Ghost vs WordPress.com
- ✦ Blog Publishing
- ✦ Memberships & Subscriptions
- ✦ Custom Themes
- ✦ Drag-and-Drop Editor
- ✦ Themes & Templates
- ✦ Plugins
Ghost and WordPress.com are both Website Builders tools. Ghost starts at $18/mo, WordPress.com at $9/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Ghost vs WordPress.com
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Ghost's SEO Tools configure meta descriptions and structured data from within the editor. Automatic XML sitemaps help technical posts rank without extra plugin overhead.
Custom Domains run 15-30 independent blog properties from a single dashboard, with SEO Tools and content scheduling unified across every site.
Ghost's API powers custom publishing workflows: push posts from external tools, sync subscribers to CRMs, or trigger webhooks when members join.
E-Commerce tiers gate premium content behind subscriptions, Drag-and-Drop Editor builds member pages without code, and SSL encrypts payment data automatically.
Ghost's Memberships & Subscriptions handle recurring billing natively, with Analytics surfacing churn and free-to-paid conversion rates in one dashboard.
Native Analytics shows which posts drive member signups and which newsletter segments open most - so content strategy stays grounded in real engagement data.
SEO Tools and Themes & Templates structure pillar-and-cluster content, helping affiliate hub sites rank for 200+ long-tail keywords within 6 months of launch.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified May 30, 2026
Ghost Plans
Paid plans only
Starter
$18/moBest for: $15/mo (billed yearly) gets you 1 staff user, Custom domain, Email newsletter, 1,000 members
- ✓Website & blog
- ✓Basic membership
- ✓Custom domain
- ✓Email newsletters
- ✓SEO tools
Publisher
$35/moBest for: $29/mo (billed yearly) gets you 3 staff users, Custom themes, Paid subscriptions, 1,000 members
- ✓All Starter features
- ✓Paid memberships
- ✓Advanced membership options
- ✓Email automation
- ✓Custom themes
Business
$239/moBest for: $249/mo (billed yearly) gets you 15 staff users, Priority support, 10,000 members
- ✓Premium themes
- ✓Advanced integrations
- ✓Priority support
- ✓Enhanced analytics
Enterprise
Contact Sales- ✓Dedicated support
- ✓Custom contract
- ✓Scaling assistance
WordPress.com Plans
Free tier available
Free
FreeBest for: Ideal for personal blogs or testing the platform without commitment
- ✓WordPress.com subdomain
- ✓Basic website creation
- ✓Limited design options
- ✓WordPress.com branding
- ✓Community support
Personal
$9/site/moBest for: individuals needing a custom domain and ad free experience
- ✓Free domain for one year
- ✓6 GB storage
- ✓SSL encryption
- ✓Accept payments
- ✓Basic customer support
Premium
$18/site/moBest for: Suitable for creators and freelancers who require advanced design tools and monetization options
- ✓Free domain for one year
- ✓13 GB storage
- ✓All premium themes
- ✓Ad-free browsing experience
- ✓Advanced customization (fonts, colors)
Business
$40/site/moBest for: Designed for small businesses seeking full plugin support and SEO tools
- ✓Free domain for one year
- ✓50 GB storage
- ✓Install plugins
- ✓Advanced SEO tools
- ✓Google Analytics integration
Commerce
$70/site/moBest for: Essential for online stores needing robust ecommerce features and payment gateway integration
- ✓Free domain for one year
- ✓100 GB storage
- ✓eCommerce tools and optimized WooCommerce experience
- ✓Sell unlimited products
- ✓Integrations with top shipping carriers
Enterprise
$2083/site/moBest for: Tailored for large organizations requiring custom solutions, dedicated support, and advanced integrations
- ✓Custom pricing
- ✓Dedicated support
- ✓Advanced security
- ✓Scalable infrastructure
- ✓Tailored solutions
Capability Breakdown
4 differences found across 18 standardized features
- •Blog Publishing
- •Newsletter
- •Memberships & Subscriptions
- •Custom Themes
- •SEO Tools
- •Native Analytics
- •Custom Domain
- •API
- •Integrations
- •Email Newsletters
- •Paid Content
- •Open Source
- •Markdown Editor
- •Member Portal
- •Custom Code Injection
- •Drag-and-Drop Editor
- •Themes & Templates
- •Plugins
- •Blogging
- •E-Commerce
- •SEO Tools
- •Custom Domain
- •SSL Certificate
- •Media Library
- •Analytics
- •Memberships
- •Newsletter
- •Social Media Integration
- •Mobile App
- •Backup & Security
- •Video Hosting
- •Podcast Support
- •Online Booking
- •Appointment Scheduling
- •Payment Gateways
- •Shipping Integrations
- •Digital Downloads
- •Course Creation
- •Forum Software
- •Live Chat
- •Contact Forms
- •Survey Tools
- •Polls and Quizzes
- •Website Translation
- •Multilingual Support
- •Accessibility Tools
- •Image Editing
- •Audio Uploads
- •Video Embeds
- •Custom Fonts
- •Color Schemes
- •Page Builders
- •Layout Options
- •Widget Library
- •Testimonials Section
- •FAQs Section
- •Knowledge Base
- •User Profiles
- •Comment Moderation
- •Spam Filtering
- •Website Cloning
- •Staging Environment
- •Code Snippets
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Native memberships, subscriptions, and newsletters
- +Modern, fast tech stack (Node.js) for better site speed
- +Creator-first, non-profit model with no transaction fees
- +Clean, minimalist editor focused purely on writing
- +Fully open-source with robust API for custom development
- −Limited native e-commerce features beyond memberships
- −Smaller theme and plugin ecosystem compared to WordPress
- −Requires some technical comfort for self-hosting or advanced customization
- −Steeper pricing for official hosting than many shared hosting providers
- −No built-in visual page builder for complex, non-post layouts
- +Fully managed hosting and security included on all plans
- +Seamless scalability from a simple blog to a full-fledged store
- +Access to thousands of plugins on Creator plan and higher
- +Built-in Jetpack features for performance, security, and growth
- +Generous free plan with community support and 1GB storage
- −Free & low-tier plans have limited customization and show ads
- −Plugin and advanced theme installation requires pricey Creator plan ($25/mo)
- −Less design freedom compared to drag-and-drop builders like Squarespace
- −Steeper learning curve than simpler, all-in-one platforms
- −E-commerce features are restricted to the most expensive plan
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Ghost removed the "Team" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Ghost removed the "Creator" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Ghost lowered "Business" from $249/mo to $239/mo (-4%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Ghost added a new "Publisher" plan at $35/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Ghost raised "Starter" from $15/mo to $18/mo (+20%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
WordPress.com removed the "Explorer" plan
Plan removed · May 27, 2026
WordPress.com added a new "Premium" plan at $18/mo
Plan added · May 27, 2026
WordPress.com added a new "Business" plan at $40/mo
Plan added · May 27, 2026
WordPress.com added a new "Personal" plan at $9/mo
Plan added · May 27, 2026
WordPress.com removed the "Starter" plan
Plan removed · May 27, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
Sources & Data Trail · Ghost
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-30)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
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Sources & Data Trail · WordPress.com
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-27)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.4/5 · 2,707 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.6/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.PeerSpot·PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews