Ghost vs Directus: CMS Comparison

A Blog Platform vs a Data Platform

Ghost and Directus are both called “CMS” tools, but they’re aimed at completely different use cases. Ghost is a publishing platform — it’s designed to write blog posts, manage newsletters, and build a content-driven website. Directus is a headless CMS and data platform — it wraps any SQL database with an API and admin panel, letting you model any data structure and consume it from any frontend.

Comparing them directly is a bit like comparing WordPress to PostgreSQL. Ghost gives you opinions about how content should work. Directus gives you a blank canvas.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Ghost	Directus
Core purpose	Blog/newsletter platform	Headless CMS / data platform
Content model	Posts, pages, tags, authors (fixed)	Custom collections (any schema)
Editor	Rich text (Koenig, block-based)	Rich text + any field type
API	Content API (read), Admin API (write)	REST + GraphQL (full CRUD)
Newsletter	Built-in (send to subscribers)	No
Membership/paywall	Built-in (free + paid tiers)	No
Themes	Handlebars templates	None (headless only)
Frontend	Included (server-rendered)	BYO (React, Vue, Astro, etc.)
User roles	Author, editor, admin	Granular, custom roles + permissions
Multi-language	Partial (community plugins)	Built-in (translations per item)
Webhooks	Yes	Yes
Database	MySQL (SQLite in dev)	PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, more
Language	Node.js	Node.js (TypeScript)
License	MIT	GPL-3.0 (BSL for cloud features)

Content Modeling

This is the fundamental difference.

Ghost has a fixed content model: Posts, Pages, Tags, Authors, Members, Tiers. You write posts in a block editor, assign tags, and publish. The structure is opinionated — and that’s a feature. You don’t spend time designing schemas; you spend time writing.

Directus has no predefined content model. You create collections (database tables) with whatever fields you need: text, numbers, files, relationships, JSON, geolocation, translations. Build a blog, a product catalog, an event schedule, or all three in the same instance. The flexibility is unlimited — but you design everything from scratch.

Content Task	Ghost	Directus
Blog with posts/tags/authors	Ready out of the box	Build the schema manually
Newsletter sending	Built-in	Integrate external tool
Product catalog	Not possible	Build the schema
Multi-language content	Limited	Built-in translations
Custom content types	Not possible	Core feature
Membership/paywall	Built-in	Build from scratch

API Design

Ghost exposes two APIs: Content API (public, read-only, for displaying content) and Admin API (authenticated, full CRUD, for managing content). Both are well-documented and predictable. The Content API uses a simple filter syntax for querying posts by tag, author, date, etc.

Directus generates a full REST and GraphQL API automatically from your data model. Every collection gets CRUD endpoints with filtering, sorting, pagination, and field selection. The API is powerful — you can query deeply nested relationships, apply complex filters, and aggregate data — but it’s generic rather than purpose-built for content delivery.

For a blog: Ghost’s Content API is simpler and faster to integrate. For complex data: Directus’s auto-generated API is more flexible.

Deployment

Ghost runs as a Node.js application with a MySQL or SQLite backend:

services:
  ghost:
    image: ghost:5.114.1
    environment:
      database__client: mysql
      database__connection__host: db
      database__connection__database: ghost
      database__connection__user: ghost
      database__connection__password: your-password
      url: https://your-domain.com
    volumes:
      - ghost-content:/var/lib/ghost/content
    ports:
      - "2368:2368"
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: mysql:8.4
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your-root-password
      MYSQL_DATABASE: ghost
      MYSQL_USER: ghost
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: your-password
    volumes:
      - ghost-db:/var/lib/mysql
    restart: unless-stopped

Directus runs as a Node.js application with any supported SQL database:

services:
  directus:
    image: directus/directus:11.5.0
    environment:
      DB_CLIENT: pg
      DB_HOST: db
      DB_PORT: 5432
      DB_DATABASE: directus
      DB_USER: directus
      DB_PASSWORD: your-password
      SECRET: your-random-secret
      ADMIN_EMAIL: [email protected]
      ADMIN_PASSWORD: your-admin-password
    volumes:
      - directus-uploads:/directus/uploads
      - directus-extensions:/directus/extensions
    ports:
      - "8055:8055"
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: directus
      POSTGRES_USER: directus
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: your-password
    volumes:
      - directus-db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Both require similar infrastructure. Ghost is slightly simpler (fewer env vars), Directus slightly more configurable.

Performance

Metric	Ghost	Directus
RAM (idle)	~150MB	~200MB
With database	~350MB total	~400MB total
Page render (SSR)	Fast (Handlebars)	N/A (headless)
API response (simple query)	<50ms	<50ms
API response (complex query)	N/A	50-200ms (deep relations)

Ghost has a slight edge on resource usage because it’s a more focused application. Directus’s generic query engine adds overhead for complex relational queries.

Use Cases

Choose Ghost If…

• You’re building a blog, newsletter, or content publication
• You want paid memberships or newsletter functionality built in
• You need a polished writing experience with a block editor
• You want themes and a rendered frontend without building one
• You’re a single author or small team publishing articles

Choose Directus If…

• You need a headless CMS that feeds content to a custom frontend
• Your content model is complex or non-standard (not just blog posts)
• You need multi-language support with per-field translations
• You’re building a content-driven application (not just a website)
• You need granular, role-based access control for content editors
• You want to manage non-content data (products, events, users) in the same system

Final Verdict

If you’re publishing content (blog, newsletter, magazine), use Ghost. It’s purpose-built for this and does it exceptionally well. The built-in newsletter, membership system, and SEO features make it the best self-hosted publishing platform available. Trying to replicate Ghost’s publishing workflow in Directus would take weeks of custom development.

If you need a flexible content backend for a custom frontend, use Directus. It’s the best self-hosted headless CMS — better than Strapi for complex data models, and far more flexible than Ghost. Pair it with Astro, Next.js, Nuxt, or any static site generator for the frontend.

Don’t use Ghost as a generic CMS. Don’t use Directus as a blog platform. Each excels in its lane.

FAQ

Can Ghost work as a headless CMS?

Technically yes — you can ignore Ghost’s theme system and use only its Content API to feed a custom frontend (like a Next.js or Astro site). But Ghost’s content model is limited to posts, pages, tags, and authors. If you need custom content types, use Directus or Strapi instead.

Can Directus send newsletters?

Not natively. You’d need to integrate an external tool (Listmonk, Mailchimp API) via Directus Flows or webhooks. Ghost’s built-in newsletter is a significant differentiator for publishers.

Which has better SEO?

Ghost includes built-in meta tags, structured data, sitemaps, and social sharing cards. Directus provides raw content via API — SEO handling depends entirely on your frontend implementation. For out-of-the-box SEO, Ghost wins. For full control over SEO implementation, Directus (with a good frontend) can match or exceed Ghost.

Related

• How to Self-Host Ghost
• How to Self-Host Directus
• Ghost vs WordPress
• Ghost vs Hugo
• Directus vs Strapi
• WordPress vs Hugo
• Best Self-Hosted CMS Platforms
• Docker Compose Basics