Ghost vs Hugo: Which Should You Self-Host?
Quick Verdict
Ghost is better for content creators who want a polished publishing experience with memberships and newsletters built in. Hugo is better for developers who want maximum speed, minimal infrastructure, and full control over their content as Markdown files in Git.
Overview
Ghost is a dynamic CMS built on Node.js with MySQL, featuring a visual editor, membership management, and newsletter functionality. Hugo is a static site generator written in Go that compiles Markdown files into HTML in milliseconds. They represent fundamentally different approaches to publishing content.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Ghost | Hugo |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dynamic CMS | Static site generator |
| Editor | Visual (Markdown + cards) | Text editor (Markdown files) |
| Admin UI | Yes (excellent) | No |
| Memberships | Built-in | No (external service needed) |
| Newsletter | Built-in | No (external service needed) |
| Comments | Built-in (native) | External (Disqus, Giscus) |
| Search | Built-in (Sodo) | Client-side (Pagefind, Lunr) |
| Build speed | N/A (dynamic) | Milliseconds per page |
| Runtime | Node.js + MySQL | None (static HTML) |
| RAM usage | ~250 MB | ~0 (just Nginx: 10-20 MB) |
| Security surface | Moderate | Minimal |
| SEO defaults | Excellent (built-in) | Theme-dependent |
| Theme system | Handlebars | Go templates |
| Content format | Database | Markdown files (Git-friendly) |
| Deployment | Server required | Any static host (CDN, Nginx, S3) |
| Multi-author | Yes | Via frontmatter |
Installation Complexity
Ghost requires Docker with Node.js and MySQL containers. Setup is straightforward — the official Docker image works well. You’ll need a reverse proxy for production and a domain with SSL.
Hugo doesn’t run as a service. You build the site with hugo build, which generates static HTML files, then serve them with Nginx or Caddy. The “deployment” is copying files. No database, no runtime, no persistent process.
Hugo’s Docker setup is a multi-stage build: Hugo container builds the site, Nginx container serves the output. For development, Hugo has a built-in live-reload server on port 1313.
Performance and Resource Usage
Hugo wins decisively on performance. A Hugo site served by Nginx uses 10-20 MB of RAM and can handle thousands of concurrent visitors on minimal hardware. Page load times are sub-100ms because there’s no server-side processing.
Ghost uses ~250 MB of RAM plus MySQL overhead. It’s fast for a dynamic CMS but can’t compete with static HTML. Under heavy traffic, Ghost requires more server resources.
Community and Support
Ghost has a strong, focused community centered on publishing. Documentation is excellent. The paid Ghost(Pro) hosting funds ongoing development.
Hugo has one of the largest static site generator communities. Extensive documentation, hundreds of themes, and active forums. Development is consistent with regular releases.
Use Cases
Choose Ghost If…
- You want a polished admin UI for writing
- You need built-in memberships or paid subscriptions
- You want integrated newsletter functionality
- You have non-technical content contributors
- You want native comments without third-party services
- You prefer a managed publishing experience
Choose Hugo If…
- You want the fastest possible site
- You prefer writing in Markdown with your own editor
- You want content stored in Git (version control)
- You want minimal infrastructure and maintenance
- Security is a top priority (no server-side code)
- You’re comfortable with the command line
Final Verdict
Ghost wins for publishers. If your primary goal is publishing content with memberships, newsletters, and a team of writers, Ghost provides that in a cohesive package.
Hugo wins for developer-bloggers. If you want a personal blog or technical documentation site that’s blazing fast, costs nearly nothing to host, and has essentially zero maintenance overhead, Hugo is the tool.
The deciding factor is whether you need an admin UI. If yes, Ghost. If you’re happy editing Markdown files, Hugo gives you more speed, less complexity, and fewer things that can break.
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