WordPress.com vs WordPress.org?

WordPress.com is the hosted product this page replaces. WordPress.org is the software you install. Same CMS family, different bill.

Stacks / Newsletter

Easy

Ghost / WordPress

A site and a publication you host. Ghost is the modern publisher; WordPress.org is the self-hosted CMS WordPress.com rents back to you.

The problem

WordPress.com Personal is $4/month billed annually. Squarespace Basic is $19/month billed yearly. Both are a hosted CMS with a meter. Ghost is MIT publishing (site + memberships + newsletters). WordPress.org is the software WordPress.com wraps.

Replaces

WordPress.com / Squarespace

Replace WordPress.com Replace Squarespace

Estimated SaaS saved

$1,200

per year, small team, before lock-in

Start on Railway

Sponsor this stack Tip jar

Placeholder: Ghost + MySQL (or SQLite) and a volume for images, or WordPress + MySQL. One public site. SMTP via Resend on send.

The stack

Ghost
Open-source publishing, memberships, and newsletters
WordPress
Self-hosted CMS (WordPress.org, not WordPress.com)

Cost table

You stop paying	Typical / year	Self-host instead
Squarespace Basic / Core	$1,200	Ghost or WordPress + hosting
WordPress.com paid plan	$1,200	WordPress.org on the same box

Agent setup prompt

Replace WordPress.com or Squarespace with Ghost (preferred) or self-hosted WordPress.

- Ghost: MySQL or SQLite, content on a volume, url set to the public domain. WordPress: MySQL + a volume for wp-content.
- Send member mail through Resend (send. subdomain). Lock wp-admin / Ghost admin.
- Import the existing posts. Write AGENT_PROMPT.md.

Also as markdown: /stacks/ghost-cms.md

FAQ

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org?: WordPress.com is the hosted product this page replaces. WordPress.org is the software you install. Same CMS family, different bill.