Strapi
CMS
Ghost
CMSStrapi vs Ghost
Strapi and Ghost are both popular choices, but they serve different needs. Strapi is a CMS with a traditional, manual approach to building, while Ghost is a CMS that prioritises developer or designer control.
Below you'll find a side-by-side breakdown of detection signals, AI scores, and technical fingerprints — plus our honest take on which builder wins for different use cases.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CMS | CMS |
| AI Score | 20/100 — Traditional | 20/100 — Traditional |
| Detection Signals | 3 patterns | 7 patterns |
| Script Detection | — | 2 patterns |
| CDN Detection | — | — |
| Header Detection | 2 headers | 2 headers |
| Sites Detected | No data yet | 1,750 scans |
| Best For | Blogs & content-heavy sitesTry Strapi → | Blogs & content-heavy sitesTry Ghost → |
| Official Website | Visit | Visit |
Example Websites
Strapi websites
Strapi
CMS
Strapi is a cms with an AI Score of 20/100 (Traditional). Our detection engine uses 3 signal patterns to identify Strapi-built sites.
Ghost
CMS
Ghost is a cms with an AI Score of 20/100 (Traditional). Our detection engine uses 7 signal patterns to identify Ghost-built sites.
Platform Overviews
Strapi
Strapi is the world's most popular open-source headless CMS, built with Node.js and designed to be fully customizable with a self-hosted or cloud deployment model. Unlike SaaS headless CMS platforms, Strapi gives teams complete ownership of their content API — the schema, endpoints, authentication, and database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) are all under the developer's control. It's used by teams who want the flexibility of a headless CMS without vendor lock-in or per-seat pricing. When a Strapi server directly serves a frontend, responses include x-powered-by: Strapi HTTP headers — the primary detection fingerprint. Strapi's REST API endpoints follow predictable /api/ patterns, and the admin panel is typically accessible at /admin. The open-source Community version is free to self-host, with Strapi Cloud managed hosting starting at $29/month.
Ghost
Ghost is an open-source headless publishing platform specifically designed for professional content creators, newsletters, and media businesses. It competes with Substack and WordPress for creators who want full ownership and control of their audience without platform dependency. Ghost's membership and subscription features let creators monetize directly without revenue sharing. Ghost sites are identifiable through their distinctive kg-card CSS class patterns used by Ghost's rich content editor (Koenig), assets served from Ghost's CDN, and the x-powered-by: Express header common to Ghost's Node.js architecture. Ghost(Pro) plans start at $9/month, while self-hosted Ghost is free.
Key Differences
- Both Strapi and Ghost are classified as CMS tools, making them the most direct competitors in this comparison.
- Strapi scores higher on AI involvement (20/100 vs 20/100 for Ghost), meaning it relies more heavily on AI for site generation and content creation.
- Our detection engine identifies Strapi using 3 fingerprint patterns and Ghost using 7 patterns — more signals generally means more reliable detection.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Strapi if…
- You prefer a cms solution
- You want more manual control over the final output
- Strapi's detection fingerprint of 3 signals means your site is reliably identifiable
Choose Ghost if…
- You need a cms approach
- You prefer traditional building tools with predictable output
- Ghost's ecosystem and community better match your team's existing workflow
Our Pick — Based on 1,750+ detections
Ghost
The most frequently detected cms in our scan database.
Was this helpful?
Check Which Builder Powers a Site
Curious if a website uses Strapi or Ghost? Scan it now — free.
Strapi vs WordPress
Strapi vs Drupal
Strapi vs Joomla
Strapi vs Notion Sites
Strapi vs HubSpot CMS
Strapi vs Webflow CMS