This is a guest post by Tom Walker from a specialist provider of cartridges next day and print media supplies. If you are interested in guest posting on Sam’s Web Guide, please visit our guest post guidelines page here.
WordPress is one of the most popular blogging software packages available. Because of its popularity, there is a lot of support for it as well as ways to change it through themes, addons, plugins, and customizations. Being popular is not always a good thing though. For a package to appeal to a wide range of people and applications, it has to come with a lot of features and capabilities that a user may not want to use.
Those users may find WordPress a bit bloated for their particular application. Another thing about WordPress is that its popularity attracts quite a bit of comment and post spam, something many bloggers don’t want to deal with. Since WordPress is open source, hackers have access to the code just as developers do, so there’s often a perception that WordPress installations are more likely to get hacked. Finally, some people just like to be different. Why blog with WordPress just because everyone else does? So, even though WordPress is a great platform to use for blogging and other content management, there are some who prefer to use something else. For those people, here are six of the best WordPress alternatives that you can try.
1. LifeType
Bloggers love the user friendly 
interface offered by LifeType as well as its WYSIWYG interface that makes publishing content a cinch. LifeType features integration for media that’s great for images, podcasts, and video. The anti-spam filter built in to LifeType takes the headache out of managing spam, so bloggers can do what they want – blog – rather than mess with spam. User management and management for multiple blogs are other features that make LifeType a favorite of webmasters: even multiple domains are supported. LifeType is fully customizable too with a variety of plugins and themes.
LifeType can be downloaded here
2. Textpattern
Textpattern is more of a general 
content management system (CMS) than a blogging-centric platform. This is a PHP-based system that relies on a MySQL database that uses standardized XHTML and CSS to present clean, SEO optimized pages. Textpattern gives users a “just write” interface where writers and businesses can publish content without having to worry about code and other technical aspects. The heavyweight features of Textpattern such as browser-based image uploading and organizing are supported by a surprisingly light code footprint that developers can use to customize it to any specific application.
Textpattern can be downloaded here
3. Mephisto
This powerful blogging platform has a lot of powerful 
features that are usually found only in the big platforms with a minimal footprint. In fact, the developers of Mephisto have committed to keep the program from developing into a bloated CMS platform. This is a great publishing tool that can be used as is or customized to your needs.
Mephisto can be downloaded here
4. Serendipity
Serendipity is another PHP-powered 
alternative to WordPress that can be used for either blogging or CMS. This software package emphasizes simplicity and ease of use. It’s designed for causal bloggers but plugin and development options are available that allow it to be tweaked for your purpose. This platform has native anti-spam support, nested categories and comment threads that offer it unusual functionality.
Serendipity can be downloaded here
5. Habari
Have you ever wondered what modern 
blogging software would look like? With Habari, you get the feeling that the future has arrived. Its revolutionary model features community development, multiple database support, object oriented extensibility, state-of-the art media silos, atom publishing support, and other features that are attracting the attention of amateur and professional bloggers alike. Another thing that makes Habari unique is its built-in importers for Serendipity and WordPress, so it’s easy to make the change.
6. b2evolution
This WordPress alternative has been around 
for a long time although its name implies that it is on the cutting edge of development. In reality, b2evolution is a powerful, but basic platform that has photo management, multiple blog support, skins and plugin support as part of its default installation. Add news feeds, trackbacks, feedbacks, and localization and you have yourself a powerful blogging platform that even advanced bloggers will appreciate. Businesses can use b2evolution as a powerful Web CMS that can manage product information, blogs, wikis, downloads, and workflow to present a unified Web presence to customers.
b2evolution can be downloaded here
Discussion: Please let us know if you have ever used any other CMS or blogging platforms and how did you find the experience? Was it better than the popular WordPress? What blogging platform are you using now and why?
Nice list. But why wasnt Blogger included
.-= Ed´s last blog ..Make Your Website Environmentally Friendly And Become An Eco Warrior =-.
Hi Ed,
I think that Blogger is not in the list because the list concentrates on blogging tools that can be deployed on a host.
.-= Sachin @ Web Design Mauritius´s last blog ..Speeding your page load time will improve your Google ranking. =-.
Great list bro
thanks !!
Great round up Tom. I’ve heard about some of these, mainly TextPattern, Habari and b2evolution but never tried them out. As a matter of fact, I am digging deeper into WordPress as the CMS side of the tool makes it one of the most robust and easily maintainable CMS out there. Not to forget the fast and easy learning curve.
.-= Sachin @ Web Design Mauritius´s last blog ..Speeding your page load time will improve your Google ranking. =-.
Thanks Sachin! Yeah, there’s a reason why WordPress is so popular…it’s just so easy to use, especially for beginners. I see you answered a question for me there exactly the way I would have answered it…thanks, nice one
I bet mostly don’t know about these blogging platform. Thanks for sharing. But They still can’t beat WordPress
So far, I think WordPress is still the best for blogging, especially when it comes to the easy learning curve. I’m currently conducting some extensive testing on the different platforms, you never know what can be found.
Thanks for commenting Fazreen.
Love it ! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reading
And here I thought I knew most of them; the only one from this list is b2. lol
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..New Updated Long Detailed Comment Policy Coming very SOON! Among Others… =-.
Hey Dennis,
In this world there are lots of alternatives. I’m going to be trying all of these
Now that should take some time. Be sure to keep us updated.
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..UPDATED: YES it is Time for ME to TWEET! What’s my username? Part 1 =-.
Wow, from this list i only know bbevolution, never heard nor know the rests. Thanks for posting Robyn!
.-= kimi´s last blog ..Add thumbnails in WordPress =-.
Thanks for reading Mrs. Moody!
Awesome list, those are really the best blogging platforms out there (after WordPress) and surely give WordPress a good competition. But I think you forgot about Movable Type, it is the platform which is used by some of the top blogs in the Internet and on now it is free(open source)
.-= Shiva@Web Magazine´s last blog ..10 Viable Alternatives to PayPal =-.
Oh yeah! Movable type really does have a huge following as well. I have never given it a thorough testing though. I’ll put that on my to-do list.
Thanks for the heads up Shiva!
Hi Sam
Great thing about WordPress is the number of users, the amount of info out there and the constant development.
You can use it for a blog, a conventional website or a conventional website with a blog – which is what mine is.
The other problem with looking at alternatives, is that you have to learn how to use them. Takes time and commitment.
With limited time I have to go with WordPress but thanks for reminding us that there are alternatives.
.-= Keith Davis@public speaking´s last blog ..A helping hand… =-.
Hey Keith,
Thanks for visiting.
I really enjoy learning and using wordpress. Its great for websites that deliver a massive amount of content. As with any other product, there are some persons who may not like wordpress and would like to try other systems. So there is a solution for everyone.
Thanks again for commenting. Hope to see you here again
thanks for the list! i like textpattern
.-= michelle´s last blog ..Create a simple lcd monitor icon in Illustrator | vforvectors =-.
Thanks for reading Michelle
Robyn, Thanks for alternatives. But i love wordpress much and never think about shifting from it to other platform.
.-= Baba Pandey´s last blog ..How to Hire an SEO Expert for Top Search Engine Rankings =-.
Hey Baba,
Thanks for commenting.
I share the same sentiment
However, not all persons like WordPress and some are more interested in other lightweight content management systems.
Thank you for making this list. Very impressed with Habari. On further investigation its seems to be built by ex wordpress coders.
all of them are new to me.
thanks a lot. this will keep me busy for a while checking this.
A lot of these I haven’t used, but I’ve been reading good things about habari.
I use the sgblog at simplegram.com for my blog. It was really easy to install and implement.