Looking for a free or open-source alternative to Ghost? Inkpress is the closest direct swap — MIT-licensed source on GitHub, or a $29 one-time packaged install. Since you're already auditing what you pay Ghost every month, here are four more pay-once tools from the same catalog worth a look while you're at it — different jobs, same idea: buy the software once instead of renting it forever.
1. Inkpress — replaces Ghost
Split-pane markdown editor, 3 themes, server-side highlighting, RSS & SEO — one SQLite file. $29 once vs Ghost's $9/mo. Free on GitHub, or the packaged installer on Whop.
See Inkpress → · Source on GitHub
2. Feedloft — Self-hosted Feedly alternative — folders, OPML, full-text search, one SQLite file.
Replaces Feedly ($8/mo). $24 once. See Feedloft →
3. Reelsnag — Paste a URL, pick a quality, queue it. Trim, MP3, subtitles, batch — all local.
Replaces Downloader subscription sites ($10–15/mo). $24 once. See Reelsnag →
4. Voicebarn — Local neural TTS via Piper — unlimited characters, per-paragraph voices, WAV/MP3 export.
Replaces ElevenLabs (Creator) ($22/mo). $34 once. See Voicebarn →
5. Droplink — Self-hosted WeTransfer — chunked resumable uploads, password links, download limits.
Replaces WeTransfer ($12/mo). $29 once. See Droplink →
Why this list is worth bookmarking
Every app above is a one-time purchase with MIT-licensed source, no accounts with us and no telemetry. None of them are trying to be the next Ghost — they're trying to be the last subscription you pay for that specific job.
Try Inkpress — $29, once
Split-pane markdown editor, 3 themes, server-side highlighting, RSS & SEO — one SQLite file.