Is Wordpress the Best Blogging Platform?

According to a number of surveys, WordPress is the most popular blogging platform online - both the free, hosted version and the CMS that you download and install on your own server. It's easy to use, looks fantastic outside the box, and the admin panel is also very convenient to navigate. It might be a bit heavy on shared hosting, but various caching plugins like WP Super Cache should solve such problems quickly.

Indeed, there are many good reasons as to why WordPress is so popular. However, is it really the best blogging platform there is? If you know one that could give WP a run for its money, please share it in the ongoing discussion below.

Is Wordpress truly the best blogging platform available, or perhaps you know a better CMS for blogging?

There are actually two kinds of WordPress: the .com one is a hosted blogging service, whereas .org offers a downloadable package that you install on your own shared hosting or dedicated server. If you decided to go with WP for your blogging needs, choose the version which suits your needs better.

Hosted (Wordpress.com):

• Probably the easiest way to start blogging.
• Free to use with a username.wordpress.com subdomain. Your own domain may be mapped for an additional cost of $13 a year.
• No advertising allowed on your blog; in fact, Automattic might display their own ads on it, according to their Terms of Service.
• Some basic customization and themes. More capabilities available with yearly upgrades.

Standalone (Wordpress.org):

• Requires you to own a hosting package and your own domain.
• Harder to set up, but there are numerous tutorials available.
• Unlimited customization - your imagination and skills are the only limits.

Wordpress can be adapted to do just about anything

Perhaps one of the reasons why WordPress is so popular is that it can be used for more than just blogging. Over the years enthusiasts have adapted WP to use it for news sites, online magazines, review sites, online stores, podcasts, and more. This versatility was made possible because of the detailed information and documentation available, which really helps anyone who wants to learn about customizing this great CMS. Of course, blogging is still the #1 thing individuals and companies use WordPress for.