Ghost vs PublicCMS
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
PublicCMS
High-performance Java content management system
| Feature | Ghost | PublicCMS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 54,707 | ★ 2,085 |
| First released | 2013 | 2015 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Substack, Medium | WordPress |
Why pick each one
Choose Ghost if…
- Excellent for newsletters and memberships
- Clean, fast publishing experience
Choose PublicCMS if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghost or PublicCMS better?
Ghost is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider PublicCMS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ghost and PublicCMS free and open-source?
Yes. Ghost is licensed under MIT and PublicCMS under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ghost and PublicCMS with Docker?
Ghost: yes. PublicCMS: check the project docs for container support.