Ghost vs Orchard Core
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
Orchard Core
Modular, multi-tenant CMS built on ASP.NET Core
| Feature | Ghost | Orchard Core |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | JavaScript | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 54,707 | ★ 8,148 |
| First released | 2013 | 2018 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Substack, Medium | Sitecore, WordPress |
Why pick each one
Choose Ghost if…
- Excellent for newsletters and memberships
- Clean, fast publishing experience
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghost or Orchard Core better?
Ghost is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Orchard Core if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ghost and Orchard Core free and open-source?
Yes. Ghost is licensed under MIT and Orchard Core under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ghost and Orchard Core with Docker?
Ghost: yes. Orchard Core: yes.