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The 5 Best Blogging Platforms of 2022 (Tested for Usability, Features & Server Speed)

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WRITTEN BY
Tony Leong
REVIEWED BY
Tony Leong
UPDATED
May 11, 2022

 

best blogging platform

The best blogging platform available today is fast, user-friendly, flexible and has the biggest potential for bloggers to make a profit! Priced just right, you’ll be more than satisfied with the potential for growth.

 

The #1 blogging platform goes to Hostinger (with WordPress), thanks to its robust features, high flexibility, fast speed – all at low prices!

 

We purchased web hosting and website builder services, created more than 80 test sites, and painstakingly tested each of their performance, features and ease-of-use, just to see which would make the best blogging platform. Read on to find out what we discovered!

 

Top 5 Blogging Platforms

 

  1. Hostinger – Best versatile blogging platform with premium perks
  2. Zyro – Best beginner-friendly blogging platform
  3. Wix – Best drag & drop blogging platform
  4. Medium – Best niche blogging platform
  5. LinkedIn – Best B2B blogging platform

 

best blogging platform

 

Note

  • All prices listed are based on a 12-month subscription rate.
  • You may enjoy lower prices by opting for longer subscription period.

 

Blog Ownership

Yes

Overall Rating

Rated 5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5

Price (USD)

$5.99 /mo

Key Features

  • 100GB SSD
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Free domain & SSL
  • 99.9% uptime guar.
  • 24/7 support

“Feature-rich with BIG potential for profit, Hostinger is easily our top choice for blogging. Great value for professional bloggers!”

 

We feel that we should clarify what Hostinger actually is for the benefit of those not in the know – the company provides web hosting services, and for blogging purposes, we would recommend using WordPress with them.

 

When we first encountered Hostinger, we had our doubts about the company. After all, what sort of sub-par service can they provide at such low prices?

 

Turns out, they’re a straight up monster that slays the competition. We’ve never been so happy to be proven wrong before!

 

US (W) US (E) London Singapore São Paulo
75 ms 21 ms 92 ms 244 ms 136 ms
Bangalore Sydney Japan Canada Germany
211 ms 265 ms 172 ms 37 ms 107 ms
US Datacenter Average Speed: 136 ms – See full result

 

Hostinger’s server speed test results revealed that their US data center is extremely fast in the US (E), Canada, US (W) and London, with 21 ms, 37 ms, 75 ms and 92 ms respectively. They’re not too shabby in Germany, São Paulo and Japan with scores between 100 ms – 200 ms, while they dipped past the 200 ms mark in Bangalore, Singapore and Sydney.

 

With that, they’ve got a global average of 136 ms, way faster than your average web host and earning them the title of an A+ ranked provider!

 

However, speed isn’t the only thing that makes the provider a good platform for blogging. One also needs to look into flexibility, perks, and value too. Unsurprisingly, Hostinger excels in all 3 aspects!

 

Benefits of blogging with Hostinger (with WordPress)

 

Right off the bat, Hostinger ensures your WordPress blog is always working at peak performance via technologies like LiteSpeed WebServer and LS Cache Plugin.

 

If you want big growth, a fast blog just isn’t enough. You also want it to be able to capture and convert big traffic. And for that, you need scalability – with the help of plugins and templates.

 

This is where WordPress truly shines. It lets you add plugins easily if more web features are needed.

 

You’re looking at really useful plugins, especially for blogging:

 

 

… and many more. The possibilities with plugins are quite literally endless!

 

WordPress offers a whole load of responsive themes to pick from too, which we really appreciate as we’re really picky about getting the right theme. As a matter of fact, it’s so customizable you’re even able to make your own theme that best suits your needs!

 

The cherry on top is that all these plugins and themes will allow you to optimize your blog’s money-making capacity! After all, nobody can survive on just words and fresh air, can they?

 

If you’re savvy with affiliate marketing, you can monetize your blog by peppering affiliate links in here and there. Google Adsense is also one of the biggest money makers for professional bloggers, and you can throw in as many ads in your blog as your dignity allows.

 

All in all, Hostinger offers the biggest profit potential out of all of the blogging platforms on this list, and as professional bloggers ourselves, we can’t deny that the additional revenue sure puts a smile on our faces.

 

A premium blogging experience at a price point that even the scroogiest of men can agree with (starting from just $0.99 a month on a 48-month contract), Hostinger is the one to pick for bloggers, especially if you’re serious about running your blog as a business.

 

What we didn’t like about Hostinger

 

While it’s not exactly difficult to set up and learn how to use WordPress, there’s a bit of a learning curve one needs to sit through to fully utilize everything about the platform.

 

However, Hostinger has a knowledge base that’s rich with all things WordPress, and they’ve got an excellent support team willing to help you.

 

Learn more about Hostinger

 

 

 

Blog Ownership

Yes

Overall Rating

Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5

Price (USD)

$5.90 /mo

Key Features

  • Unlimited resources
  • AI integrated tools
  • Free SSL & SEO
  • Designer templates
  • Logo maker

“Easy to use with unique perks you won’t find anywhere else, Zyro makes for a fantastic blogging platform for beginners!”

 

Next in line is Zyro, an offshoot of Hostinger which works as a kick-ass blogging platform. The thing is, why would Hostinger create a product which would end up being a competitor to their main product?

 

Well, Zyro offers the customer a different set of benefits that might appeal to a market that’s not quite comfortable building websites from the ground up on their own just yet, a market that’s slightly more willing to fork out slightly more for big convenience.

 

US (W) US (E) London Singapore São Paulo
147 ms 85 ms 90 ms 168 ms 201 ms
Bangalore Sydney Japan Canada Germany
117 ms 213 ms 174 ms 95 ms 108 ms
US Datacenter Average Speed: 139.8 ms – See full result

 

Zyro proves that their data center is very fast in the US (E), London and Canada at 85 ms, 90 ms and 95 ms respectively.

 

They’re more than capable of handling audiences from Germany (108 ms), Bangalore (117 ms), US (W) 147 ms, Singapore (168 ms) and Japan (174 ms), with slowdowns only in São Paulo and Sydney.

 

They earned themselves an A+ rank with a global average of 139.8 ms!

 

Benefits of blogging with Zyro

 

Speed aside, Zyro spoils their customers with a site building experience that we find to be the one to beat. Everything is carefully thought out, designed to be so simple and straightforward that my poodle could easily learn how to use it.

 

zyro has simple elements for customizing a blog

 

They’ve also included the perks like the logo maker and slogan maker which would be highly beneficial for beginner bloggers. We can do away with the headache of looking for people to create logos and write slogans!

 

There’s also the AI writer, which works impressively well to generate content if you don’t have the time to sit down and actually write. It’s not perfect, but a few tweaks here and there to the AI generated content and you get an actual, solid piece of work.

 

Their services are also not very pricey, which certainly adds to the appeal.

 

Fast speeds, easy-to-use interface, beginner-friendly perks and affordable pricing makes Zyro our top pick as the best blogging platform for beginners!

 

What we didn’t like about Zyro

 

Advanced users might find their interface limited, which is understandable because in order to make their UI as straightforward as possible, Zyro had to sacrifice design flexibility.

 

Web functionality is also limited – with most plugins sacrificed save for a few preset tools developed by Zyro.

 

Learn more about Zyro

 

 

 

Blog Ownership

Somewhat

Overall Rating

Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5

Price (USD)

$12.50 /mo

Key Features

  • 10GB storage
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Drag & drop editor
  • Mobile optimized
  • 24/7 support

“Wix is one of the best drag & drop blogging platforms currently in existence. Their site-building experience and blogging benefits can be summarized in one word: impressive!”

 

If you’ve been doing your research on blogging platforms, there’s no way you haven’t heard of Wix, come across their commercials, or had someone recommend it to you. For good reason too.

 

Wix offers some of the best features and blogging experiences one can expect from a site builder, and they’re super flexible in terms of design and customizations!

 

US (W) US (E) London Singapore São Paulo
41 ms 30 ms 96 ms 189 ms 141 ms
Bangalore Sydney Japan Canada Germany
237 ms 173 ms 124 ms 30 ms 108 ms
US Datacenter Average Speed: 116.9 ms – See full result

 

When it comes to speed, Wix doesn’t mess around. 4 countries scoring below 100 ms, 5 between 101 – 200 ms with only 1 dipping below 200 ms, Wix scored a lightning quick global average of 116.9 ms, making them the fastest one on this list and earning them that A+ Ranking!

 

Speed isn’t the only thing that’ll blow you away if you decide to use Wix – they’re equipped with an arsenal of features and perks that’ll help you create a blog that’s uniquely yours.

 

Benefits of blogging with Wix

 

They offer a stunning selection of over 500 templates to pick from, all beautifully polished for you to create a blog that impresses. Even if you’re a picky one, you’re bound to find something that fits your style.

 

Their drag-and-drop editor is… simply revolutionary. The interface is extremely well-crafted, designed for ease-of-use while still acting as a powerhouse which allows you to do anything you want with your website.

 

wix drag and drop interface is intuitive

 

If those perks aren’t enough to blow your socks off, we believe this will – Wix has an app marketplace with over 250 apps, with both free and paid options. Everything you need to make your blog powerful can be found here!

 

With all of these features and more, Wix is easily another one of the most versatile blogging platforms that we’ve ever used.

 

What we didn’t like about Wix

 

First things first, damage. To the wallet.

 

Wix offers a whole range of perks, but performance tracking and web analysis are sadly not part of the plan. If you want those, best be ready to cough up more.

 

Also, once you go Wix, you won’t be able to switch – quite literally. Wix-built sites are not transferable, so if you decide to pick a new web hosting service, you’re not gonna be able to migrate your site.

 

Which begs the question: if you can’t move it, do you really own that blog?

 

Learn more about Wix

 

 

 

Blog Ownership

No

Overall Rating

Rated 3 out of 5Rated 3 out of 5Rated 3 out of 5

Price (USD)

Free

Key Features

  • Free to use
  • Built-in analytics
  • Partner Program
  • Intuitive editor
  • Writer collaboration

“If you don’t mind not having your own domain or site, Medium is a fantastic site for blogging, especially if your topic is niche-heavy!”

 

You don’t always have to pay to start blogging professionally. There are plenty of platforms out there which allow you to express your creativity through the power of the written word. One such platform is the very well established Medium.

 

Blogging on Medium allows you to reach an audience very quickly. After all, they’ve got close to a 100 million active users visiting their platform every month, all of them hungry for new content.

 

Getting your blog to the right set eyes should be relatively easy, as all you have to do is rely on Medium to push your piece to the right people.

 

Benefits of blogging with Medium

 

If you’re new to blogging, Medium offers a very easy, intimidation-free way to start. The onboarding process is super easy – all you have to do is literally set up your account and you can start blogging for free.

 

While Medium offers an easy way to just jump in and start blogging, they also offer a fuss-free way for you to monetize your articles with their Partner Program, without having to waste time setting up anything.

 

medium partner program lets writer to monetize their articles

 

All you have to do is pen your thoughts on paper (in this case, it would be the editor), polish it so that it’s perfect, opt to “Meter My Story” and publish! With that, your work will be making you money every time someone reads it.

 

It literally doesn’t get any easier than this.

 

To wrap it up, Medium is a fantastic tool for beginners looking to blog for niche audiences!

 

What we didn’t like about Medium

 

The unfortunate thing about blogging on a platform like this is that the potential for profit is quite poor. Medium does let you monetize your blog, but they’ll take a cut from your profits, which is honestly quite painful.

 

They also have the right to kick you out of their Partner Program without any prior notice, so that’s a bit dangerous if you’re depending on them for an income.

 

Moreover, you’re not allowed to sell products, place ads, or insert affiliate links in your articles, so your only source of income would be from Medium itself.

 

As a platform that’s created only for blogging, you won’t have the ability to customize your blog. You’re given a preset look and all you’re able to do is write, which sucks but is fair, considering Medium has to stick to their brand guidelines.

 

Speaking of which, you won’t actually own your blog. You’ll have your own account and page with them but make no mistake – the platform is unmistakably Medium’s.

 

Learn more about Medium

 

 

 

Blog Ownership

No

Overall Rating

Rated 3 out of 5Rated 3 out of 5Rated 3 out of 5

Price (USD)

Free

Key Features

  • Free to use
  • B2B lead gen.
  • Decent formatting
  • Detailed analytics
  • Strong userbase

“LinkedIn can be a great blogging site for businesses to connect with other businesses!”

 

If you’ve ever had a career at all, you’ll most likely have come across LinkedIn ads and invites from friends and family to join the business-based social media platform.

 

What you might not know is that LinkedIn offers a convenient way for one to blog for free, and to cement oneself as an expert in their chosen industry.

 

Benefits of blogging with LinkedIn

 

As an established professional networking platform, LinkedIn has a huge amount of traffic with over 740 million members worldwide scrolling through it every day, hoping to read insights from industry leaders.

 

Since you know what the audience in LinkedIn are looking for, the platform is highly recommended for those looking to build:

 

  • Thought leadership
  • Brand value
  • Brand community

 

Users will also find that their editor is very pleasing to use, with plenty of formatting options and the ability to create headings, bullet points and hyperlink text. Adding images, videos or slides to your piece is a piece of cake too, applicable at just a click of a button.

 

linkedin blog editor interface

 

The simplicity of the editor is one of the main reasons why LinkedIn made it on to this list. If you ever just want to log in, click a button and start blogging with no hassle or headaches, then this is the way to go.

 

No other platform makes connecting to other businesses easier, and if that’s your goal then LinkedIn’s the way to go!

 

What we didn’t like about LinkedIn

 

LinkedIn operates on its own set of algorithms, and your content visibility will be subject to its mercy.

 

However, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you’ve already built an established profile, all you have to do is write quality content, and it’s more than likely that LinkedIn will push your piece to the right set of eyes.

 

You’ll need to keep in mind that you can expect almost no profit from blogging with this platform. Ads aren’t allowed, and neither are affiliate links. Be wise about this and write to increase your profit potential from other sources.

 

Also, blogging on LinkedIn means you don’t own the platform. No site, no domain, nothing. While this won’t hurt your brand, it won’t increase its equity either.

 

Learn more about LinkedIn

 

 

 

How to choose the best blogging platform

 

A platform for blogging has to be easy to use with an editor that’ll make typing away for hours on end, a joy to use. However, this isn’t enough for freelancers that are looking to make big bucks from their blog.

 

Here is a list of things you need to look out for before deciding on your blogging platform.

 

1. Fast server speed

 

A slow blog is about as useful as no blog. Internet people have a low tolerance for slowdowns, so if your server isn’t fast enough to handle your traffic, you can bet that your readers are gonna click away to get their content addiction fulfilled elsewhere.

 

Make sure to take these into consideration while shopping for a blogging platform.

 

1.1 Speed

 

If your blog is slow to respond, it could cost you thousands, maybe millions in lost potential profits. You will want a fast web host or platform that can at least meet the requirements of the Core Web Vitals!

 

core web vitals

 

Core Web Vitals are measured using 3 metrics: Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and First Input Delay (FID). Out of these 3 metrics, the latter two are highly dependent on loading speed!

 

1.2 Speed for where your audience is

 

Your blog’s servers need to respond to requests from your readers FAST, so be sure to pick a platform with good response times in your audience’s region.

 

According to Think with Google, your blog should be fully loaded in under a second, otherwise the bounce rate for your site goes up by 32%!

 

32% of users will bounce if page load time takes up to 3 seconds

 

This is why Bitcatcha’s website speed test shows you response times taken from 10 countries around the globe.

 

By leveraging a fast blog’s server speeds to provide users with a good experience on your site, you’ll be able to maximise ranking power, which would potentially increase profits!

 

2. Flexibility & scalability

 

You may be the most interesting blogger in the world, but If your blog consists of nothing but a wall of text, you’re not gonna retain any readers. Look into these when shopping for a blogging platform.

 

  • Themes or Templates
    You want your blog to reflect your personality or your brand, and you can’t do that without themes. Check to see how many themes the platform provides with their accounts.
  • Plugins or App integrations
    You might want to sell something on your blog. Can’t do that without plugins / apps that provide a shopping cart.

 

3. Usability

 

The blogging platform needs to be easy to use, or you’ll find it difficult to continue blogging.

 

  • Ease of Onboarding
    You need to see how easy it is to actually sign up with the platform. Are the prices cheap? Do you need to jump through hoops to create an account? Is setting up a blog complicated? Take these into consideration.
  • Ease of Use
    Check out how easy it is to create content with the service. It needs to feel effortless and breezy, or you’ll eventually lose the motivation to blog entirely.
  • Content Creation Process
    Some people prefer text editors, others prefer drag and drop interfaces. Look into your future provider to see what they provide, and make sure that it suits your needs.
  • Blog Migration
    If you currently have another blog, you’re gonna want to migrate it over. If you purchase a service that’s difficult to do so, you’re gonna be stuck with a dud.

 

4. Monetization

 

Some of us blog for profit. Some for the pure joy of expressing their thoughts. But if one could turn their blog into a profitable side hustle, there’s no way anybody would say no.

 

  • Paid Membership or Paywall
    If you’ve gained a following or if you have knowledge that’s really in demand, you can set up a paid membership or paywall for people to access your content, especially via the use of plugins or third party apps.
  • Ad Placements
    One of the easiest ways to make money from your blog is via Google Adsense. However, some services do not allow such practices. Best find out your future provider’s guidelines on ad placement.
  • E-Commerce Functionality
    Selling products is another way to make a living off your blog! Extra points to the provider if they have a credit-card processing feature or a baked-in online store for their users.

 

5. Blog management

 

Managing your blog might prove to be quite tedious, especially when your blog starts growing. Keep an eye out for features like these to make things easier for yourself.

 

Keep in mind that these features may not come as part of the provider’s service, but can be found via plugins or third party apps.

 

  • SEO or Blog Analytics
    Features like these will allow you to monitor your blog performance and measure how well it’s doing within the industry.
  • Marketing or Newsletter
    E-mail marketing is alive and well, and remains one of the best ways for you to reach out to your audiences. See if the platform provides you with mailing lists, and has a feature to schedule posts in advance.
  • Collaborative Features
    Collaboration with other people takes the weight off your shoulders and lets others do the heavy lifting every once in a while. You’ll want your platform to provide you with user / role permissions and the ability to include other authors in your blog.

 

What type of blogging platform is best?

 

1. Web hosting with WordPress

 

This is a great choice if you want total control over your blog and want to maximize profits. A good WordPress hosting service will be able to provide you with all the required services at very wallet friendly prices, like Hostinger!

 

2. Website builder

 

If your goal is to make a pretty looking site easily and hassle-free, you’re going to want to use website builders. Providers like Zyro or Wix are such platforms that allow you to do what you want!

 

3. Blogging sites

 

For those that want to do nothing but write, blogging sites will do just the trick. If you’re writing for a niche audience, you’ll want to pick a service like Medium. Blogging to increase your professional network? Then LinkedIn is the platform for you.

 

Verdict: Which is the best platform for blogging?

 

To me, there isn’t really a “best” blogging platform out there, rather a platform that does what you need it to do, best.

 

The 5 blogging brands listed in this article today are all champions in their own right, all of them very good in what they do.

 

Anyway, here’s a recap of our top 3 blogging platforms for those looking to make serious business out of their blog:

 

Blog
Ownership

Overall
Rating

Price
(USD/MO)

hostinger

Yes

Rated 5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5

$5.99

zyro

Yes

Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5

$5.90

wix

Somewhat

Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5

$12.50

 

Just make sure that you’re selecting the right one for your needs!

 

In our humble opinion, you can’t go wrong with Hostinger. They got everything you need to blog professionally:

 

  • Servers are super fast.
  • Services and uptime are mighty reliable.
  • Great resources to start and run a blog.
  • Excellent scalability and flexibility to grow your blog.

 

… all for the price of a nice chicken sandwich.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. How do you start a blog for beginners?

 

You’ll want to start a blog by picking a niche. Then, pick a blogging platform that best suits your needs. If you want to start fast and dirty, we would suggest Zyro. If you’re serious about creating a profitable blog for serious business, go for Hostinger.

 

2. Which is the best blogging platform?

 

We feel that there is no best blogging platform, just the one that best suits your needs. But Hostinger with WordPress has the best scalability (therefore great profit potential) and allows full control over your blog, which makes it the best platform in our opinion.

 

3. What is the best blogging platform for beginners?

 

For beginners, Zyro would be the recommended platform. They’re very beginner friendly, their prices are very reasonable and they offer a simplified way to blog.

 

4. How much does running a blog cost?

 

It depends on what you’re using the blog for. Casual or personal blogs can be run for free or at a minimal cost, but professional blogs can cost more than $800 to start, with a maintenance cost of an estimated $20 a month.

 

5. How do bloggers get paid?

 

Bloggers get paid via two main methods – by placing ads on your blog, or through affiliate marketing. Placing ads is very low maintenance, all you have to do is literally place and forget, though the income generated is usually not much. Affiliate marketing requires a lot more effort to maintain, but the potential for profit is sky high. You can utilize both options if your blog is hosted on a web hosting service like Hostinger.

 

6. How do I get traffic to my blog?

 

The best way and arguably the most important factor to get traffic is to simply write quality content. By writing useful and relevant content for your target audience, your blog could rank well in Google searches, exposing it to more search traffic and eyes.