobile-Optimized Websites.
24/7 Customer Support.
Free Custom Domain*
30 minutes Video Storage.
SEO Features for Site Visibility.
Basic Website Metrics.
There is a template for every need, from blogs to portfolios.

Benefits of Using Squarespace

Easy to start.

No technical knowledge is needed.

It’s fast and offers unlimited hosting.

Is a drag-and-drop website builder.

Best Blogging Platforms: What You Need to Know

If you decide to choose any blogging platform, you need to know why you are choosing it: what is your use case? How do you intend to monetize? etc.

To help you decide on the best blogging platform, I have listed a few factors you should consider.

Monetization

Whether you want to sell products, show display ads, or put affiliate links on your website. You can monetize your blog in several ways.

It is important to ask yourself, “How will you monetize your blog?”

Having the answer to this question will make choosing a platform much easier.

Customization

You may prefer things that are tailored to your preferences if you are the kind of person who wants most things according to your own wishes.

Then…

Choosing a blogging platform that lets you customize your website based on your needs can be a crucial decision.

With WordPress, you can change the functionality, appearance, and design of your site without any coding knowledge.

Cost and Price

Another deciding factor is the price and cost of the platform since you need to decide how much you can afford and are willing to pay.

It is possible to start a blog using a Free Platform at any time, but you won’t get anywhere with it, and you will have an extremely difficult time making money from your blog.

Ease of Use

Content creation and making backlinks should be your top priorities when blogging, and these two tasks will yield you the most benefits.

I believe that you should not choose a platform that is very complicated to use and that requires a lot of time on your part.

It is for this reason that Ease of Use also becomes an important factor.

Purpose

WordPress will not serve you well if you are a video creator and wish to post videos. Instead, I recommend you use YouTube or another Youtube alternative.

Note: YouTube videos can be embedded on your website, however.

Knowing your purpose and goal makes it much easier for you to choose a platform.

Control

It is never a good idea to use a free blogging platform if you want complete control over your content.

Getting started is fine if you just want to learn how blogging works, but know that if you decide to move to another platform, you might lose your content. 

Your Skill Level

How experienced are you? Are you a beginner with no knowledge of blogging or are you an experienced blogger?

For a newbie, a hard learning curve could be a deciding factor. I doubt you’d stick with a platform that has a steep learning curve if you’re just starting out.

Therefore, your skill level also matters.

Compatibility

Having a platform that is compatible with your other plugins and features is equally important when choosing one.

There is no point in blindly choosing any platform.

As a note, I am using WordPress and have considered all the above factors.

Alternative Popular Blogging Platforms

I would have chosen WordPress if I had to start blogging from scratch. However, I totally respect your decision, so I am listing down some other options.

HubPages

If you are a writer looking for some online presence to get clients, then HubPages may be a good choice for you. However, you will not get a custom domain when using HubPages.

Weebly

With Weebly, you can build an easy-to-use website with drag-and-drop functionality that is comparable to Wix and Square.

The free version allows you to create a website, but if you want premium features, you will need to purchase a premium plan which generally starts from $5 per month if paid annually.

Twitter

The Twitter platform can be useful if you are a Twitter star. However, if you are just starting out with blogging, it may not be the best choice.

You can, however, combine Twitter with other platforms to maximize its potential, boost your marketing efforts, and come up with content ideas.

Write.As

The Write.as platform is a simple one. If adverting is a concern, then you can upgrade to their $6 monthly plans.

Substack

SubStack is a great choice if you don’t want your content to be distributed freely but rather monetized through paid subscriptions.

WordPress.Com

If you’re just getting started, WordPress.com can be a great option. It is easy to use, and free. You can easily transfer your site from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

The paid version, however, includes best-in-class hosting, payment processing, unlimited email support, and a free one-year domain.

Note: The best choice is WordPress.org. You can read more about WordPress.org in this post. Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org are owned by automatic. 

NewsBreak

A news aggregation service, NewsBreaks aggregates stories from around the web and makes them available in one place.

The good news is that you are able to publish original content without having to pay for distribution or advertising.

Ads and affiliate programs can be used to make money through Newsbreak.

Vocal Media

Almost similar to Medium, Vocal Media’s monetization model is different. Writers get paid based on impressions.

Using Vocal Media, you can upload videos, audio files, images, PDFs, and documents.

LinkedIn

“It is said that your network is your net worth”.

PIN: Personal Influencers Network. You can build your network on Linkedin.

Almost all designated professionals can be found on LinkedIn and you can connect with them. LinkedIn is a good place to connect with professionals in your niche.

In addition to sponsored posts, lead generation campaigns, and sales leads, you can use LinkedIn for content marketing and product promotion.

Wattpad

With an audience of almost 150 million, Wattpad is a great choice for writers who want to share their creativity through stories.

Wattpad earns most of its revenue through paid subscriptions and advertising.

Steemit

In exchange for publishing and curating content, Steemit users gain STEEM, a cryptocurrency. It has an almost 4 Million user base.

You can market your content to a wide audience in addition to earning cryptocurrency.

HUBSPOT CMS

With HubSpot CMS, you can easily customize your website’s design using a drag-and-drop editor.

You can track your users with inbuilt analytics without having to rely on Google Analytics. It also makes SEO recommendations to help you rank higher.

Hubspot is free to use but to remove HubSpot branding you need a paid plan, which starts at $23.

KAJABI

The Kajabi platform gives you all the tools you need to create, grow, and manage your knowledge and creator businesses.

A basic KAJABI subscription starts at $149/month. It is primarily used by course creators. 

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)