WordPress.com

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to WordPress.com

A curated collection of the 4 best self hosted alternatives to WordPress.com.

WordPress.com is a hosted website and blogging platform that lets users create, customize, host, and manage websites and online stores with themes, built-in hosting, security, and optional paid plans for custom domains and advanced features.

Alternatives List

#1
Ghost

Ghost

Modern publishing platform for creators and teams, with a powerful editor, themes, memberships, and email newsletters via Ghost Admin and a headless API.

Ghost screenshot

Ghost is an open-source publishing platform for building and running blogs, magazines, and creator publications. It combines a writing-focused editor with theme-based websites, a headless content API, and tools for memberships and email newsletters.

Key Features

  • Content editor for posts and pages with Markdown support and rich embeds
  • Theme-based site building with Handlebars themes, routing, and dynamic templates
  • Built-in membership management (free and paid tiers) with signup/signin flows
  • Email newsletters: compose, schedule, and send to member segments
  • Payments via Stripe for subscriptions and one-time paid offerings (where supported)
  • Admin UI for managing content, staff, roles, tags, navigation, and site settings
  • Headless CMS capabilities via JSON REST Content API and Admin API
  • Integrations via webhooks, Zapier/automation hooks, and custom integrations using APIs
  • SEO features (metadata, canonical URLs, sitemaps) and performance-focused output

Use Cases

  • Run a company blog or product publication with editorial workflows and themes
  • Operate a paid newsletter or membership community with Stripe billing
  • Use Ghost as a headless CMS feeding a custom frontend via the Content API

Limitations and Considerations

  • Paid membership and subscription features depend on Stripe availability/region and require configuring email delivery for newsletters.
  • Theme customization requires knowledge of Ghost’s Handlebars theme system and routing configuration.

Ghost is suited to teams and creators who want a clean publishing workflow with first-class newsletters and memberships. It also works well as a headless CMS when paired with a custom frontend using the Content API.

51.5kstars
11.3kforks
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#2
Payload

Payload

Open-source TypeScript headless CMS with a React admin UI, powerful access control, media handling, and first-class Next.js integration for modern content-driven apps.

Payload screenshot

Payload is a TypeScript-first headless CMS and application framework built on Node.js, designed to power content-driven websites and products with a fully customizable admin UI and developer-friendly APIs. It models your data as code, generates REST/GraphQL endpoints, and supports rich content editing, media, and granular access control.

Key Features

  • TypeScript-first configuration with schema-driven Collections/Globals
  • Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs from your content models
  • React-based Admin UI with extensible fields, custom views, and role-aware controls
  • Authentication and authorization with granular, field-level access control
  • Drafts, versions, autosave, and scheduled publishing (via jobs/workflows depending on setup)
  • Media management with upload storage adapters and image processing integrations
  • Relationship fields, localization (i18n), and rich content editing blocks
  • First-class Next.js integration for live preview and modern app routing patterns

Use Cases

  • Headless CMS for marketing sites, documentation, and multi-page web properties
  • Content backend for Next.js applications (blogs, ecommerce content, directories)
  • Internal tools/content operations portal with custom admin workflows

Limitations and Considerations

  • Requires Node.js/TypeScript proficiency; configuration is code-centric rather than purely UI-driven
  • Some advanced workflows (e.g., background jobs, complex publishing flows) may require additional setup/plugins

Payload is well-suited for teams that want strong typing, code-defined content models, and a customizable admin experience. It provides both API-first delivery and tight integration with modern React/Next.js stacks, making it a practical foundation for bespoke content platforms and products.

39.8kstars
3.3kforks
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#3
WordPress

WordPress

WordPress is a PHP/MySQL CMS for building and managing websites, blogs, and content-rich applications with themes, plugins, and a built-in editor.

WordPress screenshot

WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) for creating and managing websites, blogs, and other content-driven experiences. It provides an admin interface, a block-based editor, and an extensible architecture built around themes and plugins.

Key Features

  • Block editor (Gutenberg) for composing pages and posts with reusable content blocks
  • Theme system for controlling site appearance, including custom themes and template hierarchy
  • Plugin architecture enabling site functionality extensions (SEO, forms, e-commerce, caching, etc.)
  • Media library for managing images and other uploads, with built-in image handling
  • User roles and capabilities for multi-user publishing workflows
  • Built-in comments system with moderation tools
  • Permalinks and URL routing for human-readable URLs
  • REST API for integrating WordPress content with external services and headless/front-end apps
  • Multisite mode to run multiple sites from a single installation (optional)

Use Cases

  • Company websites, marketing sites, and landing pages managed by non-technical editors
  • Blogging and online publishing with editorial workflows and scheduled posts
  • Headless CMS back end powering a separate front-end (e.g., SPA/static site)

Limitations and Considerations

  • Security and performance depend heavily on theme/plugin choices and update hygiene
  • Complex sites can accumulate plugin dependencies that increase maintenance overhead

WordPress is widely used for both simple sites and complex publishing platforms due to its mature ecosystem and extensibility. With careful theme/plugin selection and regular updates, it can serve as a flexible foundation for many web publishing needs.

20.8kstars
12.9kforks
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#4
WriteFreely

WriteFreely

Self-hosted, privacy-focused publishing platform for blogs and multi-user instances, with a distraction-free editor, optional federation, and theming.

WriteFreely screenshot

WriteFreely is a lightweight publishing platform for creating blogs or hosting a community of writers. It focuses on a clean reading and writing experience, while providing the essentials for running a modern publication—from multi-user instances to optional federation.

Key Features

  • Distraction-free editor with Markdown support
  • Single-user blogs or multi-user “instance” mode with admin controls
  • Optional federation support (ActivityPub) to follow and be followed from the fediverse
  • Customizable themes and branding (including custom domains)
  • Draft/publish workflow with post organization (collections/blogs)
  • Import/export and API/CLI tooling for administration and automation

Use Cases

  • Personal blog with a minimal UI and Markdown-first writing
  • Community writing instance for a team, group, or small publication
  • Federated “micro-publication” that can interact with fediverse accounts

Limitations and Considerations

  • Designed for minimalism; advanced CMS workflows (page builders, complex roles, rich plugins) are intentionally limited

WriteFreely is well-suited for writers and small communities that want a focused publishing experience without a full traditional CMS. It balances simplicity with practical admin features and optional federation for broader reach.

5kstars
368forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running