41 Amazing Ghost Themes for Blogs, News Websites, & Magazines

Far too often we see roundup articles with the best WordPress themes, that some of the other top platforms get neglected.

Have you ever heard of Ghost?

If not, you may want to consider it, because it provides a beautiful opensource interface that many would argue is easier to manage than WordPress. Furthermore, it’s one of the top systems to use when trying to become a professional blogger.

A few of the main advantages of Ghost are the collaboration tools and the content archive management. For example, it allows you to invite your team with a few clicks and start discussing which parts will be written by each person.

Also, the editor is smooth and clean, and searching through past content is oftentimes easier than WordPress, since it works more like an email search interface.

If you’re interested in testing the waters with Ghost (it’s free after all,) or if you’d like to expand your library for when you’re building Ghost websites for clients, take a look at the best Ghost themes below.

1. Magaz – $29

The Magaz Ghost theme serves as a solid start to the list because of its minimal and clean design. The theme is responsive and has an instant search and related post module. The MailChimp support comes in handy, while the multi-author support isn’t bad either.

A custom 404 page comes along with the theme, and you receive a theme with options to customize the CSS. The Disqus comments are useful for generating conversation, and you can ensure that all of your images are presented nicely for blog posts.

2. East – $29

With the East theme you gain access to yet another simple and responsive solution. The layout looks similar to Pinterest, except the featured imagery sends visitors to your blog posts. Disqus comments and a 404 error page come with, and multi-author support is there.

The instant search is a feature that guides people through your site, while the MailChimp tool is sure to help out with collecting emails from people. Along with post sharing, author pages and Google Fonts, the East Ghost theme stands out.

3. Glimmer – $19

Glimmer is a Ghost theme with a responsive layout and a rather playful look to it. A background sits behind the grid-based featured images, while the custom layouts allow for both right and left sidebars.

Quite a few pre-built pages are packaged into the theme. Some of them include an About page, Contact page and a custom 404 error page. The 12 custom widgets are easy to customize, and the multi-level menu support is worth it for sending people to the best content.

4. Verb – $24

Consider the Verb theme if you’re looking for a modern solution with bold and vibrant typography and imagery. The Ghost theme is a perfect fit for writers and bloggers, since it has a large header image to feature your most recent content.

Furthermore, the menu is consolidated to the right, bringing more of the focus to the most important content in the middle. Social media buttons are included with the theme, and the post formats are better than most you’ll find on the market.

5. Ruxen – $24

Think about looking at the Ruxen theme if you’d like to construct a blog with a grid-based gallery on the front page. Each of your blog posts have large featured images, and the entire theme is completely responsive. A contact form is included, and you gain access to a MailChimp integration.

The theme provides multi-author and post cover support, along with a fullscreen slider to showcase some of your most recent posts. The social media buttons are there for connecting with readers on different platforms, and the 404 page can boost your SEO.

Along with shortcode pages, Google Web Fonts and Font Awesome icons, we like the Ruxen theme for magazines and modern blogs.

6. Stretch – $19

Stretch is a Ghost theme with a responsive layout and a fullscreen cover. The featured post image grabs attention, while the Disqus, Google and Facebook comments ensure more of a conversation on your blog. The theme features an image-less design, instead utilizing font icons for a more brilliant look.

Social media buttons come packaged into the theme, and all of the blog post previews are shown towards the middle of the homepage. The theme truly centers around the content, cutting out any clutter you might find with sidebars and ads.

7. Aspire – $29

The Aspire theme boasts a clean design, and the instant search combines well with the mobile layout. MailChimp support is provided, and you get six widgets that drop right into the sidebar. Social media buttons reside at the top, and the 404 error page alerts users when they run into a non-existent page.

We enjoy that the theme provides Disqus comments, since this is a wonderful community for bringing more people to your blog. The theme is built using HTML5 and CSS3, and like many Ghost themes, Aspire has the settings needed for a multi-author blog.

8. Paperleaf – $24

The Paperleaf theme has a beautifully clean interface, and it’s rather unique considering the menu and social media buttons are located in the left sidebar. The multipurpose theme delivers a masonry grid for your blog posts. This looks similar to Pinterest. Furthermore, the custom sidebar has a background image for branding.

The author page gives credit when due, and the search module assists the standard menu panel. The theme is responsive, and all high-resolution screens support it.

9. Nicebird – $19

One of the main reasons we like Ghost themes so much is because they look modern and simple. The Nicebird solution is no different, with a clean, white background and several homepage variations for standing out. The responsive design has a high speed page load, and the color and font variations exceed expectations.

Multiple animations come along with the Nicebird theme, and you receive a beautiful flex slider. The one click install gets the ball rolling with your design process, and the Google Web Fonts assist with your typography.

10. Summer – $19

Consider the Summer Ghost theme if you’re thinking about making a colorful, and media-centric website for anything like a cooking blog or travel. The Foundation 5 theme has responsive elements, and the SEO is built right in. A Disqus comment module improves the interaction on your site, and reading time is said to improve for blog posts.

The fullscreen covers are wonderful for getting more people to click through on your blog posts, while the author pages make your writers feel good about themselves. A parallax effect is included with your blog covers, and you can play around with Font Awesome icons and Google Fonts.

11. Curio – $19

The Curio theme presents yet another multi-author layout, with support for all mobile devices. Author cover pages are included with the theme, and you have the ability to tag images placed in your blog posts. Font Awesome icons are included, and the Bootstrap layout is both clean and functional.

Like many of the Ghost themes on the market, this one is an image-less design. This is known to speed up your site, yet still give it the visual styling you need. The Disqus comments are useful, and the social media buttons can go in your footer area.

12. Daily News – $19

The Daily News Ghost theme is what you’ll go for if you’re thinking about making an online magazine or newspaper. It’s 100% responsive and has a widgetized sidebar. In fact, the majority of the homepage is constructed with small modules or widgets. Therefore, you can feature articles from different lists and categories.

The theme comes with Font Awesome and Bootstrap, and the multi-author support comes in handy for many. Author, tag and static pages come with the theme packaged, and you can easily feature images, YouTube videos, Vimeo videos and Soundcloud clips.

13. Orbit – $24

The interesting part about Ghost themes is that many of them look rather similar. That’s not a bad thing, however, because the designs are so fast and sleek. This one, called Orbit, has a logo area to the left, along with social media buttons and a background for that menu.

The featured content resides on the right, with featured imagery, a search bar and a consolidated menu for mobile devices. AJAX loading is provided with the theme, and the Font Awesome icons minimize the need for images all over your website.

14. Caesar – $24

The Caesar theme has four color schemes to get you started with a design. Also, the post and page types allow for author, static and tag pages, along with audio, link, photo, quote and video posts. What’s interesting is that you can display your most recent shots from Dribbble. They also have an Instagram module.

The Google Web Fonts are nice for your typography, and you get to choose from over 650 of them. Wide content is available through the theme, and you can include syntax highlighting in your blog post when talking about code. Users have options for sharing your posts, and you can display links to your social profiles.

15. Cedar – $24

The Cedar theme has a useful bunch of features, and it all starts with the six post formats and syntax highlighting. Along with that, you gain access to the Disqus comments system and full page cover headers to highlight your posts with beautiful images.

The multiple author support is somewhat of a given with Ghost themes, and the blazing performance is certainly a reason to look into this one. Some of the post formats include options for images, videos and quote formats. In addition, the six custom widgets include options like the Twitter feed widget and the MailChimp widget.

16. Anima – $19

The Anima WordPress theme provides a rather mobile friendly design, and the flat elements make it even nicer to look at on a tablet or phone. Reading time has been shown to improve with the Anima theme, and the recent posts list keeps people on your site for a longer period of time.

The filter and search bars both combine for a simple navigational process, while the consolidated menu is generally more effective when brought up on mobile devices.

17. Phantom – $19

We can really get behind the Phantom theme, since the fullscreen header image is somewhat of a marvel, and the social media buttons are far more unique than what you would find from another theme. The theme is completely responsive, and it has clean designs and coding throughout.

The parallax navigation is setup for all of the posts on the homepage, and the sidebars even feature some of your best posts. Along with author pages, tag pages, Disqus comments and Font Awesome icons, you can’t go wrong with this modern take on the typical Ghost template.

18. Aperture – $27

The Aperture theme markets itself as the first photography theme for Ghost. Whether this is true or not, the website solution looks rather appealing for media buffs. The theme is responsive, and it has a horizontal scrolling slider on the homepage, with proportional images and links to featured posts.

A few static page options are available, and the custom logo image is easy to upload on the backend. Another thing to keep in mind is that each of the authors on your website can use their own custom avatar, making the site more personalized and credible.

19. Herald – $24

The Herald Ghost theme is yet another option we like for magazines and newspapers. It’s a little less cluttered than the average solution, but you gain access to social media buttons, a newsletter subscribe form and some rather large featured images.

The clean coding is one of the main reasons it stands out, but who can pass up the various dedicated templates? For example, you can utilize templates for tags, author pages, and errors. The editable navigation is easy to manipulate, while the functional weather widget might help out some users. Oh yea, and you get advertising banner areas.

20. BlogInn – $24

The BlogInn theme may not look like the most modern solution at first, but it packs quite a few simple tools in there for the beginner bloggers out there. For example, a newsletter subscription form is on the sidebar, and you can quickly change around the logo.

The theme is responsive, and it comes with a custom 404 page, tag page support and an author page. The code syntax highlighter is essential for blogs that focus on coding or web design, and the post sharing integration gets the word out on Facebook and Twitter.

21. Omikron – $19

The Omikron theme is based on Bootstrap 3, and it has retina ready elements and a responsive layout. The CSS3 animations are bound to grab attention, and the PSD files that come with the theme improve the design prospects for folks who are well versed in development.

This is one of the cleaner designs on the list, but you still have the ability to manage items like Google Fonts, SVG graphics, Font Awesome icons and more.

22. Eva – $24

Eva stands strong with an elegant design and a framework built on Bootstrap 3. When you scroll down on the homepage you’ll see some beautiful featured images, all of them widescreen and primed for landscape photos. The multi-author support comes in handy, and you get highlights for showcasing code in your posts.

The Font Awesome icons are packaged in with the theme, and you receive two levels for the menu. Some of the other more functional aspects of the theme include static pages, author pages, tag pages and more. The Google Fonts are impressive, and the comments are handled with the Disqus system.

23. Avant – $19

The Avant Ghost theme certainly has some color in the demo, and the material design is sure to impress with the addition of responsiveness. The theme is constructed without tables and images, and the multi-author support is certainly going to help out most large blogs.

What’s cool is that you can embed everything from YouTube to Soundcloud, and the custom error pages aren’t bad when someone lands on an old page. The Disqus commenting system is built right into the theme, and the widgetized footer can help out with fitting in more content.

24. Nuevo – $19

The Nuevo theme has a more feminine feel to it, with a logo in the middle of the header and a timeline version of the featured blog posts. A gallery comes along with the theme, and you also get a 404 page and contact form.

This is one of those themes that is constantly updated by the developer, and the syntax highlighter is nice for code and web design bloggers. Video support improves the visuals, and the unlimited colors are essential for proper branding. Along with Font Awesome icons, solid CSS3 animations and Google Maps integration, the Nuevo theme stands out.

25. Meca – $24

Here we have the Meca Ghost theme, filled with high resolution featured imagery, tags on the posts and comments for generating discussion. The responsive design snaps into place when on mobile devices, and the search support complements the menu navigation.

Social networks are supported through the theme, and the unique layout includes a navigation builder on the backend.

26. Futura – $24

The Futura theme looks similar to one of the more basic WordPress themes on the market, with quite a few widgets to place in the sidebar and a minimal use of colors. The logo resides in the middle part of the header, and you get some social media buttons to lead readers to places like Facebook and Twitter.

The newsletter subscription form is rather appealing, and the multi-author support is always nice to see. Keep in mind that the footer is also widgetized for inserting certain widgets. Two menu levels come packaged into the theme, and the Font Awesome icons bring a little bit more beauty to the design.

27. Orca – $19

The Orca theme is great for a simple blog feed, as the responsive layout and high resolution support combine together to make the theme look wonderful on all devices. Custom post types include three options, and the page layouts offer multiple arrangements for the sidebars.

The featured posts have full page title designs, and the customizable headers add a little more spice to the layout. As with many of the Ghost themes, you’ll find that code syntax highlighting is included with the framework. Not to mention, the social profiles connect with all of the major platforms.

28. Curious – $19

Use the Curious theme if you’re a writer. It’s not only stylish and simple, but the majority of the focus goes right on your content. A subscribe button can go in the header, while this header image takes up the majority of the homepage.

The theme is completely responsive, and you get a code syntax highlighter. Some of the other features include social media sharing icons, Disqus comments, MailChimp support, tag clouds and an Instagram feed.

29. Symmetric – $24

When looking at the Symmetric theme, you’ll notice that it has a featured carousel for showing off imagery from all of your posts. We would recommend this one for an alternative magazine layout, although a regular blog would work just fine, too.

The theme is HTML5 and CSS3 ready, and it comes with two single post styles. The fully responsive layout comes up great on smaller devices, and the multiple widgets are sure to assist those who would like to speed up the development process.

30. Eston – $24

Eston is a Ghost theme that appeals to the creative types. It provides a beautiful interface for sharing a blog or even putting together a portfolio. As you can see from the screenshot, a featured image shows up to the right, while you can also talk about yourself to the left.

Social media buttons come with the theme, and the logo is easy to change. Three skins are included with the theme, and you can integrate with an Instagram module. Along with Dribbble shots, syntax highlighting and more, the Eston theme appears like a solid solution for creatives.

31. Artee – $19

The Artee Ghost theme is yet another one we like for artists and other creatives. You have the ability to make a stunning portfolio, and the image popup can get the ball rolling with new clients.

A masonry grid is available, and the image comparison tool is a feature you don’t see too often. Some of the other standout features include the styled maps, a Disqus integration and error pages. Oh yea, and the theme is ready for mobile devices.

32. Forest – $19

The Forest theme was made for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s setup perfectly for nature bloggers or businesses. In addition, it has all of the elements needed to appear nicely on mobile devices. Furthermore, the theme provides social media buttons and a consolidated menu.

Overlaying text and buttons reside on the fullscreen header, while the author, static and tag pages all come together for a more vibrant experience. Custom cover photos are supported, and you can have as many authors on the site as you need.

33. Zenzero – $19

Zenzero is one of the more powerful of the multi-purpose themes, giving you various opportunities for social media icons, filtering and switching between grid and list views. The error page layout is sure to direct people to the right spots, and the CSS3 animations grab attention.

You get to choose from six page layouts, and you shouldn’t have any problems generating user conversation, considering you gain access to the Disqus commenting system.

34. Floro – $19

If you like Pinterest, you’ll probably enjoy the Floro design. It has the classic masonry layout, with titles and descriptions from blog posts. The grid style has animations throughout, and the fully responsive layout looks pretty nice on tablets and phones.

Disqus comments are in the theme, and the unlimited colors help out when you’re trying to match the colors with your logo. What’s more is that a PayPal Donate button is provided. That’s not a huge deal, but who can complain?

35. Mots. – $19

The Mots. Ghost theme has a wonderfully tasteful layout, with a blog to the left and a simple social menu to the right. It’s nice for a personal blog, since you can explain what the blog is about in the sidebar. Not to mention, the theme includes custom author avatars, logo images and cover images.

It’s clear that writers of all experience levels will enjoy the way this one is constructed. The navigational panel is towards the top, but it keeps the focus on the actual content. I really like the typography, and the featured images are strong enough to go with the bold fonts.

36. Lark – $19

The Lark Ghost theme has a feminine feel, and one might use it for a food, fashion or travel blog. The featured images are highlighted in a slider, and the lack of colors is sure to keep eyes on your articles.

A few social media buttons are thrown into the mix, and the automatically hiding navigational menu cuts out the majority of clutter. Author information is shown, and a beautiful Instagram feed is there for additional pictures. Along with that, you get custom widgets, hero imagery and custom tag pages.

37. Toffee – $24

The Toffee theme has a knack for showing off food imagery and blog posts. The pin-board style theme has an elegant look and feel, and it’s completely responsive for snapping items into place on mobile devices. The theme is compatible with Ghost 0.5.X, and the AJAX post loading brings up articles fast.

The responsive video embeds can be taken from places like YouTube and Vimeo, while the Google Fonts come in handy for your typography options. Along with support for Twitter widgets, Disqus comments and Google Analtyics, Toffee is creative enough for just about any blog.

38. Boston – $19

You don’t have to live in Boston to get a kick out of the Boston theme. The parallax Ghost theme is one of the more impressive themes on the list, with some awesome animations and five different types of home pages. Furthermore, the three different types of menus are essentials for customizing how your users get around.

The Flexslider module can be used as a video or with any HTML content. The theme is responsive, and it lets you choose from a handful of colors. Overall, the Bootstrap 3 theme could be used for an online magazine or any standard blog.

39. Vernal – $19

Vernal stands out because of its beautifully responsive layout and the wide variety of widgets you can place in the sidebar. For example, you can insert widgets for recent posts, your Facebook feed, Twitter feed, Google Plus and Flickr stream.

The table-less and photo-less designs are enough to speed up your site quite a bit, while the Font Awesome icons will still give you enough visuals to grab attention for your website. The sidebars and navigational bars are all customizable, and you do have the opportunity to show off some rather large featured images.

40. Yokai – $19

The Yokai theme is one of my favorites, since it offers quite a few post formats for anything from audio to video. The responsive layout has both feature images and videos, and you can utilize the Disqus comments after your posts.

The custom social links bring people to places like LinkedIn and Facebook, and the sidebar background is something you don’t see on most Ghost themes. It’s evident that the theme would work wonders for a personal blogger, but you might even consider constructing a more portfolio-style website with this one, too.

41. Ivy – $19

The Ivy theme gives you quite a bit for your money, and it all starts with the masonry blog layout. Around seven post formats are packed into the theme, allowing for audio, videos, galleries and more. Both social sharing and profile integrations comes with the theme, along with widgetized sidebars.

Since you get those sidebars, it’s not a bad idea to look into the custom widgets. For example, some of them provided with the theme include author information, social sharing, MailChimp and tag widgets. The over 420 Font Awesome icons improve your visuals, while the Google Analytics integration lets you keep an eye on what your readers are doing on your page.

In Conclusion

Ghost doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, especially since the majority of the best-selling Ghost themes are quite often more appealing than those made for WordPress.

The commenting systems, fonts and animations are often standardized throughout the market, so it’s easy to learn about working with Ghost, and you receive beautifully fast layouts.

If you have any questions about the Ghost themes above, feel free to drop us a line in the comments below.