Short answer: To start a free blog on Blogger, sign in with a Google account, click Create New Blog, choose a title and a blogspot.com address, pick a theme, and publish your first post. It is free forever with no upsell, and it has run reliably since 1999. The honest tradeoff: Blogger is stable but stagnant. Google barely develops it, so it will not grow into a serious business platform the way WordPress will. It is excellent for a simple, dependable free blog and limiting if you later want real monetization and SEO control. Here is the setup and exactly who it suits.
Blogger is the quiet survivor of free blogging. It is owned by Google, costs nothing, has no paid tiers nagging you to upgrade, and has been running since 1999. In a world of platforms that exist to funnel you toward a subscription, Blogger’s lack of ambition is refreshing. This guide gets you live and tells you honestly where its ceiling is. For the wider view, see our guide to starting a blog for free.
Step 1: Sign in with Google
Blogger runs on your Google account, so if you use Gmail you already have one. Go to Blogger and sign in. There is no separate signup, no plan selection, and no card. This simplicity is the whole point of Blogger.
Step 2: Create your blog and pick an address
Click Create New Blog. Choose a display title, then a blogspot.com address such as yourname.blogspot.com. As with any free platform, that branded subdomain signals “hobby” to readers and sponsors, so if you later get serious, a custom domain is worth adding. Blogger does let you connect a custom domain you buy elsewhere, which is a genuine plus over some free platforms.
Step 3: Choose and tidy a theme
Pick one of the built-in themes and adjust colors and layout in the Theme section. The designs are dated compared to modern platforms, but they are clean and they load fast. Prioritize readability over decoration. You can edit the theme later without losing posts.
Step 4: Set up the essentials
In Settings, set your blog description, make sure the blog is visible to search engines, and configure a clear permalink structure. Create an About page and a Contact method through the Pages section. These build the basic trust any blog needs.
Step 5: Write and publish
Click New Post, write something helpful to one specific reader, add a clear title and labels (Blogger’s version of categories), and hit Publish. Your post is live immediately on your blogspot.com address. As everywhere, consistency in the first months matters more than perfection.
The honest tradeoff: stable but stagnant
What other Blogger tutorials skip: Blogger’s strength and its weakness are the same fact: Google has left it almost untouched for years. That means it is rock-solid and will not disappear on you mid-post, but it also means it is not improving. The editor, the themes, and the feature set feel frozen in time.
For a simple personal blog, a hobby site, or a place to publish without fuss, that stability is a feature. For someone who wants to build a growing, monetized business, Blogger becomes a ceiling. Its SEO controls are basic, its monetization beyond Google AdSense is limited, and unlike WordPress.com it does not export cleanly into a full self-hosted WordPress site, which makes leaving harder if you outgrow it.
Who Blogger is right for
Choose Blogger if you want the simplest possible free blog inside Google’s ecosystem, you value stability over features, and you are not planning to turn this into a serious business. It does that job reliably and for free, which is no small thing.
Look elsewhere if you expect to grow. WordPress.com offers a clearer upgrade path and cleaner exit, and our platform comparison rates every free option by how hard it is to leave. If you want to understand the money side before committing, our cost breakdown lays it out.
Frequently asked questions
Is Blogger still free in 2026?
Yes, completely free with no paid tiers and no card required. It runs on your Google account, gives you a blogspot.com address, and includes free hosting. It has operated this way since 1999.
Is Blogger good for beginners?
Yes, it is one of the simplest platforms to start on, with no plan choices or setup fees. It suits beginners who want a stable, no-fuss free blog. It is less suitable for beginners who expect to build a serious, monetized business, because its features and SEO controls are basic and rarely updated.
Can I use a custom domain on Blogger?
Yes. Although your blog starts on a yourname.blogspot.com address, Blogger lets you connect a custom domain you purchase elsewhere, which improves credibility once you are ready to be taken seriously.
What is the downside of Blogger?
It is stagnant. Google barely develops it, so the editor, themes, and features feel dated, the SEO and monetization options are limited, and it does not export cleanly into self-hosted WordPress. It is stable but it will not grow with an ambitious blog.
Blogger or WordPress.com for a free blog?
Choose Blogger for maximum simplicity and stability with no upsell. Choose WordPress.com if there is any chance you will grow into a serious site, because it scales further and exports cleanly to self-hosted WordPress when you outgrow the free tier.
Last updated June 2026.
Written by
Blogging Titan Team
Blogging Titan is an independent team of bloggers documenting what actually grows a blog in the AI search era. We have been building, ranking, and monetizing WordPress sites since 2017, and every guide on this site is based on strategies and tools we have tested ourselves. Want a second pair of eyes on your blog? Request a free blog audit or start with the 2026 playbook.
