Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ghost VS Hashnode

Compare Ghost VS Hashnode 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.

Hashnode logo Hashnode

A friendly and inclusive Q&A network for coders
  • Ghost Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-10
  • Hashnode Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-08-24

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.

Hashnode features and specs

  • Developer-Focused Community
    Hashnode is tailored specifically for developers, fostering a specialized community where you can share technical content and engage with like-minded individuals.
  • Free Custom Domain
    Hashnode allows you to link a custom domain to your blog for free, enabling you to build a personal brand without additional costs.
  • SEO Optimization
    The platform is designed to be SEO-friendly, which helps your posts rank better on search engines, increasing visibility and reach.
  • Markdown Support
    Hashnode supports Markdown, making it easy for developers to write and format their content efficiently.
  • Analytics
    The platform provides built-in analytics, allowing you to track the performance of your posts and understand your audience better.
  • Community Engagement
    Hashnode has features like comments and reactions to facilitate interaction with readers and other community members.

Possible disadvantages of Hashnode

  • Limited Customization
    While you can link a custom domain, the customization options for the blog's appearance and functionality are limited compared to self-hosted solutions.
  • Developer Niche
    The focus on a developer community can be a double-edged sword if your content appeals to a broader audience, as the reach might be limited.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying on a third-party platform means you are subject to their policies, rules, and potential changes in service.
  • Content Export
    If you decide to move your blog to another platform, exporting your content can be less straightforward compared to self-hosted solutions.
  • Feature Limitations
    While Hashnode offers various features, it may not provide the extensive range of functionalities available with other blogging platforms or custom-built websites.

Ghost videos

Why I Moved My Blog From WordPress to Ghost

More videos:

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

Hashnode videos

Take Your Online Presence to the Next Level with Hashnode

More videos:

  • Review - Hashnode: giving voice to people with a blogging platform for Developers - with Sandeep Panda
  • Tutorial - How To Use Custom CSS To Make Your Hashnode Blog Awesome

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ghost and Hashnode)
Blogging
88 88%
12% 12
CMS
84 84%
16% 16
Web App
0 0%
100% 100
Blogging Platform
90 90%
10% 10

User comments

Share your experience with using Ghost and Hashnode. 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 Hashnode

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

Hashnode Reviews

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
Hashnode is the best place to go for free knowledge sharing. Because we want to foster a good relationship between you and your readers, they don't show any ads or pop-ups on the articles developers share.
Source: www.notchup.com
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
Hashnode is an online developer community and blogging platform that allows developers to share their experiences, insights, and tutorials. It provides a supportive space for developers to build their personal brand, connect with others, and engage in discussions about software development.
Source: www.qodo.ai
25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Hashnode is a one-stop platform to start blogging as a developer. If you are a developer or tech person, you can start writing with hashnode.
Source: forgefusion.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Ghost might be a bit more popular than Hashnode. We know about 187 links to it since March 2021 and only 132 links to Hashnode. 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 (187)

  • Indie Hacking with Open Source Tools: Innovating on a Budget
    Modern publishing tools like Ghost accommodate sleek content presentation. - Source: dev.to / 2 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 / 2 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 / 3 months ago
  • Using GitHub as a Free Content Management System
    Under a lot of other circumstances, I’d have simply used a hosted solution like Ghost, but I really wanted to embrace the file-over-app philosophy, especially After the recent controversies surrounding certain software products suddenly ceasing support. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • WordPress Is in Trouble
    There is Ghost at least: https://ghost.org/ https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost However, it has recently shifted to more limited audience. (payed subscription-based content with different tiers). - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
View more

Hashnode mentions (132)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ghost and Hashnode, 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.

DEV.to - Where software engineers connect, build their resumes, and grow.

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

Drupal - Drupal - the leading open-source CMS for ambitious digital experiences that reach your audience across multiple channels. Because we all have different needs, Drupal allows you to create a unique space in a world of cookie-cutter solutions.

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

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.