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TypePad Vs. WordPress: Which Is Better For Blogging?

October 1st, 2011 | Jennifer | 0 Comments »

WordPress is a hugely popular both as a blogging website and as a content management system (CMS) for self-hosted blogs. Nonetheless, WordPress isn’t the only game in town. TypePad’s smaller following is extremely loyal. Both platforms have their own advantages and disadvantages that you should consider before you set up shop with either one of them.

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

There is a distinct difference between the types of blogs these websites offer. WordPress.com offers company hosted blogs similar to blogs on Blogger. WordPress.org is a website where you download the software to run WordPress with the hosting provider of your choice. Both websites allow you to use your own domain name. This difference is that if you host your blog on WordPress.com, it is subject to their Terms and Conditions and you don’t really own your blog. Hosting with WordPress.com and downloading the WordPress CMS from WordPress.org are both free. You do have to pay to register your domain name and pay hosting fees if you decide to choose your own hosting service.

TypePad

TypePad does not offer users the ability to host their blogs elsewhere, although blogger can map their own domain name over their TypePad URL. TypePad currently charges $8.95 per month for the Plus plan, $14.95 per month for the Unlimited plan and $29.95 per month for the Premium plan. TypePad does offer TypePad Micro which allows users to set up a limited blog for free. All content hosted on TypePad is subject to their Terms and Conditions, which state that “TypePad and its designees will have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse or remove any content that is available via the TypePad Service.”

Features

TypePad’s strength lies in its simplicity. Setting up a new blog and adding new features is usually just a matter of a few clicks. In contrast to TypePad’s simplicity, WordPress offers more much functionality for advanced users and thousands of plug-ins for almost every feature you can think of. New bloggers may feel more comfortable with TypePad’s ease-of-us and excellent customer support. Power bloggers are likely to be disappointed by features that are missing in TypePad that are common in WordPress. Both websites offer thousands of templates, or themes, that you can customize for your blog. WordPress does have an advantage because there are many more third-party providers who sell premium themes with advanced features.

There really is no winner or loser here. Both blogging services have features that appeal to different users. A large part of WordPress’s popularity lies in the fact that many bloggers prefer to choose their own hosting provider and the ability to micro-manage many aspects of the CMS. Bloggers who prefer a simpler blogging experience, but want more functionality than websites such Blogger offers, are more likely to prefer TypePad. Migrating between the two isn’t always very easy, so think carefully about which one you believe will work best for you.

(Source: sitetrail.com)