Masthead review
A focused Markdown publishing platform for managing multiple small sites.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Masthead is an open-source publishing platform for blogs and small business websites. It supports Markdown or HTML authoring, chronological posts, pages, tags, post filtering, image and file uploads, and marketplace or custom themes. The hosted service works on the web, while the source code and CLI support self-hosting. Its multiple-site model makes it a natural fit for publishers, consultants, and small teams managing several focused websites from one account.
The pricing structure is straightforward but important to understand. The Free plan costs €0 per site and includes unlimited posts and pages, Markdown or HTML authoring, themes, a Masthead subdomain, automatic HTTPS, and uploads. The monthly Paid plan costs €5 per site per month and adds custom domains, automatic TLS certificates, and collaborator invitations. An annual Paid option costs €50 per site per year with the same listed additions. Because pricing is per site, organizations with several properties should account for each site separately. The hosted service and self-hosted option also give publishers a choice between managed publishing and operating the software themselves.
Masthead’s strongest distinction is its focused authoring and theming model. Themes define both presentation and the editing experience, with Liquid templates, CSS, theme settings, and page-specific metadata available for custom work. That can suit publishers who want control over site structure and content workflows, especially when Markdown is central to the process. It is less suited to teams looking for a broad publishing system with a larger operational toolkit or a highly standardized editing experience across themes. Choose Masthead for lightweight, multi-site publishing with custom themes and clear per-site pricing; consider a broader platform when publishing operations extend beyond that focused scope.
Masthead pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Unlimited posts and pages on the Free plan
- Custom domains with automatic HTTPS or TLS
- Multiple sites managed from one account
- Where it doesn't
- Paid pricing is charged per site, not per account
- Custom theme editing requires custom code
- Theme-defined editing can vary by theme
Masthead fact sheet, pricing and score →
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