# 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.

**Replaces:** WordPress.com / Squarespace

**Tier:** Easy

## 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.

## Stack

- [Ghost](https://ghost.org) — Open-source publishing, memberships, and newsletters
- [WordPress](https://wordpress.org) — Self-hosted CMS (WordPress.org, not WordPress.com)

## Estimated SaaS cost saved

| 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 |

**About $1,200 / year** on a small team, before you count lock-in.

## Deploy on Railway

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

[Start on Railway](https://c17.io/go/railway/ghost-cms?from=%2Fstacks%2Fghost-cms.md)

## AGENT_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.
```

## 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.

Source: https://c17.io/stacks/ghost-cms