Squarespace vs Ghost

Side-by-side feature comparison and pricing breakdown.

Feature
Content Editor Ghost's editor is optimized for long-form writing
Built-In Memberships Ghost has native free and paid membership management
Newsletter System Ghost has built-in email newsletters; Squarespace needs integrations
Website Design Templates Squarespace has more design-focused templates
E-Commerce Squarespace has full ecommerce; Ghost handles digital subscriptions
ActivityPub/Social Web Ghost v6 supports federated publishing
Native Analytics
Self-Hosting
Pricing
$16/mo
Free Open Source
Save 100% — Save ~$16/mo (100% savings when self-hosting Ghost vs Squarespace Personal)

Verdict

Ghost is purpose-built for publishers and content creators, with native memberships, newsletters, and paid subscriptions that Squarespace can't match. Squarespace is the better general-purpose website builder, but Ghost wins decisively for blogging and publishing.

Best for: Writers, publishers, and content creators who want to monetize through memberships and newsletters

Last updated: 2026-03-01