Ethical Alternatives & Resources
Tools, services and organisations that do less harm than the default choice, in 43 categories. We’re re-checking every entry against our checklist, one category at a time.
Blogging & CMS
Blogging platforms and blog CMS software, from hosted journals to full content management systems you run on your own server. We look for open-source code, no ads and an easy way to take your writing with you.
Our top picks: Ghost, open-source blogs and paid newsletters from a non-profit foundation that can never be sold. And Write.as, a quiet, ad-free blog that says it collects no personal data, built on open-source WriteFreely; its free plan is closed for now, so it starts at $6 a month, billed yearly.
How we choose: each platform is checked against the 6 principles in our manifesto (who owns it and how it makes money, what it collects, how it treats people, honesty, openness and staying power). We last checked them on 13 October 2026.
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Bear Blog
Tiny tracker-free blogging run by one developer who pledges no ads, no VC and no sale
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Write.as
Ad-free minimalist blogging that collects no personal data, from $6 a month
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Drupal
Free open-source CMS for larger, complex sites, with security releases every few weeks
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Publii
Free desktop app that builds fast static websites you can host anywhere, open source
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Dreamwidth
Ad-free journals and communities since 2009, open source, free or paid accounts
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Textpattern
Open-source CMS with 23 years of development and a small, friendly community, GPL licence
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Joomla
Free open-source CMS since 2005, recognised as a Digital Public Good, GPL licence
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Backdrop
Free open-source CMS forked from Drupal 7, with releases every four months, 3,600+ sites
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Known
Open-source publishing for one person or a group, with IndieWeb replies across sites
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Posthaven
Blog hosting for $5 a month with a pledge never to raise money, sell up or shut down
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Ghost
Open-source blogs and paid newsletters from a non-profit foundation that can't be sold
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WordPress
Free open-source CMS you can host anywhere; one person, Matt Mullenweg, controls WordPress.org
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WriteFreely
Open-source minimalist blogging that federates with Mastodon, from the team behind Write.as
