Ghost vs WonderCMS
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
WonderCMS
Tiny flat-file CMS that is one of the smallest available
| Feature | Ghost | WonderCMS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 54,707 | ★ 736 |
| First released | 2013 | 2008 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Substack, Medium | WordPress |
Why pick each one
Choose Ghost if…
- Excellent for newsletters and memberships
- Clean, fast publishing experience
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghost or WonderCMS better?
Neither is universally better. Ghost has the larger community, while WonderCMS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ghost and WonderCMS free and open-source?
Yes. Ghost is licensed under MIT and WonderCMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ghost and WonderCMS with Docker?
Ghost: yes. WonderCMS: yes.