4 Technical Differences Between Free and Self-Hosted Blogging Platforms

If you have been thinking about switching from a free blogging platform to a self-hosted one, then it is important for you to understand the technical aspects of it. Let’s talk about a few major ones.

1. Costs Involved

The first big difference between the two options is the cost to start them. As far as a free blogging platform is concerned, no initial investment is required. But for a self-hosted platform, you have to first buy a domain name, the hosting, email space, and so on.

Moreover, these costs are not just one time costs, you have to pay them monthly. You might save a few bucks by opting to pay yearly. But at the end of the day, you do have to pay quite an amount to get started.

In addition to these, you may also have to pay for a web designer to design your blog when you opt for a self-hosted platform. But on a free blogging platform, you are always provided with a limited set of blog designs to choose from.

2. Technical Knowledge

Managing a free blog does not require too much technical expertise. Even someone who only has the basic knowledge of the internet and applications can master how to run a blog through a free blogging platform after spending some time. 

However, the same cannot be said for self-hosted blogging platforms. They require a bit more knowledge of servers, hosting, domains, etc. 

As such, a layman cannot be expected to just sign up for a self-hosted blog and manage it perfectly from day one. It will take much more time for them to learn about every component of the blogging platform.

So, if you are someone who does not want to engage too much into technical jargon, then a free blogging platform will be more suitable for you.

3. Safety And Ownership Of Data

With a free blogging platform, you only have little control over your data. The hosting company will have complete control over it. If they want, they can suddenly suspend your account, depriving you of all the blog data. The safety of the blog is also questionable since free platforms don’t spend too much on security.

On the other hand, a self-hosted blogging platform won’t delete your account and force you to say goodbye to your data all of a sudden. If they do so, you can probably take legal action against them. As such, you will have complete control over your data. Plus, they also will have far better security protocols to defend against third-party hacking attempts.

4. Customization

Another huge difference between free and self-hosted blogging platforms is the ability to customize the blog. In a free blogging platform, you will only have a limited ability to customize the overall design of the blog, which will mostly be restricted to changing colors, fonts, and so on. 

In contrast, since you completely own the blog that is on a self-hosted blog, you will have the full freedom to change every single detail of the blog, right down to its most basic code. So, if you think that you need complete control over each and every aspect of the blog, then a self-hosted blogging platform should be your choice.