The Best Known Alternatives for Publishing Your Ideas
Known is a popular, simple platform designed for publishing words, pictures, podcasts, and more to a site you control, with options to share on social networks or integrate with existing software. While its self-hosted, open-source version is free, and a hosting service is available for a fee, users often seek Known alternative solutions that might better fit specific needs, offer different features, or provide alternative pricing models. This article explores some of the top contenders.
Top Known Alternatives
Whether you're looking for more robust features, a different publishing workflow, or a completely free solution, there's a Known alternative out there for you. Here are some of the best options:
PromoRepublic
PromoRepublic is a social media marketing solution ideal for small businesses, agencies, and multi-location brands. As a commercial Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, it offers content distribution workflows, content discovery, content templates, and marketing automation. If your primary use for Known was social sharing and content management, PromoRepublic provides advanced features like scheduling tweets and Facebook posts, making it a powerful Known alternative for social media-centric publishers.
WordPress
WordPress is open-source software that allows you to create beautiful websites, blogs, or apps. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and web-based, it's a highly customizable platform supporting self-deployment. WordPress boasts extensive features including blogging, plugins, ecommerce integration, and social media integration, making it a versatile and popular Known alternative for users seeking full control and expandability for their online presence.
Twitter is a free online social networking service primarily focused on short 280-character messages called "tweets." While not a traditional publishing platform like Known, its real-time nature, hashtags, and social networking features make it a viable Known alternative for quick updates and direct audience engagement, particularly for those focused on microblogging and instant sharing on a massive scale.
Facebook is a free online social media and network service that connects people with friends, family, and more. Similar to Twitter, it's not a self-hosted publishing platform, but its extensive reach, photo sharing, events, and group messaging features make it a powerful Known alternative for building communities and sharing content directly with a vast audience, especially if social interaction is a key objective.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a popular free blogging and social networking platform where users can express themselves and discover content. It offers a social feed, blog templates, and features like image sharing and tagging. As a free web-based platform available on Android and iOS, Tumblr is a strong Known alternative for those interested in a microblogging style, highly visual content, and strong community interaction without the complexities of self-hosting.
Minds
Minds is a freemium, open-source platform that allows users to launch their digital brand, social network, and mobile app. It's also a social network itself, focusing on free speech, privacy, and decentralization. With features like blogging, podcast hosting, encrypted chat, and a point system for engagement, Minds serves as an excellent Known alternative for users prioritizing freedom of expression and privacy in their publishing and social interactions.
Ghost
Ghost is a fully open-source, hackable platform for building and running a modern online publication, powering blogs, magazines, and journalists. While commercial, it offers robust blogging and publishing features with Markdown support and an intuitive interface. For those seeking a professional, sleek publishing platform that is open-source and self-hostable (or cloud-hosted), Ghost is a powerful and direct Known alternative.
Blogger
Blogger allows you to publish your passions with ease, offering a selection of user-friendly templates for creating beautiful blogs. As a Freemium, web-based platform, it includes features like API access, cross-linking, and IFTTT integration. For users looking for a straightforward, ad-free blogging solution that is simple to set up and manage, Blogger provides a reliable and accessible Known alternative.
Grav
Grav is an easy-to-use, yet powerful, open-source CMS that requires no database, making installation as simple as unzipping a file. It's a fast, self-hosted PHP-based platform with Markdown support and Twig Templating. As a flat-file CMS, Grav is an excellent Known alternative for developers and users who prefer a lightweight, flexible, and high-performance publishing solution without database dependencies.
Friendica
Friendica is a free, open-source distributed social network with a strong focus on decentralization, privacy, and interoperability. Available on Linux and BSD, and self-hosted via PHP, it features federated group messaging, community events, and integration with other networks like Twitter and Diaspora. For users prioritizing privacy, decentralization, and social networking alongside their publishing efforts, Friendica offers a unique and robust Known alternative.
Classic Google Sites
Classic Google Sites makes creating a team or company website as easy as editing a document. As a free, web-based platform, it includes features like Google Drive integration, custom widgets, and embedded media, functioning as a user-friendly website builder. While not a traditional blog, its simplicity and integration with Google's ecosystem make it a practical Known alternative for quick and collaborative web publishing, especially for non-technical users.
Ultimately, the best Known alternative depends on your specific publishing goals, technical expertise, and desired level of control. Whether you need a full-fledged blogging platform, a robust social media management tool, or a simple site builder, this list provides a solid starting point to explore the perfect fit for your online presence.