Ghost vs Wix
Ghost does one thing, publishing with members and email, and does it on code you can run yourself. Wix does almost everything with a drag-and-drop editor, and has no meaningful way out. Ghost prices by audience; Wix by plan tier, with a free ad-supported plan.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Ghost ifyou publish often, want paid memberships and 0% Ghost fees, and care about being able to leave.
Choose Wix ifyou want one builder for a small business site, with a free tier and a bundled domain in year one.
Ghost and Wix side by side
| Ghost | Wix | |
|---|---|---|
| Our website builder rank | #4 of 12 | #11 of 12 |
| Established in | Singapore | Israel |
| List price, 2 November 2026 | Self-host free; Starter $18, Publisher $29, Business $199 per month billed yearly | Free with ads; Light, Core, Business, Business Elite (location-based prices) |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Self-hostable | Yes | — |
| Built for | A publication with paid subscriptions | A small business site built once and left alone |
| Not for | A company website with services, cases and forms | A site you expect to still be growing in three years |
Both are reviewed in full in our website builder ranking: Ghost and Wix.
Where they differ
Ghost 2 · Wix 1 · open 1- 01
Free options
Wix has a Free plan with ads and a 14-day money-back guarantee on paid plans. Ghost has Try for free buttons and a self-hosted option under MIT licence. Both let you start without paying, in different ways.
Depends on the buyer
- 02
Members and subscriptions
Ghost lists paid subscriptions from Publisher up, with member import and export. Our Wix sources describe pages, hosting and AI tools but no subscription product. For reader revenue Ghost has the documented feature set.
Edge: Ghost
- 03
Range of site types
Wix will do almost anything, including a company site with services and forms. Ghost's own fit notes say it is not for a company website with services, cases and forms. Wix covers more ground.
Edge: Wix
- 04
Portability
Ghost lets a publication leave Ghost(Pro) for its own server, and its Content API is on all four plans. Wix has no meaningful export, so leaving means a rebuild. Ghost clearly wins here.
Edge: Ghost
When neither fits
If you need bespoke design, look at Webflow. If you want a tidier, more guided builder than Wix, Squarespace is the closer option.
Ghost or Wix: questions
3 answersIs Ghost free?
The software is free to self-host under the MIT licence. Managed Ghost(Pro) starts at $18 per month billed yearly.
Does Wix include hosting?
Yes, all Wix plans include hosting, and paid plans bundle a domain at no charge for year one.
Which is better for a company site?
Wix. Ghost's own notes say it is a poor fit for a company website with services, cases and forms.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026- Ghost pricing: plan prices, subscriptions, member import and export, Content API.
- Ghost on GitHub: MIT licence.
- Wix plans: plan names, hosting, free domain year one, money-back guarantee.
- Wix AI website builder: start free, no credit card.