Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

DEV.to VS LiveJournal

Compare DEV.to VS LiveJournal and see what are their differences

DEV.to logo DEV.to

Where software engineers connect, build their resumes, and grow.

LiveJournal logo LiveJournal

Online blogging software - free for basic users!
  • DEV.to Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-13
  • LiveJournal Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-02

DEV.to features and specs

  • Community Engagement
    DEV.to offers an active and supportive community of developers where users can share knowledge, seek advice, and collaborate on projects. This fosters a sense of belonging and continuous learning.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform provides a straightforward and user-friendly interface, making it easy for users to publish content, engage with other posts, and navigate through various resources.
  • Content Diversity
    DEV.to features a wide range of topics related to software development, from beginner tutorials to advanced technical articles. This diversity makes it a valuable resource for developers at all skill levels.
  • Open Source and Transparency
    DEV.to is built on open-source software, which promotes transparency and allows users to contribute to the platform’s development. This aligns with the core values of many developers.
  • Cross-Posting Capabilities
    Users can easily cross-post articles from their personal blogs or other platforms, increasing their content’s reach and visibility without significant additional effort.

Possible disadvantages of DEV.to

  • Content Quality Variation
    Given its open nature, the quality of content on DEV.to can be inconsistent. Users may need to sift through a mix of high-quality and less useful posts to find valuable information.
  • Platform-Specific Features
    Some features and optimizations are tailored specifically for the DEV.to platform, which might not translate well if the content is shared elsewhere.
  • Limited Advanced Customization
    While the platform is user-friendly, it offers limited customization options for articles and personal profiles compared to more robust blogging platforms.
  • Visibility Challenges
    With a large user base, it can be challenging for new users or less popular posts to gain traction and visibility unless they are highly engaging or promoted.
  • Distraction Potential
    The platform's social features, such as discussions and notifications, can sometimes be distracting, potentially impacting productivity for users who are easily sidetracked.

LiveJournal features and specs

  • Community Building
    LiveJournal fosters a strong sense of community, allowing users to join communities based on shared interests and engage in discussions.
  • Customizability
    Users can highly personalize their journals with a variety of themes, layout options, and custom HTML/CSS, making it possible to create a unique look and feel for their pages.
  • Privacy Options
    LiveJournal offers robust privacy controls, allowing users to make posts public, friends-only, or private, and even create custom friend groups for selective sharing.
  • Long-Form Content
    Unlike other social media platforms that focus on short, quick updates, LiveJournal is structured to support long-form content, which is ideal for detailed blog posts, stories, and essays.
  • Rich History
    Having been around since 1999, LiveJournal has a long-standing history and a wealth of content, providing a unique and nostalgic experience for some users.

Possible disadvantages of LiveJournal

  • Outdated Interface
    The user interface of LiveJournal can feel outdated and less intuitive compared to modern blogging and social media platforms.
  • Declining User Base
    LiveJournal has seen a decline in its user base over the years, which can make community engagement less vibrant compared to newer platforms.
  • Limited Integration
    The platform has limited integration with other social media and modern web services, making it less effective for cross-platform sharing and engagement.
  • Commercialization
    LiveJournal has undergone commercialization, including advertisements and sponsored content, which can detract from the user experience.
  • Censorship Concerns
    Especially since its acquisition by a Russian company, there have been concerns about content censorship and the moderation policies on LiveJournal.

Analysis of DEV.to

Overall verdict

  • Yes, DEV.to is considered a good platform for developers looking to connect with peers, stay updated with industry trends, and share their knowledge.

Why this product is good

  • DEV.to is a popular online community for software developers where they can share articles, tutorials, and insights related to programming and technology. It's known for its supportive environment, user-friendly interface, and the diversity of content, making it a good resource for learning and networking.

Recommended for

  • Aspiring software developers seeking learning resources and mentorship.
  • Experienced developers looking to share knowledge and contribute to the community.
  • Individuals interested in keeping up with the latest trends and discussions in technology.

DEV.to videos

Ben Halpern founder of Dev.To & The Practical Dev

LiveJournal videos

LiveJournal Review

More videos:

  • Review - What is LiveJournal?
  • Review - EMBARRASSING LIVEJOURNAL POSTS | Akilah Obviously

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DEV.to and LiveJournal)
CMS
88 88%
12% 12
Blogging
84 84%
16% 16
Blogging Platform
75 75%
25% 25
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare DEV.to and LiveJournal

DEV.to Reviews

  1. It is a nice mini-blog, it's for free and such but

    As a mini-blog, it is a nice alternative for Medium to publish and share information about programming.

    However, the community and the organization are biased toward social justice (and they are open to it). You can read its Code of Conduct, it is so vague and politically leads (I prefer a term of service because it defines fair rules for everybody). So it alienates developers that we don't care about politics in pro of people that want to talk about any other topic such as sexuality, how women are unprivileged, and such. It even mandates to use inclusive language. Good grief.

    My main complaint is the quality of the community. It is not StackOverflow (so we don't want to ask for an answer here), and most of the top topics are clickbait, such as "how to become a rockstar developer in ... days", "100 tips to become a better programmer" (and it doesn't even talk about programming).

    Technically this "mini blog" site allows us to use markdown, and it is okay. However, the whole experience is really basic. Even the template is ugly.

    🏁 Competitors: Medium
    👍 Pros:    Free
    👎 Cons:    Social justice|Basic features|Quality of content

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
The 'dev.to' forum is a great place for developers to find answers, share their knowledge, and learn from others. It's a place for people to talk about their projects, ask questions, and get feedback.
Source: www.notchup.com
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
One of Dev.to’s unique features is its focus on the human side of coding. Developers often share their personal stories, career journeys, and lessons learned, creating a sense of camaraderie within the community. The platform also encourages content creators by providing a clean and user-friendly interface for writing and sharing articles.
Source: www.qodo.ai

LiveJournal Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
LiveJournal allows users to share their life stories, give advice, and exchange ideas with each other. The platform differs from Medium where writers usually create long-form content based on their hobbies and expertise. LiveJournal provides opportunities for people to learn about others’ lives, whether it’s through simple exchanges or more in-depth sharing of experiences.
Source: forgefusion.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, DEV.to seems to be a lot more popular than LiveJournal. While we know about 513 links to DEV.to, we've tracked only 8 mentions of LiveJournal. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

DEV.to mentions (513)

  • 🏳️‍🌈 Pride RS: LGBTQ+ Flag Component for Rust Frontends
    So I came across the Frontend Challenge: June Celebrations (CSS Art) on dev.to, and I thought: "Hey, what if I build a handy dandy crate for our gay friends that they can slap onto their rusty websites?" This way, I learn a bit more about CSS, make something useful, and give Ferris the crab 🦀 a chance to finally come out of the shell. - Source: dev.to / 1 day ago
  • [01] Understanding the Fundamentals of Web Development
    Now, consider a website like https://dev.to/. Unlike a static website, Dev.to is dynamic, meaning its content is constantly changing—new articles, comments, and other data are frequently added. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • What is LLM?
    Since 2022, source-available models have been gaining popularity, especially at first with BLOOM and LLaMA, though both have restrictions on the field of use. Mistral AI's models Mistral 7B and Mixtral 8x7b have the more permissive Apache License. In January 2025, DeepSeek released DeepSeek R1, a 671-billion-parameter open-weight model that performs comparably to OpenAI o1 but at a much lower cost. Since 2023,... - Source: dev.to / 13 days ago
  • My first professional portfolio site... 🎉
    The community at dev.to has always been my favourite, which is why this is the first platform I wish to share my portfolio with. Your feedback would mean a lot to me! 🙏. - Source: dev.to / 14 days ago
  • AI killed my coding brain but I’m rebuilding it
    Dev.to Good for sharing experiences, writing, and reading posts from devs across the spectrum. - Source: dev.to / 24 days ago
View more

LiveJournal mentions (8)

  • I thought I'd give y'all an update.
    Awww, thanks! This means a lot to me! I, too, have an anxious mind and still, to this day I have to step back and ask myself why am I stressing about something when my focus needs to be on this other situation? The other thing I do that might help is I journal. I use livejournal.com but if you are artistic, you might like a handwritten journal. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Finally done the show!
    Desperate for more content, I listened to the 'Clear Eyes, Full Hearts' podcasts and they are okay but I find Stacey whatserface an incredibly annoying presenter. There's an absolute shedload of FNL fanfiction out there too, if you're into that kind of thing, ranging from light romantic fluff to heart-wrenching emotional observations about the characters' feelings to downright crack. I even started writing some... Source: about 2 years ago
  • livejournal password leak SOS
    Hi, I have no experience with this and I am hoping someone can help me. Remember the livejournal.com password dump? My 20 year old livejournal is now visible and has my full name. Of course I don't have the password or the email I used in 2004. Is there anyone who is willing and able to help me get the password for it so I can delete it? Source: about 2 years ago
  • Apparently Bing can control the suggestions if you just ask. (unless they're in a bad mood)
    It works fine. I can get it to read livejournal.com entries. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Buy pbn links cheap
    PBN, or blog network seo, is one of the 'expensive' gray SEO strategies, thus creating or receiving the service for a low price is impossible, or at best only PHP and zonk. PBN links can be formed on any platform, even free ones like Blogspot and WordPress.com, but the ones that are preferred and well-known for their benefits are still self-hosted paying ones. The blog networks seo is a collection of domains that... Source: about 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing DEV.to and LiveJournal, you can also consider the following products

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Blogger - Publish your passions, your way. Create a unique and beautiful blog. It’s easy and free.

Medium - Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

Tumblr - A feature rich and free blog hosting platform offering professional and fully customizable templates, bookmarklets, photos, mobile apps, and social network integration.

Hashnode - A friendly and inclusive Q&A network for coders

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.