Comparison of Blogging Platforms (Managed Hosting, No VPS Required)
| Platform | Ease of Use (10) | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | Premium Theme Cost | Total Annual Cost | Min. Cost for Custom Domain | Cost Score (10) | Indexing / SEO (10) | Total (30) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost(Pro) | 9 | $9-25 | $108-300 | $30-80 (one-time) | $140-380 | $9/month ($108/year) | 5 | 8 | 22/30 |
| WordPress (Managed Hosting) | 8 | $10-30 | $120-360 | $30-80 (one-time) | $150-440 | $10/month ($120/year) | 5 | 9 | 22/30 |
| Hugo (Managed Hosting, Netlify/Vercel) | 5 | $0-5 | $0-60 | $20-50 (one-time) | $20-110 | $0 (Can be free with Netlify/Vercel + external domain) | 9 | 10 | 24/30 |
| Blogger (Google SaaS) | 10 | $0 | $0 | $10-30 (one-time) | $10-30 | $0 (Only need to buy a domain, ~$10/year) | 10 | 6 | 26/30 |
| Wix (SaaS) | 10 | $14-39 | $168-468 | Included in plan | $168-468 | $14/month ($168/year) | 3 | 5 | 18/30 |
| Google Sites | 10 | $0 | $0 | No custom themes | $0 | $0 (Only need to buy a domain, ~$10/year) | 10 | 4 | 24/30 |
| Persumi | 9 | $0 (Free Plan) - $14.99 (Pro Plan) | $0 - $179.88 | Included in Pro Plan | $0 - $179.88 | $14.99/month ($179.88/year) for custom domain | 8 | 7 | 24/30 |
Key Takeaways:
✅ Cheapest platforms for custom domains:
- Blogger and Google Sites → You only need to buy the domain (~$10/year).
- Hugo → Free hosting on Netlify/Vercel, just buy a domain.
✅ Best SEO and Cost balance:
- Hugo (24/30) → Free or cheap hosting, excellent SEO, but more technical.
- Ghost(Pro) (22/30) → Managed and easy, but pricier.
- WordPress (22/30) → Great SEO but requires more setup.
⛔ Most expensive for a custom domain:
- Wix ($168/year) and Persumi ($179.88/year) are the priciest options.