Starting a blog in 2026 is one of the best ways to build a brand and earn online. It doesn’t matter if you’re a creator or an entrepreneur; blogging gives you control over your content.
Plus, if you start on the right platform, your blog can grow to become a steady business that brings revenue. You can run display ads, promote affiliate products, or launch your own digital products like courses.
The important thing is choosing a blogging platform that supports your goals, offers flexibility, and grows with you.
In this guide, we’ll explore the best blogging platforms to make money. With these options, you can pick the one that matches your business vision.
What Makes a Blogging Platform Profitable?
The best blogging platforms to make money have the following features:
- Ease of Monetization: Choose a platform that supports ads, affiliate links, and digital product sales. The easier it is to add income streams, the faster you can make money.
- SEO and Analytics Tools: Look for built-in SEO tools and clear traffic reports. These help you attract readers and track what content earns the best.
- Customization Options: The best blogging platform to make money is one that lets you design freely to match your brand style. Free blogging platforms often limit themes and layouts, which can hurt your growth.
- Scalability: A good blogging platform grows with you as your traffic and income increase. Some free tools can’t handle larger sites or complex features later on.
- Ownership and Control: The best blogging platforms to make money provide you with more control over your content and income streams.
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10 Best Blogging Platforms to Make Money Easily
Here are our top picks of the best blogging platforms to make money. Choose one that fits your needs best.
1. WordPress.org
If you want full control over your content and income streams, WordPress.org is the best blogging platform to make money. It’s a self-hosted platform, which means you own your content.
Even better, you have access to thousands of SEO plugins to help drive organic traffic to your blog. Also, you can integrate POD tools like Podbase to sell branded products.
To start blogging, you just need to pick a hosting provider, install WordPress software, and customize the site to suit your style.
Pricing: The platform is free. However, the cost of running a website includes expenses like hosting, domain names, and premium themes or plugins.
2. WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a simplified, hosted version of WordPress that removes most of the technical setup. You don’t need to buy hosting or manage security updates, as it’s all done for you. This makes it one of the best blogging platforms to make money for beginners.
You can sign up for a free account, choose a theme, and edit to suit your unique business idea. As your blog grows, you can upgrade to a paid plan that unlocks features like custom domains and ad placements.
Pricing:
- Free Plan
- Personal: $9/month
- Premium: $18/month
- Business: $40/month
- Commerce: $70/month
- Enterprise: Custom
3. Wix
Wix is a great option for beginners who want an easy-to-use visual blogging website builder. It offers drag-and-drop blocks, 900+ modern website templates, and analytics. You also have access to built-in ecommerce features like product pages and checkout customization.
When it comes to monetization, Wix offers several options. You can connect Google AdSense, use affiliate links, and sell digital downloads. This makes it the best blogging platform to make money for brands that sell merchandise.
Pricing:
- Light: $17/month
- Core: $29/month
- Business: $39/month
- Business Elite: $159/month
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4. Squarespace
Squarespace is the best blogging platform to make money from creative and profitable niches, such as beauty. It provides a mobile-optimized website template design that can be customized to suit different blogs.
Other features it offers that make it one of the best blogging platforms to make money include connected ecommerce and marketing tools. It also offers paid content access and membership for monetization.
Pricing:
- Personal: $25/month
- Business: $36/month
- Commerce Basic: $40/month
- Commerce Advanced: $72/month
5. Hostinger
This is one of the best blogging platforms to make money for those who want to avoid plugin complexity. The platform uses AI to generate site layouts based on onboarding questions. It also includes domain, hosting, and SSL certificates.
The platform offers 150+ templates for blogs, online stores, and other use cases. It also provides ecommerce features that support digital, physical, or print-on-demand products with several payment methods.
Pricing:
- Premium: $12.19/month
- Business: $13.99/month
6. Medium
Medium is the best blogging platform to make money for writers who do not want to build a website. The platform has millions of active readers and search visibility, so new articles can get traffic without SEO setup.
Monetization is through the Partner Program, which pays based on read time from paying members.
Pricing: You can post content for free. To earn money on this blogging platform, you need to subscribe to any of its membership plans:
- Medium Member: $5/month
- Friend of Medium: $15/month
7. Ghost
Ghost is an open-source blogging platform for professional publishers. Brands can build a website, publish blog posts, and send email newsletters. Site design is also flexible because themes can be swapped, customized, or built from scratch.
It is one of the best blogging platforms to make money through paid newsletters and membership content. Ghost provides integration with tools like Stripe, Zapier, Discord, Google Analytics, Twitter, Buffer, and more.
Pricing:
- Starter: $18/month
- Publisher: $35/month
- Business: $239/month
- Custom: Tailored pricing
8. Blogger
For new bloggers with limited budgets, this can be one of the best blogging platforms to make money. The platform is owned by Google, and hosting is included, which reduces setup steps.
A blogspot.com subdomain comes built in, which is free to get started. You can also connect a custom domain and customize basic themes to match your brand.
Blogger connects to Google AdSense, so you can feature display ads. This lets even a new blog make money as traffic grows.
Pricing: Free
9. Weebly
Weebly is a beginner-friendly platform for building blogs and websites. It’s owned by Square, so it connects with ecommerce tools for brands to sell products along with publishing.
The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to design a blog for free. However, for customization, Weebly allows you to connect a custom domain with its paid plans.
Monetization is simple. You can add Google AdSense, use affiliate links, or sell digital products through your site. Weebly also includes SEO tools to help your blog appear in Google search.
Pricing:
- Free Plan
- Personal: $10/month
- Professional: $12/month
- Performance: $26/month
10. HubSpot CMS
This is the best blogging platform to make money for businesses that want content and lead generation in one place. You can build your blog with drag-and-drop tools or choose from built-in themes.
You don’t need to manage hosting, security, or plugins as these are included in the CMS software. The platform has forms, popups, and email marketing built in. That means you can collect leads from your blog posts.
You can monetize by selling services, coaching, templates, or digital products from your site.
Pricing: Free
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Paid vs Free Blogging Platforms — Which Is Better for Earning?
When it comes to selecting the best blogging platform to make money, free and paid options differ in what they offer. Here’s a quick comparison between free and paid blogging platforms to help you decide.
How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform for You
Here’s a checklist to guide you when choosing between the best blogging websites to make money and grow your brand.
- Budget and Goals: Start by defining what you want to achieve and how much you can invest. Free blogging platforms are fine for learning, but paid ones often deliver better tools.
- Technical Skill Level: Some top blogging sites to make money require more setup and maintenance than others. Consider this when making a choice.
- Type of Monetization: Think about how you’ll earn, whether through ads, affiliates, or print-on-demand. The best blogging platform for monetization supports several income streams without strict limits.
- Design Freedom: Platforms with strong design options let you build a unique, professional site that fits your style. More freedom means you can test layouts and improve user experience as your brand grows.
- Support and Integrations: Reliable support and useful plugins make growth easier. The best website to blog and make money connects smoothly with tools for email, analytics, and ecommerce platforms.
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Monetize Your Blog with Print on Demand
Once you’ve chosen your best blogging platform, you need to work on what to sell to make money online.
One of the flexible work-from-home ideas bloggers can explore is selling print-on-demand (POD) products on their site.
There are several print-on-demand niches you can explore, depending on your blog’s focus. The key is choosing products that resonate with your audience.
With POD platforms like Podbase, you can design your products, set prices, and integrate them into your site. When someone makes a purchase, Podbase handles printing, packing, and shipping for you.
Ready to turn your content into profit? Start selling POD products with Podbase today!
Saulius Meilutis is the CEO of Podbase, helping creators and entrepreneurs monetize their ideas with print-on-demand. He shares insights on eCommerce, growth, and building lean online businesses.
