What comes to mind when you hear the word ghost? Well, if you are a web enthusiast like me, you should be thinking of the phenomenal new content management system called Ghost.
Even though the first final stable release of Ghost came out just a few weeks ago, many web designers have developed Ghost themes already… some of them have provided those themes for free. How nice of them. Today we are sharing a collection of those free Ghost themes.
[m2leep]
If you don’t know what Ghost is, let’s have a quick go-through tour. It is a new CMS that is only a few weeks old… yet it has taken the web by storm. Ghost is ridiculously easy to set up and build a blog on, but it also delivers high quality reading experience to the user. For a live example, you can check out that blogging service called Medium. This blogging service is developed by none other than social media giant Twitter, and Medium uses Ghost-like CMS for its members.
An Overview of Ghost
It all started with a KickStarter campaign by John O’Nolan. Next thing he knows, his project was insanely funded and his dream CMS became a reality. This CMS focuses on individual writers and bloggers, not the full scale magazines or business websites.
Blogs based on Ghost are not lightweight… they are featherweight! And why wouldn’t they be, they don’t contain any of those conventional items which bulk up websites. They have even said goodbye to the traditional sidebar.
At first look, Ghost blogs may seem a little short on spices, a little boring, but that’s the whole point. Ghost does not contain anything confusing, flashy, weighty, or something else that can disturb a good reading experience.
So the bottom line is that if you want to establish a blog that looks absolutely neat and clean, and doesn’t bother you with regular updates, code changes, and other technical stuff, you should build a Ghost based blog. But if you want in-depth customization and you want to make website that’s more than just a journal, then you need WordPress or a similar solution. In fact, why shouldn’t we compare it with Medium and WordPress right now?
Ghost vs. WordPress
You already know that WordPress and Ghost are worlds apart. John never aimed to another WordPress or Blogger or anything that has been available on internet for years.
WordPress gives you complete control. You can code it in any way you like. Websites such as Ebay and Wired run on WordPress. Obviously, such a CMS needs the admin to have professional skills. Ghost is nothing like that. Ghost is ridiculously simple.
And if you are wondering whether WordPress had created a similar hype when it was launched, then I can tell you it didn’t. Blogger was four years old when WordPress was born, so WordPress didn’t bring any revolutionary change in the blogging-sphere. But Ghost has brought a revolution.
Ghost vs. Medium
To simplify the deal, we can say that Ghost is Medium and Medium is Ghost, but with Ghost, you can make your blog on your own domain. Medium doesn’t allow you to do that. The other main advantage of Ghost is that you can even customize the design according to your taste.
For changing the design of the blog, you need Ghost themes. And that’s what we are providing today. Free ghost themes.
Free Ghost Themes
We are only featuring the free themes, but you can also buy one from Themeforest, or you can learn to create a Ghost theme yourself. The third option is that you can download a free theme from here, and modify it according to your needs. Editing Ghost themes is fairly easy and fast paced process.
Ghostium
The name tells the story. This theme is developed inspired by the UX of Medium. In simple words, with this theme, you can make a Medium blog replica on your own domain.
[button url=”http://ghostium.oswaldoacauan.com” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/oswaldoacauan/ghostium” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Bootstrap Bill
A bootstrap powered responsive Ghost theme. I have only found one Bootstrap focused free Ghost theme on internet, and this is the one I found.
[button url=”http://madsobel.com” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://www.dropbox.com/s/u6a96gklvixx21l/bootstrap-bill.zip” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Albireo
This is one of the simplest Ghost themes available right now. If you want a design that is as simple is a it could be, Albireo is the theme for you.
[button url=”http://blog.marcosantonocito.com” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/santonocito/albireo” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Ghostentista
A parallax powered Ghost theme with superb typography. It has more spark than a usual Medium blog. But of course, since it is made for Ghost, it is lightweight, responsive and user-friendly.
[button url=”http://etheeks.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/viktorbezdek/ghostentista” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
The Ranger Theme
This is one is pretty different from regular Ghost themes. It does not contain the routine layout, in fact it contains a grid based magazine layout for posts. Post page layout is the same though.
[button url=”http://theranger.themespectre.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”http://theranger.themespectre.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Ghost Scroll
This is one of the most creatively designed Ghost themes in this list. This one can also be transformed into a one-page theme with the help of infinite scroll jQuery plugins.
[button url=”http://ghostscroll.grmmph.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”http://ghostscroll.grmmph.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Phantom Yeti
Phantom Yeti is based on Foundation 4 HTML5 frontend framework. It is power packed with SASS and Foundation 4’s jQuery components.
[button url=”http://phantomyeti.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/slateb/phantom-yeti” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Readium
Another Ghost theme that is very similar to Medium, but this one is not a Medium replica. The layout is a bit different but focus on the text is same.
[button url=”http://www.svenread.com/readium-ghost-theme/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/starburst1977/readium” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Ghostwriter
This is an AJAX driver Ghost theme. It’s simple, easy but nothing too different form the rest of the themes.
[button url=”http://roryg.github.io/ghostwriter/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/roryg/ghostwriter/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Personally
This is a lovely theme for individual bloggers. Personally contains a different font style from routine Ghost themes. This contains a modern thin font for headings and a serif font for matter. The combination is unique, but crazy enough to work.
[button url=”http://personally.themespectre.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”http://personally.themespectre.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Pebble
This is a new theme. Not many people know about it. I like for its wide width and unique use of background and text colors.
[button url=”http://162.243.47.203/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/pambas/Pebble” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Proto Ghost
This is not just a theme for a personal blog. This is a full-fledged website template theme. Still, I suggest you should use this theme only for blogs, not websites.
[button url=”http://extraghost.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/MichaelMusgrove/ProtoGhost” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Ice Breaker
I’m not sure but I think this is the first ever Ghost theme to appear on the internet. Ice Breaker is a fairly simple Ghost theme.
[button url=”http://justinklemm.com/ghost-blog-theme-ice-breaker/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/justinklemm/ice-breaker” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Aura
This is a colorful alternative to Ghost’s default theme. This theme doesn’t have a demo, neither do the next two, but I just couldn’t resist adding them in the post.
[button url=”http://inspectelement.com/articles/aura-a-free-theme-for-ghost/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Ghost UiKIT Theme
This Ghost theme has unique retro styling applied. If you like such effects, this might be the one for you.
[button url=”https://github.com/Ghostrrr/ghost-theme-uikit” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Ghosadillax
This is another one of the new themes. To some, this theme looks stylish, while some call it mediocre. It all depends on the way you use it.
[button url=”http://xcoder.in/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/XadillaX/ghosadillax” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Tepid
A nice journal theme, with beautiful author info box, modern typography and G+ based comments.
[button url=”http://wcsantos.com/blog-theme-published-on-github/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/wcs/tepid” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Magnum
I like its presentation. Sometimes, Ghost themes bore you with their monotony of colors. Magnum does not contain that slip-up.
[button url=”http://magnum.ghostlook.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/durgesh-priyaranjan/magnum” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Sean’s Ghost Theme
This is another one of those simple-to-the-limit Ghost themes. Sean the designer designed it for his own blog, which you can check out by clicking the demo link.
[button url=”http://designingsean/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/designingsean/ghost-theme” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
The Classy
The first ever Ghost theme shop offers a couple of free ghost themes. This is the first one of those free themes.
[button url=”http://demo.themespectre.com/#theclassy” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”http://themespectre.com/store/themes/the-classy/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Adam Cooke’s Theme
Adam Cooke designed a Medium-like theme for Ghost. He used it on his blog. I like the avatar bit in this theme.
[button url=”http://blog.adamcooke.io/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/adamcooke/ghost-theme” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Vapor
Even though this is a very simple theme, the designer has put huge emphasis on typography so it is not boring. It is just simple and lightweight.
[button url=”http://hipsterghost.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”https://github.com/sethlilly/Vapor” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
Simply Pure
This theme is called Simply Pure and it is made by PureCSS. You’ll have to share your email address and you will get the download through email.
[button url=”http://162.243.60.100/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Demo[/button] [button url=”http://madeforghost.com/” style=”info” size=”default” block=”false” target=”_blank” icon=”check”]Download[/button]
