While sharing your thoughts and ideas with the world might sound like a daunting endeavor, it’s relatively easy to start blogging. In fact, there are many places where you can blog online, and many require very little setup at all.

We’ll take a good look at 10 free blog sites so that you can start blogging as soon as today — without spending a dime.

Reasons to Start Blogging

Why start blogging to begin with?

Because a blog is often used as a means to generate revenue, we often forget that monetization isn’t the end goal for most. You don’t have to be on a mission to earn income. You may be looking to start blogging for a few different reasons:

• Express your thoughts and ideas: A blog doesn’t necessarily have to be for anyone other than you. If others come across your content and find value in it, that’s great! But don’t feel as though your blog has to serve any other purpose than providing a means for self-expression.
• Create content for your inner circle: Much of the time, blogs only ever reach friends and family on social media. Whether it’s to keep family up to speed regarding major life changes or whether you want to show off to your friends about your travels abroad, you might consider blogging for those interested in your personal journey.
• Grow a large following online: You may be a very talented writer who wants to share a gift with a melting pot of family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. By launching a quick blog, you can showcase all of your skills and provide readers with valuable content simultaneously.

Best Free Blog Sites

The most important step you can take in your blogging journey is to simply start. Far too many people spend a lot of time dreaming and not nearly enough time writing.

We’ve pulled 10 of the best free blog sites you can use to start blogging quickly and with little fuss. Choosing one of these options will allow you to get right to blogging and publishing as soon as possible.

Start Blogging with Little Effort: Social Blogging Platforms

There are a few platforms that allow you to not only have your own little corner of the web but also exist within a community of other writers and readers.

These platforms involve very little setup at all. In fact, starting your own blog on any of these platforms can take as little as 20-30 seconds. Furthermore, these platforms allow you to reach people immediately, without having to drive any external traffic to your blog.

1. VOICED

VOICED believes every voice matters and is one of the best free blog sites you can use.

The platform is designed to give all users an equal voice in today’s noisy world and doubles as both a blogging platform and a social media platform.

With this kind of versatility, you can publish a long-form blog post of 3,000+ words, or you can update your status in as many as 300 characters. Both actions will get your content in your followers’ newsfeeds and even expose your content to people around the world.

This makes your life as a blogger a cinch. Create, edit, and publish in the same place where others read, like, and share!

Getting started with VOICED is easy. First, visit VOICED.com and click the “Get VOICED” button in the upper-right corner of your page. You’ll be prompted to sign up with Google, Facebook or email. Next, click on “My Profile” from your avatar’s drop-down menu, and take a moment to make your profile perfect. Upload a picture, write a short bio, and include links to your other social media profiles and website.

Clicking the “Newsfeed” button will bring you to a page where you can update your status, view recent content, and find new voices to follow.

Clicking the “Create Story” button will bring you directly to the platform’s blogging tool. Use this feature to write, edit, and format your blog posts before ultimately hitting “publish.” At any point, you can import media and even save your post as a draft.

Click here to create your free VOICED account in just seconds!

2. Medium

As a blogger on Medium, you can create and publish your first blog post by clicking on your profile picture and selecting “New Story.”

Once your first blog post is live, Medium will track important metrics for you, such as views, reads, and recommendations. These statistics are displayed in your Medium dashboard so that you can monitor your progress and engagement.

To sign up for a free account, visit Medium.com and click the “Get Started” button, which will present the option to sign up with Google, Facebook, or email.

3. Tumblr

We’re all familiar with the blogging giant, Tumblr. Launched back in 2007, the platform is now home to more than 484 million blogs.

Tumblr offers flexibility to users with regard to their blogs’ design. You can choose a theme for your blog, add a background to your page, and even tweak some of the minor design settings as needed.

But what makes Tumblr most unique is that its users aren’t always generating new content. More often than not, they’re curating a mix of visual and written content from others and reposting that content to their own pages.

Start Blogging with Minor Setup: Hands-On Blogging Platforms

While VOICED, Medium, and Tumblr offer some of the easiest paths to start blogging, there are circumstances in which you might want to have a little more control over your blog’s appearance.

These blogs require more setup, but they do offer greater potential from a design standpoint. However, keep in mind that these platforms do not offer built-in community. You will want to find ways to drive traffic to your blog — if, of course, the goal is to build a following online.

Also be mindful that these best free blog sites only grant you a subdomain when building out your blog, and that getting an original domain name (if you choose to go this route) and top-notch features will come at a premium.

4. WordPress

Not to be confused with WordPress.org, which is the content management software often used in tandem with paid web hosting, WordPress.com allows users to start their blogging journey for free with similar capabilities.

Together, WordPress powers 35% of the internet and has become the go-to option for the majority of bloggers and site owners.

A free WordPress.com account will include:

• Free themes
• Free subdomain
• Essential JetPack features
• 3G storage

To start using WordPress.com for your blog, click the “Start Your Website” button on the home page. Follow the steps as you go through the process of naming your site and choosing a design for your new blog.

You’ll learn that customization options are fairly limited with the free version of WordPress.com. If you want greater levels of customization, you will need to upgrade to a Personal, Premium, Business, or eCommerce account.

In return, you’ll receive premium features, such as 24/7 support, greater storage space, and even a free domain name.

5. Blogger

If you want to publish content quickly and still have the option to tweak your blog’s design down the road, Blogger might be the best way to go. Setup couldn’t be easier, particularly for a site that allows you to pick and edit your blog’s design.

Although Blogger is on our list of best free blog sites, its biggest drawback is that, as a user, you are not the owner of your site. Google can choose to pull your blog at any time, however unlikely that may be. Similar to WordPress.com and the majority of the free options we’re discussing in this piece, customization options are relatively limited.

To get started, visit Blogger.com and click “Create Your Blog.” You will need a Google account in order to use Blogger. Upon linking your Google account, you’ll be prompted to name your blog, choose a subdomain, and select a theme.

Upon completing this step, you’ll be redirected to the site’s dashboard, where you can further customize your new blog and start publishing original content.

6. Wix

Wix was launched back in 2006, and today, it boasts more than 120 million users in over 190 countries.

What’s great about Wix is that the platform is extremely user-friendly — for both individuals looking to start a blog, and also small businesses looking to build their online presence.

If you have little blogging experience, or if you don’t really want to get involved in the design of your blog, you can let Wix ADI (artificial design intelligence) create a website for you — simply by listing a few of your preferences.

A free blog with Wix comes with the following features:

• Customer support
• Up to 500MG storage
• Up to 500MB bandwidth

Upgrading to Wix’s VIP, Pro, Unlimited or Combo plans will give you access to greater bandwidth, storage, and customization options.

To launch your free blog with Wix, visit the site’s main page and click “Get Started” to sign up. You’ll be asked to complete a short questionnaire, which will help the site tailor its features to your blogging needs and experience.

7. Weebly

If you want your blog to look great but don’t have the design chops needed to build out a beautiful website from scratch, Weebly is a great option for you.

With Weebly, you’ll get access to one of the most user-friendly site builders available. Simply drag and drop elements of your blog’s pages, bypassing all of the technical components and coding expertise typically needed to bring your vision to life.

A free Weebly account includes:

• 500MB storage
• Customer support
• Information via the community forum
• SSL security

To start blogging at Weebly.com, click the “Create Your Website” button. While signing up may involve a few more steps than usual, the ease-of-use you experience on the back end of the blog setup process compensates for the extra time initially spent.

8. Jimdo

Jimdo offers a simple setup for your blog, albeit with limited themes to choose from. Even with some customization options, “what you see is what you get” generally rings true with Jimdo.

Similar to some of the best free blog sites we’ve discussed, Jimdo’s site builder is equipped with ADI. This technology has the ability to build out a custom blog design based on your answers to a few questions.

The page builder itself allows you to “add elements” to your blog and further customize your theme of choice.

A “Play” plan, Jimdo’s free version, includes the following:

• 500MB storage space
• 2GB bandwidth
• 5 pages on your blog
• SSL security

Visit Jimdo.com and click the “Start Free” button. Complete the different fields as prompted, and then check your email for a verification link. Choose a design template from the various options, or start with a blank template to take a stab at your own layout.

9. Strikingly

If you prefer the look of a landing page, consider blogging with Strikingly. With glowing endorsements from the likes of Seth Godin, Strikingly has quickly become a trusted blogging option since its inception in 2012. This one-page software allows you to publish your content to one location, keeping your design and customization needs to a minimum.

So long as you’re a fan of minimalism, Strikingly offers one of the easiest blog setups on the internet! First, visit the site’s main page, and then enter a name, email, and password for your account. After selecting a theme, you’ll immediately be redirected to the website builder tool, where you can make any changes to your blog as you see necessary.

Your free plan with Strikingly will include the following features:

• 24/7 support
• 5GB monthly bandwidth
• Simply store capabilities

10. Site123

Site123 claims to be “by far the easiest free website builder,” and it has a case. In just three simple steps, you can get your blog off the ground.

Start your blog with Site123 by clicking the “Start Here” button on the site’s main page. Complete the three necessary steps when prompted. Tweak your design as desired, and most importantly, start blogging!

Site123’s free plan comes with 500MB of storage, 1GB of bandwidth, and a free subdomain. You can get access to better features and capabilities by upgrading to Premium, which offers greater storage, bandwidth, and a free domain name for one year — all for $12/month.

Found an option that works for you?

There are blog options for all needs and personality types, and at no point should you feel pressured to launch a full-blown, self-hosted website to start sharing your ideas and opinions with the world.

There are plenty of free avenues you can use to get your voice heard online. Simply choose one of the best free blog sites we’ve discussed here today, and start blogging!