Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ghost VS Flodesk

Compare Ghost VS Flodesk and see what are their differences

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.

Flodesk logo Flodesk

Simple, Flat rate, Unlimited, All-in-one newsletter solution.
  • Ghost Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-10
  • Flodesk Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13

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.

Flodesk features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Flodesk offers an intuitive, drag-and-drop email builder that is easy for beginners to use, allowing quick creation of visually appealing emails without technical skills.
  • Beautiful Templates
    The platform provides a variety of aesthetically pleasing templates that help users create professional-looking emails effortlessly, which can save time on design work.
  • Flat Pricing Model
    Flodesk's pricing is simple and does not scale per subscriber count, making it predictable and potentially cost-effective for growing email lists.
  • Strong Branding Focus
    The tool is designed to help users maintain consistent brand visuals, supporting customized fonts, colors, and logo integration to match a brand’s aesthetic.
  • Integrated Form Builder
    Flodesk includes a form builder that allows users to create custom opt-in forms, enhancing lead capture directly through the same interface.

Possible disadvantages of Flodesk

  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Flodesk may lack some advanced email marketing features such as A/B testing and detailed automation workflows, which may not suit the needs of more experienced users.
  • Integration Limitations
    Flodesk's integration options are somewhat limited compared to competitors, potentially requiring additional tools or workarounds to connect with other platforms.
  • Performance Analytics
    The platform provides basic analytics, but lacks in-depth data analysis or reporting features, which could hinder those who need detailed campaign performance insights.
  • No Free Plan
    Flodesk does not offer a free plan, only a free trial, which might deter users who are looking for a cost-free option to start their email marketing journey.
  • Mobile Optimization Limitations
    While it offers mobile-responsive templates, some users may find the level of mobile optimization less refined in comparison to competitors that offer more customization in this area.

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

Ghost videos

Why I Moved My Blog From WordPress to Ghost

More videos:

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

Flodesk videos

Flodesk Review & Walk-through: The best email marketing tool for VISUAL PERSON?

More videos:

  • Review - Honest Flodesk Review + Top 3 Email Marketing Providers
  • Review - Convertkit vs. Flodesk: Which Email Marketing Software We Use and WHY

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ghost and Flodesk)
Blogging
100 100%
0% 0
Email Marketing
0 0%
100% 100
CMS
99 99%
1% 1
Email Newsletters
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Ghost and Flodesk. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

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

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

Flodesk Reviews

9 best link in bio tools for Instagram 
You can personalize your form in less than five minutes. From custom links to your brand colors, fonts, and images, add your unique touch effortlessly. To top it off, Flodesk Link in bio automatically integrates with email and e-commerce capabilities and provides powerful analytics to help you grow, nurture, and sell online. Together, this makes it the perfect choice for any...
Source: flodesk.com
10 top Linktree alternatives for a personalized link in bio
A Link in bio lets you redirect followers to the places that matter most to your business, like your online store and email list—where you can continue communicating, nurturing, and selling to your subscribers, all from your Flodesk account.
Source: flodesk.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ghost seems to be a lot more popular than Flodesk. While we know about 189 links to Ghost, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Flodesk. 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 / 4 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 / 27 days 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

Flodesk mentions (3)

  • How to achieve this effect? (link in desc)
    Hi, I'm creating an elementor site and I'm wondering if it's possible to just use Elementor Pro to achieve the scrolling effects like this website? https://flodesk.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there a service (paid or free) where I can create email designs and download the entire mailer as an HTML file?
    Here's the URL for Flodesk without the affiliate link: https://flodesk.com. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Flodesk vs Klaviyo for the most sleek aesthetic email templates?
    I am considering Flodesk or Klaviyo as I am looking for a simple drag-n-drop email marketing tool with beautiful templates strictly focused on extremely sleek, editorial-like, aesthetically-polished design. Source: almost 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ghost and Flodesk, 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.

Pico - A stupidly simple and blazing fast, flat file CMS

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

Zoho Campaigns - Smart email marketing software that helps you reach your target audiences, engage in a personalized way, and grow your brand presence.

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.

EmailOctopus - Email marketing for less, via Amazon SES