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CMS (content management system) software · head to head

WordPress vs Ghost

Mateus Rocha Written by Mateus Rocha · Edited by Sebastiaan Smits · Fact-checked by Priya Nandakumar · Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

WordPress is a general-purpose open-source CMS with the largest plugin ecosystem; Ghost is an open-source publishing platform with newsletters and paid memberships built in and no platform fee on them. A business that needs varied pages, a store or custom features ends up on WordPress. A writer or small publication selling subscriptions ends up on Ghost.

Side by side

WordPressGhost
What it isOpen-source CMS powering a large share of the entire webOpen-source publishing platform with built-in newsletters and memberships
Best forSmall businesses, blogs, agencies and anyone wanting the largest plugin ecosystemIndependent publishers, writers and newsletter-driven media
HeadquartersUnited StatesSingapore
Pricing modelOpen source + paid tiersOpen source + paid hosting
PricingThe core software is free and open source to self-host; hosting, premium themes and plugins are paid separately, and WordPress.com offers a separate managed hosting product with its own free and paid tiers.The core software is free and open source under MIT license to self-host; Ghost(Pro) managed hosting is priced by number of members and staff users on a published table, from the Starter plan billed yearly, and takes no transaction fee.
Free optionOpen sourceOpen source
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		Free open-source software; managed WordPress.com plans from $9 per month billed monthly, or $4 per month billed annuallyFree to self-host; Ghost(Pro) from $18 per month, billed yearly (Starter plan)
Place in our CMS (content management system) software ranking#4 of 14#8 of 14
Websitewordpress.orgghost.org

Both are reviewed in full in Best CMS (Content Management System) Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose WordPress if

the site has to be more than articles: landing pages, varied content types, a shop or custom functionality, with a plugin and a freelancer available for almost anything you think of.

WordPress, #4 in the ranking · Visit WordPress →

Choose Ghost if

writing is the product and you want email newsletters and paid subscriptions in the same tool as the editor, without building that stack out of separate plugins and services.

Ghost, #8 in the ranking · Visit Ghost →

Where they differ

Newsletters and paid subscriptions

Ghost sends newsletters and bills paid memberships natively and takes 0% of subscription revenue, though on Ghost(Pro) paid subscriptions start at the Publisher plan, $29 a month billed yearly. WordPress gets there through the Jetpack Newsletter plugin, which emails posts to subscribers for free and charges a fee on paid subscriptions, from 10% on its free plan down to 2%, plus Stripe's charges. Ghost keeps more of the money.

Edge: Ghost

Sites that are more than articles

WordPress offers custom post types, taxonomies, multisite networks and a block editor that covers most marketing-site needs. Ghost is narrow by design: page-building flexibility, complex content types and marketing-site features are not its job, and a business needing ecommerce or complex layouts is pointed elsewhere. Anything beyond posts, pages and subscribers goes to WordPress.

Edge: WordPress

Running it on your own server

Both cores are free to self-host. WordPress asks for PHP 8.3 and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11, and says any server supporting PHP and MySQL will do. Ghost officially supports one stack: Ubuntu, Node.js 22, MySQL 8, NGINX and at least 1GB of memory, and self-hosters must arrange a separate email delivery service for newsletters. WordPress is easier to place on ordinary hosting.

Edge: WordPress

Themes, plugins and available help

WordPress has tens of thousands of plugins and themes and a very large pool of developers and agencies. Ghost has a theme marketplace and native integrations such as Zapier and Slack, but its theme and plugin ecosystem is far smaller. The flip side is that heavy plugin reliance can make a WordPress site slow and fragile unless someone curates it.

Edge: WordPress

Tally: WordPress 3, Ghost 1, even 0.

When neither fits

A design-led marketing team that wants full visual control over layouts and animations, with hosting included and no plugin patching, fits neither: Ghost is not a general web design tool, and WordPress brings the maintenance. Webflow is built for that team, provided someone is comfortable in a design tool.

See Webflow among the 14 products in Best CMS (Content Management System) Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is Ghost or WordPress better for a paid newsletter?

Ghost. Newsletter sending and paid membership billing are built in, and Ghost takes no cut of subscription revenue. WordPress can do it with the Jetpack Newsletter plugin, which is free to send with but takes between 10% and 2% of paid subscriptions depending on the Jetpack plan, on top of Stripe's fees.

Is Ghost harder to self-host than WordPress?

Yes. Ghost's supported stack is specific: Ubuntu, Node.js 22, MySQL 8 and NGINX with at least 1GB of memory, installed through Ghost-CLI, and you handle updates, backups and email delivery yourself. WordPress runs on any server with PHP and MySQL, though someone must keep core, themes and plugins patched.

Can Ghost replace WordPress for a business website?

Only if the site is essentially a publication. Ghost is purpose-built for writing and publishing, and varied page types, ecommerce and complex layouts are outside its job. WordPress covers those through its block editor, custom post types and plugins, which is why it remains the default for general business sites.

What does Ghost cost compared with WordPress?

Both are free to download and self-host, so you pay only for a server. Managed Ghost(Pro) starts at $18 a month billed yearly for Starter, with one staff user and up to 1,000 members, and Publisher is $29. Managed WordPress.com has a free plan, and its paid plans start at $4 a month billed annually.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.