Ghost

Open-source publishing platform for blogs, newsletters, memberships and paid subscriptions

publishingnewsletteropen-sourcememberships

Websiteghost.org

CategoryContent & CMS

PricingTrial only

Card requiredNo

Open sourceYes

← ← Back to directory Go to Ghost ↗ ↗

ABOUT

What is Ghost?

Ghost is an open-source publishing platform focused on professional blogs, newsletters and membership businesses. Its editor, Content API, themes and built-in subscriptions cover publishing well, while Ghost(Pro) provides managed hosting and the core software can also be self-hosted.

BEFORE YOU SIGN UP

What you should know

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Publishing-focused editorGhost is designed around posts, pages, memberships and newsletters, so a publication can start writing without assembling a large plugin ecosystem.

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Memberships and newsletters includedGhost provides member signup, segmentation, paid subscriptions through Stripe and unlimited email sends on Ghost(Pro) plans, with processor fees still applying.

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Self-hosted or managedThe MIT-licensed core is free to run yourself. Ghost(Pro) adds CDN, backups, security, updates and support, starting at $18 per month on annual billing.

Starter has publishing limitsThe entry Ghost(Pro) plan allows one staff user, 1,000 members, one newsletter and 5 MB per uploaded file, and does not allow custom themes.

COMMUNITY

From the forums

Developers and publishers on Reddit value Ghost's clean editor, strong publishing workflow and built-in newsletter features. The common reservations are that the admin and content model are less customizable than general-purpose CMSs, while self-hosters must handle the Node.js stack, MySQL, updates and email or media infrastructure themselves.

— Community sentiment · Reddit

⭐GitHub 💬Discuss on Reddit ↗

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ABOUT US

Honest, independent, no fluff.

No paid placements. Just a clear look at what this does, what it costs, and what to know before you commit.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Is Ghost CMS free and open source?＋

Yes. Ghost's core software is MIT licensed and can be self-hosted for free, although you still pay for infrastructure and any external services. Ghost(Pro) is the paid managed-hosting option.

How much does Ghost(Pro) cost?＋

The current annual-billing prices are $18 per month for Starter, $29 for Publisher and $199 for Business. Ghost(Pro) accounts begin with a 14-day trial, and the trial is not billed automatically.

Is Ghost suitable as a headless CMS?＋

Yes. The Content API can deliver published posts, pages, tags, authors and settings to a custom frontend, while Ghost themes remain available for traditional publishing sites.