Housing hundreds of millions of posts (over 475 million posts as of 2019) , Tumblr is one of the most popular microblogging and social networking websites in the world.
With that said, although it has appealed to millions of users, many people are looking for alternatives with a more professional appeal or different blogging capabilities.
Founded in 2007, Tumblr passed through the hands of various companies such as Yahoo, Verizon, and currently Automattic.
Although rumors had it that Tumblr was closing down, it is still operational but with many users abandoning the platform.
If you’ve used Tumblr for some time and figured out that it’s not quite what you’d like to have for blogging, then below are 15 Tumblr alternatives that might work better for your blogging passion.
Our suggestions are distinct in their capabilities and pricing, so you will hopefully find something that can satisfy your lust for writing!
Note that the ranking below is in no particular order.
1. Medium
These days, Medium is the go-to blogging platform for many aspiring bloggers and writers.
Throughout recent years, Medium has grown immensely and now has several “publications” dedicated to specific fields like data science & machine learning, programming, music, news, and more. So no matter where your expertise or interests lie, you should be able to find a niche for yourself on Medium.
Medium also offers money-making opportunities via its Partner Program. Unfortunately, it’s available in a limited number of countries, and the only payment gateway for earning as of this post’s writing was Stripe.
With that said, if you are lucky enough to reside in a supported country, Medium is a great place to start, especially considering that it’s likely to grow huge in upcoming years.
2. Blogger
If you are looking for blog customization, then the Google-owned Blogger might be a better choice than Medium.
Medium provides a ready-made publishing environment, but with little customization. In contrast, Blogger allows you to create a blog website from scratch and easily integrate it with Google services.
Monetization options are also more diverse – most importantly, you get access to Google AdSense for earning money via display ads.
Blogger is free to set up and is easy to use even for complete beginners. And even if you are a seasoned blogger with specific needs, then the customizable templates should work just fine.
3. WordPress
WordPress is both a blog-publishing platform (just like Blogger), but it is also a downloadable blogging web software that you can install on your own webserver to create a blog.
In fact, you can set up any kind of website on it, so if blogging isn’t your only area of interest, then a platform like self-hosted WordPress would allow you to have everything in one place.
When it comes to customization, WordPress is one of the best platforms you can find. Though it’s not too intuitive for newbies, WordPress can satisfy the most sophisticated needs.
What’s also nice about WordPress is that you get access to thousands of different website templates (called themes) and plugins that make blog-building easier.
Not all of these add-ons are free, but if you want to make the perfect blog, you should be able to do so with some initial investments.
One super-important thing to keep in mind with self-hosted WordPress is that you need your own website hosting and domain for the full functionality. This adds to setup costs but also allows for more flexibility in blogging.
Note that wordpress.org is the site that offers the self-hosted WordPress downloadable whereas wordpress.com is the platform site that allows you to build a blog hosted on the wordpress domain.
4. Squarespace
Squarespace is a lot like Blogger – it is hosted for you, so no hosting research and purchases are required on your part. It also provides you with a number of prebuilt, customizable templates for an easy launch.
But unlike Blogger, blogging on Squarespace is not free. Not only that, but the blog size is limited in lower-tier membership plans. However, Squarespace is fairly affordable, so it’s a solid place for owners of new or small blogs.
Since Squarespace is paid, you could also expect better support than with Tumblr. Additionally, Squarespace is perhaps a bit more flexible and integrates with other Squarespace services seamlessly.
5. Wix Blogging
Wix is a hugely popular website builder and hosting platform and one of the main competitors of such giants as WordPress and Blogger.
Feature-wise, Wix is most similar to the likes of Squarespace, but it offers most of its goodies at a lower price tag. There is also a free plan on Wix, which is pretty limiting but offers decent opportunities for starting.
Wix also has way more prebuilt templates than Squarespace, so it might be able to satisfy more blogging needs. But the provided storage space is kind of limiting, so unhindered growth might be a problem.
All in all, Squarespace is a more polished service, which isn’t at all unexpected for the price difference. Wix is probably better for not very demanding bloggers, while Squarespace is a good place for those who want to easily build more complex functionality.
6. Ghost
Ghost is one of the lightest and most intuitive blogging platforms you can find out there. It’s not as flexible as Squarespace and the likes, but it’s faster and easier to use.
What’s also nice about Ghost is that it offers self-hosting and managed hosting. Self-hosting is free and provides more customizability, but it’s not supported by Ghost and requires more technical skill. Managed hosting is paid and a little more limited, but it is backed up by quality support.
Note that Ghost’s cheapest managed plan costs $36 per month ($29 if billed annually) and allows for only 100k views a month. So Ghost is thus a bit limited, though if speed and easiness of use are very important to you, it might be a good investment.
7. Weebly
Among our picks, Weebly is closest to Wix. They are very similar, but, of course, there are a few small details that set them apart.
Thanks to its unlimited storage space and bandwidth (on the Pro and Business plans), Weebly scales better and is a more suitable choice for larger websites. Additionally, Weebly’s editor is a little more intuitive and easier to use.
Where Wix has the edge, however, is functionality. You are getting a higher number of prebuilt templates and a wider variety of add-ons. Wix websites also are easier to build for mobile, though we wouldn’t say that Weebly is very challenging in this department either.
The free plan of Weebly is using a subdomain on their own main domain and allows 500MB of storage (which is enough for very simple websites). If you want to use your own domain name you must get one of the paid plans.
8. Strikingly
Strikingly is a great option for a light, mobile-friendly website. Additionally, it provides a number of intuitive e-commerce tools, so it should also work if you are planning to sell stuff via your blog. It is one of the easiest website builders as well.
When it comes to flexibility, Strikingly is one of the weaker options on this list. Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly will work better if you want more control over your website.
However, if your blog posts aren’t going to be too complex and if you want to keep your website simple, then Strikingly is a pretty good option. It’s easy to set up, isn’t too pricey, and offers a free plan to allow you to get acquainted with its key features.
9. GoDaddy Website Builder
GoDaddy’s Website Builder is yet another choice for those who have a limited budget or aren’t too feature-demanding. The GoDaddy Website Builder is extremely basic and inflexible, but it allows you to get started much quicker than with more complex platforms like Wix or Squarespace.
The feature set of the Website Builder is nice but not the best – the drag-and-drop editor is limited, and you aren’t getting as many pre-made templates as with Wix, for example.
GoDaddy Website Builder offers some decent e-commerce functionality as well (digital & physical products, auto tax calculation, etc.), but it’s again limited.
With all that said, GoDaddy Website Builder doesn’t cost as much as Wix, Weebly, or the likes. Additionally, unlike Wix, GoDaddy offers unlimited storage in all plans.
10. SITE123
SITE123 offers intuitive and simple tools for blog creation and management. It also provides access to some basic e-commerce functionality, so you may sell products on your blog too if you want. They claim to be one of the easiest free website builders around.
Now, when it comes to flexibility, SITE123 is one of the limited platforms on this list. You cannot customize code on this platform – you can only build a blog with whatever tools SITE123 provides you with (although they have plugins for extra features and functionality). This is fine for undemanding blog owners, but it should still be noted.
SITE123 has 5 pricing plans in total, including a free plan with limited features, bandwidth, and storage. The 4 premium plans are also fairly cheap and provide decent functionality. All in all, SITE123 is a good choice for small blog owners or newbies.
By the way, don’t be confused if you see only two plans on SITE123’s pricing page. To see the rest, you’ll have to go for a purchase.
11. Mastodon
Mastodon is very different from other platforms on this list in that it is a microblogging platform – like Twitter and Tumblr, for example.
Rather than provide you with tools for your own blog-building, it allows you to post short messages, share information, and communicate with other users.
Mastodon allows you to join or create thematical servers to gather like-minded people. So although this platform doesn’t have any monetization options, it does allow you to engage with your community and promote your blog, store, or any other business.
12. Newgrounds
Newgrounds also isn’t like the platforms featured previously. Although Newgrounds allows some basic blogging functionality, you can’t create a blog website with it. However, unlike Mastodon, Newgrounds does allow you to monetize your content via ads.
Newgrounds has its own unique audience mostly focused around games, though user-created movies, audio, and art are also big parts of this platform. With that, Newgrounds isn’t for everyone, but if your interests or business goals are in line with what this platform is, it’s a good place to be in.
13. Posthaven
Posthaven is a blog-hosting platform that has been created with the aim to last forever. More specifically, Posthaven is dedicated to keeping its users’ websites online even if they stop paying for the service. To this end, Posthaven charges a mere $5 monthly.
Aside from sounding cool, this theoretically allows you to set up a website, grow an audience, and earn income even if you no longer pay for Posthaven. But if stop paying for the service, you won’t be able to edit the content.
Feature-wise, Posthaven offers a pretty traditional set of functions, including HTML/CSS customization, blog following with notifications, autopost, private sites with passwords, and more. Pretty nice for a service that only costs $5 per month!
14. Hubpages
Hubpages is a completely free blogging platform and is therefore great for beginners or those who write for passion. Setting up a blog with Hubpages is very quick and easy, and most of the heavy lifting is done by Hubpages behind the scenes.
Despite being free, Hubpages has pretty solid customer support, so getting any issues resolved is rather easy on this platform.
When it comes to monetization, Hubpages earns via ads from AdSense, Amazon, and some other platforms. Blog owners at Hubpages receive a commission from the platform’s ad revenue. So ads allow Hubpages to make a profit and stay free and at the same time reward blog writers.
Our main gripe with Hubpages is that its blogs are just filled with ads, which may be detrimental to your audience’s experience. With that said, Hubpages is still worth at least a try, and maybe you find that the ads on this platform aren’t too bad.
15. Pillowfort
Lastly, we have Pillowfort, a relatively new blogging platform that was in beta as of this post’s writing. Pillowfort has blog-building and community features to help you connect with people who share your interests.
In its nature, Pillowfort is a hybrid of LiveJournal, Twitter, and Tumblr. This platform combines their strengths while attempting to resolve their weaknesses.
Registration on Pillowfort requires a $5 one-time fee. Once you sign up, you gain access to Pillowfort’s managed blogging features such as blacklisting, blocking, content control, and communities.
Community spaces may be created separately from your primary blogging space – either to complement your blog or to start something new.
One thing that may particularly interest people is that NSFW content is allowed, unlike Tumblr that has recently banned it. NSFW is automatically flagged by Pillowfort, so people can choose to filter it out of their feeds.
Final Words
Each of the reviewed platforms has its own strengths and weaknesses. And while we gave you a good idea of what to expect, you will have to do a little more digging to figure out what exactly you get with our 15 Tumblr alternatives.
For starters, you may read more in-depth reviews on each of the featured platforms – there, you’ll find more info about their benefits and target audience.
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