I personally prefer Yellow from datenstrom to run my blog. And it doesn't need a third party site to pull my blog either.
Blot is also flexible about the type of files it can publish - I'm unaware of a static platform which turns an image file directly into a blog post, without some sort of form or metadata requirement in between.
Also – since Blot runs off a Dropbox folder, you can blog directly from one of the many writing apps on phones and tablets which support Dropbox, or make use of neat integrations like this:
http://mrfris.by/16/twitter-instagram-integrations-for-blot
But you're right – a lot of people pay for the convenience. Perhaps it goes without saying but there are benefits as well costs to a hosted service!
Being PHP based means zero configuration issues as it can run on any shared hosting. For simple sites, blogs etc it's perfect.
After years of using db-driven CMSes, I got a sense of relief in being "just files".
Just want you to know that a project called Rainloop might be your answer.