Free blogging platforms – Blogger or Wordpress.com?
Ajith | November 29, 2008 | Blogging Tips, Product Reviews
Free blogging services such as Blogger (blogspot.com blog), Wordpress.com and Typepad are always good for beginners to kickstart their blogging lives. Many wannabe bloggers do not want to complicate things initially and that is why they go for these free platforms, which in a way, makes sense.
Recently, in an attempt to revive, my cricket blog I did a small comparative study of two of the leading free blog platforms – blogger and wordpress.com – and this post is the summary of my findings. Hope this helps many beginners to make a decision on which of these free platforms to choose to get started. (Those who want to set up their own professional, self hosted blog may please read the series on setting up a successful blog)
Blogger and Wordpress
Creation – Signup and Getting Started: Both platforms are so easy to get started as the sign up procedures are very simple. You can start blogging in minutes after sign-up and hence both are winners on this aspect. If you already have a Google account, probably, blogger is a dash faster to set up than Wordpress.
Ease of use: Though, I am very familiar with the Wordpress platform, I think that the blogger’s admin interface is always easier to use than Wordpress for those who are seeing for the first time. You may start liking Wordpress eventually though. I pick blogger for its ease of use.
Customizing: Via the Wordpress admin panel, you can edit style sheets and headers to change the look and feel of your blog. But blogger gives a little more control over the theme as the entire template html can be edited. In addition, the customization that can be done on the theme is dependant on the limited number of themes available in the case of Wordpress, where as getting a new theme or customizing an existing one is very much possible in blogger. So blogger wins here!
Extending via widgets: Both blogger and Wordpress support a number of widgets/gadgets to support additional features of your blog. Akismet Spam protection is one of the things that stand out as a Wordpress widget feature where as AdSense widgets is what blogger can boast off. There are a lot of similar widgets in both platforms though there are variations. I could not pick a clear winner here (and I do not want to do a feature-by-feature comparison of all available widgets, in this post.)
Content organizing & commenting: This is where Wordpress rocks!. Having your blog posts organized under categories is one of the key things that Wordpress offers. Categories along with proper tagging make the Wordpress blogs so optimized, structured and easier to access. Blogger has labels but this does not serve the purpose of categories as they are more like tags.
Another area where blogger lags behind is the way commenting is done. The comment entry form appears in a popup that is not a great usability feature.
Yet another killer feature in Wordpress is static pages. Using this you can organize your content into posts and pages where pages usually provide less frequently changing information such as ‘About us’, ‘Contact’ etc. Blogger does not have anything like this.
So in terms of structuring the blog contents, Wordpress is the clear leader!
Multiple author support: Both platforms support multiple authors but again Wordpress has better control over the roles of authors as administrators, editors etc. This is a very convenient feature where by you could be the main author and administrator and the editor profiles that you create can only edit posts and comments. Wordperss again wins here as well!
Making Money: This is where the decision making usually happens. When you use the Wordpress free blog you cannot put CPC ads such as Google AdSense or Bidvertiser or even banner ads and hence you cannot monetize your blog instantly. You still have the option of private ad sales or link sales but they are not always the first things you start with. In the case of Blogger, you can readily use all available advertisement options, AdSense being the preference with most bloggers. As mentioned earlier AdSense set up is so easier in Blogger using the AdSense widget. Moreover, it seems, your AdSense account usually get approved faster if applied for a Blogger account.
Final Verdict
The choice really depends on your primary needs. If you are sure that you want to make money out of your free blog, then blogger is the choice. But if you want a great flexible platform with a lot of features to structure your thoughts and blogging is more of a passion – than money making channel – for you, then you should go for Wordpress!
Advantages of FREE blogging platforms
- You can get started with blogging in no time after signing up with an account
- Hides a lot of technical complications involved in the platform set up and maintenance if you were to host your own domain for your blog
- No need to worry about performance issues, scalability and security concerns
- Not much Search Engine Optimization (SEO) worries if you were to opt for a platform like Blogger
- Very easy to learn and get started with the concept of blogging
Shortcomings of free blogging platforms
- Not much extensibility options such as plugins. Moreover, integrating other applications and services to your blog could be difficult
- Many advertisers do not approve your publisher accounts if you were to run ads on free blogs
- Cannot be always ported easily to a self hosted domain name later
Hope this short review (intended for the beginners and wannabe-bloggers) was useful. Please add any comments on any major features, of either platform, that is not mentioned here. Also please let me know if any of the other free platforms is better than these two.
Happy Blogging!
WordPress is still the way to go. I’m only using bloggers for most of micro niche sites but I’d not trade WordPress for anything else on my main blog. Anyway, great stuff, Ajith.
Yan
Simply great guide for an intermediate blogger
Abhishek’s last blog post… 26-11 Another Bad Day In Indian History
Ajith – That is a great guide to the pros and cons of Blogger and Wordpress. I think someone would really think long-term though about what they want to do. If they think they may eventually go to self-hosted, I recommend doing to right from the beginning. Transferring the blog is do-able but is such a pain in the neck.
I’ve never had a blog on either platform though. I do know that I don’t like commenting on Blogger blogs because of the way comments are handled.
Kim Woodbridge | (Anti) Social Development’s last blog post… How to Exclude a Category From the Sidebar List in WordPress
Blogger.com is better than WordPress.com because you can fully customize your blog in blogger.com unlike in wordpress.com that you have very limited power. But still WORDPRESS.org rules.
Hussein’s last blog post… Why You Should Join Some Contest
Hi Ajith,
I like both platforms. However, I’m still not entirely bought on Wordpress because of it’s database vulnerability. I’ve read about more WP hacks than I have Blogger hacks. I don’t even think I’ve read of any Blogger hacks, actually. Hmm.
I know there are ways to protect against a WP blog being hacked into but they all seem far too technical.
Plus there are the constant WP upgrades. I know they’re necessary but…well…they’re pretty frequent, aren’t they?
Have a good week, you.
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Ajith
I recently looked into this and I fiund blogger had more templates you could use for monitization. I preferable don’t like using these free thing only to direct traffic to my blog. You have really given a good explantion here.
Thanks
@Yan, like you I would not trade WP for anything else to setup my self-hosted blog… However, if you were to set up one of those free blog accounts, not sure if WP.com is the one to go for. Especially if you want to monetize.
@Abhishek, thanks buddy… Hope you are getting a break from the terror coverage on TV
@Kim, definitely self-hosting is the way to go for long term
And I am glad that you hate the blogger way of commenting as well 
Hope Google works on it soon enough.
@Hussein, yes… Blogger’s template editing is so easy. Yes, Wordpress(.org) platform rules for sure.
@2TP, you just brought in two important points. Database vulnerability is one of the key problems with many blog platforms and Content Management Systems. I had faced this issue with my PHP Nuke site. But I thought, it happens only on self-hosted blogs and not necessarily the free Wordpress.com accounts… And yes, I haven’t really heard blogger a/c getting hacked.
As for the, Wordpress frequent upgrades
you bet, it can be a pain in the ‘…’ It’s too frequent. I am still sitting on 2.5.x though 2.6.5 final release is already available and 2.7 beta as well.
@Bruno, yeah like you and Hussein said, template customizing is one of the great powers of blogger. And yes, driving traffic should not be the only criteria and SEO optimized platforms are not always the way to go.
Thanks a lot everyone for your views
I did my very first post from a self hosted WordPress blog. I do use blogger and some of the community blog sites but more as promotional tools than anything else. For me Wordpress is definitely the ultimate platform, especially because there is so much support for it, not to mention the plethora of plugins and themes.
Sire’s last blog post… ProBlogger Plea To Amazon Associates Program
@Sire, those who already know about the tricks and pains involved in setting up a professional self hosted blog or those who are willing to get consulting help for the same would definitely go for self hosting from the very beginning. But 90% of the bloggers or even more are those who consume free services
and believe it or not some of those blogs are excellent…
(My personal preference, like yours, is self hosted blogs only)
Wordpress is blogging platform for you if you have a self hosted blog. i have tried both free blogging platform. I was disappointed to learn that i could not monetize my xyz.wordpress.com blog so xyz.blogspot.com is the next best thing
Blogging from Scratch’s last blog post… Site is for sale and November Income Report
Yes I agree that there are very good blogs out there which are on free platforms and that is because they are talented writers. The thing is the potential for these bloggers, SEO, monetizing etc by self hosting would be worth the extra effort.
[...] the last post I did a comparative study on Wordpress.com and Blogger.com (blogspot) free blogging platforms. Many [...]
@All of you inspired me to write my new short post on setting up a professional self hosted blog
Just to add a point, if you are open to a non open source option (like WordPress), Windows Sharepoint Services (free with W2003) has most of these features (and much more). It has platform dependency, but rest are all very fast. Attractive option for the less technical guys around.
@Sunil, Sharepoint is definitely a good option for information portals and doc management systems. The problem is not about the sharepoint as such but the hosting. Usually Windows hosting services do not come cheaper where as LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) is more or less the standard for most mid-size blog-forum-wiki sites and it comes real cheap and performs well.
Another thing is about the enhancements – e.g. If you want to run small DB applications on your blog (e.g. like D$ tools that I have), you will need MS SQL Server. Most hosting providers charge heavily for MS SQL DB connections and they also limit the number of DBs etc.
(In fact, my first hosting service was a Windows package and I had to satisfy with Microsoft Access beacuse SQL Server would cost me a lot)
Wordpress is definitely the ultimate platform, especially because there is so much support for it, not to mention the plethora of plugins and themes.
@diyet, Wordpress self-hosted definitely is ‘the platform’. But we are talking about the free one (wordpress.com) here. But you bring in a very important point – support availability. The number of forums, blogs and help channels dealing with Wordpress is just mind blowing!
i have seen many posts for bloggers vs wordpress..
i think this is is one of the coolest posts i ever read.
i myself use self-hosted wordpress, because wordpress i think is basically the best tools for bloggers. just my 2 cents.
great post.
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@Linn, thanks for the compliments. In fact many of us are on self hosted blogs but there a million out there that are using free blog spaces… This post goes to them
[...] will provide updates later if my landscape works. If this is true they can easily come up with a Blogger or WordPress.com [...]
I prefer wordpress, very cool post, thanks
I personally love using wordpress but have found blogger to be very easy to use.
I have one wordpress blog and one blogspot blog. But I am amazed to see the response on wordpress. What is the reason that I do not get any comments on my blog spot blog?
@ sayalee I’ve always found it so much easier to leave comments on a Wordpress blog. The comment form on blogspot blogs differ greatly between blogs and they are more standardized with WordPress. Perhaps that may be part of the answer.
Sire’s last blog post… Happy New Year & Birth Of Link Love
@Sayalee, it could be due to the the pain involved in commenting on blogger blogs. I mean, I really hate those popup based commenting mechanism and I am sure many others hate it as well.
Even, I have a blogger blog that doesn’t get any comment despite handling a popular topic (cricket)
Thank you Ajith for this insightful article.
I am completely new to blogging and I have been sitting here for days trying to figure out if I should use blogger.com or wordpress.com.
I have set up an account on both sites and as a beginner to blogging I find Blogger.com much easier to use.
I sometimes work at a free computer college teaching people how to use the internet, these people have no knowledge of using the internet and to be honest they’d need a manual to use wordpress.com.
The only thing I do not like about blogger is the interface and the problems with spam.
Wordpress looks sleaker.
Wordpress has too many limitations and I would like to monetize my site in the near future but I cannot afford to self-host right now. I would need to manual to set up and manage my wordpress.org site.
@Newbie,
I am glad that this post was of use to you… The ideas was to simplify it as much as possible for the consumption of beginners.
Hi, If you ask Me I will Tell Wordpress Rocks!! Wordpress is one of THE MOST flexible and custumizable Platform I evr seen.. btw very good post Thanks for sharing..
Thanks for this article, Ajith. I recently started blogging via WordPress.com and have enjoyed many of its features.
However, I was disappointed to realize that I could not use Google AdSense on my blog. Then I learned WordPress.org supports a plug-in enabling AdSense, however self-hosting seems a bit more technical, certainly more labor-intensive, and of course involves financial costs – perhaps so much as to offset any profits from AdSense.
I would simply switch to Blogger but you say it compares unfavorably in terms of content organizing and commenting. Do you recommend any free blogging platform that supports advertising services as Blogger does while measuring up nicely to WordPress in terms of other general features?
Thanks!
Brian’s last blog post… McCaskill fails to offer solutions on Gitmo
@Brian, you are welcome.
In fact, keeping your long term blogging needs in mind it’s always better to go for a self-hosted WordPress blog. It may not be as difficult as it used to be in the past because now upgrades are getting more and more automated. This gives you full control over your ad spaces, to add further services than blogs etc. Also, in the future if your blog becomes famous and you want to put private ads, the ad management programs might not work on free blogging platforms. Moreover, many advertisers dont’ prefer advertising on free hosted blogs.
If you still want to go ahead with free platforms and if blogger is not your choice, the other option is typepad.com. Typepad is almost as good as Wordpress.com I hear. Though I have not personally hosted anything on typepad please check out the following typepad freehosted blog to get a feel of it. http://bloggingwithbarbara.typepad.com/ . Also it may be a good idea to contact them to see if there are any major issues with that platform.
At any time a free hosted blog (your posts, comments, etc) can be moved to a self-hosted WordPress…but this will result in loosing your backlinks and traffic.
Cheers and Good luck!
Wow, thanks for the quick reply!
One more quick question: if I self-host using WP.org can I still post from a computer other than the one on which I’ve downloaded the WP software and any hosting-related programs?
Thanks again! Great site and I have made sure to check out some of the sponsors!
Brian’s last blog post… Fairness Doctrine
Sure, it doesn’t matter where you are or what computer you use as long as you remember your password to get into the admin area of your Wordpress Blog.
Sire’s last blog post… Sire’s Big Moment A Total Flop
@Brian, When you self-host it means that the WordPress database (containing all your posts, comments, links…), your theme/template, plugins, uploaded files etc. are sitting on a server provided by your paid hosting service (Such as hostgator or hostmonster). WordPress’ administration interface to this server is always accessible by a web browser from any PC that has internet connectivity.
The WordPress blog platform installation can be easily done by the automated tools provided by your hosting service.
Hope this is what you wanted to know?
Yes, and good to hear. That certainly makes it reasonable for me to begin exploring self-hosting options. Much thanks.
I found your site and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good articles. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you!
[...] Shower for his insight, and willingness to answer questions I posted in response to his piece on Blogger vs. WordPress. Thanks, [...]
UPDATE: I have taken your advice, Ajith, and secured hosting services so I can use the WordPress.org software while still being able to advertise on my site. Thanks!
Brian T. Johnson’s last blog post… Your latest web questions, answered.
@Cindy, thanks a lot for your encouraging words
@Brian, congratulations on taking the first step towards creating your self-hosted blog. Though not fully detailed, I had written an article series (8 posts) on setting up a new self-hosted blog from scratch to success! Just in case it helps…
http://www.dollarshower.com/articles/
And thanks a lot for the mention of my blog in your last post
I’ll advocate for blogger than wordpress.
Masud Rana’s last blog post… Earn Money Giving Your Opinion Online
Masud, it’s a personal choice… but I guess, you are after AdSense as well right? It makes sense to go for blogger in that case.
When it comes to control panel tools and features for setting up a blog, wordpress is the best
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