Blogger vs WordPress Which Is Better? (2024 Comparison)

If you want to start a blog, selecting the right platform is crucial for its performance and growth. Two of the most popular options are Blogger and WordPress, both offering diverse customization features. However, each platform comes with its own set of advantages and limitations. In this guide, we’ll assess their characteristics, spanning user-friendliness, customization capabilities, and security. Additionally, we’ll provide a comparative table to help you decide between Blogger vs WordPress, which is better?

Table of contents:

What is Blogger?

Blogger provides a simple and free blog hosting service, earning its place as a go-to for beginners in the blogging world. Since Blogger is a Google product, signing up is hassle-free with just your Google account.

Upon registration, your blog is automatically assigned a free Blogspot subdomain, giving it a URL like https://example.blogspot.com.

The convenience doesn’t end there – with a single account, you can create up to 100 blogs and store countless photos and videos. While there’s no limit to the number of blog posts you can publish, you’re still restricted to 20 static pages.

Some highlights of the Blogger platform include:

Easy integration with various Google services like Google Photos, Google Domains, Google Adwords, and Google Affiliate Network.
Free SSL certificate.
Consistent updates and reliable security maintained by Google.
Easy-to-use content management system (CMS).
Plenty of starter template options.

What is WordPress?

Born in 2003, WordPress revolutionized the digital realm, offering a dynamic, open-source platform for website creation. It’s not limited to just blogging; its capabilities extend to various website needs, including creating online stores and portfolios.

Today, WordPress dominates the web, powering over 43% of all websites. Its widespread usage speaks to its significance in the world of web development, serving as a foundational element for building an online presence.

The beauty of WordPress lies in its accessibility. You can download it for free and use it on lots of different websites. This lets you be creative and try new things.

To start a WordPress blog, you’ll need to get a hosting plan and a domain name. It might seem a bit tricky at first, but it’s not too hard. Hosting companies like Bluehost can help you with setting up your website quickly.

Other standout features of WordPress include:

Tons of free and premium themes.
A vast library of plugins.
Different tools for publishing, including managing media and scheduling posts.
A robust community providing support and resources.
Support for over 70 languages.

Note: this guide compares Blogger and WordPress.org, the self-hosted version of WordPress. While WordPress.com offers a simplified, freemium alternative, it lacks some features like full plugin and theme access. For more details, read our article on WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org Difference and Which is Better.

Blogger vs WordPress: Comparison Table

To help you decide between Blogger vs WordPress which is better, we’ve prepared the following comparison table to weigh the pros and cons of each platform:

Platform	Pros	Cons
Blogger	Create a blog easily with just a Google account Free hosting and subdomain Free to use	Offers only basic features Limited customization options Less control over your blog
WordPress	User-friendly blogging platform with a gentle learning curve Lots of customization options Easy integration with third-party services	Requires separate purchase of hosting plan and domain name Initial investment required Full control over blog, including maintenance and security

Blogger vs WordPress: Ease of Use

Choosing an easy-to-use blogging platform is important, especially if you’re new to blogging. It makes creating and sharing blog posts simpler, so you can get started faster.

Let’s take a closer look at Blogger vs WordPress to see which one is easier to use.

Blogger

When you create a blog on Blogger, it only takes a few minutes. Once you sign in with your Google account, they’ll guide you through setting up your Blogger site.

During setup, you’ll pick your blog’s title, Blogspot address, author’s name, and select a theme.

Once you’re all set up, you can easily create new blog posts or adjust settings from the dashboard. Your drafts and published posts are neatly organized in the control panel center.

WordPress

Setting up WordPress is a bit more involved. When you decide to make a WordPress website, you’ll need to buy web hosting and a domain name. Fortunately, many hosting companies make it easy by offering one-click WordPress installation. Some even have hosting tailored specifically for WordPress.

However, WordPress might take some time for beginners to get used to. It offers more features, which can be overwhelming at first. Plus, many features require extra plugins.

Blogger vs WordPress: Control and Flexibility

Having complete control and ownership of a blog means you can tweak it however you like, from maintaining it to deciding when it’s time to say goodbye. So, let’s take a closer look at how WordPress and Blogger stack up in terms of who’s in charge and who owns what.

Blogger

With Blogger, your blog is hosted on Google’s servers. While this means you don’t have to worry about hosting or maintenance, it also means you have less control. Google can shut down your blog or restrict your access if they think you’re breaking their rules. Plus, Blogger has its limitations. You might find it tough to boost your blog’s performance or customize it as much as you might want to.

However, the upside is that Google handles all the hosting and maintenance stuff. This frees you up to concentrate on crafting awesome content instead of stressing over software or security updates.

WordPress

On the other hand, WordPress allows you to host your own blog. This gives you more control over everything, from the design to the content. You’re in charge of your data and who sees it. Self-hosting also means you can easily boost your blog’s performance by upgrading your bandwidth and storage.

Make sure to do your research when picking a web host for your blog. Look for one with a good reputation and reliability to ensure your blog performs at its best.

Blogger vs WordPress: Customization

Most bloggers have likely experimented with various themes and layouts in search of the perfect look for their site. Both Blogger and WordPress offer varying levels of customization to fulfill this need. However, customization goes beyond mere aesthetics; it’s about creating an experience that captivates your audience, reflects your brand identity, and encourages repeat visits.

Blogger

In Blogger, you’ll discover a collection of themes, including options like Contempo, along with various color variations. However, the selection is limited to just 12 different themes, although the color variants expand the choices significantly.

Once you’ve installed a theme, you can further customize its appearance by adding menus, gadgets (similar to WordPress widgets), and tweaking colors, fonts, and content spacing. For those comfortable with coding, there’s the option to incorporate custom CSS or even create a theme from scratch using HTML.

Additionally, Blogger offers a layout editor where you can rearrange theme elements, select ad placements, and adjust other fundamental settings to tailor your blog to your liking.

WordPress

WordPress is all about granting users total control over every facet of their website. Whether it’s features or design, customization is at your fingertips. This flexibility is made possible through a robust theme and plugin system rooted in PHP, HTML, and CSS, allowing you to create and extend WordPress as you see fit.

No coding skills? No problem! With over 12,000+ themes, there’s a solution tailored to every preference and purpose. And for those seeking to take their customization even further, you can explore over 60,000+ options to enhance your site’s functionality hassle-free. For instance, by installing WooCommerce, you can easily convert your website into an online store.

While customization differ depending on your theme and plugin configuration, WordPress includes a built-in Theme Customizer that developers can tap into. This tool allows you to tweak not only WordPress defaults but also theme features and designs. Additionally, WordPress simplifies CSS customization by integrating it into the Customizer, eliminating the need for separate custom.css files.

Blogger vs WordPress: Marketing and SEO

When it comes to your blogging platform, it’s crucial to consider its capabilities for supporting your website’s marketing endeavors, particularly in the realm of search engine optimization (SEO), which plays a pivotal role in boosting your site’s visibility on search engine results pages.

Blogger

While Blogger may not come equipped with an extensive array of built-in marketing tools, users can still utilize Blogger Stats and Google Analytics to gain insights into their website’s performance. Google Analytics, in particular, offers valuable data on website traffic, easily integrated into Blogger settings.

Google Analytics integration is straightforward since it’s owned by the same parent company. After setting up a Google Analytics account, simply copy the Analytics Measurement ID and paste it on Blogger via Settings > Google Analytics Measurement ID.

google analytics measurement ID in Blogger

For those delving into SEO on Blogger, it’s worth noting that the platform provides a decent starting point, especially for beginners. But before you start, make sure your site isn’t hidden from search engines in the settings.

Optimizing SEO on Blogger means incorporating relevant keywords, refining meta titles and descriptions, and creating user-friendly permalinks. Moreover, leveraging built-in features like email subscription links and social media sharing options helps broaden your blog’s reach and interact with your audience effectively.

WordPress

WordPress, renowned for its versatility, stands as an ideal platform for implementing advanced digital marketing strategies and SEO tactics. Its core functionalities include essential SEO features like visibility settings, permalinks, meta descriptions, and redirects.

Yet, what truly distinguishes WordPress is its vast selection of marketing and SEO plugins, providing users with unparalleled flexibility in optimizing their websites for search engines. Popular plugins like Yoast SEO and AIOSEO offer valuable insights for improving on-page content and search engine rankings.

WordPress SEO plugin Yoast SEO product page

Moreover, plugins like HubSpot and Jetpack further extend WordPress’s marketing capabilities, enabling users to streamline various aspects of their campaigns.

In summary, both Blogger and WordPress provide ways to enhance your marketing and SEO efforts. However, WordPress’s extensive range of plugins and features make it the top choice for users seeking to implement comprehensive marketing strategies.

Blogger vs WordPress: Monetization

Turning your blog into a source of income is totally doable, and both WordPress and Blogger offer ways to make it happen.

Blogger

With Blogger, you can monetize your blog by showing ads through Google AdSense. It’s pretty straightforward: set up your AdSense account, make space for ads on your blog, and choose where to put them.

But keep in mind, your blog has to comply with Google AdSense’s terms of service to make money from ads. For example, your blog can’t have adult content, and each country has its own payment threshold for AdSense earnings. In the US, you need to make at least $100 before you can cash out, and payments come monthly.

You can also make money with affiliate marketing and sponsored posts on Blogger, but there’s no special tool to manage your affiliate links and earnings.

WordPress

WordPress gives you loads of options for making money from your blog. You can do paid advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, selling stuff, or even setting up memberships.

For affiliate marketing, there are plugins like ThirstyAffiliates that help you keep track of your links and earnings. And if you’re into advertising, you can easily display ads using the Custom HTML widget.

Or, if you want to offer exclusive content, you can create a membership site. There are plugins like Ultimate Member and Paid Memberships Pro that make it easy to set up.

Blogger vs WordPress: Security

Cyber threats like malware and phishing attacks can mess up your website big time. They can damage your blog’s reputation, mess with its traffic, and even tank its search engine rankings.

So, before you decide between Blogger vs WordPress which is better for your blog, think about how secure they are.

Blogger

Google, the tech giant behind Blogger, takes security seriously.

They’ve got your back with two-factor authentication, making it harder for unauthorized folks to sneak into your Blogger account. Plus, every default Blogger domain comes with an SSL certificate, which scrambles your website data for extra protection.

But because Blogger hosts your site for you, you can’t tweak every security setting or add extra layers of security. And if Blogger ever shuts down, you might lose your blog forever.

WordPress

WordPress gives you more freedom to play around with its features, but that freedom comes with a bit of risk.

Using dodgy third-party plugins and themes can leave your WordPress site vulnerable to attacks.

But fear not! WordPress has your back with a bunch of security measures to keep your site safe. Security plugins like WordFence and Sucuri Security are like digital watchdogs, sniffing out any sneaky business and shutting it down.

And don’t forget the basics: keep your WordPress software up to date, use strong passwords, and toss out any plugins or themes you don’t need.

WordPress also has anti-spam plugins to block nasty comments that might contain harmful links. Plugins like Akismet and Titan Anti-spam and Security are great for keeping your comments section clean.

Plus, if you’re self-hosting your WordPress blog, you can pick a web host that offers extra security goodies like DDoS protection and a web application firewall.

Blogger vs WordPress: Customer Support

Having reliable customer support for your blogging platform ensures that you can get help when you need it. While neither Blogger nor WordPress have dedicated support teams, there are still plenty of resources available to assist you along the way.

Blogger

Blogger offers a comprehensive documentation library where you can search for answers to your questions. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, you can turn to the community forum to get help from other users.

Additionally, the Blogger dashboard includes a Help option where you can find helpful tips and tutorials to guide you through any issues you encounter.

WordPress

Although WordPress doesn’t have its own customer support team, the WordPress community is always buzzing with activity. You can participate in the support forum to connect with other users, share tips, and ask questions.

If you prefer learning through guides and tutorials, there are countless resources available online, including the official WordPress documentation. It covers everything from setting up your website to troubleshooting any problems that arise.

It’s also worth mentioning that many web hosting providers offer dedicated support for WordPress users, and premium themes and plugins often come with their own customer support options.

Blogger vs WordPress: Pricing

Price plays a big role in picking a blogging platform that suits your needs and your wallet. Let’s dive into the costs of starting and maintaining a blog on both Blogger and WordPress.

Blogger

Blogger is a no-cost, all-in-one blogging solution. You can create your blog without paying for separate web hosting, SSL certificates, or templates. Plus, you even get a free Blogspot subdomain.

However, if you want to level up your blog with a premium Blogger template, you might have to dish out some cash for a third-party one. You can also purchase a custom domain name from Google Domains or another registrar, typically setting you back around $10 to $20 per year.

But while Blogger is free, it comes with limitations in terms of functionality and customization options.

WordPress

WordPress software is free, but there are some expenses involved in setting up a self-hosted blog.

First, you’ll need to invest in a hosting service and a domain name. The cost varies depending on factors like the size and complexity of your site. However, starting with a basic blog similar to what you’d get on Blogger is pretty affordable. For instance, at Bluehost, you can host a WordPress blog on a shared server with a free domain included for just $1.99 per month.

On top of that, to enhance your WordPress site with premium plugins and themes, you’ll have to spend a little extra cash. Make sure to choose ones that offer good value for money to get the most out of your investment.

Blogger vs WordPress: Which is Better?

When it comes to blogging, Blogger and WordPress are the big players. WordPress offers tons of features and options for any kind of blog you want to make. It’s great for both beginners and pros who want to build something complex.

Blogger, on the other hand, is simpler and free, made by Google. It’s easy to use and good for getting a basic blog up fast. But it’s not as customizable or flexible as WordPress.

In terms of security and cost, WordPress puts you in charge of keeping your site safe. Blogger takes care of security for you, but it might not be as strong as WordPress.

The cool thing is, you can switch between them pretty easily if you change your mind later. So, if you begin with Blogger and later decide to migrate Blogger to WordPress for more advanced features, it’s totally doable.

Final Words

To wrap up, the debate between WordPress vs Blogger boils down to personal preference and future aspirations. Before diving into the blogosphere, it’s essential for aspiring bloggers to evaluate their skills and aspirations to determine which platform aligns best with their vision.

Below is a brief summary of each category examined in this article, along with its winner:

Ease of Use: It’s a tie, as both platforms offer user-friendly interfaces.
Control and Flexibility: WordPress takes the crown for providing users with greater control and ownership over their content.
Customization: Once again, WordPress emerges victorious for its extensive customization options.
Marketing and SEO: WordPress shines with its robust tools for marketing and search engine optimization.
Security: A tie, as both platforms offer adequate security measures.
Customer Support: WordPress stands out for its comprehensive customer support services.
Pricing: Blogger takes the lead for its cost-free access.

In a nutshell, Blogger is the go-to for simplicity, making it a great choice for beginners aiming for a smaller blog. On the flip side, WordPress reigns supreme for blog owners looking for maximum flexibility, scalability, and ownership.

With this analysis in hand, we trust you’re better equipped to make an informed decision on the ideal platform for your blogging endeavors. If you found this article helpful, don’t hesitate to share it with others who might benefit from it. After all, the question remains: Blogger vs WordPress, which is better?