# Ghost vs Squarespace

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Ghost

| Attribute | Ghost | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 71.7 (69% (medium)) | 58.1 (62% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 468 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 55,540 | - |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 15,292 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Ghost is a publishing platform that helps independent publishers create and host websites, publish content via email newsletters, and manage paid member subscriptions. It provides built-in tools for audience growth, subscriber engagement, and content distribution. It is indexed under CMS Software.","source":"https://ghost.org/pricing/","question":"What is Ghost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Ghost is a paid product; published pricing starts at $18 per month. It is sold across 4 plans (Starter, Publisher, Business and Custom). There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://ghost.org/pricing/","question":"How much does Ghost cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Ghost. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://ghost.org/pricing/","question":"What platforms does Ghost support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Ghost can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://ghost.org/pricing/","question":"Can Ghost be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 4 integrations for Ghost, including Slack, Zapier, n8n and BeyondWords. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://ghost.org/pricing/","question":"What does Ghost integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Ghost. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Ghost not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://ghost.org/privacy/","question":"What security certifications does Ghost have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Yes. Ghost is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost","question":"Is Ghost open source?","confidence":0.99},{"answer":"Ghost is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://ghost.org/pricing/","question":"Where is Ghost available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"A visual website builder platform that enables individuals and businesses to design and launch websites using drag-and-drop tools, commerce features, and appointment scheduling, without requiring technical knowledge. It is indexed under CMS Software.","source":"https://www.squarespace.com","question":"What is Squarespace?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Squarespace offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Squarespace Premium and Squarespace for Pros. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.squarespace.com","question":"Is Squarespace free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Squarespace. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.squarespace.com","question":"What platforms does Squarespace support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Squarespace, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.squarespace.com","question":"Can Squarespace be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Squarespace. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Squarespace not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.squarespace.com/security","question":"What security certifications does Squarespace have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source platform enabling content creators to manage websites, send newsletters, and offer paid subscriber memberships all in one unified system. Includes native analytics, content editor, and extensive integration support. | A visual website builder platform that enables individuals and businesses to design and launch websites using drag-and-drop tools, commerce features, and appointment scheduling, without requiring technical knowledge. |
| features.capabilities | `{"cms_type":"traditional","free_tier":true,"multisite":false,"open_source":true,"git_workflow":true,"headless_api":true,"localization":true,"self_hostable":true,"visual_builder":true,"managed_hosting":true,"content_workflow":true,"plugin_ecosystem":"8,000+ integrations","structured_content":true}` | `{"cms_type":"builder","free_tier":true,"open_source":false,"git_workflow":false,"self_hostable":false,"visual_builder":true,"managed_hosting":true}` |
| integrations.count | 8,000 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Zapier"},{"name":"n8n"},{"name":"BeyondWords"},{"name":"Stripe","native":true,"category":"payments","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"GitHub","native":true},{"name":"Google Analytics","category":"analytics"},{"name":"Plausible","category":"analytics"},{"name":"Instagram","category":"social"},{"name":"Tinybird","category":"analytics"}]` | - |
| language.primary | TypeScript | - |
| license.spdx | MIT | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","features":["Website hosting","Free custom domain","Email newsletters","Simple design settings","Unlimited email sends"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":18,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For solo blogs and newsletters","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"1,000","email_sends":"unlimited","staff_users":"1"}},{"free":false,"name":"Publisher","features":["Custom themes","8000+ integrations","Paid subscriptions","Advanced analytics","Whitelist branding","Internationalization","Marketplace themes"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For custom publications","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"staff_users":"3"}},{"free":false,"name":"Business","features":["Priority support","Higher usage limits","Early access to features"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":199,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For teams scaling up","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"staff_users":"15"}},{"free":false,"name":"Custom","features":["Advanced configurations","Dedicated IP address","99.9% uptime SLA","Unlimited members"],"description":"For more complex needs","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"members":"unlimited"}}],"summary":"From $18/mo. Free 14-day trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://ghost.org/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-10-15T09:23:23.029Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":18,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Squarespace Premium","description":"Advanced features, lowest processing rates, and priority support","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Squarespace for Pros","description":"Powerful enough for pros, easy enough for clients","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free trial available. Subscription-based pricing with Squarespace Premium and Squarespace for Pros tiers; specific pricing not provided in sourced text.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.squarespace.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T14:28:28.308Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | mid | low |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":18,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 5 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.70.0","date":"2026-10-13T15:11:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.70.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.69.0","date":"2026-10-07T13:58:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.69.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.68.0","date":"2026-10-06T15:27:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.68.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.67.0","date":"2026-09-29T17:23:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.67.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.66.0","date":"2026-09-29T17:30:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.66.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.65.0","date":"2026-09-22T15:28:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.65.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.64.0","date":"2026-09-15T15:15:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.64.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.63.0","date":"2026-09-08T20:21:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.63.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.62.0","date":"2026-09-01T15:33:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.62.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.61.0","date":"2026-08-27T10:12:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.61.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.60.0","date":"2026-08-25T15:30:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.60.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.59.0","date":"2026-08-19T20:27:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.59.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.58.0","date":"2026-08-18T16:07:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.58.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.57.1","date":"2026-08-10T20:39:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.57.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.57.0","date":"2026-08-07T15:32:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.57.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.56.0","date":"2026-08-04T17:48:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.56.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.55.0","date":"2026-07-31T16:17:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.55.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.54.1","date":"2026-07-27T20:46:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.54.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.54.0","date":"2026-07-24T15:43:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.54.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.53.0","date":"2026-07-17T15:43:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.53.0"}]` | - |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 3.8 | - |
| security.trust_center | https://ghost.org/privacy/ | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":41,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=ghost&per_page=100","last_12m":26,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` | - |

## Capabilities (CMS Software)

| Capability | Ghost | Squarespace |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| CMS type | Traditional / monolithic | Hosted website builder |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Managed / cloud hosting offered | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Headless API (REST/GraphQL) | ✓ | - |
| **Content** |  |  |
| Structured content modelling | ✓ | - |
| Localisation / i18n | ✓ | - |
| Content workflow / approvals | ✓ | - |
| **Editing** |  |  |
| Visual / no-code page builder | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Plugin / app ecosystem size | 8,000+ integrations | - |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Multi-site / multi-tenant | ✗ | - |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Git-based / code-first workflow | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free / open tier | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:15:32.489Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*