GHOST

FORME

The power, without the configuration.

Ghost is a great platform. It's built for developers. DNS configuration, theme installation, member versus subscriber terminology, none of that is why you became a publisher. forme does what Ghost does, without the overhead. And for teams, at a third of the price.

Time to first post

Ghost has 8 steps before you can write. forme has 3.

Ghost Pro

8 steps · 2–3 days

Choose and pay for a plan← not writing

Configure DNS for your domain← not writing

Wait for DNS propagation (24–48h)← not writing

Choose a theme and install it← not writing

Understand members vs subscribers vs users← not writing

Configure email sending domain (SPF/DKIM)← not writing

Set up paid membership tiers← not writing

Write your first post

forme

3 steps · 5 minutes

01Name your publication

02Write your first post

03Publish

Steps 1–7 on Ghost don’t exist here. You just… write.

On teams specifically

Ghost charges $199/month for a team. We charge $59.

Ghost Pro Business$199/mo

15 staff

Forme Newsroom$59/mo

2–8 staff

For a small editorial team, that's a 70% cost reduction with the same core capabilities, plus the security layer Ghost doesn't offer at any tier.

Start your team →

The math at different plan levels

Solo creator

Ghost costs

$25/mo

Forme costs

$19/mo

You keep extra$72/yr

Small team (Ghost Business)

Ghost costs

$199/mo

Forme costs

$59/mo

You keep extra$1,680/yr

Plus security you can't buy

Ghost costs

Not available

Forme costs

Included

You keep extraAt any price

What you keep, in real dollars

Ghost Business vs Forme Newsroom — same editorial team, very different bill.

Growing publication, 5,000 members, team seats needed

Ghost Business (hosted)

$2,388/yr

$199/mo

Forme Newsroom

$708/yr

$59/mo · same functional footprint

$1,680/yr extra for the same functional footprint

Plus: zero-knowledge draft encryption and a secure tip line — not available on Ghost at any tier.

Your numbers

See what you'd save on Forme.

Neither Ghost nor Forme takes a revenue cut. The gap is platform cost and what's included. Pick your plan.

Your Ghost Pro plan1,000 members · Billed annually

annual savings on Forme

$72

per year

One month of Ghost Creator costs 1.3× Forme's monthly fee.

Ghost annual cost

$300

Forme annual cost

$228

Neither Ghost nor Forme takes a cut of subscription revenue. The difference is platform cost, maintenance, and what's included out of the box.

Start publishing →30-day money-back guarantee

Everything that matters, compared.

Getting started

Ghost

DNS setup, theme selection, member vs subscriber configuration

Forme

Name your publication. Write something. Publish. Done.

Draft privacy

Ghost

Plaintext on servers, subpoenable, breachable

Forme

Zero-knowledge encryption. We don't have the key.

Password management

Ghost

Password accounts required, manage, reset, forget

Forme

Magic links only. No passwords anywhere, ever.

secure tip line

Ghost

Not available at any price

Forme

Built in. Any browser, no account required.

Team plan cost

Ghost

$199/month (Business, 15 staff)

Forme

$59/month (Newsroom, 2–8 staff)

Hosting

Ghost

Self-host or managed (with config, DNS, updates)

Forme

Fully managed. Zero server decisions ever.

Free stock photos + GIFs

Ghost

Not available — upload files only, no stock library

Forme

Search Unsplash, Pexels, and Klipy directly inside the editor.

Side by side

See the difference

Ghost

Ghost admin dashboard — powerful, but you manage the server

forme

Built for writers,
not developers.

→Fully hosted — no server, no ops, no surprise bills

→Free stock photos and GIFs searchable inside the editor

→Flat monthly pricing — no per-email or per-member fees

forme — publishing built for the reader era

Ghost export imports directly into forme.

Upload your Ghost JSON export. Your posts arrive intact.

Start publishing →Migration guide