23 Best Curated Premium Ghost Themes – Better Tech Tips

Ghost is a minimalist yet modern CMS designed specifically for blogging. Ghost — which is written in JavaScript — comes with a distraction-free content editor to make blogging more pleasurable. Just like other content management systems, Ghost also comes with default themes. There are about 12 default themes offered by Ghost you can choose from. If they don’t suit you, you can also install a theme developed by a third-party developer. To save you time in conducting the research, we have curated the best Ghost themes from third-party developers.

Being a simple CMS, Ghost doesn’t offer many customization options. Also, the default features offered by Ghost are pretty minimum. For instance, Ghost has no built-in search and commenting features. If these feature matter to you, you can search for a theme that offers the features.

One thing to note. If you have a Ghost blog hosted on Ghost.org, you need to subscribe to the Creator plan (or higher) to be able to install a custom theme (a theme from a third-party developer). The option to install a custom theme is not available on the Starter plan. By the way, if you are looking for a Ghost.org alternative to host your Ghost blog, you can consider the following Ghost hosting services.

Ghost Themes Under $50

1. Curious

• Price: $29
• Rating: (4.7 / 5)

Are you looking for an affordable Ghost theme? If yes, then Curious a worth considering item. Curious — which is available at $29 — doesn’t eliminate the Ghost characteristics. First, it has a sidebarless blog post layout. Second, Curious comes with a simple navigation menu, without drop-down menu items.

Curious offers two Ghost missed features as we mentioned in the opening section: search and comment. The search feature is available as slide-in panel on the right side, while the commenting feature — powered by Disqus — lies beneath blog post. The comment box will only show up when a visitor clicks the COMMENTS button. Simple, yet useful features like back to top button and estimated reading time are available.

2. Veen

• Price: $39
• Rating: (4.5 / 5)

Veen offers two blog post layouts to choose from. The first layout is without a sidebar, which is a common thing in Ghost. The second layout has a sidebar on the right side. This layout comes with a sticky section dedicated to displaying ads. If you are an AdSense blogger who want to switch to Ghost, Veen is a great theme to consider. Veen also comes integrated with Disqus so that you don’t need to setup the integration yourself if you want to add commenting feature on your blog. A search feature is also available to make it easier for your visitors to search for the content they want to read.

Veen is especially a great option if you are a fan of slider. Your featured posts will be displayed in a slider style on the hero section of the homepage.

3. Podium

• Price: $49
• Rating: (4.6 / 5)

Looking for a Ghost theme that adopts a grid layout? Podium is a great item to consider, then. The theme applies the grid layout on both the homepage and archive pages (tag pages, author pages). Your blog posts are displayed in a three-column grid style. The blog post layout of Podium adopts the sidebarless design just like most Ghost themes. Additional features such as estimated reading time and commenting are available on the blog post layout.

4. Artixi

• Price: $39
• Rating: (4.4 / 5)

The layouts offered by Artixi are pretty similar to Podium above whereby it applies the three-column grid layout on the homepage and the archive pages. On the homepage, you will also find a section dedicated to displaying the featured blog posts. On the single post layout, Artixi also applies the full-width style for the feature image. Artixi itself is available in two versions: the light version and the dark version.

5. Appix

• Price: $39
• Rating: (4.6 / 5)

Appix is a simple Ghost theme, with a sidebarless blog post layout. Your blog posts are displayed in a two-column grid style on the homepage and archive pages. Appix is also a nice item to consider if you are looking for a Ghost theme that comes integrated with Disqus. Unfortunately, it has no search feature.

6. Bonso

• Price: $39
• Rating: (4.8 / 5)

Are you a photographer who is also passionate about writing? If yes, Bonso is the perfect theme for you. The theme is designed specifically for photographers although — of course — you can also use it regardless of your occupation. Bonso also adopts the grid style to display your blog posts but to emphasis photography aspect, the feature image is placed behind the post title as the cover so that it (the feature image) has a larger display portion on each tile. The little hover animation effect applied by the developer makes your blog more alive.

There is a static section on the hero section of the homepage dedicated to displaying your profile. Next to this section, there is a slider to display the featured blog posts on your blog. Bonso comes integrated with Disqus in case you need this feature. The search feature on the header will make it easier for your visitors to search for your content.

7. Olania

• Price: $39
• Rating: (4.5 / 5)

Olania is a Ghost theme that has a sidebarless blog post layout. The content area of the blog post is pretty nice to see. Not too wide. You have a back to top button, which is useful if you often write long-form blog posts. The search feature — which is available in an off-canvas style — will make it easier for your visitors to find your content. In Olania, your blog posts are displayed in a three-column grid style. Be it on the homepage or the archive pages.

8. Easyart

• Price: $16
• Rating: (4.4 / 5)

Looking for a Ghost theme for under $20? If yes, Easyart is an item you can consider. The theme is available at $16. It has a minimalist nuance whereby on the homepage, your blog posts are displayed in a traditional single column layout. There is no section for featured posts. The single post layout also adopts a single column (no sidebar) layout. The integration with Disqus makes it possible for you to keep in touch with your readers. However, there is no search feature offered by the theme.

9. Hally

• Price: $39
• Rating: (4.4 / 5)

Hally is a Ghost theme that adopts masonry design concept. Meaning that your blog posts are displayed in masonry style. Be it on the homepage or archive pages. Hally is a great option if you are a fan of website header with hide-on-scroll behavior. Useful features like search and back to top button are available in the Hally theme.

10. Cedar

• Price: $28
• Rating: (5 / 5)

Are you a developer and want to start a blog with Ghost? If yes, Cedar is a perfect theme for you. Assuming you will write technical blog posts (e.g., tutorials) on a regular basis, the syntax highlighting feature offered by Cedar will be very much useful. This feature will treat code snippets differently than regular texts. They will be displayed as code snipped to make it easier for your visitors to learn the code. Cedar also has a very well-designed sidebarless blog post layout with elements like social media sharing buttons, comment box (integrated with Disqus), and author’s bio.

Ghost Themes Above $50

1. Nurui

• Price: $69
• Rating: (4.9 / 5)

Nurui is a feature-rich, well-designed Ghost theme. It is especially a great option if you want to create an online magazine with multiple authors. There is a page template dedicated to displaying the authors on your website. Nurui comes with a drop-down menu to simplify your site navigation on the header. As you know, Ghost doesn’t support drop-down menu by default. Nurui is ready if you want to apply paid content. It comes with customized pages for the core pages of Ghost such as membership page, members account page, and so on. Nurui itself is available in a dark and light version.

2. Renge

• Price: $69
• Rating: (5 / 5)

Renge is developed by the same developer as the Nurui above. In general, the features offered by this theme are not much different than its brother above. For instance, it also comes with a drop-down menu to simplify the header navigation on your website. There is also a page template dedicated to displaying the list of authors on your website. However, there are some details that make this theme different from its Nurui, especially the layouts and stylings of each element on the theme.

3. Polar

• Price: $59
• Rating: (4.7 / 5)

Since Ghost has no built-in search feature, many theme developers have to look for an external library to add a search feature on the themes they develop. ghostHunter is a popular search library for Ghost widely used by theme developers. Polar is one of the themes that uses this library. In other words, this theme already has a search feature in case you need it.

Polar is a theme that adopts image cover style, which you can find on every single page of your website. From the homepage, blog posts, and archive pages.

4. Nubia

• Price: $149
• Rating: (5 / 5)

Are you an AdSense blogger? You might need a Ghost theme that has a sidebar, then. Nubia is one of the Ghost themes that has a sidebar — on the right side — on its blog post layout. You can use the sidebar to place a 300x ad banner, as well as blog posts. If you want to interact with your visitors via comment box, Nubia has been integrated with Disqus to ease your job.

5. Ubud

• Price: $149
• Rating: (4.8 / 5)

Looking for a Ghost theme that has a static section on its homepage? Ubud is one of the themes that comes with this kind of feature. You can use this section to provide an introduction about yourself or your company. Your blog posts are displayed beneath the static section. The single post layout of Ubud contains a table of contents element, which is super useful if you often write long-form articles. Ubud has a page — the blog page — dedicated to displaying your blog posts. Unfortunately, there is no search feature offered by this theme.

6. Shoji

• Price: $69
• Rating: (5 / 5)

Shoji is a stylish Ghost theme, which is ideal for a website that has multiple authors. There is a section on its homepage that displays the list of authors on your website. Also, Shoji comes with a page dedicated to displaying the list of the authors. Shoji is especially a great option if you are looking for a theme that comes with a reading progress bar and estimated reading time. Features like search and back to top button are also available in case you need them.

7. Krabi

• Price: $149
• Rating: (4.8 / 5)

Krabi is a Ghost theme that adopts a two-column layout. The right column plays a role as the sidebar whereby you can find elements like email opt-in form, social media icons, and recent blog posts. With Krabi, you can apply paid content more easily thanks to its pre-made pages such as membership page (complete with the pricing table), members account page, and so on. Krabi comes with a table of contents feature in case you write long-form articles on a regular basis. This feature is useful to offer a better reading experience for visitors.

The header of Krabi is divided into two sections. The top section is used to place the secondary navigation whereby you can place links to about page, contact page, and so on. This section also contains a search icon and sign in/sign up buttons. The secondary section is used to place the main navigation menu whereby you can place links to archive pages.

8. Ikken

• Price: $69
• Rating: (5 / 5)

Looking for a Ghost theme for a fashion blog? Ikken is an item you can consider. Ikken is a stylish theme. It displays your blog posts in a unique format on the homepage — and archive pages. The applied animation effects will make your website look more appealing. On the single post layout, you will find elements like circular reading progress bar, comment box, and estimated reading time. There is no header you will find as this theme uses an off-canvas menu.

9. Hue

• Price: $149
• Rating: (5 / 5)

If you are a podcaster, it would be a great idea to create a website to make it easier for your listeners to discover the published podcast episodes. Hue is a Ghost theme designed specifically for podcasting websites. It will put together all content with a podcast tag on the homepage with an auto-generated number for each post (Episode)(E1, E2, …). While for content with a blog tag will be placed to a separate, dedicated blog page (yoursite.com/blog).

Hue is a modern theme that comes with a dark mode feature. There is a static section on the hero section on the homepage which you can use to place the introduction of your podcast. There are also icons such as Spotify and Apple Podcast whereby you can place your links on.

10. Futura

• Price: $59
• Rating: (4.8 / 5)

Futura is another suitable Ghost theme if you are an AdSense blogger. There is a spot on the sidebar to place a 300×250 ad banner. The sidebar appears on all pages of your website. From the homepage, archive pages, to blog posts. Futura comes with useful features like search and Disqus integration.

11. Inros

• Price: $59
• Rating: (5 / 5)

Are you looking for a Ghost theme that comes with a sticky header? Inros is a theme that has one. The header contains elements like navigation menu, sign-in and sign-up buttons, search icon, and dark mode toggle. When using Inros, you can expect more on the site performance (speed). It comes with native image lazy load, meaning that only images on the visible area will be loaded. The blog post layout offered by Inros also adopts the sidebarless concept. On the homepage, your blog posts are displayed in a three-column grid style.

12. Daigo

• Price: $69
• Rating: (5 / 5)

Are you planning to create an online lifestyle magazine? If yes, Daigo is a perfect option of Ghost theme. This theme has a spot on its homepage to display the featured blog post on your blog. The animation effects applied on the load more button and blog posts feed will make your website looks appealing to visitors. Daigo has a well-designed single post layout which offers a sidebardless concept just like most Ghost themes. Elements like estimated reading time and post navigation are available on the single post layout. Daigo comes integrated with Disqus in case you need it.

Furthermore, Daigo comes with a drop-down navigation menu to make your site header look uncluttered in case you have too many tags and want to add them all to the navigation. The built-in search feature is helpful for visitors to find your content. Daigo is available in three versions: Dark, Light, and Color.

13. Arun

• Price: $59
• Rating: (5 / 5)

If you are a professional blogger looking to offer premium content to your readers, Arun is a perfect option. Arun is a very well-designed Ghost theme. It doesn’t eliminate Ghost DNA by adopting the minimalist concept. In Arun, your blog posts are displayed in a single column on the homepage. Amongst the blog posts, you will see a pricing table — which has a very nice design. To ease your job, Arun also comes with customized core pages of Ghost such as membership page, account page, sign up page, and sign on page.

The hero section of the on its homepage is a static section which you can use to place your intro — complete with your photo. Arun also comes with the following useful features:

• Search
• Disqus integration
• Sticky navigation
• Drop-down menu
• Very well-designed blog post layout

Furthermore, Arun also comes with native image load, image zoom on blog posts, post navigation, and so on.

The Bottom Line

Today, many people talk about headless CMS. Ghost is one of the headless CMS platforms you can try. Ghost is a simple CMS that has content-first emphasis. That’s why Ghost offers extremely minimum customization options. When creating a blog with Ghost, one of the biggest challenges is to find the most suitable theme. Given Ghost offers minimum features, you need to make sure that the theme you use offers the features you need.

For instance, if you want to offer a search feature on your blog, you need to choose a theme that has this feature. Ghost has 12 default themes, but none of them offer a search feature. You can manually add the feature using libraries like ghosHunter and Ghost Finder, but it requires technical JavaScript knowledge. Using a theme developed by a third-party developer is a reasonable solution to have a certain feature on your blog if you are a regular blogger without JavaScript knowledge.

We have curated some of the best Ghost themes to use on your blog so that you don’t need to conduct the research from scratch yourself.