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CMS comparison Ghost vs Strapi

Ghost vs Strapi

Ghost is an open-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Strapi is an open-source headless 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 18.

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  • Ghost Traditional · Open source · 10 of 28 built in
  • Strapi Headless · Open source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Ghost on 29 Sept 2026, Strapi 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 Strapi feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Ghost Traditional
Strapi Headless
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).Open-source Node.js headless CMS with a visual content-type builder, self-hosted or run on Strapi Cloud. Paid plans add governance features.
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 Strapi 5 CMS, free Community edition with paid Growth and Enterprise plans for self-hosted projects Version 5.55.1, released 24 Sept 2026
Vendor Ghost Foundation (non-profit) ghost.org Strapi strapi.io
Licence Open source MIT Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Ghost(Pro) Starter allows only the default theme and no custom integrations. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Strapi Cloud removed its free plan in 2026. Hosting starts at the Starter plan.
Built with Node.js, JavaScript, Handlebars themesTypeScript, Node.js, React
Database MySQLPostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite
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 Community free. Growth $45 per month with 3 seats, then $15 per seat. Cloud from $35 per project per month.
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 Content types are schema.json files in the project. 19
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 Content-type Builder works in development mode only. 16
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 Components and dynamic zones. 216
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
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 Generates small, medium and large sizes on upload. No crops on request. 15
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Content API and Admin API. 12 Built in 2
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Plugin or add-on Official GraphQL plugin. 14
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 Built in 218
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. Not available
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 Draft & Publish. 2
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Scheduled publishing only. Paid tier Growth plan, by scheduling a Release. 6
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 Content History keeps 14 days on Growth, 30 to 90 days on Enterprise. 7
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in Basic preview is free. Side-by-side Live Preview needs Growth. 5
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 Paid tier On Growth, editors double-click content in Live Preview to edit it. 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 Review Workflows on Enterprise. 9
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Paid tier Releases on Growth and Enterprise. 6
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 Built in Unlimited admin roles on Community. 28
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Built in 8
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 Enterprise, or a $150 per month add-on on Growth. 211
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 plan. 10
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. Not available The admin app has no extension points. Built in 20
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 Strapi Marketplace. 2
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Member signup forms only. Not available
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 Built in Users & Permissions feature for end users. 17
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Not available Paid tier AI translation and image alt text on Growth. Not yet available on Enterprise. 212
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 Built in. Developers switch it on in the server config. 13

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

Where they differ

Ghost and Strapi 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, Strapi has 15. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Built in on Ghost, a different answer on Strapi 4

  • Renders the website Ghost: Built in. Strapi: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Ghost: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Version history Ghost: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Ghost: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.

Built in on Strapi, a different answer on Ghost 9

  • Content model in code Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Content model in the UI Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Localization Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Drafts Ghost: Limited. Strapi: Built in.
  • Custom roles Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Field-level permissions Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Extensible admin UI Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Ghost: Limited. Strapi: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • GraphQL API Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Approval workflows Ghost: Limited. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Content releases Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • AI writing assistant Ghost: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Strapi vs Payload.

Ghost against other platforms

Strapi against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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