Tumblr has changed the way we look at blogging. It’s like the love child of standard blog posts and Twitter. I personally love the more relaxed feel mixed with a social network. However, the site might not be right for everyone. Whether you love it or hate it, these six Tumblr alternatives offer their own unique ways to share your voice, images, audio and video with the world.
Medium
If the idea of having to post on a regular basis or manage a blog theme gives you a pounding headache, Medium is the answer for you. It’s one big community blog. There are no themes or back-ends to worry about. You don’t have to understand HTML to format something correctly. Just log in with your Twitter account, post your thoughts and share them with the community.
Evan Williams, the founder of Twitter, started Medium to give users a way to express themselves in more than 140 characters. Though it’s different than most other blogging platforms, it’s hard not to fall in love with the sheer simplicity of it.
Ghost
Want more control over your blog? Try Ghost. It’s similar to Tumblr, but insanely simple to use and highly customizable. While you don’t have to do anything other than write and post, you’re free to create your own themes, plug-ins and more. The open source software is similar to WordPress in that you can host through them or download the code and host it wherever you want. The site is fairly new, so expect some hiccups along the way, but otherwise, it’s a very impressive, free Tumblr alternative.
Jux
Jux is just plain fun. It’s entire purpose is to give creative minds a space to share their work and thoughts. The best way to describe it is to say it’s a mix between a blog and Pinterest board. You can set up your pages however you want and content is display from edge to edge to prevent any distractions. Think of it as your own personal showcase. While it’s not a blog per se, it offers a variety of post options and it’s extremely easy to update or create additional pages.
Posthaven
While Posthaven isn’t free, the site boasts a single promise – to last forever. To blog with them, you’ll have to pay $5 per month. They promise to continue running the service themselves and not sell out to any other company for as long as members continue to pay for the service. The service is constantly adding new features and aims to keep blogging simple and customizable. You can even email in your posts. If you’re worried about your favorite platform disappearing, this one might be a great alternative.
Soup
Is it a blog, scrapbook or lifestream? With Soup, it’s all of the above and more. The site’s a mix between a profile and a blog. You can blog and even gather all your online creations into one place. It definitely maintains the social aspect Tumblr users love, but it seems even more personal. Basically, it’s Facebook meets blogging. If you’re looking for a platform that does it all, including a ton of post types, it might be worth checking out Soup.
WordPress and Blogger
I’m combining these two into one alternative because most users prefer one or the other. These are the two front-runners in standard blog creation and have been around for years. WordPress lets you self-host or host on their servers (more restrictive). Blogger only allows you to host on their servers. Which on you choose depends solely on your needs, but it’s worth looking into both if you want a more full-fledged blogging alternative to Tumblr.
Before you start a blog, take the time to review your options. Whether you’re switching from Tumblr to something new or Tumblr just doesn’t have all the features you want, odds are, one of these alternatives is the perfect home for your creative thoughts and opinions.
