shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use livedoor Blog?

Easy-to-start free Japanese blog service: free designs, custom domains, app posting, and community features. - blog.livedoor.com

Depends. A fine free pick for casual, Japanese-language personal blogs and hobby communities. Businesses, English-language writers, or anyone needing content ownership and portability should use WordPress or note instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; review snippets truncated, so user-sentiment detail is limited.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in sources.
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Casual personal blogs in Japan
  • Zero-budget hobby writers
  • Fandom and diary-style communities
  • Custom-domain hosted blogging

Not for

  • Businesses needing content ownership or portability
  • English-language or non-Japanese audiences
  • SEO-driven brands — WordPress fits better
  • Teams needing multi-author publishing controls

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Defamation or spam comment removal goes through formal requests, not self-serve moderation

medium

Ownership changed hands repeatedly (Usen, Korean portal, SBI) — continuity risk for long-term blogs

low

No published security page; disclosures routed through a HackerOne response policy only

low

Paid add-ons historically needed for monetization; exact current prices not in sources

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Genuinely free — all designs included
  • Custom domain support on a hosted platform
  • Official iOS and Android apps for posting
  • Community features: likes, applause, comments built in
  • Runs a HackerOne vulnerability disclosure policy

Cons

  • No public security page found on official site
  • Low iOS rating reported with user complaints
  • Ownership churned across Usen, NHN, SBI
  • Removing defamatory comments requires formal legal process
  • Monetization historically required paid add-ons; current pricing unpublished

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/25/2026 - 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x1review x3security x3news x5

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Core features and designs free.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Markets quick setup; official apps help.
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Custom domains, community tools; nothing deeper cited.
  • Support quality. No support evidence in sources.
  • Security posture: 3/5. HackerOne program exists; no public security page.
  • Yes Free tier All designs included free
  • 2.x/5 iOS rating (JP) Per unstar review breakdown
  • 92 Domain authority Listed as dofollow web 2.0 source
  • $48M Acquired by SBI Group Part of a 'neo-media' push

Pricing

Free

Free

  • All designs included
  • Custom domain support
  • App posting, likes, applause, comments

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Sources show a low iOS rating with user complaints, while the platform remains widely used in Japan's blogging scene.

Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; review snippets truncated, so user-sentiment detail is limited.

Free Japanese blog platform, fine for hobby writing; lock-in and ownership churn make it weak for business or SEO-critical use.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; review snippets truncated, so user-sentiment detail is limited.

Sources

  1. ライブドアブログ official siteblog.livedoor.com
    official
  2. livedoor Blog — Google Playplay.google.com
    review
  3. livedoor Blog — App Storeapps.apple.com
    review
  4. livedoor Blog negative user reviews (unstar)unstar.app
    review
  5. How to Remove Comments on Livedoor Blog (monolith.law)monolith.law
    news
  6. livedoor Blog HackerOne response policyhackerone.com
    security
  7. blog.livedoor.com security page checkblog.livedoor.com
    security
  8. livedoor Blog vulnerability discussion (Qiita)qiita.com
    security
  9. SBI Group buys Livedoor for $48M (Dealroom)dealroom.co
    news
  10. Livedoor sold to S Korean internet portal (FT)ft.com
    news
  11. Chronology of Japan's Internet History (Zenn)zenn.dev
    news
  12. Usage statistics of Livedoor Blog (w3techs)w3techs.com
    news

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