Compatibility & Themes

SnapStatic generates static HTML from your Ghost site. Most content features work out of the box. Server-side features like comments and dynamic paywalls require workarounds — some of which are built into SnapStatic's Pro modules.

Ghost Features

What Ghost features work with static sites?

Posts, pages, tag pages, author pages
Navigation menus and internal linking
Pagination (main blog + tag pages)
Images, media, and file downloads
Theme styling, fonts, and assets
RSS feed, Sitemap, Robots.txt (Pro)
Full-text search via Fuse.js or Algolia (Pro add-on)
Custom header/footer code injection scripts (Pro only)
Ghost Portal — subscribe & sign-in popup widget (Pro module)

What Ghost features DON'T work on a static site?

These features require a running Ghost server and cannot work from static HTML alone:

Member-only content gates — static HTML is public; paywalled content cannot be hidden server-side
Native Ghost comments — Ghost's built-in commenting system requires a live backend
Ghost search — replaced by the Fuse.js or Algolia module in Pro
Dynamic routing & server redirects — custom routes.yaml rules are not applied to static output

Note: Newsletter subscription and member sign-in are available on a static site when the Ghost Portal module is enabled — see below.

Ghost Portal on a static site — what works?

Ghost Portal is a JavaScript widget (portal.min.js) served directly from your Ghost backend. When enabled in SnapStatic's Pro Advanced settings, the widget is injected into every generated page and communicates with your Ghost instance for all member interactions.

What Portal enables on a static site:

Subscribe button & email sign-up flow
Member sign-in / sign-out popup
Account management (email, password, billing)
Paid membership upgrade prompts

What Portal cannot do on a static site:

Gate or hide content — all generated HTML is fully public; a logged-in member sees the same pages as a visitor
Serve member-only posts — those routes must stay on your live Ghost domain if you need real content gating

A common setup: static site on your main domain for public content + speed, Ghost on a subdomain (e.g. ghost.yourdomain.com) for member-only posts and the Portal backend. See the Ghost Portal / Members docs for the full setup guide.

Theme Compatibility

Which Ghost themes are supported?

All themes bundled with Ghost work with SnapStatic — Casper, Dawn, Dope, Edge, and others. The generated site preserves your theme's design, layout, and assets exactly as they appear on your Ghost frontend.

Tip: Themes that show a large subscribe overlay or membership gate on the homepage will generate fine, but those overlays won't function without a live Ghost server. Enable Ghost Portal to restore the subscribe popup, or choose a theme that doesn't rely on server-side member state for its main layout.

Do third-party or custom Ghost themes work?

Third-party themes work well if they don't rely on Ghost server-side features (dynamic member gating, native comments, server routing). Themes that are purely presentational with standard Ghost template structure are compatible.

Themes that use Ghost Portal's built-in subscribe button (data-portal attributes) will retain that functionality when the Ghost Portal module is enabled — the widget handles the popup entirely client-side.

We have not tested all third-party themes. Theme developers can contact support if they want their theme verified for compatibility.

What about third-party scripts and integrations?

Scripts added via Ghost's Code Injection (header/footer) are included in Pro builds. The free version does not include code injection scripts.

Third-party widgets that run entirely in the browser — analytics, chat widgets, embedded forms, social sharing — work fine when added through code injection. Anything that requires server-side Ghost communication will not work unless your Ghost backend is still reachable (e.g. on a subdomain).