Ghost vs Joomla

Ghost and Joomla are both CMS options. Here's how they compare on official platforms, features, and positioning — sourced from each vendor's own site, not from ratings or reviews.

Side-by-side summary

ComparingGhostJoomla

CategoryCMSCMS

Alternatives tracked23

PlatformsWebWeb, Self-hosted

Best for Ghost

Ghost positions itself for creators (YouTubers, bloggers, podcasters, musicians), publishers/journalists, businesses running content marketing, and developers.

Best for Joomla

Organizations that need multilingual websites, granular user permissions, and full design customization without licensing costs.

Feature comparison

Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.

Ghost

Custom site design/branding control
Rich publishing editor (galleries, video, audio, embeds)
Native email newsletter delivery with segmentation
Membership and paid-subscription management
Native analytics
0% payment processing fees (via Stripe integration)

Joomla

Built-in multi-language support for content and interface
Multi-user permission levels and access control groups
10,000+ free extensions and templates
Fully extensible developer framework for custom builds
Search-engine-optimized, mobile-responsive output
Unlimited design customization through templates
Completely free and open source with no vendor lock-in

Pros and cons

Ghost

Pros

Custom site design/branding control
Rich publishing editor (galleries, video, audio, embeds)
Native email newsletter delivery with segmentation
Membership and paid-subscription management
Native analytics
0% payment processing fees (via Stripe integration)

Cons

We don't publish a "cons" list for either product. No vendor's official site documents its own product's weaknesses, so there's no sourced basis for one — and we'd rather say that plainly than invent one.

Joomla

Pros

Built-in multi-language support for content and interface
Multi-user permission levels and access control groups
10,000+ free extensions and templates
Fully extensible developer framework for custom builds
Search-engine-optimized, mobile-responsive output
Unlimited design customization through templates
Completely free and open source with no vendor lock-in

Cons

Key differences

Ghost lists Custom site design/branding control, Rich publishing editor (galleries, video, audio, embeds), Native email newsletter delivery with segmentation, Membership and paid-subscription management, Native analytics, 0% payment processing fees (via Stripe integration) that Joomla doesn't list.
Joomla lists Built-in multi-language support for content and interface, Multi-user permission levels and access control groups, 10,000+ free extensions and templates, Fully extensible developer framework for custom builds, Search-engine-optimized, mobile-responsive output, Unlimited design customization through templates, Completely free and open source with no vendor lock-in that Ghost doesn't list.
Joomla supports Self-hosted, which Ghost doesn't list.

Choose Ghost if…

Choose Ghost if this fits: Ghost positions itself for creators (YouTubers, bloggers, podcasters, musicians), publishers/journalists, businesses running content marketing, and developers.

Choose Joomla if…

Choose Joomla if this fits: Organizations that need multilingual websites, granular user permissions, and full design customization without licensing costs.

Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.