Ameba Blog vs WordPress.com

Ameba Blog is a blogging service within Ameba, a media service that also includes entertainment news, manga, and fortune-telling content. It lets users schedule posts, run built-in memberships, and view blog analytics. Writing tools offer more than 240 types of decoration, and the official blog genres span more than 150 categories, from everyday interests and hobbies to work and fan blogs. Ameba Pick lets bloggers feature items in articles and earn rewards; listed options include Amazon, Rakuten Market, and Hot Pepper Beauty. Free accounts can upload GIF, JPG, or PNG images up to 3MB each and have a 1TB image folder. App submissions allow up to 15 images per article, selected from the posting device. The service runs on web, Android, and iOS, with custom-code theme customization. Registration and posting are free. Plus costs ¥980 a month; Light costs ¥1,490 a month and removes ads, adds customization features, and includes online lesson archive videos. First-time users can try paid plans for 30 days.

WordPress.com is a hosted website and publishing platform with managed WordPress hosting and site management through Jetpack apps for iOS and Android. It supports custom domains, custom-code theme changes, scheduled posts, memberships, blog analytics, and prompt-to-site creation. All plans include unmetered bandwidth. Paid annual plans include a custom domain free for the first year, while free sites display WordPress.com ads that the Personal plan removes. Storage ranges from 1 GB on Free to 50 GB on Business and Commerce. Paid plans list unlimited pages, posts, users, and visitors. Security includes firewalls, encryption, brute force protection, and DDoS protection. Business and Commerce include developer tools and real-time backups; Commerce also includes ecommerce tools and a WooCommerce experience. Listed annual prices are $2.75 a month for Personal, $5.50 a month for Premium, $17.50 a month for Business, and $31.50 a month for Commerce (billed every 12 months, excluding taxes).