Directus vs Ghost
Directus is a closed-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.
- Directus Headless · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in
- Ghost Traditional · Open source · 10 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Directus 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Source-available data platform and headless CMS that puts a Studio admin app and REST and GraphQL APIs over your own SQL database. | 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. | Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud Version 12.4.1, released 23 Sept 2026 | Ghost 6, self-hosted open source and Ghost(Pro) Version 6.65.0, released 22 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Monospace Inc. directus.com | Ghost Foundation (non-profit) ghost.org |
| Licence | Closed source MSCL-1.0-GPL, source-available, GPL-3.0 after four years. Free under $5M revenue and 50 staff via the Open Innovation Grant | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Directus Cloud is a $99 per month add-on for Core and Team. Enterprise cloud on request. | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Ghost(Pro) Starter allows only the default theme and no custom integrations. |
| Built with | TypeScript, Node.js, Vue | Node.js, JavaScript, Handlebars themes |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDB | MySQL |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Core free for 3 seats and 25 collections. Team $499 per month billed yearly or $599 monthly. Enterprise on request. | 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 Schema snapshots are files in the repo, applied to an instance with the CLI. 16 | 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. | Built in | Not available |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in Page builders use many-to-any relations. 17 | 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 Translations field with related translation records. | 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. | Built in URL parameters and saved presets. 13 | Built in Ghost generates theme-defined image sizes automatically. 5 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in | Built in Content API and Admin API. 12 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Built in | Not available |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Built in Through Flows. Core allows 5 Flows. 219 | 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 | 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 Content versioning with a draft per item. 6 | 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. | Limited No schedule field. An official guide publishes future items with a scheduled Flow. 14 | Built in Scheduled publishing only. |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Limited Revisions kept 30 days on Core, 90 on Team, configurable on Enterprise. 2 | 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 | Built in |
| Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. | Built in Visual Editor module. The site adds the Directus frontend library. 7 | 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 Built from a status field and custom permissions, which need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 152 | 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. | Built in Collaborative Editing with field locking. 8 | Not available |
| Access and governance | ||
| Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. | Built in Unlimited roles on Core. Custom access policies need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 220 | Not available Fixed staff roles. 7 |
| Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. | Paid tier Custom permissions for fields and item rules need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 25 | Not available |
| Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. | Paid tier Team plan and up, or the grant. SAML, OpenID, OAuth 2.0 and LDAP. 211 | 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. | Limited Activity log kept 30 days on Core, 90 on Team, configurable on Enterprise. 212 | 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. | Not available | Not available |
| Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. | Built in Extensions add interfaces, layouts, panels and modules. | Not available The admin app has no extension points. |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18 | 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. | Built in API-only application users do not use Studio seats. 3 | 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. | Built in AI Assistant on every plan with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key. 29 | Not available |
| Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. | Built in Built in since 11.12. 10 | Not available Community MCP servers only. 11 |
Directus sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud.
- directus on the npm registry
- Directus pricing
- Directus docs: Licensing overview
- Monospace Sustainable Core License
- Directus docs: Access control
- Directus docs: Content versioning
- Directus docs: Visual Editor
- Directus docs: Collaborative Editing
- Directus docs: AI Assistant
- Directus docs: Directus MCP
- Directus docs: Single Sign-On
- Directus docs: Accountability
- Directus docs: Transform files
- Directus tutorial: Schedule future content with Flows
- Directus tutorial: Content approval workflows with custom permissions
- Directus tutorial: Promoting changes between environments
- Directus tutorial: Reusable blocks with many-to-any relationships
- Directus docs: Marketplace
- Directus docs: Send Directus webhooks to Clay with Flows
- Directus license, MSCL and v12 questions (Contensu)
Ghost sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Ghost 6, self-hosted open source and Ghost(Pro).
- Ghost releases on GitHub
- Ghost(Pro) pricing
- Ghost 6.0 changelog
- Webhooks (Ghost docs)
- Theme assets and responsive images (Ghost docs)
- Post history (changelog)
- Staff users (Ghost docs)
- History log (Ghost help)
- Your new admin toolbar (changelog)
- Intro to the editor (Ghost help)
- MFYDev/ghost-mcp on GitHub
- A new Ghost Admin API (changelog)
- Add option to save changes in published posts (Ghost Forum)
Considering more platforms? Compare Directus and Ghost with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Directus and Ghost get a different status on 17 of the 28 features and the same status on 11. Directus has 18 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.
- Licence
- Directus is closed source (MSCL-1.0-GPL, source-available, GPL-3.0 after four years. Free under $5M revenue and 50 staff via the Open Innovation Grant). Ghost is open source (MIT).
Built in on Directus, a different answer on Ghost 12
- Content model in code Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Content model in the UI Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Localization Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- GraphQL API Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Drafts Directus: Built in. Ghost: Limited.
- Visual editing Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Real-time co-editing Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Custom roles Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Extensible admin UI Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Plugin marketplace Directus: Built in. Ghost: Limited.
- AI writing assistant Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Official MCP server Directus: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
Built in on Ghost, a different answer on Directus 4
- Renders the website Directus: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
- Scheduled publishing Directus: Limited. Ghost: Built in.
- Version history Directus: Limited. Ghost: Built in.
- Audit log Directus: Limited. Ghost: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 1
- Field-level permissions Directus: Paid tier. Ghost: Not available.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Directus vs Payload.
Directus against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Directus
- Contentful vs Directus
- Contentstack vs Directus
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Directus
- Craft CMS vs Directus
- DatoCMS vs Directus
- Decap CMS vs Directus
- Directus vs Drupal
- Directus vs EmDash
- Directus vs FirstSpirit
- Directus vs Framer
- Directus vs HubSpot CMS
- Directus vs Hygraph
- Directus vs Instatic
- Directus vs Joomla
- Directus vs Keystone
- Directus vs Kirby
- Directus vs Liferay DXP
- Directus vs Optimizely CMS
- Directus vs Payload
- Directus vs Prismic
- Directus vs Progress Sitefinity
- Directus vs Sanity
- Directus vs Sitecore
- Directus vs Squarespace
- Directus vs Statamic
- Directus vs Storyblok
- Directus vs Strapi
- Directus vs TYPO3
- Directus vs Umbraco
- Directus vs Wagtail
- Directus vs Webflow
- Directus vs Wix
- Directus vs WordPress
- Directus vs Xperience by Kentico
Ghost against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Ghost
- Contentful vs Ghost
- Contentstack vs Ghost
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Ghost
- Craft CMS vs Ghost
- DatoCMS vs Ghost
- Decap CMS vs Ghost
- Drupal vs Ghost
- EmDash vs Ghost
- FirstSpirit vs Ghost
- Framer vs Ghost
- Ghost vs HubSpot CMS
- Ghost vs Hygraph
- Ghost vs Instatic
- Ghost vs Joomla
- Ghost vs Keystone
- Ghost vs Kirby
- Ghost vs Liferay DXP
- Ghost vs Optimizely CMS
- Ghost vs Payload
- Ghost vs Prismic
- Ghost vs Progress Sitefinity
- Ghost vs Sanity
- Ghost vs Sitecore
- Ghost vs Squarespace
- Ghost vs Statamic
- Ghost vs Storyblok
- Ghost vs Strapi
- Ghost vs TYPO3
- Ghost vs Umbraco
- Ghost vs Wagtail
- Ghost vs Webflow
- Ghost vs Wix
- Ghost vs WordPress
- Ghost vs Xperience by Kentico
Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.
We're booking content platform
engagements for 2026.
Twenty-five minutes to walk through the work and decide if we're the right team for it. Scoping and a fixed price come after.