Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ghost VS ShortStack

Compare Ghost VS ShortStack and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

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.

ShortStack logo ShortStack

Shortstack is a website that allows you to create viral online events for your social media followers or other online audience.
  • Ghost Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-10
  • ShortStack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-20

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.

ShortStack features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    ShortStack offers a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for users to create custom campaigns without needing extensive technical knowledge.
  • Various Campaign Templates
    The platform provides a range of templates for different types of contests and promotions, which can save time and provide inspiration.
  • Robust Analytics
    ShortStack includes comprehensive analytics tools that help users monitor the performance of their campaigns in real-time.
  • Customizable Action-Gating
    Users can create action-gated content, such as requiring a user to like a page or enter an email address before viewing certain content.
  • Integration Options
    The platform integrates with various third-party applications like MailChimp, Google Analytics, and social media platforms, which can enhance the functionality of campaigns.
  • Responsive Design
    All templates and campaigns are designed to be mobile-responsive, ensuring a seamless experience across different devices.

Possible disadvantages of ShortStack

  • Cost
    The pricing can be quite high, especially for small businesses or individuals, which may limit accessibility.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic features are straightforward, more advanced features may require some time to learn and fully utilize.
  • Limited Customization in Lower Plans
    Some customization options are restricted to higher-tier plans, which can limit creativity and flexibility for users on basic plans.
  • Template Limitations
    Although there are various templates, some users find them restrictive and feel they lack the ability to fully customize to their needs.
  • Support Availability
    While support is generally helpful, it may not be available 24/7, which could be problematic if issues arise outside of business hours.

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 ShortStack

Overall verdict

  • ShortStack is generally well-regarded in the industry for its ease of use and wide array of features, making it a valuable tool for businesses seeking to enhance their digital marketing efforts. However, its suitability depends on specific business needs, and it might be more beneficial for small to medium-sized businesses rather than enterprises with more complex requirements.

Why this product is good

  • ShortStack is a versatile platform designed for creating custom landing pages, social media contests, and marketing tools. It is considered good due to its user-friendly interface, extensive template library, and robust integration options with popular social media platforms and email marketing services. It also provides detailed analytics and customer support, which enhances its usability for marketers.

Recommended for

  • Small businesses
  • Marketing agencies
  • Social media managers
  • Event organizers
  • Brands looking to engage users through contests and interactive content

Ghost videos

Why I Moved My Blog From WordPress to Ghost

More videos:

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

ShortStack videos

Getting Started with ShortStack

More videos:

  • Review - Shortstack Review 2020: Best Lead Generation & Marketing Automation Tool

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ghost and ShortStack)
Blogging
100 100%
0% 0
Marketing Platform
0 0%
100% 100
CMS
100 100%
0% 0
Business Growth Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

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

ShortStack Reviews

Best Linktree Alternatives of 2024
Analytics is another strong point of ShortStack, allowing users to track the success of their campaigns in real-time, and providing insights on engagement, conversions, and lead generation. This set of features makes ShortStack ideal for businesses combining link management with dynamic, interactive marketing efforts.
10 top Linktree alternatives for a personalized link in bio
ShortStack is way more than just a link-sharing tool. It has advanced features to support interactive campaign activities, like online challenges and giveaways. This makes it easy for you to amp up brand awareness and audience engagement.
Source: flodesk.com
13 Best Linktree Alternatives of 2023 (Ranked and Reviewed)
ShortStack is a customizable contesting platform that lets you create landing pages and run social media contests. You can use it to run different types of contests, including video contests, photo contests, quizzes, refer-a-friend, user-generated contests, and more.
11 Best Linktree Alternatives for Social Media (2023)
Templates: Shortstack offers a huge directory of templates. You can select the category of landing page you are building and sort out the available templates.
7 Tools To Optimize Your Instagram Bio Link
Your engagement levels are something to consider as well. If engagement is a problem for you, you may want to consider using ShortStack. Running a contest or giveaway may be the perfect way to revitalize an inactive audience.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ghost seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 189 times since March 2021. 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 / 18 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

ShortStack mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ShortStack yet. Tracking of ShortStack recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ghost and ShortStack, 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.

Gleam - Marketing apps designed to help you grow your Business

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

Woobox - Woobox helps you easily create powerful contests, sweepstakes, coupons, and more to grow your fans...

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.

ViralSweep - Grow your fans and increase sales with sweepstakes and giveaways.