Want to start a blog? But don’t want to go deep into web hosting stuff? If yes, you may go for a hosted blogging service. There are many blogging platforms which will let you start a blog without going for a web host. Most of them are free while the others charge a fee. Most popular of them all are: Blogger, WordPress.com, Tumblr, Typepad and LiveJournal. Which one is perfect for you? Well, all these service are good. And each one of them have their own plus and minus points. So, you need to decide carefully. Here I am going to discuss the key features of these services. For each blogging platform, I’ll also outline a reason why you might want to use that particular service. Read to take a decision.

Blogger
Blogger is one of the oldest and most popular blogging platforms. It comes with a simple-to-use interface from where you can post to your blog. It saves posts automatically and also features an HTML editor. Adding photos and videos to your posts is easy. Blogger template designer comes with many high-quality, free templates. It also lets you customize your template by using background images, widgets and by editing CSS and HTML. You can even choose to use your own domain name instead of default yourblogname.blogspot.com. Blogger also lets you make money online. It has dedicated monetize tab to help you easily add AdSense ads on your pages. This free blogging service supports many third party applications. It also lets you post to your blog via mobile phone, email or via a compatible blogging tool.
Go with Blogger, if you want to start a blog (and have plans to monetize it in future).
Visit Blogger: www.blogger.com
WordPress.com
WordPress is the fastest growing blogging platform and blogging application (self hosted). WordPress.com is extremely easy to use. That’s why it quickly became popular among the mass. You can write a post either in text or HTML mode. There are many formatting options. You may add images, links and videos to your posts. You can customize the look of your blog by using themes, widgets and plugins. There are many open source WordPress themes. WordPress plugins that extend the usability and functions of your blog. Unlike most free blogging services, WordPress normally don’t show ads on your blog. But they may and you can turn off ads by paying a small fee. You can’t use your own advertising unless you go for self-hosted WordPress. WordPress Pro offers some additional features. What about help? You can obtain WordPress help/support via FAQs, knowledge base, support forum and tutorials published on other blogs.
If you want a cool personal blog with no intention to get revenue from it, use WP.
Visit WordPress: www.wordpress.com
Typepad
TypePad is a premium blogging platform. You need to pay a little monthly fee for using it. Like WordPress, it is easy to use. You can pick one from many available ready-to-go designs. Design customization is also possible. Blog posting is easy and you can add images, links, audio and video to your blog posts. Typepad comes with many tools SEO and social media optimization tools. No advertisements from their side. But you can use your own. And when it comes to help, you’ll get professional customer support. But all that comes for a price. This may turn off many. But in my view it is worth the penny.
Typepad is for those, who are busy and want nothing but a professional blog.
Visit Typepad: www.typepad.com
LiveJournal
LiveJournal is a free blog (online journal) service. LiveJournal has five account types: Basic, Early Adopter, Plus, Paid, and Permanent. All accounts comes with basic features such as ability to post, write comments, customize journal appearance and access community. Posting can be made via web browser, mobile or a downloadable client. Paid accounts enjoy premium features such as access to styles, userpics, custom mood themes, polls, text messaging, domain forwarding etc.
Use Livejournal if you want a community, besides maintaining an online journal.
Visit LiveJournal: www.livejournal.com
Tumblr
Tumblr is actually a microblogging platform which lets you you post text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos. It is extremely easy to setup and fully customizable. You can post to your blog from your browser, phone, desktop or email. You can customize everything, from colors, to your theme’s HTML.
Tumblr is for those who need a blog for quick and short updates.
Visit Tumblr: www.tumblr.com
Conclusion
All the services that I mentioned above are good and reliable. For personal blogs, Blogger and WordPress are best options. Typepad is for professional blogging. Tumblr and Livejournal are good for personal, fun blogging. But if you want to run a full-fledged professional blog, I would recommend self hosted WordPress. Don’t worry about finding a suitable web host. WordPress is compatible with most servers and there are many companies that will provide you best hosting for wordpress.
The idea of best blogging platform depends on how you are going to use it. For one person Blogger.com may be perfect. But some advanced users may find it a little bit less-handy. So, compare top blogging platforms. You can compare them on the basis of your blogging requirements, usability, customization options, additional functions and availability of support. You can also use a dummy account to test their features and functions. In this way you’ll be able to find the right platform for your new blog.