You want to start a blog. You've got the ideas, the niche, and the drive, but the thought of paying a monthly subscription before you’ve even hit "publish" on your first post feels... off. Honestly, it should. We’re in 2026, and the internet is littered with "best of" lists that are basically just thinly veiled affiliate traps designed to get you onto a $15-a-month hosting plan.
But here’s the thing: you can actually do this for $0. Total.
Choosing between the top rated free blog sites isn't just about picking a pretty template. It’s about who owns your words and whether you’re accidentally building your house on rented land. I’ve spent way too many hours breaking these platforms apart to see what happens when you try to leave, when you want to make a buck, or when you just want to change a font without a PhD in CSS.
The "Free" Trap Nobody Mentions
Most people think "free" means no cost. In the blogging world, "free" often means you’re the product.
If you aren't paying for the hosting, the company usually makes money by putting their ads on your site, or worse, by locking your content inside a "walled garden" where search engines struggle to find you. You've probably seen those .blogspot.com or .wordpress.com URLs. They look a bit amateur, sure, but the real issue is that they’re hard to move later.
WordPress.com: The Standard (With Strings Attached)
When people talk about WordPress, they usually mean the powerhouse software that runs half the internet. But WordPress.com is the "hosted" version. It’s basically a turnkey service.
You sign up, you pick a theme, and you’re live. It’s incredibly stable. If your post goes viral on Reddit, it won't crash. That’s a huge win. But the free tier is... restrictive. You can't install those fancy plugins you see everyone talking about. You can't use Google Analytics to see who’s reading. And you’re stuck with a "Powered by WordPress" banner that’s basically a neon sign saying "I’m new here."
If you just want to write and never think about a server, it’s fine. But if you have dreams of a massive brand, you’ll hit a paywall faster than you think.
Blogger: The Ghost in the Machine
It’s almost weird that Blogger is still a top contender in 2026. Google owns it, and Google famously kills off products it doesn't love (RIP Google Reader). Yet, Blogger survives.
Why? Because it is truly, genuinely free.
Unlike WordPress, Blogger lets you use a custom domain (like yourname.com) for free—you just have to buy the domain name itself. No "monthly fee" to unlock the privilege of using your own address. You can also put Google AdSense on a free Blogger site. That’s rare.
The downside is the "vibe." The templates look like they haven’t been updated since the Obama administration. If you’re a designer, it’ll drive you crazy. If you’re a tech-head who just wants a simple, fast place to dump code snippets or daily thoughts, it’s arguably the best deal on the web.
Medium: Great for Reach, Terrible for SEO
Let's be real. Medium is beautiful. The typography is perfect. The reading experience is elite.
If you publish on Medium, you aren't just starting a blog; you’re joining a social network. Their "distribution engine" is the real deal. You write a great piece about AI ethics or your weird obsession with vintage pens, and Medium might show it to 50,000 people who already follow those topics.
But you don’t own the platform. You can’t customize the design. And most importantly, if you ever want to move those posts to your own website later, you’ll have a nightmare of a time with "duplicate content" issues in Google search.
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Use Medium if you want to be a "writer." Avoid it if you want to build a "site."
Wix and the "Drag-and-Drop" Dream
Wix has come a long way. It used to be a laggy mess, but in 2026, their free blog site builder is surprisingly snappy. It’s for the person who wants their blog to look like a high-end magazine without touching a line of code.
The free version gives you a Wix-branded URL and puts a big ad at the top. It’s quite intrusive. But the editor? It's literally "if you can see it, you can move it."
The catch? Once you pick a template, you’re stuck. If you want to change your entire site’s look next year, you basically have to start over. That’s a massive technical debt that most beginners don't realize they're signing up for.
The New Guard: Substack and Ghost
Substack has changed the game. Is it a blog? Is it a newsletter? Honestly, it's both.
It’s free to start. They only take money if you charge your readers. This makes it the most "honest" free platform. No ads. No weird tracking. Just you and your subscribers' inboxes. The SEO is surprisingly good, too. Articles often rank well because Substack's domain authority is through the roof.
Then there's Ghost. If you’re technically inclined, you can "self-host" Ghost for free using something like a Docker container on a home server or a tiny Oracle Cloud instance. It’s the professional's choice. It’s clean, it’s fast, and it treats your content like a first-class citizen.
How to Actually Choose
Stop looking at the features list for a second. Ask yourself: What is the goal?
- "I just want to be heard." Go with Medium or Substack. The built-in audiences are worth more than any fancy feature.
- "I want to build a business eventually." Start with WordPress.com or Blogger. They give you a path to upgrade without losing your work.
- "I want it to look amazing today." Choose Wix. Just be prepared to pay the "subscription tax" later when you want to remove those ads.
- "I’m a nerd and I want control." Learn how to self-host Ghost.
A Warning on "Free" SEO
Don't expect a free blog on a subdomain (like pizza.wixsite.com) to rank #1 for a competitive keyword like "best pizza in NYC." Google gives a lot of weight to "authority." A site on a free subdomain starts with zero authority.
If you’re serious about ranking, the "free" part should only apply to the platform. Spend the $12 a year to buy a proper .com domain. Every platform mentioned here (except for the most basic Medium accounts) allows you to map a custom domain. This is the single most important step in making a free blog look like a real one.
Actionable Next Steps
- Register your domain name first. Don't even pick a platform yet. Go to a registrar like Namecheap or Cloudflare and secure your name.
- Pick one platform and stick to it for 3 months. The biggest mistake is "platform hopping." You spend more time moving content than writing it.
- Export your data monthly. Regardless of which platform you choose, find the "Export" button and download your XML or Markdown files. If the company goes bust or changes their terms, you have your work.
- Focus on the email list. Platforms change, but an email list is yours forever. Even on a free blog site, make sure there’s a way for people to sign up for updates.
There’s no "perfect" choice here. Every free site has a compromise. But honestly? The best blog site is the one you actually write on. Pick the one that feels the least annoying to use and start typing.