Now booking enterprise content platform builds for 2026. Contact us

Join us
Contact us

What we build

Who it's for

How we engage

Case studies

Industries

Partnerships

About

Writing

Tools

For startups Join us
Contact us
CMS comparison FirstSpirit vs Ghost

FirstSpirit vs Ghost

FirstSpirit is a closed-source enterprise DXP 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 20.

Book a call
  • FirstSpirit Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in
  • Ghost Traditional · Open source · 10 of 28 built in

Sources checked: FirstSpirit 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
FirstSpirit vs Ghost feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
FirstSpirit Enterprise DXP
Ghost Traditional
Overview
What it is Java-based enterprise CMS with in-preview editing and a CaaS layer for headless delivery. Runs as FirstSpirit Cloud or on-premises.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. FirstSpirit 5.2 monthly release line, FirstSpirit Cloud and on-premises Version 2026.10 (5.2.261011), released 15 Sept 2026 Ghost 6, self-hosted open source and Ghost(Pro) Version 6.65.0, released 22 Sept 2026
Vendor Crownpeak Technology GmbH, part of Rezolve Ai since December 2025 firstspirit.com Ghost Foundation (non-profit) ghost.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting Vendor cloud Ghost(Pro) Starter allows only the default theme and no custom integrations.
Built with Java, ContentCreator web client, SiteArchitect desktop appNode.js, JavaScript, Handlebars themes
Database Built-in repository, plus SQL databases such as PostgreSQL for data sourcesMySQL
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing 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 Templates sync to files in Git through external synchronization and FSDevTools. 34 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. Limited Developers build templates in SiteArchitect but write their forms as XML. 412 Not available
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Pages consist of sections based on section templates. 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 Language-dependent fields per project language. 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 FirstSpirit automatically generates the image resolutions defined per project. 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 CaaS REST API. 56 Built in Content API and Admin API. 12
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in CaaS GraphQL API generated from the FirstSpirit data model. 56 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Limited CaaS Change Streams push change events over WebSocket. 6 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. Built in Generates pages from templates. CaaS covers headless delivery. 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 Changes stay unreleased until the release workflow runs. 8 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 Admins set up timed schedule entries. Editors have no per-item publish date. 10 Built in Scheduled publishing only.
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in 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 ContentCreator in-preview editing. Omnichannel Manager for headless frontends. 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. Built in 8 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. Limited Release with dependencies publishes a page with its linked media and parents. 9 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 The Collaboration module adds comments on fields. No co-editing. 11 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Groups with permissions per store and node. Not available Fixed staff roles. 7
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Limited Form rules hide or lock single fields per user group. 12 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in SAML and OpenID Connect login modules. 1314 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. Built in Audit logging to the server log once enabled. 15 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. Built in Several projects per server. Multisite Management shares content between them. 16 Not available
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in ContentCreator and SiteArchitect plug-ins. Not available The admin app has no extension points.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in FirstSpirit Marketplace. 17 Limited Theme marketplace only. Ghost has no plugin system. 2
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Formcentric for FirstSpirit, a partner product. 18 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. Plugin or add-on AI Suite module: Content, Analyze and Image assistants. 117 Not available
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in CaaS Platform MCP server builds and runs CaaS GraphQL queries. 19 Not available Community MCP servers only. 11

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

Where they differ

FirstSpirit and Ghost get a different status on 20 of the 28 features and the same status on 8. FirstSpirit has 19 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
FirstSpirit is closed source (Proprietary). Ghost is open source (MIT).
Free option
FirstSpirit has no free option. Ghost has a free option.

Built in on FirstSpirit, a different answer on Ghost 12

  • Content model in code FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • Localization FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • GraphQL API FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • Drafts FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Limited.
  • Visual editing FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • Approval workflows FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Limited.
  • Custom roles FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • Single sign-on FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • Extensible admin UI FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
  • Plugin marketplace FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Limited.
  • Official MCP server FirstSpirit: Built in. Ghost: Not available.

Built in on Ghost, a different answer on FirstSpirit 3

  • Webhooks FirstSpirit: Limited. Ghost: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing FirstSpirit: Limited. Ghost: Built in.
  • Site member accounts FirstSpirit: Not available. Ghost: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • Content model in the UI FirstSpirit: Limited. Ghost: Not available.
  • Content releases FirstSpirit: Limited. Ghost: Not available.
  • Field-level permissions FirstSpirit: Limited. Ghost: Not available.
  • Form builder FirstSpirit: Plugin or add-on. Ghost: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant FirstSpirit: Plugin or add-on. Ghost: Not available.

More comparisons

FirstSpirit against other platforms

Ghost against other platforms

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.

Book a 25-min call Or email us instead