Top 10 Free Blogging Platforms & Features For Web Designers

February 3, 2008 - 42 Comments
Blogging Platforms,CMS (Content Management),Web Apps

Join 38,000 of our readers, by following us via our RSS Feed, on Twitter, on Facebook or on Digg

The obvious choice for Number 1 is WordPress, it is the most versatile and flexible platform that I have come across. But, that is my opinion, WordPress seems to fit my needs 9 times out of ten. Our needs and that of our clients are different, don’t get me wrong I am not saying that Serendipity, Text Pattern or any of others are not very good, just simply my preference. Thats the key word here preference.
The amount of WordPress users out there is phenomenal, which makes me think that most haven’t tried or even heard of some of the free Blogging Platforms that are readily available to use and download, and each has, like WordPress, there own community that there own dedicated following.
When I talk about Blogging Platforms in this article I am talking about Stand Alone Blogging Platforms, and not the likes of Blogger, MySpace, Facebook which are hosted platforms (they can be discussed in a future article). Nothing wrong with these, just not exactly useable for Web Designers.
All I am trying to do in this article is to show other Web Designers that there are other Blogging Platforms out there, and not to be limited to using a single Platform. The clients needs vary all the time, so its quite proffessional, to have a little knowledge of other platforms. If the only thing you know is WordPress, then you are a WordPress Designer, if you know about more, you are a WEB DESIGNER. We have to be flexible.
I personally don’t think there is much difference between CMS (Content Management Systems) and Blogging Platforms, a blog can be tailored from both, just as a CMS System from a Blogging Platform. But I’ll keep the traditional CMS systems (Drupal, Joomla…) out of this Top 10.

1. WordPress (http://wordpress.org/)

URL: http://wordpress.org/
WordPress is the Daddy of the Blogging Platform, can’t see anyone knocking it of the top spot for a long time yet.
Licence: Free.
Forum: WordPress Forum.
Features: W3C compliant, easy to edit templates,create non-blog pages (ie. Homepage), update and maintain numerous Blog Rolls,thousands of themes available, cross-blog communication tools, comments, trackbacks, pingbacks,spam protection, optional user registration,password protect posts or pages,easy to upgrade, import from another blogging platform, allows multiple authors, bookmarklets, plugins…and the list goes on and on.

2. TextPattern (http://www.textpattern.com/)

URL: http://www.textpattern.com/
Main contender to WordPress, more or less the same features, just doesn’t have the support from the internet community.
Licence: Free.
Forum: TextPattern Forum.
Features: Easy publishing using textile, a text-to-HTML converter, preview post or page,compliant XHTML and CSS, tag-based template system which allows the creation of reusable blocks of content and code,comments, trackbacks, pings, spam protection system, built-in site statistics,RSS and Atom,plugins, built-in CSS editor, link management system, image management system,integrated file management system… and like WordPress the list goes on and on.

3. Moveable Type (http://www.movabletype.org/)

URL: http://www.movabletype.org/
Licence: Free.
Forum: Moveable Type Forum.
Features: The first to use trackBack, Unlimited weblogs, static and dynamic publishing, can create standalone pages asset and file manager, customized User roles, customizable templates, plugins / extensions, tags, categories, sub-categories…

4. Serendipity (http://www.s9y.org/)

URL: http://www.s9y.org/
Licence: Free.
Forum: Serendipty Forum.
Features: Designed for users of all technical levels, anti-spam, comment, trackbacks, pings,plugins, skinable, easy to upgrade, flexible input/output, choose between HTML, Textile, Wiki, BBCode and other markups (I like this feature), and many more of the standard features not worth repeating.

5. LifeType (http://lifetype.net/)

URL: http://lifetype.net/
Licence: Free.
Forum: Life Type Forum.
Features: integrated media management, smarty templates, plugins, spam filter, installation wizard, moblogging, multi blog, nice looking URLs (strange for a feature), XMLRPC interface for remote creating and editing articles. And of course you may ping as many directories as you like with the inbuilt XMLRPC ping service…

6. Flatpress (http://www.flatpress.org/home/)

URL: http://www.flatpress.org/home/
Licence: Free.
Forum: Flatpress Forum.
Features: standard-compliant, plugin support, Widget system, easy to customize with themes (powered by Smarty). To be honest there aren’t a lot of features, but I do like the bare bones system which does exactly what it says: I AM A BLOG!

7. Wheatblog (http://wheatblog.sourceforge.net/)

URL: http://wheatblog.sourceforge.net/
Licence: Free.
Forum: Wheatblog Forum.
Features: The features on Wheatblog are much and such the same as Flatpress.

8. sBlog (http://sblog.se/wiki/Main_Page)

URL: http://sblog.se/wiki/Main_Page.
Licence: Free.
Forum: sBlog Forum.
Features: Again, as Flatpress and Wheatblog, basic features. Something appealing about that. Clean and Simple.

9. Eggblog (http://eggblog.net/)

URL: http://eggblog.net/.
Licence: Free.
Forum: Eggblog Forum.
Features: Basic features.

10. Loudblog (http://www.loudblog.com/)

URL: http://www.loudblog.com/.
Licence: Free.
Forum: Loudblog Forum.
Features: LoudBlog is a sleek and easy-to-use Content Management System (CMS) for publishing media content on the web. It automatically generates a skinnable website and an RSS-Feed for Podcasting. Just upload your audio/video files, add some notes and links, and you’re done! (I love the idea of this).

26 Comments › Leave yours

CincauHangus
3 Feb, 2008
what about joomla?
Reply
- Kaylin
  23 Mar, 2010
  Joomla isn’t a blogging platform – it’s a content management system for websites. There are plug-ins to make it blog-compatible, but they are far from user-friendly.
  Reply
Jon Daley
4 Feb, 2008
What do you mean when you say “nice looking URLs are strange for a feature”? Just that everyone now has non-parameterized URLs, so we should take that off the list? It was probably a more interesting feature when it was first added 4 or 5 years ago.
Speckyboy: All I meant was, that it wouldn’t be something I would not put high up on my list of features for a Platform. I actually like this platform.
Reply
xocekim
5 Feb, 2008
Great post Speckyboy. I was not aware that there was so many good quality blogging platforms available to me. I do use a handful of WordPress plugins myself so my only worry moving to another platform would be whether a similar plugin was available for it.
Reply
Ben
27 Feb, 2008
I respect this article. It’s good. Well done putting WordPress at the top of the list and then Textpattern right under it. You should know, however, that to say Textpattern doesn’t have an online support community is very inaccurate. Having used Textpattern extensively myself I can personally attest that Textpattern has a vibrant online support community.
I also find it odd that you would leave off Expression Engine seeing as their basic “blogging” package is free. And I second the idea that you should have included Joomla.
Great article though. Thanks for the contribution to the blogging community.
Reply
AmeyJah
6 Mar, 2008
Moveable Type and Life type are not good platforms. I wonder why did you choose them. No doubt WP is #1 as it contains various plugins to support.
Reply
Interior Decorators
17 Jun, 2008
Isn’t blogger a platform? or is it not free?
Reply
- saurabh
  18 Jun, 2010
  Ya surpirising. not that blogger is the best of the lot. but not to have blogger in top ten is stretching anti blogspot sentiment a bit.
  Reply
Lisa
11 Aug, 2008
Hey guys, forget all these platforms. klatcher.com is the new big thing. It’s way easier, I tried it out, and you can sell your stories with a 75% revenue share. Stories look way better. I seriously think Klatcher will crash wordpress & Co.
Reply
technical
30 Aug, 2008
Why did you not include joomla or Drupal?
They are the best CMSs available.
Reply
Tudor
10 Sep, 2008
Also you can consider Mywebpage.ro This blogging platform has a PR8 index page.
Reply
Noneof UrBusiness
30 Sep, 2008
No where can one post comments or blog freely without leaving background info….
Greed hec try to voice your opinion freely…you can’t!!!
Unless you lie about sign up info which should not exist but does because everyone wants something fur nothing….
Well here is my comment or blog,,,POST IT!
First off tha debate that took place McCain use ah statement that Irritates me to no End…
Their Both worthless and government will continue as usual no matter which gets elected…
Tha change in tha Constitution made in early 1800′s needs to be reverted and tha lame excuse of national security being tha reason for not sending ah Senator to prison abated…
Tha word used by McCain and needs reverting to in tha Constitution is ACCOUNTABLE which was originally LIABLE…
Damn Attorneys…
Hey we save a lot because now they couldn’t hold Congressional Committees anymore…
Jus arrest your sorry butt…
Next tha average pay of any local, state, or federal Politician should be no more than the average pay of those that pay them…
Hmm Pres pay would be twice ah Senators and I figured he make about $80,000/yr…Congress $40,000/yr…
Hey they can do it…
Thar at fault for allowing these companies, bankers, and moneychangers lobby them and allow regulations pass that created this damn mess…
NO I DO NOT WANT THEM PASSING ANY MORE LEGISLATION….PERIOD…
Hey why did the Federal Reserve allow one week before proposing this 700 Trillion bailout, Two of the biggest investment firms that are surviving the right to act as Banks as well as having their Investing rights not changed…
Dah most Americans are a lot more educated than tar was in tha 1920′s…
I tell ya’ll Why!!!
Cause very little would go to Fannie Mae and the other Mortgage Holder’s to actually bail out defaulted loans…
Maybe jus maybe 30% of tha 700 Trillion…
While tha two Brand New Federally, Newly, {probably lobbied}, Chartered Investment firms become Federal Banks Say….
We’ll be more than glad ta handle the funds and distribute in in tha proper manner…
Ha…70% right back ta tha one’s that created this mess…
Do you want ta bail them out…
Tha average working man / family …
Hell No let those fends and tha free market without any more Government REGULATION at ALL care for itself…
Cause we will determine, THA PEOPLE, who survives…
And PEOPLE quit supporting BS !!!
Hollywood is BS…
Russell Crow..***give everyone ah million dollars***…not tha solution…basic economics says…as wages increase so do cost of goods…so when tha million is gone how tha “F” is tha working man gonna to afford ah gallon of milk at $100 when he goes back ta making $7.15 an hr…
People jus gotta quit supporting BS as our ancestors did during tha Great Depression…
Stop tha hate and learn tha Love thy Neighbor…
Stop tha greed and tar and feather,,,wrap ah sign on them for public display,,,on those that continue to be so….
It worked then…
Reply
letouregg
16 Feb, 2009
my first reaction was wow, where did this pass me… honestly i think serendipity appears great. of course wordpress been around a while, and as long as they are around- for ever i hope- we will always use them. nothing beats easy blogging software. keep them coming.
Reply
Make Money Blog
19 Feb, 2009
What about Blogger? or this is just script for Blogging
Reply
Goldmare
25 Jun, 2009
This has been very useful to me! I am currently using the site Tabulas to host my blog, but as I am considering splitting my blog up (separating personal and religious issues), and just generally revamping it (design, etc.), I am also considering the upgrade to a platform such as one of the above. Although I was naturally considering WordPress, I was aware there were others (e.g. Typepad, which I was surprised to see wasn’t in the list), so I decided I’d best do some research. I’m still undecided, but I’ll probably choose either TextPattern or Serendipity. Partly just to rebel against the norm. :P But they really do look like great platforms. *goes off to find other articles/blog posts to help her make up her mind*
Thanks for posting! :D
Reply
elleica
4 Nov, 2009
nice article. i am more convinced than ever to stick with wordpress since if ever i do manage to get my own domain i can simply switch everything to wordpress.org which from the looks of it is a good platform.
Reply
Abhisek
4 Dec, 2009
And you don’t even mention blogspot (www.blogger.com). Pity!
Reply
- Jdub
  5 Jan, 2010
  Read the article. The author specifically says he is leaving off hosted platforms, including blogger. If you haven’t read and comprehended the article, do not bother to comment.
  Reply
hugo andres torres linares
25 Mar, 2010
awesome, ive been loocking for this a long time ago, great post.
Reply
zura
17 May, 2010
wonderful! Mm, I think I get bored using WordPress. Coz to upload it to FTP needs long long time success. I wanna try something new but has same features with WordPress. But still, WordPress is the best!
Reply
advance hair extensions
1 Jul, 2010
brilliant website, i love your site
Reply
web
3 Jul, 2010
I love wordpress!
Reply
davina marshall
29 Jul, 2010
I still think that wordpress is the best platform although I tend to steer away from the free version due to it’s limitations and use the hosted version where I have full control over the site..but being honest, I am none too familiar with the other platforms that you mention, so unable to offer an opinion. Maybe I can create a few sites with each platform in turn and then offer a review on performance?
Reply
Choice SEO
29 Jul, 2010
From an SEO perspective, WordPress is a winner also. Google loves it :)
Reply
Globinch
29 Aug, 2010
Worpress is best in terms of customization and widgets. Blogger has improved a lot recently!
Reply
Aaron
30 Aug, 2010
We also provide a blogging platform with adsense and kontera revenue sharing over at blogReaction .. check it out if you have time.
Reply