Bear Blog, Mataroa, and Micro.blog. No themes to choose, no plugins to install. Sign up, write, publish. That's it.
Not every blog needs a CMS with 50 settings. Sometimes the best tool is the one that gets out of your way and lets you write. These three platforms do exactly that.
They embrace constraints. Limited customization isn't a bug — it's a feature. You can't procrastinate by tweaking your theme for the hundredth time. You can only write.
All three platforms include RSS, load fast (because there's almost nothing to load), and cost very little or nothing.
If you've been putting off starting a blog because it seems like too much work, this page is for you. You can be published in under 10 minutes.
Blogging without the noise
Free tier
Yes (bearblog.dev subdomain)
Pro cost
$5/month
Writing
Markdown editor
RSS
Built-in, full content
Standout feature
Discovery feed — Bear Blog has its own discovery page where readers can find your posts. You get an audience from day one.
Perfect for
People who want the absolute simplest path to a blog. If you can write an email, you can use Bear Blog.
Naked blogging platform
Free tier
Yes (mataroa.blog subdomain)
Pro cost
$9/year
Writing
Markdown editor
RSS
Built-in, full content
Standout feature
Incredibly affordable — $9/year for a custom domain blog is hard to beat. Also supports email subscriptions for free.
Perfect for
Writers who want clean aesthetics, extreme simplicity, and almost-free hosting.
A blog and a community
Free tier
Bring your own hosting
Pro cost
$5/month
Writing
Rich editor + markdown
RSS
Built-in
Standout feature
Built-in social network. Your blog is connected to a community of other Micro.blog users — like Mastodon but centered on blogging.
Perfect for
Writers who want the social aspect of blogging without the toxicity of major social platforms.
The process is nearly identical for all three:
All three just need an email address. You'll get a subdomain immediately — yourname.bearblog.dev, yourname.mataroa.blog, or yourname.micro.blog.
All three use markdown (or a simple rich editor). Write something. An introduction, a thought, anything. Don't overthink it.
Hit publish.
Buy a domain (~$10–15/year) from Namecheap, Cloudflare, or Porkbun. Each platform has simple instructions for connecting it — usually just a DNS record.
Your RSS feed is already live — share it! Submit to blog directories (like Blogs Are Back) so readers can discover you.
Don't spend more than 10 minutes setting up. The goal is to start writing, not to configure a platform. You can always switch later — all three make it easy to export your posts.
| Bear Blog | Mataroa | Micro.blog | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Social only |
| Pro cost | $5/mo | $9/yr | $5/mo |
| Custom domain | Pro only | $9/yr | Yes |
| RSS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Newsletter | No | Yes (free) | No |
| Community | Discovery feed | No | Built-in social |
| Export | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom CSS | Pro only | Limited | Yes |
Free tier
Bear
Yes
Mataroa
Yes
Micro.blog
Social only
Pro cost
Bear
$5/mo
Mataroa
$9/yr
Micro.blog
$5/mo
Custom domain
Bear
Pro only
Mataroa
$9/yr
Micro.blog
Yes
RSS
Bear
Yes
Mataroa
Yes
Micro.blog
Yes
Newsletter
Bear
No
Mataroa
Yes (free)
Micro.blog
No
Community
Bear
Discovery feed
Mataroa
No
Micro.blog
Built-in social
Export
Bear
Yes
Mataroa
Yes
Micro.blog
Yes
Custom CSS
Bear
Pro only
Mataroa
Limited
Micro.blog
Yes
You might outgrow a simple platform if:
When that happens, Ghost and WordPress are natural next steps. But many bloggers are happily using simple platforms for years. Don't upgrade just because you think you should.