Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ghost VS Anchor CMS

Compare Ghost VS Anchor CMS and see what are their differences

This page does not exist

Ghost logo Ghost

Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

Anchor CMS logo Anchor CMS

Free and lightweight blogging system
  • Ghost Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-10
  • Anchor CMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-18

Ghost

Website
ghost.org
$ Details
paid Free Trial $36.0 / Monthly (100k views/month, 2 users)

Ghost features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Ghost offers a clean and intuitive interface that makes content management straightforward, even for those without technical expertise.
  • Speed and Performance
    Ghost is built on modern technology like Node.js which makes it faster and more efficient compared to some traditional CMS platforms.
  • SEO Optimized
    Ghost comes built-in with SEO features like clean URLs, meta tags, and sitemaps which help in improving search engine rankings.
  • Customizable Themes
    Ghost supports a variety of themes that can be easily customized to fit the branding and functionality needs of a website.
  • Markdown Support
    Content creation in Ghost is made easy with Markdown support, allowing writers to focus on text rather than formatting.

Possible disadvantages of Ghost

  • Limited Plugin Ecosystem
    Compared to WordPress, Ghost has a more limited selection of plugins, which might restrict some functionalities users are looking for.
  • Higher Hosting Costs
    Ghost's official hosting is relatively expensive, making it less suitable for users on a tight budget.
  • Technical Knowledge Requirement
    While Ghost is user-friendly, setting it up on a custom server can require a higher level of technical knowledge compared to some other platforms.
  • Less Community Support
    The user community for Ghost is smaller compared to more established platforms like WordPress, which can make it harder to find support and resources.
  • Limited Ecommerce Capabilities
    Ghost is primarily a publishing platform and lacks the more advanced eCommerce functionalities that other CMS platforms might offer out of the box.

Anchor CMS features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Anchor CMS is known for its minimalistic approach, which means it has a smaller footprint and requires fewer server resources.
  • Markdown Support
    Content in Anchor CMS can be written using Markdown, providing a simpler and faster way to format text compared to traditional WYSIWYG editors.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, Anchor CMS allows developers to contribute to its development and customize the CMS according to their requirements.
  • Simple Interface
    The user interface is clean and straightforward, making it easy to navigate and use, even for beginners.
  • Customization
    Anchor CMS offers good customization capabilities, allowing users to create and manage different types of content with ease.
  • Developer-Friendly
    Due to its simple structure and clear codebase, Anchor CMS is easy for developers to extend and integrate with other systems.

Possible disadvantages of Anchor CMS

  • Limited Features
    Compared to other, more robust CMS platforms, Anchor CMS lacks many advanced features and plugins.
  • Small Community
    Anchor CMS has a relatively smaller community, which can make finding support and resources more challenging.
  • Less Frequent Updates
    The development and release cycle for updates and new features tend to be slower compared to more popular CMS platforms.
  • No Built-In SEO Tools
    Anchor CMS does not come with built-in SEO tools, which means additional effort is required to optimize content for search engines.
  • Limited Themes and Plugins
    The ecosystem of available themes and plugins is limited, offering fewer choices for customization and extending functionality.

Analysis of Ghost

Overall verdict

  • Ghost is a highly regarded platform for serious bloggers and publishers who want a minimalistic yet powerful content management system. It is especially beneficial for those who prefer a distraction-free writing environment with the capability to scale and customize as their needs grow.

Why this product is good

  • Ghost is a popular open-source platform designed for professional bloggers and publishers. It is known for its clean design, speed, and ease of use. Ghost offers robust features for content creation, management, and distribution while focusing on providing an optimal writing experience. Additionally, Ghost is built on modern technology stacks and offers flexibility through themes and integrations. It also supports membership and subscription models, making it ideal for those looking to monetize their content.

Recommended for

  • Professional bloggers
  • Content creators looking for a minimalist interface
  • Publishers seeking to monetize their content
  • Developers looking for an open-source platform
  • Organizations that require a fast and reliable CMS
  • Writers who value a focused writing experience

Analysis of Anchor CMS

Overall verdict

  • Anchor CMS is a good option for those who seek a simple, efficient, and customizable CMS without the bloat of more complex systems. It suits users who prioritize performance and simplicity over an extensive feature set.

Why this product is good

  • Anchor CMS is a lightweight and simple content management system designed for users who prefer a minimalist approach to website creation and content management. Its streamlined design focuses on providing a user-friendly interface, making it easy to set up and manage content. Being open-source, it allows developers to modify and customize the platform as needed, and it's known for its fast performance due to its minimalistic framework. Additionally, Anchor CMS supports Markdown, enabling users to write content in a format that's easy to read and edit.

Recommended for

  • Bloggers looking for a clean and easy-to-use platform.
  • Developers who want a lightweight, customizable CMS.
  • Users who prefer using Markdown for content creation.
  • Website owners who prioritize speed and simplicity over advanced features.

Ghost videos

Why I Moved My Blog From WordPress to Ghost

More videos:

  • Review - Ghost review - CMS for creators to build a membership

Anchor CMS videos

No Anchor CMS videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ghost and Anchor CMS)
Blogging
94 94%
6% 6
CMS
89 89%
11% 11
Blogging Platform
90 90%
10% 10
Website Builder
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Ghost and Anchor CMS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Ghost and Anchor CMS

Ghost Reviews

Comparing 9 WordPress alternatives & competitors in 2024
Ghost specializes in creating a monetized blogging platform. Based on their subscription status, readers can create user profiles, sign up for newsletters, and browse your entire blogging calendar. The platform’s singular focus on blogging makes it great for individuals and small teams, but it lacks features like real-time collaboration that are necessary for larger companies.
Source: webflow.com
19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
Ghost is known for its simplicity and focus on content creation. It's a great option for writers and creators who want a clean and distraction-free environment to publish their work.
Source: www.pixpa.com
7 Best Buy Me a Coffee Alternatives
If you don’t already have a website, Ghost may be an appealing option as a Patreon alternative. However, customizations are limited, and you’ll need to choose a pre-built design from the theme library. There are a few themes available, but most are priced from around $80 to $150. The Ghost API also gives you a way to publish content you create on the platform to another...
Source: wpforms.com
Top 10 Web Content Management Systems
Ghost is here as one of the first entries that can be classified as a pure headless CMS. Ghost is not only one of the best headless CMS options, but it also does so while being focused primarily on the blogger community. So if you have or are thinking about starting a large blogging operation featuring many different presentation layers, then Ghost is definitely for you....
Source: cloudzy.com
25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Ghost open-source blogging and the indirect medium alternative platform. Its interface makes blogging easy for users, but also offers SEO tools and other plugins that are built into the platform. This makes it simple for users to publish high-quality content without technical difficulties.
Source: forgefusion.io

Anchor CMS Reviews

We have no reviews of Anchor CMS yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ghost seems to be a lot more popular than Anchor CMS. While we know about 189 links to Ghost, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Anchor CMS. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Ghost mentions (189)

  • Project of the Week: Ghost 👻
    Ghost is a leading open-source publishing platform designed for modern creators, journalists, and businesses. Founded in 2013 as a non-profit organization, Ghost has grown to become a powerful alternative to traditional blogging platforms, with over 49,000 GitHub stars and a thriving ecosystem of themes and integrations. The platform focuses on providing beautiful, fast, and professional publishing tools, enabling... - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • Save Hours Managing Ghost with These Python Scripts
    I run the blog at Developer-Service.blog with a self-hosted Ghost instance. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Indie Hacking with Open Source Tools: Innovating on a Budget
    Modern publishing tools like Ghost accommodate sleek content presentation. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Indie Hacking Success Stories with Open Source Licenses
    Ghost: This open source blogging platform, available at Ghost, was kickstarted by a simple yet powerful idea—empowering writers with an elegant, customizable tool. The project’s MIT licensing has fostered a thriving community that collaborates to push the platform forward. Ghost’s journey demonstrates that when developers and users work together, innovation thrives. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Learning in public
    The other big option is to post blogs or notes. It's pretty simple to start a blog right here on Dev.to, or on Hashnode, two blogging platforms specifically for coding. There's also a great community platform on Codedex.io where you can write blog posts, although you do need to complete a few lessons to "unlock" the community features. In these cases, there's already an audience and community on the site, so it's... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
View more

Anchor CMS mentions (2)

  • No input file specified
    I'm running Anchor CMS and I just upgraded to version 0.8. When I try and run the installer I get a 'No input file specified' error. I believe it's more than likely a .htaccess problem but I'm not sure what the correct settings should be. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Suitable platform for an art gallery
    Nothing wrong with using WP as the platform for this. Alternatively you could try ClassicPress, Ghost or even Anchor. Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ghost and Anchor CMS, you can also consider the following products

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

ClassicPress - The WordPress fork. No Gutenberg. Great future!

Medium - Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

Sitecake - Drag and drop CMS for HTML websites. It's flat file CMS so it's pretty fast.

SquareSpace - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, e-commerce, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included.

Textpattern - Textpattern is an elegant content management system that is free, open source software.