What is the difference between Ghost and Divi?

Ghost is best for Bloggers and publishers who want a clean CMS, while Divi is best for WordPress users wanting a powerful visual builder. Ghost starts at $9/mo and Divi starts at $89/yr.

Is Ghost or Divi cheaper?

Ghost starts at $9/mo and is free. Divi starts at $89/yr.

Ghost vs Divi

Ghost is open-source publishing platform focused on professional blogging with membership and newsletter features, while Divi is visual page builder for WordPress with drag-and-drop design and 2000+ layouts. The biggest difference up front: Ghost is free, while Divi starts at $89/yr. Ghost is built for bloggers and publishers who want a clean cms, whereas Divi targets wordpress users wanting a powerful visual builder.

At a glance

	Ghost	Divi
Best for	Bloggers and publishers who want a clean CMS	WordPress users wanting a powerful visual builder
Starting price	$9/mo	$89/yr
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	✓	—
2000+ Layouts	—	✓
A/B Testing	—	✓
Memberships	✓	—
Newsletters	✓	—
Publishing	✓	—
SEO	✓	—
Theme Builder	—	✓
Visual Builder	—	✓

Ghost

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Includes Publishing as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Performance and SEO control is limited compared to custom-coded sites

Try Ghost → Full review

Divi

Strengths

Includes Visual Builder as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows
Includes 2000+ Layouts as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows
Pricing starts at $89/yr, which includes the full website builder feature set
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $89/yr — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Performance and SEO control is limited compared to custom-coded sites
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Divi → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Ghost is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Divi starts at $89/yr. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Ghost offers Memberships, Newsletters and Publishing that Divi lacks. Divi brings 2000+ Layouts, A/B Testing and Theme Builder that Ghost does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Ghost is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Divi is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Ghost's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. includes publishing as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows. Divi's biggest strengths are: includes visual builder as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows. includes 2000+ layouts as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows.

Watch out for: With Ghost, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Divi, the main complaint is that starts at $89/yr — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users.

Choose Ghost if...

You need a tool built for bloggers and publishers who want a clean cms
Budget is a hard constraint — Ghost is free, Divi is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Memberships and Newsletters
You care about includes publishing as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows

Choose Divi if...

You need a tool built for wordpress users wanting a powerful visual builder
You specifically need 2000+ Layouts and A/B Testing
You care about includes 2000+ layouts as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows