Brandwave

How popular isGhost?

In September 2026, people searched for Ghost by name about 18,300 times worldwide, a 21.9% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 2.8% of all global digital publishing paywall platform searches, placing Ghost second out of six platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about digital publishing paywall platforms, Ghost appeared in two of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Ghost is the second most searched of 6 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. ZephrShare of searches 94.8%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. GhostShare of searches 2.8%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  3. PooolShare of searches 1.7%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  4. PianoShare of searches 0.3%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. PelcroShare of searches 0.26%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

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Top digital publishing paywall platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ghost was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Ghost is the fourth most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Piano1st
  2. Pelcro2nd
  3. Leaky Paywall3rd
  4. Ghost4th
  5. Zephr5th
  6. Poool6th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Piano4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Pelcro4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Leaky Paywall4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Zephr3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ghost2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Poool1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about digital publishing paywall platforms

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which digital publishing paywall platforms compete with Ghost?

Ghost against digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Zephr, Ghost. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthZephrGhostPooolPianoPelcroLeaky Paywall
Oct 202594%3.4%1.7%0.46%0.41%0.08%
Nov 202594.1%3.4%1.7%0.45%0.31%0.08%
Dec 202594.2%3.3%1.7%0.45%0.28%0.07%
Jan 202693.7%3.5%2.1%0.45%0.23%0.08%
Feb 202694.2%3.4%1.7%0.37%0.28%0.08%
Mar 202693.1%4%2.1%0.46%0.31%0.08%
Apr 202694.2%3.5%1.7%0.3%0.23%0.07%
May 202692.7%4%2.5%0.47%0.27%0.06%
Jun 202695.4%2.3%1.7%0.26%0.19%0.04%
Jul 202693.8%2.9%2.6%0.37%0.28%0.05%
Aug 202694.1%3.1%2.1%0.34%0.28%0.05%
Sep 202694.8%2.8%1.7%0.3%0.26%0.04%

  1. 1.Zephr

    94.8%

    Held 1st. 369K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  2. 2.Ghost

    2.8%

    Held 2nd. 11K estimated branded searches, +11% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  3. 3.Poool

    1.7%

    Held 3rd. 6.7K estimated branded searches, -0.15% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  4. 4.Piano

    0.3%

    Held 4th. 1.2K estimated branded searches, +7.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Pelcro

    0.26%

    Held 5th. 1K estimated branded searches, +13.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Leaky Paywall

    0.04%

    Held 6th. 170 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Ghost and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Ghost

25 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Ghost changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Ghost worldwide fell from 23.4K to 18.3K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ghost’s share of searches among digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide decreased from 3.4% to 2.8%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ghost’s share of searches among digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide peaked at 4% in May 2026 and was lowest at 2.3% in June 2026.

How did search popularity change for digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide in September 2026?

5 changes

  1. In September 2026, Zephr gained share of searches among digital publishing paywall platforms worldwide, from 94.1% to 94.8%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Poool worldwide rose 21.6% over 12 measured months, from 5.5K to 6.7K in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Leaky Paywall worldwide fell 34.6% over 12 measured months, from 260 to 170 in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Pelcro worldwide fell 22.9% over 12 measured months, from 1.3K to 1K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Piano worldwide fell 20.3% over 12 measured months, from 1.5K to 1.2K in September 2026.

How are Ghost’s branded searches counted?

14 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ghost’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • ghost blog
  • ghost blog platform
  • ghost blogging platform
  • Ghost CMS
  • ghost cms docker
  • ghost cms github
  • ghost cms themes
  • ghost headless cms
  • ghost io
  • ghost newsletter
  • ghost newsletter platform
  • ghost publishing platform
  • ghost wordpress
  • ghost.io

Do you work for Ghost? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Ghost compete?

Ghost is ranked in six competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Blog hosting platforms7th of 70.16%Show ranking
Newsletter platforms6th of 70.32%Show ranking
Paid newsletter platforms5th of 60.47%Show ranking
Digital publishing paywall platforms2nd of 62.8%Shown above
News publishing platforms3rd of 811.7%Show ranking
Paywall platforms2nd of 631.6%Show ranking
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Is Ghost your brand?

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