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CMS comparison Ghost vs Statamic

Ghost vs Statamic

Ghost is an open-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Statamic is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 19.

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  • Ghost Traditional · Open source · 10 of 28 built in
  • Statamic Traditional · Closed source · 8 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Ghost on 29 Sept 2026, Statamic 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 Statamic feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Ghost Traditional
Statamic Traditional
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).Laravel-based PHP CMS that stores content in flat files by default. Free Core edition. Pro adds users, APIs and multi-site. You host it.
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 Statamic 6, Core and Pro Version 6.34.1, released 23 Sept 2026
Vendor Ghost Foundation (non-profit) ghost.org Statamic, LLC statamic.com
Licence Open source MIT Closed source Proprietary, source available. Core is free to use.
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Ghost(Pro) Starter allows only the default theme and no custom integrations. Self-hosting No vendor cloud
Built with Node.js, JavaScript, Handlebars themesPHP, Laravel, Vue
Database MySQLFlat files by default, SQL databases via the Eloquent Driver
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 Core free for one admin user. Pro $349 per site, then $99 per year for updates. Enterprise from $10k per year.
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 Blueprints and fieldsets are YAML files in the project. 4
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Not available Built in Blueprint builder in the Control Panel. 4
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 Replicator and Bard sets. 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. Paid tier Multi-site and multilingual content need Pro. 61
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 Glide resizes and crops on request. 7
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Content API and Admin API. 12 Paid tier Read-only REST API on Pro. 8
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Paid tier Read-only GraphQL API on Pro. 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 Laravel events only. No webhook settings in core.
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 Antlers or Blade templates.
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 Paid tier Working copies of live entries need Revisions on Pro. Core has unpublished entries. 101
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Scheduled publishing only. Limited Future-dated entries stay private until their date. Set per collection. 11
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 Paid tier Revisions on Pro. 10
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in 121
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 Limited Live Preview shows the edit form beside the page. No click-to-edit. 12
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 Not available Approval workflows are on the roadmap as planned. 19
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 Plugin or add-on Free first-party Collaboration addon. Requires Pro. 18
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 Roles and permissions need Pro. 131
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Not available Field conditions depend on field values. User roles can't drive them. 4
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 Pro via Laravel Socialite providers such as SAML2. Enterprise tier lists SSO. 1521
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 Enterprise tier, from $10k per year, lists audit logging. 121
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available Paid tier Pro. 61
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 fieldtypes, widgets and Control Panel pages. 17
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 Statamic Marketplace for addons. 18
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Member signup forms only. Limited Core allows one form. Pro removes the limit. 116
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 Member accounts, registration and login tags need Pro. 1416
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 Community MCP servers only. 11 Not available Third-party addons only, such as MCP Server for Statamic by Cbox. 20

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

Where they differ

Ghost and Statamic get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Ghost has 10 built in on its baseline edition, Statamic has 8. 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). Statamic is closed source (Proprietary, source available. Core is free to use.).
Vendor cloud
Ghost has a vendor-run cloud. Statamic has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Ghost, a different answer on Statamic 6

  • REST API Ghost: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Webhooks Ghost: Built in. Statamic: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Ghost: Built in. Statamic: Limited.
  • Version history Ghost: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Ghost: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Site member accounts Ghost: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.

Built in on Statamic, a different answer on Ghost 4

  • Content model in code Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Built in.
  • Content model in the UI Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Built in.
  • Extensible admin UI Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Ghost: Limited. Statamic: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 9

  • Localization Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • GraphQL API Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Drafts Ghost: Limited. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Visual editing Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Ghost: Limited. Statamic: Not available.
  • Real-time co-editing Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Plugin or add-on.
  • Custom roles Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Ghost: Not available. Statamic: Limited.

More comparisons

Ghost against other platforms

Statamic against other platforms

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