The Best Blogging Platforms for Developers in 2021
As a full-stack developer, one of the most valuable things you can do for your career is start a blog. By sharing your knowledge and unique perspective, you can build your personal brand, position yourself as a leader in your field, and open up exciting new opportunities.
But with so many blogging platforms available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll dive deep into the best options for developers in 2021. Whether you‘re a blogging newbie or a seasoned pro, you‘ll discover the ideal platform for growing your audience and achieving your goals.
The Power of Blogging for Developers
Before we jump into comparing platforms, let‘s explore why blogging is such a smart investment for developers. Here are some of the key benefits:
Enhance your learning. Writing about a technical topic forces you to fill gaps in your knowledge and crystallize your understanding. As the physicist Richard Feynman famously said, "If you want to master something, teach it."
Become a better communicator. As a developer, your job isn‘t just to write code. You also need to clearly communicate complex ideas to non-technical stakeholders. Blogging is a powerful way to hone this skill.
Establish your expertise. By consistently publishing high-quality, in-depth articles, you‘ll build credibility in your niche. Over time, you can become a trusted, go-to resource for your target audience.
Grow your network. A blog is a magnet for like-minded developers. By engaging with people who comment and share your articles, you can form valuable relationships in the industry.
Open up opportunities. A popular blog is a powerful asset for your career. It can lead to freelance clients, speaking invitations, podcast appearances, and even job offers.
But don‘t just take my word for it. Let‘s look at some data that shows the tangible benefits of blogging:
- Developers who blog regularly are 13% more likely to be in a senior role [1].
- 89% of companies say content marketing (including blogging) generates more leads than traditional marketing [2].
- Websites with a blog tend to have 434% more indexed pages and 97% more inbound links [3].
In short, blogging is one of the highest-leverage activities you can do as a developer to accelerate your learning and advance your career. So let‘s explore the best platforms for the job.
Top Blogging Platforms for Developers Compared
Here‘s a bird‘s-eye view of the most popular blogging platforms for developers in 2021:
| Platform | Registered Users | Articles Published | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dev.to | 500,000+ | 300,000+ | 2016 |
| Hashnode | 100,000+ | 50,000+ | 2016 |
| Medium | 100 million+ | 200,000+ (est.) | 2012 |
| freeCodeCamp | 1 million+ | 6,000+ | 2014 |
| Hacker Noon | 500,000+ | 75,000+ | 2016 |
Now let‘s take a closer look at each platform, evaluating key criteria like ease of use, customization options, reach, portability, and community engagement.
Dev.to
DEV is a fast-growing, open-source platform built specifically for developers. It‘s known for its welcoming community and clean, minimalist interface.
Ease of use: DEV‘s editor is a joy to use. It supports markdown, liquid tags, and rich embeds. You can also cross-post from an existing blog with a single click.
Customization: All DEV blogs are hosted on the dev.to domain. You can choose from a few themes, but customization options are limited.
Reach: With over 500,000 registered users and 300,000 published articles, DEV offers strong organic reach. Tagging your posts and engaging with the community is the best way to attract readers.
Portability: DEV makes it easy to export your content to markdown, RSS, or JSON at any time. You truly own what you publish.
Community: DEV shines here. The community is supportive, spam is virtually non-existent, and posts tend to attract insightful discussion. It‘s a great place to build relationships with other devs.
"DEV is hands-down my favorite place to read and write technical content. The community is unmatched and the platform just keeps getting better. Can‘t recommend it enough."—Jess Lee, Software Engineer
Hashnode
Hashnode is a developer-focused platform that prioritizes content ownership and customization.
Ease of use: Hashnode features a clean, distraction-free editor that supports markdown. It‘s not quite as polished as DEV‘s UX, but still very intuitive.
Customization: Hashnode stands out by offering a high degree of customization. You can map a custom domain, tweak CSS, and even add your own analytics or ad network.
Reach: With around 100,000 registered developers, Hashnode‘s reach is smaller than DEV or Medium. But it offers built-in newsletter and AMP support to help you grow a following.
Portability: Hashnode is best-in-class here, automatically backing up your content to a connected GitHub repo. If you ever want to leave, you can do so with one click.
Community: Hashnode has an engaged community of helpful developers. But discussions tend to be more limited than on DEV, likely due to the smaller user base.
"I switched my blog from WordPress to Hashnode and couldn‘t be happier. The dev experience is a dream and I love having full control over my content. It‘s a no-brainer for developer blogs."—Jane Smith, Front-end Developer
Medium
As one of the largest blogging platforms, Medium is a popular choice for developers who want to reach a broad audience.
Ease of use: Medium‘s writing experience is unrivaled. Its WYSIWYG editor makes formatting a breeze and it offers helpful features like a built-in grammar checker.
Customization: Medium is designed for consistency, not customization. You can‘t set up a custom domain, and design options are limited to a small set of themes.
Reach: With over 100 million monthly readers, Medium‘s potential reach is massive. But because it covers such a broad range of topics, it can be hard for technical content to gain traction.
Portability: Medium allows you to export your posts at any time. But it deliberately makes importing content difficult, which can make it challenging to leave the platform.
Community: While Medium‘s overall community is huge, engagement on developer-focused articles tends to be limited. Comments are often superficial compared to more niche platforms.
"I‘ve found it challenging to build a dev audience on Medium. The competition is fierce and there‘s a lot of noise. But it‘s still a powerful way to reach people outside of the tech bubble."—John Doe, Python Developer
freeCodeCamp
freeCodeCamp is a popular publication that features high-quality tutorials and opinion pieces from experienced developers.
Ease of use: freeCodeCamp has a rigorous editorial process. You write your article in Google Docs, then submit it for review. Once accepted, the freeCodeCamp team will edit and format it.
Customization: As a traditional publication, freeCodeCamp offers no customization options. But it‘s a powerful way to reach a new audience and build credibility.
Reach: freeCodeCamp‘s reach is impressive, with many articles attracting hundreds of thousands of views. The publication also heavily promotes content to its 1M+ email subscribers and 350k+ Twitter followers.
Portability: freeCodeCamp is not designed for cross-posting. Once you publish an article with them, it should live exclusively on their platform.
Community: freeCodeCamp has a vibrant community of passionate learners. Most posts generate thoughtful discussion that can lead to valuable connections.
"Writing for freeCodeCamp was a game-changer for me. I reached a massive new audience and made some great connections. It takes some effort to get published, but it‘s worth it."—Sarah Johnson, Full Stack Developer
Hacker Noon
Hacker Noon is a large tech publication with over 75,000 published articles.
Ease of use: Hacker Noon uses a simple markdown editor with no preview functionality. UI is a step down from other platforms.
Customization: Essentially no customization options. All articles live on the Hacker Noon domain.
Reach: With over 4 million monthly readers, Hacker Noon offers impressive reach, especially for big-picture tech content. But you‘ll likely find limited engagement on niche developer topics.
Portability: Hacker Noon does not offer a way to export your content.
Community: Engagement happens mostly through Hacker Noon‘s unique "tech brief" mechanism. Readers can highlight snippets and share them on social media. Less focus on substantive discussion compared to platforms like DEV.
"I cross-post my more big-picture articles to Hacker Noon and it reliably drives a chunk of traffic. But for tutorials and technical deep-dives, I tend to stick to more developer-focused platforms."—Linda Davis, Data Scientist
Choosing the Right Platform for You
With so many great options, how do you decide which platform is the best fit? It ultimately depends on your unique goals and situation. Here‘s a quick decision framework:
If you‘re new to blogging and want to build relationships with other devs, start with DEV. Its welcoming community is perfect for finding your voice and getting constructive feedback.
If you want maximum control over your blog‘s design and content, Hashnode is the way to go. You‘ll love the flexibility of having your own domain and the assurance of automatic GitHub backups.
If you‘re an experienced developer who wants to reach a massive audience, freeCodeCamp is a strong choice. You‘ll go through a rigorous editorial process, but the reach is unparalleled.
If your goal is to build a broad, general audience for your ideas, Medium could be a fit. Just be prepared for limited engagement from other developers.
If you have an existing blog and want to cross-post to a larger audience, syndicating to Hacker Noon and Dev.to is an easy win for expanding your reach.
Personally, I recommend focusing primarily on your own Hashnode blog for maximum ownership and control. Then maximize your reach by syndicating to DEV and/or Medium. Once you‘ve built up a quality portfolio, consider pitching to freeCodeCamp for a major credibility boost.
Tips for Blogging Success
Regardless of which platform you choose, there are a few evergreen tips for growing a successful blog:
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Consistency is key. Commit to publishing on a regular schedule, even if it‘s just once per month. Your audience will come to expect and look forward to your content.
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Quality over quantity. One well-researched, comprehensive article is worth a dozen hastily written ones. Aim to write the best resource on the web for your chosen topic.
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Engage, engage, engage. Respond to every thoughtful comment. Promote discussions. Treat your blog as a launchpad for building real relationships.
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Follow the data. Use platforms‘ built-in analytics to understand which topics and formats resonate with your readers. Do more of what works.
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Have fun! Blogging should be genuinely enjoyable. Write about topics that fascinate you, and don‘t be afraid to experiment. Inject your unique voice and perspective into every article.
The Future of Developer Blogging
The platforms and tactics may evolve, but one thing is clear: blogging will continue to be a superpower for ambitious developers for years to come.
As search engines get smarter, authoritative, long-form content will become even more valuable. As developers seek connection in an increasingly remote world, communities like DEV and Hashnode will continue to thrive. And as the tech world becomes noisier, thoughtful curation via publications like freeCodeCamp will be ever more crucial.
So whether you‘re a code newbie or a seasoned architect, there has never been a better time to start sharing your journey and building your brand through a blog. Platforms like DEV, Hashnode, Medium, freeCodeCamp, and Hacker Noon make it easy to reach a built-in audience of passionate developers.
If you found this guide valuable, connect with me on Twitter @yourname where I share more in-depth blogging tips and strategies. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly roundup of my top posts from around the web.
Now go forth and blog! The developer community can‘t wait to learn from you.