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  1. Home
  2. Compare
  3. Carrd vs Ghost

CarrdvsGhost

Platform
vs
Platform
ScoresSignalsPricingFeatures

Score Comparison

65
Overall
68
95
Pricing
55
75
Usability
80
85
Performance
90
80
Support
50
65
Reliability
70
85
Onboarding
65
85
Mobile
85
70
Security
80
40
Integrations
55
CarrdGhost

Signals Comparison

Usability

Carrd

  • Single-page limitation restricts growth(9/10)
  • No blog or content management(8/10)
  • Basic SEO capabilities hurt discoverability(8/10)
  • Click and drag snapping is frustrating(5/10)
  • Too many links restriction(6/10)
  • Free plan has severe block limits(5/10)
  • No pop-up menu or modal features(5/10)

Ghost

  • No proper media library management(7/10)
  • Backup and migration is problematic(8/10)
  • Limited beyond publishing - not a full CMS(6/10)
  • Poor internationalization - English-focused(6/10)
  • Analytics are basic - only 90 days(5/10)
Integrations

Carrd

  • No real ecommerce functionality(7/10)

Ghost

  • Mailgun-only email requirement frustrates users(7/10)
  • No native e-commerce - memberships only(5/10)
Customization

Carrd

  • Cannot nest containers limits layouts(7/10)
  • No custom font sizes without CSS(5/10)

Ghost

  • Limited customization without code knowledge(7/10)
Reliability

Carrd

  • No auto-save leads to lost work(8/10)
  • SSL certificate and domain issues(8/10)

Ghost

No signals

Onboarding

Carrd

  • Learning curve for advanced customization(5/10)

Ghost

  • Self-hosting requires system admin skills(6/10)
Pricing

Carrd

No signals

Ghost

  • Ghost(Pro) pricing is expensive compared to alternatives(8/10)
  • Rigid refund policy leaves users frustrated(6/10)
  • Free trial deletion catches users off guard(6/10)
Support

Carrd

No signals

Ghost

  • Customer support is dismissive and limited(8/10)

Pricing Comparison

Carrd

Free
Free

Users: 1 user

Storage: Limited

Limits: 3 sites only, No custom domain, Carrd branding, Very limited blocks per page

Severe block limits per page. Cannot use custom domain. 'Made with Carrd' badge required.
Pro Lite
$9/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: Standard

Limits: Only 3 sites, Single-page only, No blog, No ecommerce beyond payment buttons

Still limited to 3 sites. Same features as higher tiers, just fewer sites.
Pro Standard
Popular
$19/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: Standard

Limits: 10 sites max, Single-page only, No blog, No ecommerce, Basic SEO

All Carrd limitations still apply (single-page, no blog, basic SEO). No team features.
Pro Plus
$49/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: Standard

Limits: 25 sites max, Single-page only, No blog, No ecommerce, Basic SEO

Still single-page only. For power users who need many simple sites. Same core limitations.

Ghost

Self-Hosted
Free

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Depends on host

Limits: Requires technical skills, server management, and ongoing maintenance. Mailgun setup required for newsletters.

Server hosting ($5-50+/month), Mailgun email costs (variable), your time for maintenance and updates. Total cost often equals or exceeds Ghost(Pro).
Starter
$15/mo

Users: 1 staff

Storage: Limited

Limits: 1,000 members max, 1 staff only, Monday-Friday email support, 90-day analytics only

Monthly billing is $18/month. Member limits can be hit quickly. Upgrade required for team access.
Publisher
Popular
$29/mo

Users: 3 staff

Storage: Standard

Limits: 1,000 members included, Mailgun-only emails, Limited theme marketplace

Monthly billing is $35/month. Still limited to 1,000 members included. Scaling adds per-member costs.
Business
$199/mo

Users: 15 staff

Storage: Large

Limits: 1,000 members base, Expensive for small publishers, Significant price jump from Publisher

Monthly billing is $239/month. Large jump from Publisher tier. Same 1,000 member base limit.
Enterprise
Free

Users: Custom

Storage: Custom

Limits: Pricing not transparent, Minimum subscriber requirements, Annual commitments

Pricing starts after 100,000 subscribers. Requires sales discussion. Annual contracts likely required.

Feature Comparison

FeatureCarrdGhost
Core
Single-page websites

One-page only - cannot create multi-page sites

Multiple pages

Single-page only - fundamental limitation

Full website builder

Publishing-focused only, not full CMS

Publishing
Built-in newsletters

Native email newsletters with Stripe integration

Markdown editor

Clean, distraction-free writing experience

Hosting
Custom domain

Pro plans ($9+/year) only

Monetization
Membership/subscriptions

Paid subscriptions with tiered access

Design
Responsive design

Automatic mobile responsiveness

Premium templates

Pro plans only

Performance
Fast page loads

Significantly faster than WordPress

SEO
Native SEO

Built-in SEO without plugins needed

Advanced SEO

Basic meta tags only

Security
SSL certificate

Included but some users report issues

Development
Headless CMS API

Powerful Content API for custom frontends

Customization
Custom CSS

Pro Standard+ plans

Visual theme customization

Code required for customization beyond basics

Large theme marketplace

Only 92 themes total, 15 free

Container nesting

Cannot nest containers - limits layouts

Pricing
Self-hosting option

Open-source, can self-host for free (with complexity)

Free plan

3 sites with limitations and branding

Features
Form collection

Basic forms included

Payments
Payment buttons

Stripe/PayPal integration - not full ecommerce

Maintenance
No plugin management

Most features built-in, no plugin conflicts

Integrations
Multiple email providers

Mailgun only - no SendGrid, SES, etc.

Content
Blog/CMS

No content management at all

Media library management

No proper media organization or reuse

Ecommerce
Shopping cart

Only payment buttons, no real ecommerce

Selling
E-commerce

Memberships only, no product sales

Reliability
Auto-save

No auto-save - work can be lost

Support
Weekend support

Starter tier has Monday-Friday only

Collaboration
Team collaboration

Single user only

Localization
Multi-language support

English-focused, portal/emails hard to translate