Tistory

Tistory is a free platform for publishing blogs, portfolios, and websites, with customization and team roles for collaborative publishing. It suits writers who want a flexible public blog without a subscription; the Kakao account requirement and externally hosted video are important trade-offs.

Overview

Tistory combines publishing, public-post discovery, and commenting in one service. Users can create a blog, share posts, follow feeds, and find blogs or individual posts through search. Its free plan and custom-domain support make it a practical starting point for independent creators, while custom-code skins give technically confident users more control over presentation.

The service is operated by AXZ Co., Ltd. following a transfer effective December 1, 2025. Registration and login use a Kakao account, so Tistory is a poor fit for anyone who wants a separate sign-in. Accounts without a login for three consecutive years are withdrawn, with their blogs closed and data deleted.

Key features

Site design and publishing

Tistory supports custom domains and skin customization using custom code. Its skin system applies Tistory data through design variables, and users can choose Tistory-provided or user-created skins. That flexibility can support a more distinct site, but it places more responsibility on the owner than a fixed set of templates would. Plugins extend the blog’s built-in functions, though no specific plugin capabilities are established here.

Posts can be scheduled, and blog analytics are included. Those tools suit regular publishers who want to plan content and track readership without paying for a plan. Team blogs add owner, administrator, editor, and author roles, making shared publishing possible with differentiated permissions.

Mobile and media

The Android app supports writing with photos and videos, editing, and spell check, as well as feed subscriptions and search. It requires Android 8.0 or later. The app listing also says data is encrypted in transit and users can request data deletion. Tistory is available on Android, iOS, and the web.

Direct video uploads ended on February 23, 2026. Publishers who include video must host it on a separate platform, such as YouTube, and embed it in a post. This is manageable for occasional embeds but a real constraint for creators who want video stored and managed directly alongside their writing.

Advertising and support

Tistory may place ads and determines their format, placement, frequency, and revenue attribution. Google AdSense, Dable, and Tenping remain available for connection, but new Kakao AdFit connections closed on June 29, 2026. The announced AdFit approval criteria for new connections included a blog at least 30 days old, 20 public posts in the preceding three months, and an average of 500 daily page views. These conditions matter to publishers weighing monetization; AdFit is not an option for new connections.

Daum Customer Center accepts web inquiries and offers a KakaoTalk chatbot around the clock. 상담톡 is available on weekdays from 10:00 to 18:30. Tistory’s transfer notice says AXZ will use personal information within the same scope and follow applicable legal and government requirements for technical and administrative safeguards.

Pricing

Tistory costs nothing. The free plan includes publishing, custom domains, skin customization, scheduling, analytics, plugins, and team-blog roles. No price or usage limits are stated for the plan, so it is difficult to assess how it would accommodate a high-volume publication. The service may place ads under terms it determines, and the Kakao AdFit connection route is closed to new applicants; those are meaningful considerations for creators building a business around their site.

Platforms

Tistory runs on the web and has Android and iOS apps. The Android app requires version 8.0 or later. Mobile writing and discovery features make it useful for maintaining a blog away from a desktop, while custom-code design work is better suited to someone comfortable managing a site’s skin.

Who it's for

Tistory is best for creators who want a free, customizable public blog, need custom-domain support, or publish with a small team. It is less suitable for people who cannot use a Kakao account, want direct video hosting, or require a predictable say over advertising on their pages.

Pros and cons

• Pro: A free plan combines custom domains, custom-code skins, scheduling, and analytics, giving independent publishers room to shape and manage a site without a subscription.
• Pro: Owner, administrator, editor, and author roles support collaborative publishing with distinct responsibilities.
• Pro: Android and iOS apps complement web publishing, and the Android app includes editing and spell-check tools.
• Con: Kakao is required for login and registration, ruling out a separate account workflow.
• Con: Direct video uploads have ended, so video content depends on external hosting and embeds.
• Con: Tistory controls its own ad formats, placements, frequency, and revenue attribution, while new Kakao AdFit connections are closed.
• Con: Three years without login leads to account withdrawal and deletion of blog data, a risk for owners who do not maintain the account.

Alternatives

For other options, see Blogging Platforms.

• WordPress.com is a better fit for readers who want a free plan with a stated 1 GB storage allowance, unlimited pages and posts, and basic stats for seven days; its listed Personal plan is 2.75 USD.
• Hyvor Blogs suits solo bloggers looking for a paid, focused setup: Personal costs €5 a month, billed annually at €50/year, for one user, 1 GB media storage, one blog, and custom domains.
• Tumblr is another freemium option with Android, iOS, and web access; its Tumblr Premium plan costs $6.99 a month and renews automatically until canceled.
• Publii is worth considering for readers who prefer free, open-source desktop software on Linux, macOS, or Windows rather than a hosted blogging service.
• Hatena Blog offers a free plan with three blogs, 300 MB of monthly photo uploads, and five article revision histories for readers who value those stated caps.
• Writizzy provides a free web plan with 100 MB media storage, 10,000 analytics events per month, 100 newsletter subscribers, and one blog; it may suit publishers who want those explicit allowances.
• Edublogs has a free plan with 256 MB storage, 50 posts and pages daily, and a 30 MB maximum file size, making those limits central to whether it fits a publishing workload.
• WordPress is free, open-source, and self-hosted, but requires the user to provide hosting and a domain.

Verdict

Choose Tistory if you want free publishing with custom-domain support, flexible skins, scheduling, analytics, and team roles. Its strongest case is the breadth of publishing controls available without a subscription. Look elsewhere if Kakao sign-in is a blocker, you need direct video uploads, or you want greater control over advertising on your site.