Blogger vs Ghost (Blogging Platform): Which Is the Best Platform in 2026?
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| Blogger vs Ghost 2026 Which Blogging Platform Should You Choose? |
Quick TL;DR
Blogger is free, simple, and ideal for hobbyists or beginners. Ghost is a modern, content-first platform built for professional publishers, newsletters, and creators who want subscriptions and advanced SEO.
One-line verdict
If you want a free, effortless start use Blogger. If you’re building a professional publication, newsletter, or membership business in 2026 Ghost is the better long-term platform.
Overview: What are Blogger and Ghost?
Blogger — Google’s free hosted blogging platform (Blogspot). No hosting setup required, quick to begin, and integrated with Google accounts. Good for personal blogs, class projects, or small hobby sites.
Ghost — an open-source, content-first CMS designed for publishers, newsletters, and paid memberships. Ghost focuses on performance, clean markup, built-in email tools and subscription features.
Detailed comparison (by factor)
1. Ease of use
- Blogger: Create a Google account, pick a template, and publish within minutes. Minimal learning curve.
- Ghost: Managed option (Ghost(Pro)) gives a polished admin; self-hosting requires technical setup. Editor is distraction-free and focused on content.
2. Design & customization
Ghost supports modern, mobile-first themes and deeper customization (custom templates, partials). Blogger has simple templates and limited customization unless you edit HTML/CSS directly.
3. SEO & performance
Ghost is built for speed and outputs clean semantic markup, which helps core web vitals and search visibility. Blogger works fine for basic SEO but lacks advanced controls and built-in modern SEO tooling.
4. Monetization
Ghost includes native features for memberships, paid subscriptions, and newsletter monetization. Blogger is primarily ad-based (AdSense) and requires third-party tools to scale subscriptions.
5. Pricing & ownership
Blogger is free with optional custom domain costs. Ghost has two routes: self-host (open-source, hosting fees) or Ghost(Pro) managed plans (paid monthly/yearly plans).
6. Security & content ownership
Blogger is hosted by Google — secure and low-maintenance, but Google controls the platform. Ghost (self-hosted or Ghost(Pro)) gives you more ownership and portability of content and data.
7. Future-proofing (2026 outlook)
Ghost continues to add publisher-centric features (analytics, fediverse syndication options, membership tools). Blogger remains stable and reliable for basic blogs but has seen fewer major platform updates in recent years.
Final verdict
- Choose Blogger if: you want zero maintenance, no monthly hosting bills, and a fast free start for a personal blog.
- Choose Ghost if: you plan to build a publication, send newsletters, monetize with memberships, and prioritize SEO & performance.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Blogger still safe to use in 2026?
- Yes — Blogger is still active and suitable for hobby blogs. But for advanced features and business publishing, other platforms offer more modern tooling.
- Can I run membership subscriptions on Blogger?
- Not natively. Blogger relies on ads and third-party integrations. Ghost offers built-in membership and subscription features.
- Is Ghost expensive?
- Ghost has paid managed plans (Ghost(Pro)) and the open-source version that requires hosting. Many creators find Ghost's subscription tools pay for themselves if you monetize with members.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Blogger still worth using in 2026?
Yes — Blogger is still active and reliable, especially for beginners. However, it lacks advanced features compared to Ghost and WordPress.
2. Which is better for SEO: Blogger or Ghost?
Ghost wins because it’s built for speed, produces clean semantic HTML, and includes advanced SEO-related features. Blogger is more limited in this area.
3. Can I monetize with Ghost?
Absolutely! Ghost is designed for monetization via memberships, subscriptions, and newsletters, with built-in tools for paid content and Stripe integration.
4. Is Ghost free to use?
Yes — the open-source Ghost core is free, but you will need hosting (self-hosted) or you can choose Ghost(Pro), which is a paid managed-hosting option.
