Blogger vs WordPress – Which is Best to Start a Blog Online?

Are you planning to start a blog? To start a blog, you need a suitable blogging platform. A blogging platform is a software service that helps you to publish content. Many blogging platforms are available for you to publish your blog. But when someone plans to start a blog, the two big names such as Blogger and WordPress, come into the picture. Both are popular platforms that you can use to begin a blog without much difficulty.

If you want to compare both platforms, there will minute differences that you can find. Both platforms have their pros and cons. You will be able to choose the best platform to publish your blogs after reading this article. This guide will help a starter to understand all aspects of creating a new blog using either Blogger or WordPress. 

What is WordPress?

WordPress is an open-source platform that allows you to create blogs, online stores, and websites. WordPress started back in 2003, and now more than 38% of websites on the internet are built on this.  Using WordPress, you can create a content management system and customize it as you want. Bloggers who want to customize their blog appearance and functionality can use WordPress as their content management system. You need to buy a hosting plan and a domain name from WordPress to start publishing blogs.  This flexibility and advanced features make it one of the most popular content management systems. 

What is Blogger?

Blogger is a content management system from Google. It is a free platform that you can use to publish blogs easily. Pyra Labs started Blogger back in 1999, and later on, Google acquired it. Bloggers can use it for free and, It is easy to handle blog publishing without much technical knowledge.  You will be able to use a hosting plan and subdomain for free blogspot.com. You can customize the domain name and register it using any third-party domain registrars. It will be the best choice for beginners to start their blogs due to easy accessibility. 

Comparison of WordPress and Blogger

You will be able to understand the main difference between Blogger and WordPress from this section. We are comparing a paid platform Vs a free one. WordPress is a paid platform, whereas Blogger is free to use. Here are the comparisons of both platforms features

  • Ease of use

Most beginners want to choose a platform that provides easy setup options. Everyone who wants to do blogging might not have coding knowledge. That’s why they need to use an easy-to-use platform. 

WordPress: It is easy to set up and install WordPress. You don’t have to know coding to use WordPress and that makes it easy to use. You will be able to use various plugins to customize the blog as you want. There are many guides and online tutorials available for you to learn the usage of the platform. It will give you step-by-step instructions to start with WordPress. Once the initial setup is complete, you need to choose a WordPress theme like a template for your blog. With plugins, you can do better customization of your blog and then start to add blog posts. You can begin to add texts, images, videos, or any media to your blog using block editor. Also, there is a drag and drop option that lets you customize the blog to make your blogging process simple. 

Blogger: Blogger is easy compared to WordPress. All you have to do is to sign up for to Blogger platform using your Google account. You will see the  Create New Blog option where you can start to add a blog. You will also see the options to edit the name, blog address, title, and theme. Now your blogging platform is ready, and you can start to add blogs, edit the layout, and add any additional elements to your blog. The only drawback for Blogger is the difficulty in customization of themes. It is tricky to customize the design because you need to have HTML to change any design. 

Result: When it comes to ease of use, WordPress is the winner. It is easy to make any customization to the blog using WordPress plugins.

  • Ownership of blog

Ownership of your content is essential when you use a platform. Some platforms give you full ownership of your content, and some other platforms don’t. By having complete freedom, you will be able to handle the content as you want and add any monetization options. 

WordPress: While using WordPress, you need to purchase a web hosting service provider. It will not shut down without prior notice. You own your blog and can transfer all your content from WordPress to any other platform if required. When you use a WordPress site, you have complete freedom to use your data as you want, and there is complete privacy to your information.

Blogger: Blogger is a platform from Google and is entirely free to use. But one of the main drawbacks while using Blogger is that you don’t get ownership of your blogs. Google owns whatever content you publish on Blogger, and you cannot take any decision regarding your blogs. Another thing is that sometimes Google has the right to shut down the service anytime they want. It is like Facebook, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, where they can suspend the accounts anytime without prior warning. There is a chance to lose all your data without knowing the reason while using Blogger.

Result: If you are looking to find a platform that you can completely own, then WordPress is the best choice for you.

  • User Interface and design 

User Interface is essential to attract traffic to a website. The looks of your blog are something that your visitors first see when they come to your website. The ease of use and simple user interface help to navigate users within your website and also will spend more time.

WordPress: WordPress comes with thousands of themes. Some of them are free, and some others are premium themes. When you create a blog on WordPress, then use these themes that can help you to customize the user interface of your blog. You have more than 2000 free WordPress themes available for you to customize your blogs. Go to appearance >Themes to access themes available for your blog. You can use Third-party themes like Themify, Elegant Themes, and Astra themes within WordPress for better customization.

Blogger: Blogger only offers simple and basic templates to use. These are basic templates that are already used by other bloggers. Using their tools, you can only change the color and layout of these templates. There is no option to create your templates on Blogger. In terms of designing the blog using external templates, it is hard to find quality templates. The limitation of customization and a few number of templates makes this platform fall behind any other blogging platform.

Result: WordPress is the winner in terms of user interface and design.

  • Flexibility

Flexibility is an essential factor while using a blogging platform. You need to check whether the platform allows you to control the design and features. 

WordPress: WordPress is an open-source platform that allows you to customize the design using plugins or third-party integrations. You can use free as well as premium plugins that enable you to give a professional touch to your website. Also, if you have the coding skill the platform offers you to create custom plugins as you want. 

Blogger: Blogger is a simple blogging platform that lets you add new features using built-in tools. You can add advertising, contact form, subscription links, etc. are some of the best features you can add using built-in gadgets. Blogger has limited functionality, and no third-party addition is available. All these features are from Google, and no option to add pop-ups, eCommerce features, etc.  Monetization options are less while using the Blogger platform.

Result: Flexibility is something that makes WordPress one of the popular blogging platforms. 

  • Security 

The security of the platform is something you need to consider before starting a blog posting. All your data should be safe from any type of external attack. By any chance, if your site got hacked, then all your efforts will be in vain.

WordPress: Security-wise you can trust WordPress. But since it is an open-source platform, the responsibility for backup and security is yours. You can use plugins like Sucuri to safeguard your website from external attacks. Using UpdraftPlus, you will be able to back up data on WordPress. 

Blogger: Blogger is from Google, and your data will be safe as long as the whole platform is safe. We know that Google provides better security features so that you need not have to worry about providing backup and security of your website. When the site shuts down your blogs will also go down.

Result: When it comes to security, both platforms offer the same level of security. 

  • Customer support

Customer support is also an essential factor to consider before choosing a blogging platform. You need to check whether the blogging platform offers reliable support to its customers before choosing a blogging platform.

WordPress: WordPress comes with an active community support system. Users can ask their questions and get expert opinions about any features associated with WordPress. For WordPress product users there is a group of technical experts to support their customers. In addition to this, you will be able to see the online tutorial and how-to do guides while making use of this platform. 

Blogger: There is only limited support available from Blogger. You can find simple documentation and user forum available for you to reference while using Blogger. There is no one-to-one support available from Google, as this is a free platform. You can find tutorials that can help available from the Help menu of the Blogger dashboard.

Result: WordPress excels in customer support compares to Blogger.

  • Monetization

Blogs are one of the best options to earn money. We need to know the best blogging platform that can help you to earn money out of an advertisement.

WordPress: When using WordPress, you will able to set up monetization options using various plugins. Ezoic and Mediavine are two examples of high-paying ad networks.  If you are using the WooCommerce plugin, it is easy to sell physical products and services. You can also monetize your blogs by selling eBooks, courses, etc. 

Blogger: AdSense is a Google product and, it is easy to set it up from the Blogger dashboard. You can place sponsored ads, links, banners, run giveaways, etc.

Result: Both platforms offer you a monetization option. But when it comes to the number of monetization options, WordPress is the winner.

  • Scope of development

When you post blogs on a platform, the one thing you need to know is the scope of development. If the platform is not offering any updates or the scope of growth then there is no point in wasting your time.

WordPress: WordPress is an open-source platform run by a group of experienced developers. Its future is not based on one individual or company. There are thousands of websites build on this platform, and one of the most popular blogging platform, as of now. Due to its popularity and ease of use, many people prefer WordPress to start a website or blog. 

Blogger: As you all know, Blogger is a free blogging platform. Google hasn’t introduced any updates on the existing platform for a long time. Google can shut it off any time like some of its services like Google Reader, Feedburner, etc. So, we can say that the future of your blog is not in your hands.

Result: WordPress is the safest blogging platform choice that can help you to survive the long run. 

  • Pricing 

Pricing is an essential factor to consider while choosing a blogging platform. Usually, most people are obsessed with free options and tend to go with that. But you do not have to struggle by using the free option when you can create quality blogs with the paid option.

WordPress: WordPress is a free open-source platform that allows you to build your blogs without spending money. But when you have to purchase a hosting plan for your blog. With Bluehost, you will be able to get a hosting plan as low as $2.75/month and a free domain name. You can choose any such hosting plan and set up your blog. Once after creating the blog, you can use free or paid themes to let you customize the blog as you want. Even you spend money on hosting and themes you will able to ensure better ROI by monetizing your blog.

Blogger: Blogger is free to use. It provides free hosting, and a subdomain name for you to start your blog. Themes and gadgets are also free to use from Blogger. If you want to use a custom domain name, you need to pay for it. You can register your domain name using a third-party domain name provider, and a typical domain name cost will be around $14.99/month. So, we can say that the basic platform is free to use. 

Result: Cost-wise both Blogger and WordPress are almost similar. It only varies in features you get for the money you pay.

Blogger vs WordPress – which is best to start a blog online?

From this comparison, you might have understood the main similarities and differences between these two platforms. Blogger is suitable for someone who is a beginner and wants to start their blog on a simple platform. At the same time, WordPress is proper for those who are experienced and want to start a professional blogging service that can help you to earn money.

WordPress is the best choice to create a membership website, eCommerce site, etc. You can decide based on the type and reason for the blog service you want to start. If you are planning to start a blog, then consider the pros and cons of both these platforms, and you can select the right decision.

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