Ghost vs JustBlogged: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Ghost and JustBlogged side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Ghost
Professional publishing platform
Best for you if:
- • You want zero platform transaction fees on paid memberships, only standard Stripe fees apply
JustBlogged
Publish blogs on a custom HTTPS domain with SEO tools and scheduled posts
Best for you if:
- • Bloggers who want a hosted blog on their own custom domain
| At a Glance | Ghost | JustBlogged |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $18/mo, billed yearly Starter plan | Free plan, paid from $9/mo, billed monthly Pro plan |
Category | CMS Blogging Platforms | CMS Blogging Platforms |
Rating | 3.9/5 Capterra 4.8 · SourceForge 2.4 · G2 4.5 264 reviews | n/a |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Choose Ghost or JustBlogged?
Choose Ghost if
- You want zero platform transaction fees on paid memberships, only standard Stripe fees apply
- You want purpose-built for content monetization with native newsletters and subscriptions
Choose JustBlogged if
- Bloggers who want a hosted blog on their own custom domain
- You want publish blogs on a custom HTTPS domain with SEO tools and scheduled posts
In-Depth Analysis
Ghost
Professional publishing platform
Ghost's pricing is quite generous, especially with the robust free self-hosted option.
Strengths
- Pro: Zero platform transaction fees on paid memberships, only standard Stripe fees apply
- Pro: Purpose-built for content monetization with native newsletters and subscriptions
- Pro: Open source and fully self-hostable with no vendor lock-in
- Pro: Clean, fast editor that stays out of the way for long-form writing
- Pro: Strong SEO defaults including structured data, canonical URLs, and sitemaps
Weaknesses
- Con: Managed Ghost(Pro) pricing scales with member count, which gets expensive at scale
- Con: Theme customization requires Handlebars knowledge, no drag-and-drop page builder
- Con: Plugin ecosystem is limited compared to WordPress
- Con: Self-hosting requires Node.js server management and manual updates
- Con: No built-in commenting system, requires third-party integration
Key features
JustBlogged
Publish blogs on a custom HTTPS domain with SEO tools and scheduled posts
JustBlogged's pricing is exceptionally generous: the Free plan includes custom domains, HTTPS, SEO, and API access at no cost, while Pro at $9/month per blog is competitive with similar platforms like WordPress.com and Ghost.
Key features
Plans and prices: Ghost vs JustBlogged
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost |
| ghost.org/pricing read Oct 26, 2026 |
| JustBlogged |
| justblogged.com/pricing read Oct 27, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Ghost pricing and JustBlogged pricing.
Key Takeaways
Ghost
- Choose if you want professional publishing platform
JustBlogged
- Choose if you want publish blogs on a custom HTTPS domain with SEO tools and scheduled posts
What the data shows
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
- Only Ghost has a published user rating (3.9/5 from 264 reviews); JustBlogged has none we can show.
- Entry prices are not ranked, they are charged on different bases: Ghost $18/mo, billed yearly; JustBlogged $9/mo, billed monthly.
- Both have a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Ghost and JustBlogged compare in 2026?
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair. Only Ghost has a published user rating (3.9/5 from 264 reviews); JustBlogged has none we can show. Entry prices are not ranked, they are charged on different bases: Ghost $18/mo, billed yearly; JustBlogged $9/mo, billed monthly. Both have a free plan.
What are Ghost and JustBlogged used for?
Ghost: Professional publishing platform. JustBlogged: Publish blogs on a custom HTTPS domain with SEO tools and scheduled posts.
What does Ghost cost vs JustBlogged?
Ghost's cheapest paid plan is Starter at $18/mo, billed yearly; it also has a free plan. JustBlogged's cheapest paid plan is Pro at $9/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 27, 2026.
What's the main difference between Ghost and JustBlogged?
Ghost's main strength: zero platform transaction fees on paid memberships, only standard Stripe fees apply. JustBlogged focuses on publish blogs on a custom HTTPS domain with SEO tools and scheduled posts.