Introduction
Is your Ghost blog ready for a fresh, colorful look without fiddling with code? I analysed the Marsa Ghost theme from Aspire Themes and here’s my honest take: the design pops, setup is straightforward, and essentials like search, comments, translations, and memberships are built in.
But at $149, I expected a bit more range in “extras” like social share buttons and dedicated authors/tags archive templates along with some Membership specific templates.
TL;DR — Key takeaways
- Fresh, colorful design with 20+ pro color schemes and clean typography.
- Ghost 6+ ready with native search, comments, memberships, and landing pages.
- No-code homepage (hero, featured posts, tag sections, newsletter, testimonials).
- Translations included (English + several EU languages) and multi-author support.
- Pricey for the feature set; sharing relies on native browser share rather than branded buttons. Limited custom page templates.
What makes Marsa unique?
Marsa stands out for its polished “no-code” experience: 20+ one-click color schemes, pop-up reading modal (gimmick IMO), and a mix-and-match homepage with ready sections (hero, featured, tags, latest, members, newsletter, testimonials) — all built on Ghost’s native features.
Theme overview
Marsa targets bloggers and small publishers who want a lively, modern look without touching code. It ships with Ghost 6+ compatibility, native search, native comments, memberships, custom fonts, and custom settings, plus native landing pages.
Price is $149 with a 30-day money-back guarantee and free updates.
Works with Ghost 6+ and supports Ghost editor cards (galleries, callouts, toggles, products, audio, video, etc.). Translation files cover multiple languages.
Top features of Marsa
- Design & customization
- 20+ professional color schemes; also set custom brand colors across backgrounds, text, headers, banners.
Multiple color schemes in Marsa
- Typography options: pick from curated pairings or Ghost’s font library.
- Reading experience
- Article pop-up modal for quick reading without leaving the page. But this is just a gimmick IMO. It adds an unnecessary friction to read the article and share it by adding an extra click.
- Table of contents, and related posts.
- Homepage
- Hero, featured posts, tag-based sections, latest posts, members-only blocks, newsletter signup, testimonials — mix and match.
- Navigation & discovery
- Sticky header, tags in header, tag dropdown, multi-author support with hover cards, sortable archive.
- Platform features
- Ghost 6+, instant search, all Ghost editor cards, memberships & subscriptions, native comments, translation-ready (EN, ES, FR, DE, IT, PT, AR, DA, FI, NL, TR).
- Share & social
- Native browser share support (mobile/desktop where supported). Social profile links for X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube.
- Docs & support
- Six months of support included; refunds within 30 days; license is per site; Ghost(Pro) Publisher plan needed for custom themes.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Colorful, fresh design with 20+ ready color schemes and good typography.
- Comparatively better accessibility results in my checks (see scores below).
- Ghost-native approach keeps things stable: search, comments, memberships, translations.
Cons
- Costly at $149 compared to other options.
- Limited “extras.” The feature set focuses on core Ghost capabilities; if you want heavy custom author/tag archive pages, you may need custom work. (Not advertised in docs.)
- Post social sharing. No branded share button set is advertised; Marsa relies on native browser share instead. If you need fixed “share to X/FB/LI” buttons on desktop, plan to add them.
Use cases
- For bloggers & creators. Launch a colorful Ghost blog fast and keep focus on writing. The reading modal, TOC, and related posts encourage longer sessions.
- For design or travel blogs. The tag-based sections and hero/featured blocks are great for topic hubs — ideal as a design blog in Ghost or travel blog theme that needs curated fronts.
- For small magazines. Multi-author support, sticky navigation, and a sortable archive help publications scale content structure.
Performance, accessibility & SEO
- My PageSpeed results. Accessibility 100, Best Practices 96, SEO 100.
- My WCAG/ADA spot-check. Score 83% with 2 issues flagged. Still better compared to major of the themes available.
- Built-in helps. Ghost 6+ structure, native search/comments, and well-structured templates support modern SEO and AEO/GEO basics.
Installation & customization guide (quick start)
- Upload the theme: Zip (or use the distributed zip) and upload via Settings → Design → Change theme → Upload in Ghost Admin.
- Routes (if used/edited): When you edit or include
routes.yaml, upload it after each change from Ghost Admin. - Design settings: Configure colors, fonts, hero/featured/tag sections, and navigation via the theme’s custom settings in Ghost.
- Updates: Back up your current theme and follow the Marsa changelog for changed/new files.
Rating & recommendation
My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Verdict: Neutral — I like the design quality and no-code homepage approach, and you get the Ghost-native stack. But at $149 and with few “bonus” flourishes (e.g., branded social buttons, bespoke authors/tags pages), I’m not fully convinced on value for everyone. If you need a colorful Ghost blog fast and prefer clean, native features, Marsa will serve you well. If you need deeper layout variations or built-in sharing components, compare alternatives below first.
FAQs
Is Marsa compatible with Ghost 6+?
Yes, Marsa is built for Ghost 6+.
Does Marsa support native search and comments?
Yes, both native search and native comments are supported.
Does it support memberships and subscriptions?
Yes — Ghost memberships & paid tiers are integrated.
What languages are included?
Translation files include EN, ES, FR, DE, IT, PT, AR, DA, FI, NL, TR out of the box.
How much does it cost? Is there a refund policy?
It’s $149, one-time, with free updates and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Support is included for six months.
Which Ghost(Pro) plan do I need?
On Ghost(Pro), you’ll need the Publisher plan to upload custom themes.
Marsa alternatives to consider
- Flora (Theme Up Studio) — Vibrant color accents, dynamic tag dropdown, custom archive/tag/author pages, image lightbox, code highlighting. Great when you want a lively feel plus polished system pages.
- Array (Bright Themes) — Topic-driven design with dynamic tag feed (asymmetric/bento grids), configurable hero, versatile post templates, and accessible defaults. Ideal when categories/tags are your product.
- Orchid (Theme Up Studio) — Fashion-forward look with multiple hero styles, automatic color shades, AVIF/WebP images, Top Authors/Categories widgets, and sortable archive/tags/authors pages.
- Saaga (Bright Themes) — Storytelling focus with hero variations, featured stories/topics, rich post templates, card support, translations, and Ghost 5.x compatibility.
Conclusion
If you want a colorful Ghost blog with a no-code builder and native features that just work, Marsa is a safe pick. The price puts it in the premium bracket, so weigh that against your need for branded share buttons or bespoke author/tag archive pages. Try the demo, check the documentation, and make sure the defaults fit your publishing style.
