Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ghost VS LiveJournal

Compare Ghost VS LiveJournal 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.

LiveJournal logo LiveJournal

Online blogging software - free for basic users!
  • Ghost Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-10
  • LiveJournal Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-02

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.

LiveJournal features and specs

  • Community Building
    LiveJournal fosters a strong sense of community, allowing users to join communities based on shared interests and engage in discussions.
  • Customizability
    Users can highly personalize their journals with a variety of themes, layout options, and custom HTML/CSS, making it possible to create a unique look and feel for their pages.
  • Privacy Options
    LiveJournal offers robust privacy controls, allowing users to make posts public, friends-only, or private, and even create custom friend groups for selective sharing.
  • Long-Form Content
    Unlike other social media platforms that focus on short, quick updates, LiveJournal is structured to support long-form content, which is ideal for detailed blog posts, stories, and essays.
  • Rich History
    Having been around since 1999, LiveJournal has a long-standing history and a wealth of content, providing a unique and nostalgic experience for some users.

Possible disadvantages of LiveJournal

  • Outdated Interface
    The user interface of LiveJournal can feel outdated and less intuitive compared to modern blogging and social media platforms.
  • Declining User Base
    LiveJournal has seen a decline in its user base over the years, which can make community engagement less vibrant compared to newer platforms.
  • Limited Integration
    The platform has limited integration with other social media and modern web services, making it less effective for cross-platform sharing and engagement.
  • Commercialization
    LiveJournal has undergone commercialization, including advertisements and sponsored content, which can detract from the user experience.
  • Censorship Concerns
    Especially since its acquisition by a Russian company, there have been concerns about content censorship and the moderation policies on LiveJournal.

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

LiveJournal videos

LiveJournal Review

More videos:

  • Review - What is LiveJournal?
  • Review - EMBARRASSING LIVEJOURNAL POSTS | Akilah Obviously

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ghost and LiveJournal)
Blogging
93 93%
7% 7
CMS
93 93%
7% 7
Blogging Platform
92 92%
8% 8
Website Builder
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Ghost and LiveJournal. 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 LiveJournal

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 platformโ€™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 donโ€™t already have a website, Ghost may be an appealing option as a Patreon alternative. However, customizations are limited, and youโ€™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

LiveJournal Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
LiveJournal allows users to share their life stories, give advice, and exchange ideas with each other. The platform differs from Medium where writers usually create long-form content based on their hobbies and expertise. LiveJournal provides opportunities for people to learn about othersโ€™ lives, whether itโ€™s through simple exchanges or more in-depth sharing of experiences.
Source: forgefusion.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ghost seems to be a lot more popular than LiveJournal. While we know about 194 links to Ghost, we've tracked only 8 mentions of LiveJournal. 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 (194)

View more

LiveJournal mentions (8)

  • I thought I'd give y'all an update.
    Awww, thanks! This means a lot to me! I, too, have an anxious mind and still, to this day I have to step back and ask myself why am I stressing about something when my focus needs to be on this other situation? The other thing I do that might help is I journal. I use livejournal.com but if you are artistic, you might like a handwritten journal. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Finally done the show!
    Desperate for more content, I listened to the 'Clear Eyes, Full Hearts' podcasts and they are okay but I find Stacey whatserface an incredibly annoying presenter. There's an absolute shedload of FNL fanfiction out there too, if you're into that kind of thing, ranging from light romantic fluff to heart-wrenching emotional observations about the characters' feelings to downright crack. I even started writing some... Source: over 2 years ago
  • livejournal password leak SOS
    Hi, I have no experience with this and I am hoping someone can help me. Remember the livejournal.com password dump? My 20 year old livejournal is now visible and has my full name. Of course I don't have the password or the email I used in 2004. Is there anyone who is willing and able to help me get the password for it so I can delete it? Source: over 2 years ago
  • Apparently Bing can control the suggestions if you just ask. (unless they're in a bad mood)
    It works fine. I can get it to read livejournal.com entries. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Buy pbn links cheap
    PBN, or blog network seo, is one of the 'expensive' gray SEO strategies, thus creating or receiving the service for a low price is impossible, or at best only PHP and zonk. PBN links can be formed on any platform, even free ones like Blogspot and WordPress.com, but the ones that are preferred and well-known for their benefits are still self-hosted paying ones. The blog networks seo is a collection of domains that... Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ghost and LiveJournal, 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.

Blogger - Publish your passions, your way. Create a unique and beautiful blog. Itโ€™s easy and free.

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

Tumblr - A feature rich and free blog hosting platform offering professional and fully customizable templates, bookmarklets, photos, mobile apps, and social network integration.

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.

Posthaven - Posthaven is the safe place for all your posts forever