CMS & Website Builder · Ireland (IE)
Ghost
Irish open-source publishing platform — modern, fast, subscription-native.
The switch
WordPress.com / WP Engine→Ghostalso replaces Squarespace
About
Open-source headless CMS and publishing platform built by the Ghost Foundation in Ireland. Modern Markdown editor, native newsletter subscriptions, paid memberships — all without a US middleman.
Why we recommend it
- MIT licensed — fully open source
- Native newsletter + paid subscription built in
- No ads, no tracking of readers
- Headless: GraphQL + REST API included
- Ghost Foundation — non-profit ownership
EU vs USA
Ghost vs WordPress.com / WP Engine
Side-by-side on jurisdiction, data residency, and the rules that decide who can actually read your data.
Criteria
🇪🇺 Ghost
🇺🇸 WordPress.com / WP Engine
Headquarters
Dublin, Ireland
San Francisco, CA, USA
Jurisdiction
Ireland (GDPR)
USA (CLOUD Act, FISA 702)
Data location
EU (self-hosted) or Ghost(Pro) cloud
Global, US-controlled
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
Yes
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
Yes
Yes
Ownership
Ghost Foundation (non-profit)
Automattic Inc. (private) / WP Engine (private)
Founded
2013
2005
Compare head-to-head