What is Tumblr?
Tumblr combines blogging with a social feed. Every account is a blog that can publish text, photos, GIFs, links, audio and video, and users follow other blogs to fill their dashboard. The reblog button, which reposts someone else’s post to one’s own blog with optional commentary, is the platform’s defining feature and lets a post travel through long chains of additions.
Tags organize content and let people follow topics, and Tumblr is known for fandom, art, writing and LGBTQ communities as well as for its meme culture. Blogs can use custom themes and domain names, receive questions through anonymous asks and schedule posts in advance. Tumblr makes money from advertising, from Tumblr Premium, a subscription that removes ads and adds perks, and from Blaze, a tool that lets users pay to show posts to a wider audience.
The service lost much of its audience after its 2013 sale to Yahoo and a 2018 ban on adult content, and Automattic bought it in 2019 for a fraction of Yahoo’s price. Mullenweg said in 2023 that Tumblr was losing about $30 million a year, and late that year Automattic moved 139 of its employees to other projects. A plan announced in 2024 to run Tumblr on WordPress infrastructure was put on hold in 2025, and at WordCamp Canada that year Mullenweg called Tumblr probably his “biggest failure or missed opportunity right now.” Tumblr remained available on the web, iOS and Android in 2026.
Key features of Tumblr
- 01
Reblogs
Users repost other people’s content to their own blogs with one tap, optionally adding comments, images or tags, and the chain of additions stays visible to readers.
- 02
Tags and following
Tags label posts by topic, fandom or format, and users can follow tags as well as blogs so that matching posts appear on their dashboard.
- 03
Multimedia posts
The post editor supports text, photos, GIFs, video, audio, links and polls, and several of these formats can be combined in a single post.
- 04
Customizable blogs
Every account gets a blog with a tumblr.com address that can use a custom theme, edited HTML and CSS, and a custom domain name.
- 05
Asks and messaging
Blogs can accept questions from followers, including anonymous ones, and answer them publicly as posts, while users can also talk privately through direct messages.
- 06
Tumblr Premium
The paid subscription removes ads and adds perks such as higher daily posting and liking limits, a monthly Blaze credit and early access to experimental features.
- 07
Blaze promotions
Blaze lets users and brands pay to show a post as sponsored content to a chosen audience, selected by factors such as location and language.
Who uses Tumblr?
- Fans share fan art, fan fiction, GIFs and commentary about television shows, games and books with like-minded communities.
- Artists, illustrators and photographers publish their work and reach new audiences as followers reblog it.
- Writers and hobbyists keep personal blogs that mix short posts, images and conversations with followers.
- Creators and brands promote posts to targeted audiences with Blaze to reach fan communities on the platform.
History of Tumblr
David Karp launched Tumblr in New York in 2007 as a simpler alternative to traditional blogging software, and it grew quickly among young people and artists. Yahoo bought the company in 2013 for about $1.1 billion, but Tumblr struggled to make money under Yahoo and then under Verizon, which acquired Yahoo’s internet business in 2017. A December 2018 ban on adult content drove away many users.
Automattic bought Tumblr from Verizon in 2019 for a price reported at about $3 million and took on its staff of about 200. In 2022 Tumblr revised its rules to allow nudity that is not sexually explicit, and it has added paid features such as Blaze and Tumblr Premium. After shifting much of the Tumblr team to other Automattic projects in 2023, the company announced in 2024 that it would move Tumblr’s back end onto WordPress, then put that migration on hold in 2025 so it could concentrate on features users were asking for.
- 2007
David Karp launches Tumblr in New York City.
- 2013
Yahoo acquires Tumblr for about $1.1 billion.
- 2017
Tumblr passes to Verizon when it completes its acquisition of Yahoo’s internet business.
- 2018
Tumblr bans adult content from the platform in December.
- 2019
Automattic buys Tumblr from Verizon for a price reported at about $3 million.
- 2022
Tumblr updates its rules to allow nudity that is not sexually explicit.
- 2024
Tumblr announces plans to move its back end to WordPress infrastructure.
- 2025
Automattic puts the WordPress migration on hold to focus on user-facing features.
Tumblr pricing
Pricing modelFreemium
Free to use with ads; the optional Tumblr Premium subscription removes ads and adds perks, and users can pay to promote posts with Blaze.
Prices change often. Check the official Tumblr website for current plans.
Tumblr alternatives
Profiled on SoftwareLore:
Also considerReddit, Bluesky, Pinterest, Instagram and X
Tumblr: frequently asked questions
Who owns Tumblr?
Tumblr is owned by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and WooCommerce. Automattic bought Tumblr from Verizon in 2019 for a price reported at about $3 million, six years after Yahoo paid about $1.1 billion for it. Tumblr was founded by David Karp in 2007.
What is Tumblr used for?
Tumblr is used for short-form blogging and sharing. People post text, images, GIFs and videos, reblog posts from blogs they follow and gather around tags for fandoms, art, writing, memes and other interests. Artists and writers also use it to show their work and find an audience.
Is Tumblr free?
Yes. Creating a Tumblr account and blog is free, and the service is supported by advertising. Users who want to browse without ads can pay for Tumblr Premium, which also adds perks such as higher posting limits, and anyone can pay to promote posts through Blaze.
When was Tumblr released?
Tumblr was launched in 2007 by David Karp, who started the service in New York City. It grew quickly as a blogging and social platform, was bought by Yahoo in 2013 and has been owned by Automattic since 2019.
Is Tumblr moving to WordPress?
Not for now. Tumblr announced in 2024 that it would move its back end onto WordPress infrastructure, but Automattic put the migration on hold in 2025 to focus on features users were asking for. Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has said he still wants to complete the move eventually.
Does Tumblr allow adult content?
Only in limited form. Tumblr banned adult content in December 2018, and in 2022 it revised its rules to allow nudity that is not sexually explicit while continuing to prohibit sexually explicit material. Users can label mature posts and filter such content out of their dashboards.
Sources
- Tumblr tumblr.com
- Verizon is selling Tumblr to WordPress.com parent, Automattic, TechCrunch techcrunch.com
- Automattic puts Tumblr migration to WordPress on hold, TechCrunch techcrunch.com
- Tumblr Premium, Tumblr Help Center help.tumblr.com
- Tumblr, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
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