shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Hatena(はてな)?

はてなが運営するポータルサイト。ブログもウェブアルバムもニュースも、はてながあればネットがさらに便利になります。 - hatena.ne.jp

Depends. Buy Hatena Blog if you write in Japanese and want free hosting from a long-running, ISO-certified company. Skip if you need one consolidated product, transparent pricing, or English support — the CMS is a custom-quoted deal, not self-serve.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~15 public sources; many hits were unrelated namesakes (Osaka restaurant, rock band, manga authors) and were filtered out. Product-review evidence is thin.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityHelp center exists, no quality evidence
  • Security posture

Pricing

¥0

Hatena Blog (Free)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Hatena CMSCustom quote

Best for

  • Japanese-language bloggers
  • Personal writers wanting free hosting
  • JP SMBs wanting a no-code CMS
  • JP news/bookmark power users

Not for

  • Non-Japanese speakers — services and support are Japan-first
  • Buyers wanting published prices — CMS is quote-only
  • Teams needing one consolidated vendor with SLAs
  • Anyone wary of paid add-ons being sunset — Bookmark Plus died in 2017

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

CMS charges initial, monthly and option fees — total cost unknown until sales contact.

medium

Paid Bookmark Plus plan was discontinued in 2017; paid add-ons carry sunset risk.

low

One Hatena ID spans many services — convenient, but ecosystem lock-in if you leave.

low

Paid 'Hatena Blog Pro' tier exists; its price and limits are not stated in reviewed sources.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, full-featured blog hosting
  • ISO/IEC 27001-certified information security management
  • Public security disclosure channel and incident-response drills
  • No-code CMS pitched at non-engineers
  • Verified GitHub org with 86 public repos

Cons

  • Bundle of separate services, not one product
  • CMS pricing hidden behind a sales quote
  • Paid Bookmark add-on discontinued 2017 — sunset history
  • Japan-first company; little English-market evidence

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x5security x4news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • ¥0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free blog tier; CMS is quote-only
  • Ease of use: 4/5. CMS marketed as no-code, anyone-can-use
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Wide suite: blog, bookmark, CMS, Mackerel
  • Support quality. Help center exists, no quality evidence
  • Security posture: 5/5. ISO 27001, disclosure program, incident drills
  • Yes Free tier Hatena Blog is free to use
  • 2001 Founded Per '2001–2026' site copyright footer
  • Certified ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS certified Feb 2024
  • Custom quote CMS pricing Initial + monthly + option fees

Pricing

Hatena Blog (Free)

¥0

  • Blog publishing
  • Free to write
  • Paid Pro upgrade exists

Hatena CMS

Not disclosed

  • No-code corporate CMS
  • Initial + monthly + option fees
  • Plan proposed by sales

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Little direct product-review evidence found; most search hits were unrelated namesakes (restaurants, musicians, manga), with active personal blogs on Hatena Blog.

Full analysis

Based on ~15 public sources; many hits were unrelated namesakes (Osaka restaurant, rock band, manga authors) and were filtered out. Product-review evidence is thin.

Not one product but a JP internet suite: free Hatena Blog is an easy yes; CMS is quote-only; skip if you need English support.

Methodology

Based on ~15 public sources; many hits were unrelated namesakes (Osaka restaurant, rock band, manga authors) and were filtered out. Product-review evidence is thin.

Sources

  1. Hatena product security pagehatena.ne.jp
    security
  2. Hatena Co., Ltd. corporate site (ISMS/ISO 27001)hatena.co.jp
    security
  3. Hatena Blog — free blog servicehatena.blog
    official
  4. Hatena CMS pricing planshatena.ne.jp
    official
  5. Hatena Bookmark Plus discontinuation notice (2017)bookmark.hatenastaff.com
    official
  6. Hatena Developer Center — security contactdeveloper.hatena.ne.jp
    security
  7. Hatena Blog team security incident drillsdeveloper.hatenastaff.com
    security
  8. Hatena on GitHub (86 repos, verified org)github.com
    official
  9. Hatena on LinkedIn — services overviewlinkedin.com
    official
  10. はてな (企業) — Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
    news

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