The platform you choose shapes what your blog can become — how much you control, how easily you can grow, and whether you can ever truly monetize it. Let me compare the main options honestly, including the trade-offs the sales pages skip, and give you a clear recommendation.

Self-Hosted WordPress (WordPress.org)

The platform behind a huge share of the web, and my recommendation for most serious bloggers. You install the free WordPress software on your own hosting, which means you fully own and control your site and can monetize it however you like.

  • Best for: anyone building a blog as a long-term asset or business.
  • Pros: total control, endless plugins and themes, no limits on monetization, you own your content.
  • Cons: a slightly steeper learning curve and you manage hosting — though modern hosts make this easy.

Squarespace & Wix

All-in-one website builders with polished, drag-and-drop design. Genuinely easy and beautiful out of the box, but more limited and more expensive over time, with less flexibility to grow or move your site later.

  • Best for: people who want a great-looking site fast and don’t plan to scale into a content business.
  • Cons: monthly fees add up, you’re locked into their ecosystem, and monetization options are narrower.

Medium

A writing platform with a built-in audience — great for getting words read with zero setup. The catch: you don’t own the relationship or the platform, customization is minimal, and your ability to build a business around your content is very limited. Good for writing; weak for building an asset.

Ghost

A clean, modern platform built specifically for writers and paid newsletters. Excellent if subscriptions are your core model; less suited to the plugin-heavy, SEO-driven content blog most people are building.

A Word of Warning: Free Subdomains

Free options that give you an address like yourblog.platform.com feel tempting, but you don’t own that address, your monetization is restricted, and moving later is painful. If you’re serious, start on your own domain from day one.

The Recommendation

For almost anyone building a blog they hope to grow or earn from, self-hosted WordPress is the right call. It costs a little more effort up front and pays it back in control, flexibility, and the freedom to monetize without limits. The builders are fine for simple sites; WordPress is the one you won’t outgrow.

Once you’ve chosen, here’s how to set up your blog step by step — and you can do it for under $100.