Ghost vs Grav
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Grav
Fast flat-file CMS with no database required
| Feature | Ghost | Grav |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 55,413 | ★ 15,671 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Substack, Medium | WordPress, Squarespace |
What are Ghost and Grav?
Ghost
Ghost is a powerful open-source publishing platform built on Node.js, designed for professional bloggers, publications, and creators. It includes native membership, subscription, and email newsletter features alongside a fast, modern editor.
- Built-in membership and paid subscriptions
- Native email newsletters
- Fast modern editor
- SEO-optimized by default
Grav
Grav is a modern open-source flat-file CMS that requires no database, storing content in Markdown files. It is fast to deploy and well suited to blogs, documentation, and small to medium websites.
- No database needed
- Markdown-based content
- Plugin and theme ecosystem
- Fast page rendering
Ghost vs Grav: key differences
Ghost is written in TypeScript, while Grav is built with PHP. Grav is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Ghost. Ghost has the considerably larger community, at 55,413 GitHub stars versus 15,671.
Why pick each one
Choose Ghost if…
- Excellent for newsletters and memberships
- Clean, fast publishing experience
Watch out for
- Plugin ecosystem smaller than WordPress
- MySQL recommended for production
Choose Grav if…
- Trivial to back up and migrate
- Quick to set up
Watch out for
- Less ideal for very large sites
- Admin plugin needed for GUI editing
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghost or Grav better?
Neither is universally better. Ghost has the larger community, while Grav is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ghost and Grav free and open-source?
Yes. Ghost is licensed under MIT and Grav under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ghost and Grav with Docker?
Ghost: yes. Grav: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ghost or Grav?
Grav has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Ghost. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.