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CMS comparison Decap CMS vs Ghost

Decap CMS vs Ghost

Decap CMS is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Ghost is an open-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 17.

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  • Decap CMS Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
  • Ghost Traditional · Open source · 10 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Decap CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Ghost on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
Decap CMS vs Ghost feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Decap CMS Headless
Ghost Traditional
Overview
What it is Open-source Git-based CMS. A React admin app added to your site edits Markdown, YAML or JSON files and commits them to your repository.Open-source Node.js publishing platform with built-in newsletters, memberships and paid subscriptions. Self-hosted or run on Ghost(Pro).
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview. Version 3.16.3, released 22 Sept 2026 Ghost 6, self-hosted open source and Ghost(Pro) Version 6.65.0, released 22 Sept 2026
Vendor Decap CMS project (formerly Netlify CMS), maintained in Europe decapcms.org Ghost Foundation (non-profit) ghost.org
Licence Open source MIT Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Decap Turbo, a hosted backend for login and Git access, is in public preview. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Ghost(Pro) Starter allows only the default theme and no custom integrations.
Built with JavaScript, ReactNode.js, JavaScript, Handlebars themes
Database Your Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea or AzureMySQL
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. The Decap Turbo hosted backend, in public preview, has a Free plan and Pro at €19 per month. Free to start Free to self-host. Ghost(Pro) Starter $18, Publisher $29, Business $199 per month, billed yearly.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Built in Collections and fields are defined in config.yml. 6 Not available Fixed model of posts, pages, tags and members.
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Not available Not available
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in List widget with variable types. 7 Built in Fixed set of editor cards plus reusable snippets. 10
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Side-by-side editing per locale, stored per folder, file or field. 8 Not available One content language per site.
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Not available Media goes to the repo or an external media library. Built in Ghost generates theme-defined image sizes automatically. 5
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Not available Content is files in Git. Read them through the Git host API. 2 Built in Content API and Admin API. 12
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available Use the Git host's webhooks on commit. Built in Via custom integrations. Not available on Ghost(Pro) Starter. 42
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Pairs with a static site generator. 2 Built in Handlebars themes.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Editorial workflow keeps drafts on a branch until merged. 9 Limited Edits to a published post go live on Update. No pending draft. 13
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Not available Built in Scheduled publishing only.
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Not available History lives in Git. The CMS has no revision view. Built in Post history with one-click restore. 6
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Preview pane with custom templates and styles. 10 Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Limited Preview pane beside the form. No click-to-edit on the live page. 10 Not available The admin toolbar on the live site links to the editor. 9
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Fixed Drafts, In review and Ready stages. No per-stage permissions. 9 Limited Contributors draft and Editors publish. No configurable stages. 7
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Not available
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Not available Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has a custom roles add-on at €19 per month on Pro. Core uses Git access. 1214 Not available Fixed staff roles. 7
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Limited Sign-in runs through the Git host or Turbo. SAML only where the Git host enforces it. 413 Paid tier Ghost(Pro) Custom plan only. Not in self-hosted Ghost. 2
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has an activity log on its Free plan. Core has Git history only. 12 Built in History log of staff actions. 8
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo organizations share members across sites. Turbo is in public preview. Extra sites €10/month. 1412 Not available
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom widgets, preview templates and editor components. 1110 Not available The admin app has no extension points.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Not available No official extension directory. Limited Theme marketplace only. Ghost has no plugin system. 2
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Not available Member signup forms only.
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Built in Members with free and paid tiers. 3
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Not available Not available
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available Not available Community MCP servers only. 11

Considering more platforms? Compare Decap CMS and Ghost with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Decap CMS and Ghost get a different status on 17 of the 28 features and the same status on 11. Decap CMS has 6 built in on its baseline edition, Ghost has 10. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Built in on Decap CMS, a different answer on Ghost 4

  • Content model in code Decap CMS: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • Localization Decap CMS: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • Drafts Decap CMS: Built in. Ghost: Limited.
  • Extensible admin UI Decap CMS: Built in. Ghost: Not available.

Built in on Ghost, a different answer on Decap CMS 8

  • Image transformations Decap CMS: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
  • REST API Decap CMS: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
  • Webhooks Decap CMS: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
  • Renders the website Decap CMS: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing Decap CMS: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
  • Version history Decap CMS: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
  • Audit log Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Ghost: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Decap CMS: Not available. Ghost: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • Visual editing Decap CMS: Limited. Ghost: Not available.
  • Custom roles Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Ghost: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Decap CMS: Limited. Ghost: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Ghost: Not available.
  • Plugin marketplace Decap CMS: Not available. Ghost: Limited.

More comparisons

Decap CMS against other platforms

Ghost against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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