Ghost vs Squarespace
Ghost and Squarespace are both website builders tools. Ghost is aimed at creators and small businesses, while Squarespace is aimed at small businesses and creators. Ghost costs less, from $18/mo versus $25/mo for Squarespace. Only Ghost has a free plan.
Open-source publishing with memberships
Design-led websites with commerce
| Pricing | Open source · $18 | Paid · $25 |
| Starting price | $18/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Creators, Small businesses | Small businesses, Creators |
| Platforms | web | web, ios, android |
| Country | SG · 2013 | US · 2003 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Ghost if
Writers, publishers and companies who want an owned, SEO-strong publication with memberships and no revenue share.
- No revenue share on memberships
- Open source and self-hostable
- Fast, SEO-friendly and focused on publishing
Look elsewhere if: Marketing sites with many page types or people wanting Substack's built-in discovery network.
Choose Squarespace if
Creatives and small businesses wanting a beautiful site with minimal effort.
- Beautiful designs out of the box
- All-in-one simplicity
- Reliable hosting
Look elsewhere if: Large stores (Shopify) or content-heavy sites (WordPress).
Ghost vs Squarespace pricing
Ghost
- Self-hosted$0MIT license; you run the server and email
- Starter$18/mo$15/mo billed yearly; 1,000 members, 1 staff user
- Publisher$35/mo$29/mo billed yearly; 1,000 members, 3 staff users
- Business$239/mo$199/mo billed yearly; 15 staff users
- CustomCustomUnlimited members and staff
Squarespace
- Basic$25/mo$19/mo billed annually; 2% store fee, 7% digital fee
- Core$39/mo$29/mo billed annually; 0% store fee, 5% digital fee
- Plus$65/mo$49/mo billed annually; 0% store fee, 1% digital fee
- Advanced$139/mo$99/mo billed annually; 0% store and digital fees
Ghost · Key features
- Modern editor with cards, embeds and SEO settings
- Built-in newsletters with Mailgun delivery
- Paid memberships and tiers via Stripe, 0% fees
- Themes (Handlebars) and custom domains
- Native analytics, comments, recommendations and ActivityPub
- REST and Content APIs; self-hostable under MIT
Cons
- Not a general-purpose site builder
- Theme customization requires Handlebars and code
- Self-hosting needs server skills
Squarespace · Key features
- Award-winning design templates
- E-commerce with products and subscriptions
- Acuity scheduling integration
- Email campaigns and member areas
- Domains and hosting included
- Blueprint AI site builder
Cons
- Less flexible than WordPress
- E-commerce features behind Shopify
- Slower page builder for complex layouts
Ghost vs Squarespace: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Ghost or Squarespace?
Ghost starts at $18/mo and Squarespace at $25/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Ghost and Squarespace have a free plan?
Ghost has a free plan. Squarespace has no free plan, a 14-day free trial.