comparing blogger.com to wordpress.com

rob | blog and rss tips | Thursday, March 2nd, 2006

vs.

I’ve been playing around with blogger.com and wordpress.com for some time now and would like to post some comparisons of the two. NOTE: I’m comparing the free and hosted version of Word Press at wordpress.com, not the downloadable version that requires hosting from wordpress.org.

  1. Both are free blog sites that require nothing more than an ID and Password. That’s perfect! No need to worry about hosting, domain names, blah blah blah. Advantage: Push
  2. Blogger is owned by Google. That’s cool. Word Press is open source. Even cooler. What does that mean for most people? Nothing really. But for those who care, it’s cool. Advantage: wordpress
  3. With Blogger, you have much more control over the template. They give you access to the code so you can add all the sidebar junk you want. Of course you can also change the images, colors, etc. With Wordpress.com you don’t get any control over the template (UPDATE: a few themes have allow custom headers and color schemes). You don’t get to see the code so you can’t add things to the sidebar or change images. (UPDATE: Wordpress now has sidebar widgets that are so easy to use) Advantage: blogger
  4. Word Press allows you to use categories for each post you make which is very nice. It gives you an extra option for archiving other than by date. Blogger doesn’t have this built in. Advantage: wordpress
  5. Word Press allows you to create pages of static info (like an “About Me” page). Blogger uses a profile that isn’t a part of your site. But that’s just for the “About Me” page. In Word Press, you can create as many pages about anything you like. Advantage: wordpress
  6. If you create a post with a date or time stamp in the future, in Blogger it’ll show up with that date in the correct place. In Word Press, it’ll wait and publish that post at the time of the date stamp. Advantage: Push
  7. Word Press allows trackbacks (a comment notification that someone blogged about you). Blogger (built-in) does not. Advantage: wordpress
  8. At least at this point, it seems Word Press spam blocker works better than Blogger, but it’s a close call. Advantage: Push
  9. Word Press provides you with basic stats. Blogger does not. Advantage: wordpress
  10. Blogger uses an orange logo. I dig that. Advantage: Push - I really don’t care
  11. Blogger allows multiple blogs on one account. Right now wordpress.com does not also. Advantage: push
  12. Wordpress has a very cool and easy import function so if you wanted to leave blogger, typepad, etc and go with wordpress, it’ll import all of your old posts and comments so easily. Blogger doesn’t know what import means. Advantage: wordpress

My conclusion is if you’re concerned about what your blog looks like, go with Blogger. You have more control over the look. However, the look/feel of wordpress.com’s templates are nice and clean and they are giving you a lot of options in the sidebar now. Wordpress.com has many more options that are favorable like categories, pages, and trackbacks. This makes your blog better for visitors and encourages better conversation.

Also, I have more confidence in wordpress.com adding more features than blogger.com. Blogger has always been slow to upgrade.

UPDATE: Added #12 above. As I think of new comparisons, I’ll add them as the next point above and not keep adding “update” tags like this one.

[tags]blog software, blogger, wordpress.com, word press, wordpress, free blog[/tags]

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38 Comments »

  1. Good information — especially since I am considering making a move to wordpress! Thanks!

    Comment by Bill — March 2, 2006 @ 8:45 pm

  2. Good comparision, Rob.

    Comment by Jack — March 3, 2006 @ 10:36 am

  3. Hi Rob -
    Good article -
    Do you know how to embed a mp3 file inside a Blogger posting?
    Can’t find any help file to do so other than AudioBlogger.
    Thanks!

    Comment by Kerry Woo — March 3, 2006 @ 12:36 pm

  4. Kerry, I don’t know. I have noticed on at least one of my blogger blogs there is an “upload file” button (see image). I’ve never used it before, but it could seem to allow it.

    I know someone who’s used audioblogger and like it fine. I tried to upload a mp3 to wordpress.com and it didn’t work.

    Comment by rob — March 3, 2006 @ 1:33 pm

  5. Rob, I’ve got more reading to do of what you sent me, but this helps. Thanks a bunch… from S’pore!

    Comment by Steve — March 14, 2006 @ 1:32 am

  6. [...] Compare the differences between Blogger and WordPress [...]

    Pingback by orangejack.com :: Rob & Patricia Williams » Blog Archive » Would the Apostle Paul Blog? — March 26, 2006 @ 4:18 pm

  7. Nice comparison but if you downloaded and installed Wordpress on an inexpensive web host you would have full control over the color, layout and what have you with themes you can download or create yourself.

    But for free, you have nailed it.

    Comment by Bruce — April 4, 2006 @ 6:37 pm

  8. Bruce, you’re right. I want to eventually write about downloading WP and hosting it yourself. It’s so much better but does require more effort and cost. Here I wanted to compare what I think are the two best totally free blogs.

    Comment by rob — April 4, 2006 @ 7:18 pm

  9. [...] A friend of mine just opened a free wordpress.com blog (after reading my comparison to blogger.com) and asked me, “I just opened it. Now what?” I thought I’d share my answer with you, the faceless blogosphere: When I refer to the Dashboard, you’ll want to make sure you are on http://yourblogname.wordpress.com/wp-admin [...]

    Pingback by rob’s place » getting started with wordpress.com — June 6, 2006 @ 12:30 pm

  10. [...] Comparison of wordpress.com and blogger: Wordpress.com (not WordPress.org), offers free blogger hosting now with categories. I’m toying with it a bit to see if it’s worth the switch. I REALLY like the idea of categories. They only let you host, I think it’s 25MB of pics, which, for me, may become a problem as much photoblogging as I do. If I could transfer pics through “hello”, storage is much less, and I think it would be minimal storage. With standard uploading, the pics are much larger (in my estimation). [...]

    Pingback by Magnanimity » WordPress compared to Blogger — July 21, 2006 @ 6:45 pm

  11. Very nice post.

    About file hosting, i usually use yoUpload.com to upload all my files. I believe that is the best, but it’s my opinion, ehehe…

    http://www.youpload.com

    Thanks,
    Robert

    Comment by upload file — August 3, 2006 @ 11:02 am

  12. Nice article. I’m also working now with both comparing them. I would normally go to WordPress but lack of JavaScript support is strong pushback. The simple traffic stats reporting is nice but without JavaScript I cannot put there decent report system (e.g. Google Analytics). I also have created pros and cons for Blogger vs WordPress that’s kinds complementary to yours. Here it is:
    http://rightweb.wordpress.com/2006/08/17/comparison-of-sites-for-blogging-blogger-and-wordpress/

    Comment by pawel — August 17, 2006 @ 5:05 pm

  13. Nice comparison!

    I want to ask you about #11
    You said Wordpress.com allows multiple blogs on one account, but I couldn’t find where can I create a new blog. Please help me, thanks!

    Comment by Benlex — September 26, 2006 @ 1:16 pm

  14. Hey Benlex, I found it on the wordpress.com page after I login. Or maybe try http://wordpress.com/signup/. When I’m logged in, that page allows me to create a new blog on my account.

    Comment by rob — September 26, 2006 @ 10:45 pm

  15. Thanks a lot, I found it!

    Comment by Bexlex — September 27, 2006 @ 5:08 am

  16. i already moved from blogger to wordpress, and its a great feeling..!!1 hurrah

    Comment by neil — December 1, 2006 @ 2:43 pm

  17. Hi all,
    I wrote an entry Why Blogger?
    I wrote it after using both Blogger and WordPress for a while.
    I chose Blogger finally.
    This article may not be objective, but hope it may help those who are still searching for an ideal BSP.

    Comment by Cyril — December 2, 2006 @ 6:57 am

  18. @Cyril : Good list and reasons. Blogger Beta has really improved and put it much closer to wp.com. I still don’t see trackbacks so that’s a bummer. For people who don’t want to mess with code and just publish, I still feel wp.com is the way to go. However, the best of all is downloading wordpress.org and hosting yourself, but that’s another subject! ;-)

    Comment by rob — December 2, 2006 @ 9:38 am

  19. Do give a look at http://www.webmasterworld.com/community_building/3174608.htm . Also http://www.hedir.com/cafe/about18221.html which talks about blogger vs wordpress. Blogger is going to die soon.

    Comment by Augastin Francis — December 4, 2006 @ 2:22 am

  20. A few questions from a blog idiot

    How do you keep the spammers from eating you alive? i\’ve seen blogs with nothing but spam postings.

    How do you keep some left wing extremist from posting racist or defamatory rhetoric? and if you cant stop them, what are you legally liabel when they do?

    can viruses be posted to blogs?

    Comment by Fundraiser — January 18, 2007 @ 4:18 pm

  21. @fundraiser: thanks for stopping by. In wordpress, there are a few plugins that monitor for spam. I get to approve or deny any comment but the spam filters check for me first (like email spam checkers). Some people don’t care and don’t check. As for content of the comments, that’s up to the blog owner. You can ban anyone, or allow anyone to post. blogs usually don’t allow attachments so you can’t attach a virus, but someone could link to a webpage that has one.

    Bottom line, you are in control and the blog software usually gives you tools to help you manage what goes on your blog.

    Comment by rob — January 18, 2007 @ 7:54 pm

  22. [...] More technical and accurate information here and here [...]

    Pingback by MONTESSORIMUM.COM — January 19, 2007 @ 8:56 am

  23. If Blogger had pages I wouldn’t think about Wordpress.
    On the other hand if Wordpress would let you edit CSS without paying I wouldn’t tink about Blogger. So, right now it’s an even trade… I’m waiting for Google to launch pages for Blogger and that would be it :)
    Cheers,
    Paul

    PS: Some of the stuff you said’s not valid anymore, at least not for the new Blogger version. It has Labels (Same as Categories) and cool widgets, + lets you embed Javasript which Wordpress does not… ughhh… tough decision :-?

    Comment by Paul — February 2, 2007 @ 1:31 am

  24. @Paul : Yes, this post is quite outdated now that Blogger Beta is out and no longer Beta. Blogger has improved a lot. I have not used it much, but I liked what I saw. I agree about pages. Most don’t need them, but it is quite handy to have for some items. I’ve heard that Blogger is often slower than WordPress.com, but like I said, I’ve not experienced that.

    Comment by rob — February 2, 2007 @ 9:20 am

  25. Thanks Rob for the comparison. I’m thinking of starting a blog for our church, after reading an excellent book “The Blogging Chrurch”. From your review I’m leaning toward WordPress. 2 quick questions: (1) I’m concerned about “ads” that might appear on my blog that I have no control of. I think Blogger has ads. Does WordPress insert ads to your page as well? (2) What is the maximum storage space does WordPress allow you on their free account?

    THANKS!

    Comment by Hung — March 9, 2007 @ 5:11 pm

  26. @Hung : glad I could help. I haven’t read The Blogging Church yet. I own it but I’m letting a colleague read it first. Another great book is Naked Conversations. It’s a business approach to blogging and well worth the read.

    Now to your questions, I have yet to see advertisements appear unknown to the blog owner on either service. however, with any hosted solution like these, they could change the rules. But I’ve not seen it.

    As for max storage, I’m not sure what WordPress allows.

    I’d recommend if you’re wanting to have more control over it all, download the free version of Wordpress at wordpress.org and find your own host. There are good ones out there like my buddy Paul who has a WordPress hosting package for $5/mth.

    Comment by rob — March 10, 2007 @ 10:13 am

  27. How can I increase number of RSS feeds to my blog? Blogger’s limit is 5. I want to have it up to 100/.

    Help please. Thanks

    Comment by Jennifer — March 15, 2007 @ 1:25 am

  28. @Jennifer : I’m not sure. I know you can adjust how many posts show up under Settings > Format. But I don’t see anything in Blogger about adjusting the number of posts that show up in the RSS feed. I’d think it would be under Settings > Site Feed, but it’s not. Perhaps someone else will know?

    Comment by rob — March 16, 2007 @ 8:32 am

  29. [...] Rob’s place - Comparing blogger.com to wordpress.com [...]

    Pingback by Wordpress.com Vs Blogger.com « Michael Sync — April 1, 2007 @ 2:13 am

  30. [...] Another great post by Rob, three in a row. A comparison of Blogger and WordPress.com.   I found this link embedded in the last teaching by Rob Williams. A lot better than I could [...]

    Pingback by The Blogging Ministry » Blog Archive » Comparing: Blogger and WordPress.com — April 7, 2007 @ 11:53 pm

  31. Landed here on a recon mission about what trackbacks are… as a previous blogger.com user I’ve now installed Wordpress on my website.

    In terms of having your blog hosted on a non-free server (ie on your own domain) Wordpress really does have the edge, however I found blogger also to be a really well done and useful blogging tool, both for blogs hosted on its servers and on my own.

    Cheers for the article, having just done the transfer it was kinda cool to look at the comparison retrospectively.

    Comment by Joe Lindley — July 12, 2007 @ 4:19 pm

  32. [...] just read a nice comparison article, between blogger.com and Wordpress.com - free blog hosts. Succinct and [...]

    Pingback by joesart.org » Blog Archive » Trackbacks — July 12, 2007 @ 4:25 pm

  33. [...] Posted by cEejay_01 Is wordpress better than blogspot? Comparing blogger.com to wordpress.com 1 Both are free blog sites that require nothing more than an ID and Password. That’s perfect! No [...]

    Pingback by blog on home page? - Webmaster Forum — September 11, 2007 @ 4:18 pm

  34. [...] Rob’s place - Comparing blogger.com to wordpress.com [...]

    Pingback by Michael Sync » Wordpress.com Vs Blogger.com — October 13, 2007 @ 2:17 pm

  35. Hi, I started an aol journals blog and have considered changing sites as my initial few months of traffic have been poor, I thought a more popular blog host might help? I have a seperate blog on blogger that has much better traffic. If wordpress can import my aol blog, will the aol blog disappear? Could I still keep it going? What happens?

    Comment by FullCapacity — December 21, 2007 @ 7:48 pm

  36. @FullCapacity: the aol blog will still be there. your conttent will be in two places. but just close down the aol one and you’re set.

    Comment by rob — December 22, 2007 @ 8:44 am

  37. [...] Rob’s place - Comparing blogger.com to wordpress.com [...]

    Pingback by Wordpress vs Blogger « Myanmar Wordpress Directory — January 3, 2008 @ 5:31 am

  38. WOW. I really needed to see this. I’ve been thinking of moving to WP after 2 months with Blogger and made the jump today.

    But just found out that plug-ins work only with Wordpress.org. :( I was looking forward to CommentLuv! And as a newbie, I’m not comfortable with the cons WP listed with WP.org.

    But I LOVE the layout and the themes at Wordpress.com - and am now working on re-buiding (sigh). Import feature works GREAT for posts/comments. I just need to add the rest of my widgets.

    I have to say though, that I will DEFINITELY miss being able to edit my HTML. There were some *really* cool hacks.

    Comment by dette — March 10, 2008 @ 8:33 pm

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