Framer vs Ghost
Framer is a closed-source site builder that runs 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.
- Framer Site builder · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in
- Ghost Traditional · Open source · 10 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Framer 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 | Hosted visual site builder with a CMS, hosting and AI agents. Designers build pages on a canvas. Run by Framer. | 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. | Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated | Ghost 6, self-hosted open source and Ghost(Pro) Version 6.65.0, released 22 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Framer B.V. framer.com | Ghost Foundation (non-profit) ghost.org |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | No self-hosting Vendor cloud A paid plan is required to connect a custom domain. | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Ghost(Pro) Starter allows only the default theme and no custom integrations. |
| Built with | Hosted SaaS with React code components | Node.js, JavaScript, Handlebars themes |
| Database | Managed by Framer | MySQL |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free plan. Basic $10, Pro $30 per site per month billed yearly. Extra editors $20 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. | Not available You build collections in the editor or sync them through the Plugin and Server APIs. 313 | 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 13 | Not available |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in Components with properties that content editors can change on-page. 14 | 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. | Plugin or add-on Translation locales add-on, $20 per locale per month. One free locale to try. 117 | 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 Generates 512 to 4096 px variants served through srcset. 8 | Built in Ghost generates theme-defined image sizes automatically. 5 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Limited Server API in open beta, through the framer-api package over WebSocket. No plain REST. 23 | 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 Webhooks cover form submissions only. 10 | 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 | 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 CMS items can stay in draft. 13 | 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 No native scheduling. Third-party Marketplace plugins add it. 18 | Built in Scheduled publishing only. |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Built in Version history and rollback of published versions. 67 | 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 Canvas editing and on-page editing of the live site. 14 | 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 Editors review and merge Pro branches. Only Deploy permission publishes. No stages. 45 | 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. | Paid tier Branching on Pro groups changes and ships them in one merge. 15 | 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 Free workspaces allow up to three editors. 1 | Not available |
| Access and governance | ||
| Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. | Limited Fixed roles plus Design, Content and Deploy permissions per project. No role builder. 4 | 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. | Paid tier Enterprise. 116 | 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. | Not available Not documented publicly. | 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 A workspace holds many site projects, each on its own plan. 4 | Not available |
| Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. | Built in Plugins add custom panels and tools to the editor. 11 | Not available The admin app has no extension points. |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Framer Marketplace. 12 | Limited Theme marketplace only. Ghost has no plugin system. 2 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Built in Native forms. Submissions can also go to a webhook. 10 | 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. | Built in Agents write, rewrite and translate content. AI credits meter usage. 115 | Not available |
| Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. | Not available No MCP server. External Agents, in preview, link AI tools through a CLI and skills. 9 | Not available Community MCP servers only. 11 |
Framer sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise.
- Framer pricing
- Framer update: Server API (February 2026)
- Framer Developers: Server API introduction
- Framer Help: members, roles and permissions
- Framer: collaboration with branches, reviews and staging
- Framer: publish with staging, hosting and rollback
- Framer Help: staging and versions
- Framer Help: how Framer optimizes images
- Framer External Agents
- Framer Help: connect Framer forms to a webhook
- Framer Developers: plugins introduction
- Framer Marketplace plugins
- Framer CMS
- Framer Help: on-page editing
- Framer blog: Framer 3.0 with Agents and Branching
- Framer Enterprise
- Framer Help: localization
- Framer CMS Scheduler plugin (third party)
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 Framer and Ghost with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Framer and Ghost get a different status on 17 of the 28 features and the same status on 11. Framer has 14 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
- Framer is closed source (Proprietary). Ghost is open source (MIT).
- Self-hosting
- Framer cannot be self-hosted. Ghost can be self-hosted.
Built in on Framer, a different answer on Ghost 9
- Content model in the UI Framer: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Drafts Framer: Built in. Ghost: Limited.
- Visual editing Framer: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Real-time co-editing Framer: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Multiple sites Framer: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Extensible admin UI Framer: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- Plugin marketplace Framer: Built in. Ghost: Limited.
- Form builder Framer: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
- AI writing assistant Framer: Built in. Ghost: Not available.
Built in on Ghost, a different answer on Framer 5
- REST API Framer: Limited. Ghost: Built in.
- Webhooks Framer: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
- Scheduled publishing Framer: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
- Audit log Framer: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
- Site member accounts Framer: Not available. Ghost: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 3
- Localization Framer: Plugin or add-on. Ghost: Not available.
- Content releases Framer: Paid tier. Ghost: Not available.
- Custom roles Framer: Limited. Ghost: Not available.
More comparisons
Framer against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Framer
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- Framer vs Optimizely CMS
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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
- Directus vs Ghost
- Drupal vs Ghost
- EmDash vs Ghost
- FirstSpirit 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
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