Ghost vs ImpressPages
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Ghost
Professional publishing platform for blogs and newsletters
VS
ImpressPages
PHP CMS with inline drag-and-drop page editing
| Feature | Ghost | ImpressPages |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 54,707 | ★ 500 |
| First released | 2013 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Substack, Medium | WordPress, Wix |
Why pick each one
Choose Ghost if…
- Excellent for newsletters and memberships
- Clean, fast publishing experience
Choose ImpressPages if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghost or ImpressPages better?
Neither is universally better. Ghost has the larger community, while ImpressPages is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ghost and ImpressPages free and open-source?
Yes. Ghost is licensed under MIT and ImpressPages under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ghost and ImpressPages with Docker?
Ghost: yes. ImpressPages: yes.