The modern publishing platform built for independent writers. Clean, fast, and focused on what matters — your writing.
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform built specifically for writers and independent publishers. It launched in 2013 as a reaction to WordPress becoming bloated, and it has stayed true to that vision ever since.
It has a beautiful editor, blazing-fast performance, built-in newsletters (so your blog can also be an email newsletter), native RSS, memberships, and clean SEO — all without plugins.
There are two ways to run it: Ghost(Pro) managed hosting (they handle everything) or self-host on your own server.
Ghost is open source and free to self-host. Ghost(Pro) is their managed hosting service — you're paying for convenience, not the software.
You want a clean writing experience without distractions. Ghost's editor is one of the best — markdown support, drag-and-drop images, and cards for rich content.
You want to publish on your blog AND send to email subscribers from the same place. Ghost does both natively — no plugins or integrations needed.
You want your blog to load instantly and look professional out of the box. Ghost themes are minimal and performant by default.
Before you start
Recommended for most people
Head to ghost.org and create an account. Choose the Starter plan ($9/mo) — it's plenty for a personal blog. Pick your subdomain (you'll connect your custom domain next).
In your Ghost admin panel, go to Settings → General → Publication URL. Update your DNS by adding a CNAME record pointing to your Ghost(Pro) instance. SSL is automatic — Ghost handles the certificate for you.
Ghost ships with Casper, a clean and solid default theme. The Ghost marketplace has both free and premium themes if you want something different.
Recommended free themes: Casper (default), Edition, and Alto.
Start with Casper. It's clean, fast, and well-maintained. You can always change themes later — your content stays the same.
Click “New post” — Ghost's editor uses markdown and cards. Cards let you embed images, galleries, code blocks, bookmarks, and more.
Set a featured image, add tags, write an excerpt. Preview it, then hit publish.
Your RSS feed lives at yourdomain.com/rss/. Ghost includes full content in RSS by default, which is great for readers.
See our How to Add RSS guide for more details on making the most of your feed.
For those comfortable with a terminal
If you prefer to run Ghost on your own infrastructure, you'll need an Ubuntu VPS (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, etc.), Node.js, and MySQL. Ghost provides official install instructions using their Ghost-CLI tool.
Use a reverse proxy (nginx or Caddy) in front of Ghost and set up Let's Encrypt for SSL. The Ghost-CLI handles most of this for you on supported setups.
Self-hosting Ghost saves money ($5/mo VPS vs $9+/mo Ghost Pro) but you handle updates, backups, and server maintenance. If you're comfortable with a terminal, it's straightforward.
One of Ghost's standout features is that it can send your blog posts as emails to subscribers — no third-party service needed.
Having your blog and newsletter in one place is genuinely great. Your subscribers get email, everyone else can read on the web or via RSS. No tool juggling.
Recommended
Budget-friendly
Ghost software is free — you're paying for hosting either way. Ghost(Pro) simply means you don't have to manage the server yourself.
Use tags to organize your posts from the start — it'll save you time later.
Set up your newsletter on day one, even if you have zero subscribers.
Write 3-4 posts before sharing your blog — give people something to browse.
Explore Ghost's "internal tags" (tags starting with #) for organizing without showing tags publicly.
Connect your blog to the indie web — submit to directories, join webrings, and link to other bloggers.
Need more customization and plugins? WordPress offers unlimited flexibility. Want even simpler? Try our simple platforms.