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CMS comparison Ghost vs HubSpot CMS

Ghost vs HubSpot CMS

Ghost is an open-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. HubSpot CMS is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 18.

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  • Ghost Traditional · Open source · 10 of 28 built in
  • HubSpot CMS Site builder · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Ghost on 29 Sept 2026, HubSpot CMS 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
Ghost vs HubSpot CMS feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Ghost Traditional
HubSpot CMS Site builder
Overview
What it is Open-source Node.js publishing platform with built-in newsletters, memberships and paid subscriptions. Self-hosted or run on Ghost(Pro).HubSpot's hosted CMS and site builder, sold as Content Hub. Pages and blogs connect to the HubSpot CRM, and HubSpot hosts every site.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Ghost 6, self-hosted open source and Ghost(Pro) Version 6.65.0, released 22 Sept 2026 Content Hub: Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Ghost Foundation (non-profit) ghost.org HubSpot, Inc. hubspot.com
Licence Open source MIT Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Ghost(Pro) Starter allows only the default theme and no custom integrations. No self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with Node.js, JavaScript, Handlebars themesHubL templates, HubSpot CLI
Database MySQLManaged by HubSpot, with HubDB for structured data
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free to self-host. Ghost(Pro) Starter $18, Publisher $29, Business $199 per month, billed yearly. Free to start Free plan for 2 users. Starter $20 per seat per month. Pro from $450 per month for 3 seats. Enterprise from $1,500.
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 Fixed model of posts, pages, tags and members. Built in Theme and module fields live in fields.json, synced with the HubSpot CLI. 3
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Not available Paid tier Module fields in Design manager on Starter. HubDB tables on Professional. 14
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Fixed set of editor cards plus reusable snippets. 10 Built in Drag-and-drop modules and sections. 5
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Not available One content language per site. Built in Free tools cover 3 languages, Starter 50, Professional unlimited. 16
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Ghost generates theme-defined image sizes automatically. 5 Built in Automatic resizing plus the HubL resize_image_url function. 7
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Content API and Admin API. 12 Built in CMS APIs for pages, blog posts and HubDB. 8
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Paid tier Content Hub Professional. 9
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Via custom integrations. Not available on Ghost(Pro) Starter. 42 Not available Webhooks API covers CRM objects. No page publish events. 10
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Handlebars themes. Built in HubL themes and templates on HubSpot hosting.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Limited Edits to a published post go live on Update. No pending draft. 13 Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Scheduled publishing only. Built in 118
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Post history with one-click restore. 6 Built in Restore previous versions on all plans. 12
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. Not available The admin toolbar on the live site links to the editor. 9 Built in Drag-and-drop editor edits the rendered page. 5
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Contributors draft and Editors publish. No configurable stages. 7 Paid tier Content approvals on Enterprise. 1
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Paid tier Content staging on Professional publishes staged pages together. 13
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. Not available Fixed staff roles. 7 Paid tier Permission sets on Enterprise. Per-user permissions on all plans. 14
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 Ghost(Pro) Custom plan only. Not in self-hosted Ghost. 2 Paid tier SAML SSO on Content Hub Professional and Enterprise. 15
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in History log of staff actions. 8 Paid tier Activity logging on Enterprise. 1
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available Paid tier Multisites on Enterprise. 1
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Not available The admin app has no extension points. Built in Custom modules and their fields appear in the page editor. 3
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Limited Theme marketplace only. Ghost has no plugin system. 2 Built in HubSpot Marketplace for apps and themes. 16
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Member signup forms only. Built in
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Members with free and paid tiers. 3 Paid tier Memberships on Professional with 2 access groups and Enterprise with 100. 12
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Not available Built in Breeze generates and refines content in editors on all plans. 17
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available Community MCP servers only. 11 Built in Remote HubSpot MCP server reads site pages, landing pages and blog posts. 18

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

Where they differ

Ghost and HubSpot CMS get a different status on 18 of the 28 features and the same status on 10. Ghost has 10 built in on its baseline edition, HubSpot CMS has 16. 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
Ghost is open source (MIT). HubSpot CMS is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Ghost can be self-hosted. HubSpot CMS cannot be self-hosted.

Built in on Ghost, a different answer on HubSpot CMS 3

  • Webhooks Ghost: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Not available.
  • Audit log Ghost: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Site member accounts Ghost: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.

Built in on HubSpot CMS, a different answer on Ghost 9

  • Content model in code Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Localization Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Drafts Ghost: Limited. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Visual editing Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Extensible admin UI Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Ghost: Limited. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Form builder Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • Content model in the UI Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • GraphQL API Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Approval workflows Ghost: Limited. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Content releases Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Ghost: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.

More comparisons

Ghost against other platforms

HubSpot CMS against other platforms

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