Ghost is a focused publishing platform optimized for bloggers and newsletters with built-in membership features, while Webflow is a visual website builder offering complete design freedom and e-commerce capabilities for professionals and agencies. Ghost costs $29/month minimum while Webflow starts at $14/month but charges separately for hosting.
Ghost vs Webflow — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Self-hosted or managed blogging platform with built-in memberships and newsletter functionality.
Visual web design and hosting platform with built-in CMS and ecommerce, no coding required.
Primary Use Case. Starting Price (Monthly). Design Flexibility. Built-in Membership System. E-commerce Capabilities. Learning Curve. Hosting Included
Choose Ghost if you're a blogger, writer, or publisher focused on content monetization through subscriptions and newsletters—it's purpose-built for editorial workflows with integrated membership tools. Choose Webflow if you're a designer, agency, or business needing complete design control, e-commerce functionality, or client site management with professional-grade capabilities.
Ghost: Variable by creator | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Advanced (meta tags, sitemaps, structured data) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Full custom themes and CSS control | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Minimal, relies on external traffic | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Subscriptions, memberships, ads, sponsorships | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: $18 (starter plan) | Webflow: $12/month
Ghost: Built-in (native feature) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 2-3 limited options | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 0% (self-hosted) or $25-333/month (managed) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 30-60 minutes plus hosting | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Full creator ownership (self-hosted) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Newsletter, comments, member walls | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Complete; full white-label | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 2-5 days (processor dependent) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Unlimited (self-hosted limits by server) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Web-only; no native apps | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Not disclosed (smaller ecosystem) | Webflow: ~200,000 active creators (estimated)
Ghost: $199/year (Ghost Pro) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 9/10 (full code access) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 30-60 minutes (with setup) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 400+ (through open-source ecosystem) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 100% (creator owns all) | Webflow: N/A
Average Writer Earnings (Partner Program)
Ghost: Variable (unlimited potential) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 10/10 (full control) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: $29 (Ghost Pro) / Free (self-hosted) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: No additional fees | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: No built-in limit; integrates Stripe/PayPal | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 15-20 professional themes | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Native segmentation, automation, design builder | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Built-in tiers, gating, paywalls, analytics | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Basic XML sitemaps, structured data, redirects | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 14 days for Ghost(Pro) | Webflow: 14 days
Ghost: 10,000 | Webflow: 0 (requires integration)
Ghost: Scales to 1,000,000+ | Webflow: 100 (before degradation)
Ghost: Self-hosted only | Webflow: Limited free tier (3 projects max)
Ghost: Yes (full tier support) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Full-featured publishing platform | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Yes (full self-hosting available) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Yes (extensive public API) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: $29 (Professional plan) | Webflow: $14/month
Ghost: Segmentation, A/B testing, automation workflows | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Unlimited custom tiers | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Full REST API with custom code access | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: $348 (Professional) + hosting | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: ~1.2s average | Webflow: ~2.1s average
Ghost: 14 days (self-hosted free indefinitely) | Webflow: 14 days
Ghost: Yes (native) | Webflow: No (requires apps)
Ghost: 150+ via Zapier/API | Webflow: 300+ native apps
Monthly Newsletter Subscriber Allowance (Free Tier)
Ghost: 200+ | Webflow: 58,000+ Zapier integrations
Ghost: <1% | Webflow: 0.8% of all websites
Ghost: Native, built-in feature | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: $29 (Ghost Pro managed) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Native memberships with paywalls | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Basic product pages; not primary focus | Webflow: Native: products, inventory, cart, checkout, shipping calculations
Ghost: Built-in with automation and segmentation | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Yes (Ghost Pro); No (self-hosted requires setup) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: $0 (self-hosted) or $199 (managed) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 0-10% (platform fee varies by plan) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 120+ minutes (requires hosting setup) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Unlimited (full code access) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Articles, newsletters, audio, video, courses, memberships, podcasts | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: No native recommendation algorithm | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Full REST API with webhooks and custom integrations | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Yes, with automation | Webflow: No
Ghost: Theme-based (~30% customization) | Webflow: 100% visual control
Monthly Bandwidth Included (Starter Plan)
Ghost: Self-hosted: 60-120 min; Managed: 15-20 min | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: ~1.2 million publishers (estimated) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Complete; full JSON export, subscriber lists accessible | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 3 methods (subscriptions, memberships, email sponsorships) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Stripe coverage: 195+ countries | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Segmentation, conditional logic, A/B testing, automation workflows | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: $29 (Ghost Pro) or $0 (self-hosted) | Webflow: $14
Ghost: Yes - native paywall with Stripe | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Basic (simple sequences, limited conditions) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: Full CMS with custom themes, SEO tools, member-only content | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: No - requires custom development or third-party | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 7 (self-hosted) or 3 (Pro) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: $29 (Ghost Pro) or $0 (self-hosted) | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: 50+ via Zapier, direct integrations minimal | Webflow: N/A
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: $168-468 (sites only)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 150-5,000 (plan dependent)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: ~1,500 integrations
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Full (inventory, shipping, payments, subscriptions)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Advanced (custom collections, relations, filtering)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Moderate (manual setup required)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Steep (requires web design knowledge)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Advanced (AI-powered, 5+ concurrent tests)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: $12/month (free plan available)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Production-grade; supports 1000s of dynamic pages/items
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Full custom CSS, JavaScript, and HTML support
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Webflow AI for design generation, CMS, and developer workflows
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 100+ professionally designed templates
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Integrated, fast, with strong SEO and security controls
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Enterprise-grade (supports unlimited collections)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Standard breakpoints (6-8 default)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Webflow AI design and CMS assistance
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Real-time collaboration (2026 feature)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Agencies, enterprises (80% of agency usage)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Pixel-perfect, unlimited interactions
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Up to 100,000 (collections limited)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 50,000 (Basic), scales to millions on higher plans
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Unlimited on all plans
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 4-8 hours (with templates)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 12-20 weeks (requires custom backend)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Full control (title, meta description, OG tags, structured data)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: $12/month (Webflow Basic plan)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: $12-165/month (includes hosting)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: ~500 integrations (via Zapier/Make)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 0.5-1 hour (visual builder, guided setup)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: <1% (Webflow Shop limited)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 99.9% (built-in guarantee)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Basic CMS only, no relations
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Full custom CSS and pixel-level precision
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 9 native features (sitemaps, meta, schema, redirects, robots.txt)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Full API with webhooks
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Full code editing available
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Via Zapier integrations
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Not available (paid only)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Native integrations with 200+ tools
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Full SEO suite included
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Yes (dynamic collections)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: No, custom code only
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Advanced (redirects, structured data, sitemap control)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Full (variants, subscriptions, inventory)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 1,000+ approved integrations
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: ~5GB (CMS limited)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: CSS/JavaScript in designated areas
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Webflow-managed global CDN
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Basic REST, limited workflows
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Native meta tags, sitemap, SSL, open graph
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Scroll triggers, click interactions, hover states
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: No (custom code blocks only)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 5+ (Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Sezzle)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Sitemaps, canonicals, 301 redirects, structured data, robots.txt
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 5 (limited CMS integration)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 0 (blank canvas approach)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 9/10 (custom meta, schema, redirects)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Yes (HTML/CSS export + hosted project)
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Unlimited with CSS/HTML access
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Yes—export all code
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Yes, included in all plans
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: 2.3% of all websites
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Yes, Webflow Ecommerce native
Ghost: N/A | Webflow: Limited free plan (Webflow free)
Ghost vs Webflow — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Ghost vs Webflow. Contains 234 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Ghost vs Webflow — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Ghost vs Webflow.
Can I sell products on Ghost or Webflow?
Webflow has full built-in e-commerce with product listings, inventory management, variants, and payment processing. Ghost has no native e-commerce—it's designed for content and memberships only. If you need to sell physical or digital products, Webflow is the only choice between these two.
Which is better for a membership newsletter business?
Ghost is purpose-built for this use case. It includes native subscription management, email newsletter automation, member-only content paywalls, and Stripe integration—all included in the base price. Webflow would require third-party integrations like Memberstack ($25-99/month) to replicate these features.
Do I need coding knowledge to use Ghost or Webflow?
Ghost requires no coding for basic setup and content creation—it's optimized for non-technical users. Webflow also doesn't require coding for visual design, but understanding web design principles (layout, typography, spacing) is helpful. Both offer developer-friendly export options for advanced customization.
What are the real total costs comparing both platforms?
Ghost starts at $29/month (all-in) for small publishers. Webflow's entry plan is $14/month for sites, but e-commerce sites cost $29/month. For memberships on Webflow, add Memberstack ($25+/month). A comparable Ghost setup (blog + newsletter + memberships) costs $29/month with no additional fees.
Can I migrate from one to the other later?
Migrating from Ghost to Webflow is possible—you can export content and rebuild designs, but it's manual work. Webflow to Ghost is easier for content; you export posts and reimport them. Both platforms support open standards for content portability, but switching designs requires rebuilding. Plan your platform choice carefully for long-term use.
Primary Use Case: Ghost has Blogging, newsletters, memberships, while Webflow has Web design, e-commerce, custom sites.
Starting Price (Monthly): Ghost has $29, while Webflow has $14.
Design Flexibility: Ghost has Theme-based, limited customization, while Webflow has 100% visual control, pixel-perfect.
Built-in Membership System: Ghost has Yes, native subscriptions, while Webflow has No, requires third-party integration.
E-commerce Capabilities: Ghost has None, while Webflow has Full e-commerce with payments.
Learning Curve: Ghost has Very low, content-focused, while Webflow has Moderate to high, design-focused.
Hosting Included: Ghost has Yes, while Webflow has Yes (in plan pricing).