# Directus vs Ghost

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Directus

| Attribute | Directus | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 73.9 (47% (low)) | 65.1 (69% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 468 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 55,065 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 35,636 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Directus connects to existing or new SQL databases and automatically generates production-ready APIs, along with a visual management studio for team collaboration and content governance. It supports both self-hosting and cloud deployment, with built-in AI integration and MCP server support. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"cms_type":"headless","free_tier":true,"open_source":false,"headless_api":true,"localization":true,"self_hostable":true,"visual_builder":false,"managed_hosting":true,"content_workflow":true,"plugin_ecosystem":"Directus Marketplace with Sandbox SDK for safe third-party extensions","structured_content":true}` | `{"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}` |
| integrations.count | - | 4 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Zapier"},{"name":"n8n"},{"name":"BeyondWords"}]` |
| language.primary | - | JavaScript |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Community Cloud","features":["Unlimited users","Unlimited API requests","Unlimited bandwidth","Unlimited content collections and items","Unlimited content locales"],"description":"Completely free tier for demos, proofs-of-concept, and hobby projects","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Standard Cloud","features":["Configurable node types for vertical scaling","Horizontal auto-scaling","Region selection","Automated backups","Unlimited users","Unlimited API requests","Unlimited bandwidth","Unlimited content collections and items","Unlimited content locales","Global CDN"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"node-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.0347,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Usage-based pricing for small to medium production projects with auto-scaling and region selection","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise Cloud","features":["Dedicated single-tenant servers","Custom configuration","Custom extensions","Additional features and support"],"description":"Customizable offering for large projects and organizations with dedicated infrastructure and support","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Community Cloud free. Standard Cloud: $0.0347/node/hour. Enterprise: contact sales.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://directus.com/resources/quick-guide-self-service-pay-as-you-go-pricing-for-directus-standard-cloud","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:23:41.362Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0.0347,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$18/mo billed annually","features":["Your own website","Free custom domain","Email newsletter","Simple design settings","1 staff user","5MB file uploads","1,000 members"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":18,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"1000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Publisher","summary":"$29/mo billed annually","features":["3 staff users","Custom themes","8,000+ integrations","Paid subscriptions","Advanced analytics","100MB file uploads","3 newsletters","10,000 members"],"minSeats":3,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"10000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$199/mo billed annually","features":["15 staff users","Priority support","Higher usage limits","Early access to features","250MB file uploads","Unlimited members","0% transaction fees","Unlimited premium tiers","Unlimited special offers","10 newsletters","99.9% uptime SLA"],"minSeats":15,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":199,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Custom","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["Unlimited staff users","Advanced configurations","Dedicated IP address","99.9% uptime SLA","Unlimited members","Custom SSL certificate","Custom subdirectory install","SSO (Single Sign-On)"],"description":"For more complex needs","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"members":"unlimited"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Custom SSL certificate","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Custom subdirectory install","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $18/mo billed annually. Free 14-day trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://ghost.org/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:25:39.283Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":18,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | mid |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 4 |
| release.history | - | `[{"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"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.52.1","date":"2026-07-10T16:03:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.52.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.52.0","date":"2026-07-09T14:10:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.52.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.51.0","date":"2026-07-03T15:54:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.51.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.50.0","date":"2026-07-02T12:31:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.50.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.49.0","date":"2026-06-26T16:04:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.49.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.48.0","date":"2026-06-25T17:10:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.48.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.47.0","date":"2026-06-24T13:27:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.47.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.46.0","date":"2026-06-19T16:17:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.46.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.45.0","date":"2026-06-12T17:40:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.45.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.44.1","date":"2026-06-05T16:35:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.44.1"}]` |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.9 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 4.2 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| 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 | Directus | Ghost |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| CMS type | Headless / API-first | Traditional / monolithic |
| **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 | Directus Marketplace with Sandbox SDK for safe third-party extensions | 8,000+ integrations |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Multi-site / multi-tenant | - | ✗ |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Git-based / code-first workflow | - | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free / open tier | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T14:25:56.484Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*