Kalatu Review: Is This The Best Blogging Platform For Beginners?
This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase something through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Product name: Kalatu Blogging Platform
Website: www.kalatublog.com
Overall Ranking: 5/10
Price:
$25/month Kalatu Basic
$97/month Kalatu Premium
Owner: David Wood of Empower Network (EN)
This is going to be my personal review of the Kalatu Blogging Platform. I aim to talk about my own experience and help you decide whether this platform is worth your time and money.
If you continue reading, I’ll share with you my recommended Website Builder and show you how to build your own site for FREE today!
What is Kalatu?
Kalatu is a WordPress based blogging platform available for anyone who wants to build a website for their online business. Although anyone can join the platform, the majority of its members are also Empower Network Affiliates.
The aim of the Kalatu Blogging Platform is to help people build a business online through blogging. Their idea is that blogging is the key to being a successful marketer online.
Kalatu Pricing
There are 2 pricing tiers available for the Kalatu Blogging Platform
- $25/month for Kalatu Basic
- $97/ month for Kalatu Premium
Below you can see a screenshot of the different features you can expect to get with the Kalatu memberships
As you can see from the features, there are quite a few things that the Kalatu Blogging Platform has to offer.
Kalatu PROS:
Good platform for beginners:
In my opinion, this is genuinely a really good blogging platform for beginners. When I first was introduced to Empower Network, I knew nothing of marketing or blogging. The first blogging platform they had wasn’t all that great, and I never made full use of it. But then they introduced the Kalatu platform, and my ideas/thoughts about blogging had changed. I found it to be a great tool for me as an absolute beginner.
Takes away all the technical aspects of blogging:
Everything about it was so simple. I didn’t have to think about installing plugins or themes, or having too many things ot think about. This was really helpful to me at the time because I had no clue what I was doing, I didn’t know about plugins for example. If you’re familiar with the WordPress dashboard you know that there’s a lot of features, and to a newbie it can be quite overwhelming. However, the Kalatu dashboard was very simplified. All I needed to do was create content for my blog. As an absolute newbie, this worked for me.
21-day blogging challenge:
This is unique plugin specially created for users of the Kalatu Blogging Platform. Basically, it is a way of encouraging users to blog more frequently. So the aim is to blog every day, for 21 days. This was a usual tool to me back then, and even now I actually think this is a very useful tool. When I was a member of Empower Network, I really appreciated having a plugin like this. I was very new to blogging at that point, and it was very helpful to have prompts and guides to help me create content for my blog.
Take a look at the video below to find out more about what you can expect from the 21 day blogging challenge
Can link it to your own domain name:
When you first sign up your domain name will look something like this “youwebsite.buildingabrandonline.com”. You can use this if you choose too, but if you’re really thinking about growing your business you need a domain name that doesn’t have a sub domain attached to it. For example, “yourwebsite.com”. You can purchase your own domain name with GoDaddy, Namecheap etc)
You can create your own “Call to Action”:
Although this feature of creating custom “Call to Action” is available, most Kalatu blogs I see are from people who are members of Empower Network Affiliate program, so their call to action are one’s created by Empower Netwrok. But at least the option is there to customise and create your own ones to it to suit your own needs.
Kalatu CONS:
Limited Plugins:
The Kalatu Platform has very limited number of plugins. If you upgrade to Premium then you get access to more plugins, however, your site is not as customisable as other blogging platforms. Although this can be suitable for beginners, cause they don’t have to think too much about all the technical stuff, it doesn’t really allow you to expand and build your website the way you want to.
Only 8 themes!:
When I was a member there were only 5 themes, so it’s interesting to see they’ve now recently increased that to a whopping 8 themes. Considering the amount of money you put in every month, it’s not much.
I wasn’t able to customise the site the way I wanted:
Once I started learning more about building a website, and WordPress, I wanted to start customising my site to look the way I wanted it. When I first began with Kalatu I really like the simplicity of the platform, but after some weeks I wanted to change things, add things and move things. However, I didn’t really get the chance to do this. I couldn’t add any new plugins. At the time of being a member there were only 5 themes available…which had very limited customisation features. So it left me feeling disappointed, especially as I was paying for it.
I wasn’t always creating quality content:
I found that with the 21-day blogging challenge, although I was writing everyday, I wasn’t always creating real quality content. My post would be short, or just be a list of videos. Although I still recommend writing regularly, maybe it shouldn’t be 21 consecutive days, as it’s not easy to write in depth posts in a day, when you have other responsibilities, such as having a full time job (which I had at the time).
You don’t really own your blog/website:
After all the money you put in monthly, you do not actually own your blog/website! It is owned my Empower Network. So if Empower Network decided to stop operating, all your hard work will be lost.
Pricing – There’s no free option:
In order to get on board with Kalatu, you need to be willing to spend $25 a month. This isn’t great if you’re a beginner and just want test the waters before you start investing any kind of money.
When I was a member of Kalatu last year, the platform only had one price package, which was the $25. But I can now see that they have added another package of $97 month. So in order to really get access to all the features of Kalatu, you would need to sign up for their premium package of $97 a month. I personally think that is way too much. Even a Business Plan on WordPress.com doesn’t cost half that much!
Who is Kalatu Blogging Platform For?
Kalatu is a very useful platform for people who are just starting out online. If you’re looking for a blogging platform that is geared towards beginners, then I feel Kalatu has a lot to offer you. If you’ve never had a website or blogged before, the tools they provide are useful get you off your feet, and create some content.
Who is Kalatu Blogging Platform NOT For?
- People who want to test the waters in the blogging world. You don’t have a free option, therefore, you can’t really get to try out the platform for your self before investing any money.
- Those who want a lot of customisations options for their website. Kalatu has very limited themes and plugins, and is therefore, in my opinion, not very suitable for those who want a lot more flexibility.
- Those who want a site they own themselves. The Kalatu platform doesn’t really allow you to own your own site. Your website is always going to be a part of Empower Network.
Is This The Best Blogging Platform For Beginners?
Looking back on my overall experience, I did actually enjoy the Kalatu Blogging Platform. As a beginner, I was able to create blog posts often with the help of the 21 Day Blogging Challenge and have my very own website. However, I did not feel comfortable with the $25/month price, especially when I was being offered little in regards to themes and plugins…and after a month of being an Empower Network Affiliate, I just didn’t like the idea of promoting their program to other people.
So, even though there are some good features available with Kalatu, and it is well suited for beginners, based on my overall experience I would NOT recommend the Kalatu Blogging Platform if you’re looking for long term success. I feel there are other platforms out there which offer much more, and for a much better price!
My #1 Recommended Website Builder
It is actually possible to build your own website online for free, and I want to share with you my #1 recommended website builder to do so.
Why I recommend Siterubix.com?:
- Very easy to use and set up
- FREE package – Build 2 free websites with 12 themes to choose from
- Premium package ($47/month) – build up to 50 websites, 1000s of themes and plugins
- Free website hosting
- Free training
- Free website health check (see if you site is ranked on google and how well your site is doing)
- Get quality engagement and interaction by requesting comments from the Wealthy Affiliate community
- Get feedback on the design, content and layout of your site from the community
Click The Image Below To Learn How To Have Your Own FREE Fully Functional WordPress Site, In 3 Simple Steps!
What are your thoughts/experiences on the Kalatu Blogging Platform? What did you like, what didn’t you like? Feel free to leave your responses and/or questions in the comments below. And if you found this post useful, or interesting please feel free to share.