Blog client lets you post to your blog via XML-RPC running on your local machine. Often, blog client can manage blog entries. Blog client allows you to write a post even if you are off-line. The next time you connect to the Internet, you can publish that post. The advantages of using a weblog client also consist of the ability to save drafts, rich formatting features, cross-posting to multiple blogs and faster uploading and addition of images. In this review I take a close look at 10 blog clients inspecting their strengths and weaknesses aiming to find a winner – blog client suitable for most bloggers. This blog clients review include Semagic, BlogJet, Windows Live Writer, W.bloggar, Blogdesk, Zoundry Blog  Writer, Post2Blog, Ecto, Qumana and Scribefire.

Semagic

Semagic is a blog client made first of all to use with a blogs based on LiveJournal engine. It supports all blogs based on MetaweblogAPI as well. Besides all actions that are supported by LiveJournal client-server protocol. view history and edit existing entries, the client offers additional editing operations including WYSIWYG editing, macro shortcuts, autoreplace, spellchecking in different languages using either MS Word ( or OpenOffice) or internal spellchecker, saving and loading entries to/from files including preformatted drafts and autosave.

Pros:

• posting to multiple journals
• 3 view in tabs for post edit: WYSIWYG, html and web (your real blog preview)
• rich text and tables formatting options
• automatic music detection
• statistics: words and characters
• images: option to choose from 5 external sites to host your pictures (Fotki.com, Imageshack.us, Photobucket.com, Tynipic.com)

Cons:

• no autodiscvovery of blog settings, you need to specify them manually
• problem with uploading pictures via MetaweblogAPI to WordPress.com
• only some options for work with pictures
• unattractive interface

Score: 7/10

Summary: while it could be good choice for Livejournal users, there are much more handy clients for WordPress and other blog platforms.

 

BlogJet

BlogJet is a blog client developed by Coding Robots for managing multiple blogs. BlogJet supports all leading Blog Services: WordPress, TypePad, Movable Type, Blogger, MSN Live Spaces, Blogware, BlogHarbor, Squarespace, Drupal, Community Server.There is choice to use WYSIWYG Editor producing clean html code or edit html tags manually in html view. Easy and quick work with pictures implemented as well. Since BlogJet stores posts in the cache, there is access to all of your posts even with no internet connection.  I was impressed by BlogJet autodiscovery feature, after installing I need to enter only blog address and password; the rest of configuring BlogJet did itself.

Pros:

• Integration with browsers and RSS readers
• nice, userfriendly  interface with different themes
• file attachments
• adding tags option
• quite rich image formatting options
• Youtube video embedding support

Cons:

• paid 29.95 euro

Score: 9/10

Summary: it could be ideal blog client if it would be free.

 

w.bloggar

w.bloggar is a blog client compatible with most of the weblog systems available, allowing an advanced user to have only one interface to several accounts hosted on several different sites, using different publishing systems. Currently, w.bloggar is compatible with all tools that implements Blogger API, metaWeblog API, MovableType API and b2 API. w.bloggar is blog client with rich html formatting capabilities mostly for advanced users since it has no WYSIWYG editor. But w.bloggar has preview tab and you can using hotkeys to switch between tabs.

Pros:

• colorizing html code
• produce xtml compatible code
• custom html tags

Cons:

• no useful image handling
• no WYSIWYG editor

Score: 7/10

Summary: for advanced users who’d like to have full control of their post html formatting. Lack of WYSIWYG editor and especially difficulty of handling images make this blog clients not advisable to most users.

 

Windows Live Writer

Windows Live Writer is a new tool from Microsoft which nice looking and userfriendly interface is very similar to BlogJet. Besides integration with Windows Live Spaces, there is support for Blogger, LiveJournal, TypePad, WordPress. Windows Live Writer reads your blog’s template and let preview your content while creating it as though it is real preview on your blog. You can create and format posts using your blog’s visual style, including headings, fonts, colors, margins and paragraph styles. When you insert pictures, you’ve got extra options: you can resize the picture, add a nice shadow, adjust brightness and contrast, add some simple effects like sepia, watermark, sharpen. Windows Live Writer also lets you insert maps using Windows Live Local and embed videos.

Pros:

• very reach image editor
• option to use no follow tag by inserting links
• quick video embedding
• plugins
• automatically save drafts
• four different post edit view presets: normal, web layout, web preview, HTML code

Cons:

• problems with installation of final version (Windows Live Writer 2008)
• no integration with photo sharing sites like Flickr
• only Windows Live maps integration
• WYSIWYG editor not always produce clean code

Score: 9/10

Summary: Recommended for most users, especially to beginners. Windows Live Writer looks like most promising blog client and candidate for winners since it gathered best features from other blog clients. In my opinion, it needs to be more polished before taking 1st place. The next releases of paid clients have no chances if Windows Live Writer would be a little bit btter.

 

BlogDesk

BlogDesk is a fast blog client with a simple neutral interface which leaves more space for the actual post and helps to focus on the content. Blogdesk is especially suitable for inexperienced users providing them with Intuitive WYSIWYG Editor. Dictionaries in 14 languages are available for the integrated spell checker. BlogDesk can access all systems that support the MetaweblogAPI or MovableType interface.

Pros:

• reach image editor (drop shadow, crop, rotate)
• read more option
• Technorati tags generator
• notebook (save draft text for later use)
• frequently used phrases (easy insert of often used phrases, sentences, acronyms or complex formulations)
• automatic upload of local links files (mp3,pdf) to blog

Cons:

• no ability to use html tags in source view
• no integration with photo sharing sites like Flickr

Score: 8/10

Summary: BlogDesk is in the middle between Semagic and w.bloggar forn the one side and BlogJet and Windows Live Writer from the other side. It needs a few features to be added to be more competitive.

 

Zoundry Blog Writer

Zoundry Blog Writer is a rich WYSIWYG blogging editor written using Python. Zoundry Blog Writer is currently still in beta. With just a few clicks of a mouse instead of complex HTML coding, you can do things like drag and drop images, create block quotes and format links to open in a new window. If you are also a Zoundry Service member, the Blog Writer also features Product Placement Engine that inserts affiliate links in your posts so you can earn money.

Pros:

• easy insert Technoraty, Del.icio.us and Flickr tags
• xhtml support with advanced tags, tidy and validate html options
• preview using blog template
• predefined links to popular sites
• read more option

Cons:

• no image editor
• overbloated interface

Score: 8/10

Summary: Zoundry Blog Writer attracts experienced users by xhtml support and automated product placement.

 

Post2Blog

Post2Blog is a handy powerful blog editor with live spell-checking support for WordPress, Typepad, MovableType and other blogs. Post2Blog automates images uploading support (Flickr, ImageShack.us, Pcturelli.com, FTP). Post2Blog Integrates by plugin with Firefox, IE, Word, RSS Bandit, FeedDemon, Sharp Reader. Post2Blog provides assistance in managing existing posts, adding links from Amazon. Quick snippets feature automates commonly typed texts and helps to auto-link referenced resources.

Pros:

• quick snippets
• rich WYSIWYG editor with full hotkeys support
• export to PDF and Google base
• hyperlink validation
• thesaurus
• a lot of skins
• smiles
• xhtml code
• portable mode

Cons:

• not supported anymore

Score: 9/10

Summary:  One of the best blog clients with a lot of useful features. Though Post2Blog development is abandoned and developers give advice to try Windows Live Writer instead.

 

Ecto

Ecto is a desktop blogging client for MacOSX and Windows, supporting a wide range of weblog systems, such as Blogger, Blojsom, Drupal, MovableType, Nucleus, SquareSpace, TypePad, WordPress and more. ecto is the successor of the wildly popular Kung-Log, which has been in use by thousands of Mac users.

Pros:

• built in search for Flickr, Youtube, Amazon items
• tags insert option

Cons:

• non intuitive interface
• buggy
• paid

Score: 6/10

Summary:  I don’t know about Mac version but the Windows version is perhaps worst blog client in this review. Not recommended for Windows users.
Qumana

Qumana is a Java based blog client for PC & Mac supporting most blogging platforms including Blogger, Drupal, LiveJournal, Moveable Type, MSN Space, TypePad and WordPress. Qumana allows you to post your pictures combined with the ImgRed technique. Its own advertising service called QAds allows you to slip an ad or two into your post according to your preferred keyword. By simply dragging web content into a work pad you can pull together blog entries from text and/or images gathered on the web and automatically preserve the original formatting.

Pros:

• userfriendly interface
• clean html code
• customizable ad design
• easy image formatting
• DropPad

Cons:

• bugs with ad inserting and <more> tag
• lack of table support
• “Powered by Qumana” link added to each post by default
• no auto save feature
• need to install Java before installing Qumana

Score: 8/10

Summary: Promising blog client with very powerful marketing. Though Java use makes Qumana not easy to install and sometimes slow, Qumana can find its fans.
ScribeFire

ScribeFire (formerly Performancing) is an extension for Firefox which lets you compose and publish blog posts directly from your browser.ScribeFire opens a split panel that provides a full set of text-editing tools, complete with rich/source editing tabs, a live preview, a post history and more. You can easily drag and drop text, images and links to the ScribeFire pane. In addition to Blogger and WordPress, ScribeFire works with Jeeran, LiveJournal, TypePad and Windows Live Spaces. ScribeFire requires Firefox 1.5 or later.

Pros:

• light and fast
• add to del.icio.us by publishing
• technoraty tags insert

Cons:

• “powered by Scribefire” link added to the end of each post by default
• basic WYSIWYG editor
• lack of some useful features existing in other blog clients

Score: 8/10

Summary: Recommended to all Firefox users wanting to start posting with a blog client.

Conclusion

For professional bloggers posting frequently to multiple blogs there is no choice than using blog client. Three blog clients scored in this review equal 9 points: BlogJet, Windows Live Writer and Post2Blog.

While there is no ideal blog client yet, currently Windows Live Writer suites better to bloggers needs than other blog clients because BlogJet is paid and Pos2blog is not supported anymore.

For bloggers posting once a day there is alternative to blog clients such as free handy FCKeditor plugin available for many blog platforms.

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