Silvrback Review

Silvrback is a sleek blogging platform that was designed with simplicity in mind.

Its creator, Damian Sowers, started working on Silvrback because he couldn’t find a blogging platform that completely satisfied his needs. So, he developed his own instead.

With Silvrback, Sowers has built a platform that provides a truly minimalist blogging experience, by incorporating the best elements of other similar platforms such as Svbtle and Medium. You can read more about these platforms in our list of 15 Blogging Platforms That Encourage You To Write (Silvrback also gets a mention).

Sowers has spoken out about the pros and cons of these two platforms in particular, citing Medium as a platform that’s great for readers – but not so great for writers attempting to establish themselves in a highly populated market.

Key features of Silvrback include syntax highlighting for developers, custom domain support, and email subscriptions. However the lack of features it has on offer is actually its selling point; Silvrback aims to create a distraction free writing zone for authors by scaling back on the customization options available.

Silvrback offers a 14 day free trial for new users, and after this the pricing is set at $29.99 per year.

As a long-time WordPress user (and a self-confessed widget addict), I was curious about Silvrback – so I decided to check it out. Read on for my full review.

The Set-Up

Setting up a Silvrback account is easy. Once you’ve entered your name and email, you’ll be sent a registration email which will allow you to log in and complete the signing up process.

At this stage, you’ll need to come up with a username and a short description of yourself. Following this, there are optional entries where you can set up a custom domain name, add your social media links, and more.

The customization is pretty basic, but that’s what Silvrback is all about.

UI Schemes (Themes)

There are only two UI schemes to choose from on Silvrback, so the design options are limited – but that’s really the beauty of it.

Once you’ve selected your UI scheme, you can also add your profile photo and background image/color.

The Bio Page

When discussing the author bio page he created for Silvrback, Sowers described Silvrback as ‘more than a blogging platform’, and ‘more like a branding platform’.

On the author bio page, writers can list projects they’re working on, places they’ve worked, education, and lots more. So it’s definitely a step up from the standard ‘about me’ section.

Writing & Publishing

Silvrback supports markdown, which automatically converts your plain-text input into HTML. The writing interface is almost identical to the published blog posts – as the same color, font, and spacing is used.

The markdown formatting symbols will be on display in the interface, but if you need to check your coding you can click the ‘preview’ button to see the ‘live’ page before publishing.

Everything you write is also automatically saved in your browser and on Silvrback’s online servers.

So if your laptop is a bit temperamental side, you can rest assured that your work will be saved regardless. And, if you’ve ever had a catastrophic laptop freeze about half way through a 5000 word article (I can’t be the only one) – you’ll know how important this backup feature actually is.

The Verdict

In my opinion, Silvrback is a great markdown powered blogging platform that offers just enough customization, without overwhelming the user with unnecessary features.

If you’re looking for a feature-rich content management system, then Silvrback definitely isn’t for you. But if you’re after a cleaner and more simplistic interface, with a sleek and modern design, then this is a platform that’s worth checking out.

What’s your preferred blogging platform and how is it working for you? Why not share your favorite with us in the comments section below.