Ghost vs MODX Revolution
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Ghost | MODX Revolution |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 55,413 | ★ 1,411 |
| First released | 2013 | 2005 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Substack, Medium | WordPress, Drupal |
What are Ghost and MODX Revolution?
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
MODX Revolution
MODX Revolution is an open-source content management system and web application framework that imposes no constraints on markup or design. It is used to build custom websites and applications.
- Complete design freedom
- Flexible templating
- Extensible with packages
- Granular permissions
Ghost vs MODX Revolution: key differences
Ghost is written in TypeScript, while MODX Revolution is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Ghost versus GPL-2.0 for MODX Revolution. MODX Revolution is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Ghost. MODX Revolution is the more established project (first released 2005), while Ghost arrived in 2013. Ghost has the considerably larger community, at 55,413 GitHub stars versus 1,411.
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 MODX Revolution if…
- No markup constraints
- Good for custom builds
Watch out for
- Steeper learning curve
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghost or MODX Revolution better?
Neither is universally better. Ghost has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ghost and MODX Revolution free and open-source?
Yes. Ghost is licensed under MIT and MODX Revolution under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ghost and MODX Revolution with Docker?
Ghost: yes. MODX Revolution: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ghost or MODX Revolution?
MODX Revolution has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Ghost. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.