My Blogging Platform Odyssey

A lone traveler embarks on a journey through a vibrant valley of blogging platforms, seeking the perfect path to share their voice and stories with the world.

Okay, it has been one year since I joined Micro.blog and Scribbles.page, and just over a year since I joined Write.as. I thought I would review all three services with a clear winner, a hard can't wait for my subscription to end and won't be renewing, and a dark horse.

I joined all three within months of each other looking to get rid of my InMotionHosting web host and get away from WordPress. I didn't like the direction that Matt Mullenweg was heading and didn't want to get burned like I did with Elon Musk and Twitter. Twitter was a special place for me as I refused to use any Zuckerberg product, especially since he ruined Instagram.

Now with the history out of the way, here we go.

Write.as — I joined the free tier in October/November 2024 and was initially impressed by its simplicity compared to WordPress. I like paying for services ahead of time, so I bought the five-year plan. That was buyer's regret.

Customization is where Write.as falls apart. Anything beyond typing and publishing requires contorting CSS and JavaScript, and even then there are limits. The rich editor is buggy and loses formatting if you switch between rich and plain text modes.

The platform feels stagnant. Post preview was first requested in October 2018. Over seven years later, it finally got shipped but within the plain text editor only and does not account for any custom CSS. Users are asking for more than a simple text preview. They want to actually see how the post is going to look live. Support has historically been slow, though the owner has recently brought on some help.

The sole owner has been transparent about his shifting priorities. He took a sabbatical from development in 2022 and has written about moving toward other creative pursuits. In recent blog comments, Matt acknowledged taking mental health breaks at different points over the years and has even considered succession planning. While his transparency is commendable, paying customers are left wondering when development will resume in earnest.

Photo integration through Snap.as is frustrating. If you want picture galleries, you have to pay extra, but you can't even embed them in Write.as posts. In September 2025, the owner asked users what they'd want galleries to look like, saying the design is the biggest thing holding us back. After years as a paid feature, basic functionality is still missing.

The price has increased from $7 to $9 a month, though the proprietor regularly runs promotions and you can pick up 5 years for $180. For comparison, Micro.blog's $5 plan includes blog hosting, custom domain, cross-posting, native apps, and photo sharing. Their $10 Premium plan offers even more. You get dramatically more features and active development for less money.

Pros:

• Excellent Fediverse integration. Posting, editing, and deleting all sync reliably. Any instance can follow Write.as blogs, including Mastodon, Sharkey, and Misskey.
• Sole owner operated, appealing to those who prefer independent services.
• Simple and minimalist if all you need is to type and publish.
• If you get hosting on sale it is a passable deal as long as you know the limitations.

Cons:

• No proper post preview after seven years of requests.
• Rich editor is buggy and limited.
• Customization requires CSS/JavaScript expertise.
• Features disjointed across separate services with extra charges.
• Development has stagnated.
• Price increased to $9/month while offering less than competitors.
• Owner's priorities have shifted away from the platform.

Micro.blog is almost the opposite of Write.as in all ways, and 90 percent of those differences are positive.

I've already reviewed Micro.blog extensively in this blog post here, so I won't rehash everything here. The premium plan is only $1 more than Write.as ($10 vs $9), but you get dramatically more value. Micro.blog is constantly evolving, and the owner maintains development pace while keeping the platform stable and minimally disrupted. Also, keep in mind every tier has different features.

Pros:

• Active weekly development with new features, bug fixes, and improvements shipped constantly
• Extensive feature set: podcasts, newsletters, photo galleries, image hosting, video hosting, multiple blogs, and audio transcription
• Cross-posting to 10+ platforms (Mastodon, Bluesky, Medium, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Flickr, Nostr, Pixelfed, Threads, PeerTube)
• Better customization: themes, custom CSS/JavaScript, Hugo-based with plug-ins
• Import from WordPress, Medium, Ghost, Substack, Write.as, Instagram, Twitter archives, and more
• Responsive support with dedicated Community Manager
• Multiple pricing tiers ($5 basic, $10 premium, $20 Studio) offering more features than Write.as at comparable or lower prices
• Strong community guidelines with human-curated Discover section

Cons:

• Awkward Fediverse implementation not fully compatible with non-Mastodon instances
• Features not easily discoverable
• Android apps lagging behind Mac/iOS apps

I would easily recommend this service. It is probably the most well-rounded and actively maintained platform out there if you need these features.

Scribbles.page is my dark horse. This is a managed blog hosting service with excellent design. Vincent Ritter, the owner and designer, has been on a tear lately modernizing the platform and adding features.

The only drawback for me is the lack of Fediverse integration and POSSE. But it makes up for it in every other respect and serves as a nice companion to Micro.blog with built-in cross-posting support.

Vincent is developing a robust API based on JSON and Micropub standards. The only thing I see missing is media uploading, which he is still working on. The pace of changes on Scribbles has been steady and everything is polished.

A social feature unique to the platform is something Vincent calls Scribbles, which lets readers send short private messages to blog owners about their posts. It's more casual than email and completely privacy-friendly since scribbles are private notes between the sender and recipient, not publicly shared. The platform also features a nice explorer page where you can discover other blogs, and it's available via RSS feed. Vincent regularly announces software updates there, keeping users informed about new features and improvements. If I had found this before Write.as or Micro.blog, this might have been my only purchase, and the Fediverse could have been implemented via n8n, IFTTT, or a custom solution.

I also appreciate that he plans to offer self-hosting for Lifetime members, and there is a Lifetime membership option instead of subscriptions, which addresses my subscription fatigue. One last detail that might matter to some: it is hosted and based in Europe.

The Verdict

After one year on all three platforms, here's my decision:

Write.as is the won't be renewing. Unless it drastically changes course in the next five years, it is too limited and stagnant. While the Fediverse integration is excellent, that alone doesn't justify the price when competitors offer more features and active development. Only consider it if you get a significant promotional discount and need nothing beyond basic blogging with ActivityPub.

Micro.blog is the clear winner. It delivers exceptional value with constant development, extensive features, and strong community management. The platform continues to evolve while remaining stable. Despite everything increasing in price lately, I am surprised Micro.blog hasn't raised its rates. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Scribbles.page is the dark horse. If you don't need federation features and value gorgeous design with modern blogging standards, this is a compelling choice. The lifetime membership option and Vincent's impressive development momentum make it worth serious consideration.

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