Tripoli vs Taba: choosing a Ghost theme for a magazine

By Ahmad Ajmi October 4, 2026

Tripoli and Taba suit a Ghost magazine with several writers. Both have space for featured stories and recurring subjects. Think about how readers should move through that work. They may start on the front page, then browse a tag or writer’s archive. From there, they can open an article.

I make both themes at Aspire Themes. This guide is for magazines and news sites with several subjects. Editors choose lead stories, while readers follow the beats they care about. For an image-led journal with a different front page, also consider Hanoi.

Tripoli puts selected stories beside recent posts at the top of its homepage. Taba gives the lead more space. It then splits the coverage below into sections and columns. Taba also has more ways to open a story. The examples below show where those choices help.

The main differences

Both themes support Ghost’s editor cards, tag and author pages, and posts with several authors. Both also support memberships and restricted content. Tripoli can show video inside an article and let you publish paid stories. Taba adds layouts and tools that change how readers see those stories.

Publishing need	Tripoli	Taba
Homepage opening	Featured stories beside a column of latest posts.	A large featured story first. Latest stories follow.
Recurring coverage	Tag sections and Editors' Picks.	Tag sections and tag columns. An Editors' Pick and a Video section too.
Browsing tags and authors	Tag and author pages. Separate tag and author directories too.	Tag and author pages. A Topics menu in the header too.
Story openings	One article opening, with the headline and byline above the image.	A standard opening, plus custom layouts for galleries, images, and video.
Reading tools	A table of contents for long articles. Reading time and sharing links too.	Text size, voice playback, reading progress, and sharing controls.

Scroll sideways to see all columns.

Homepage coverage

Look at your recent articles. Which should lead the page? Which subjects need space below it? How often you publish does not settle the choice. A weekly magazine may have a deep archive. A daily site may cover one beat. Compare how each layout would show your work.

Tripoli’s Featured and Latest

Tripoli magazine homepage with a lead story and surrounding article cards — Tripoli combines lead stories, a latest-post column, and tag sections.

Tripoli keeps selected stories beside recent posts. An editor can leave the lead in place while readers catch up on newer work.

Below the opening, tag sections group recurring coverage. Editors’ Picks highlight work worth reading again.

You choose the featured stories, homepage tags, and editorial picks. The Tripoli homepage guide explains how to set them up.

Taba’s lead and tag sections

Taba homepage with a featured story and latest articles underneath — Taba gives the featured story a large visual opening.

Taba gives the lead story more space at the top of the homepage. Latest stories come next. Tag sections, an Editors’ Pick, video coverage, and tag columns follow.

Sections and columns can cover different subjects. You might use sections for politics and culture, then columns for business and sports. Regular video coverage has its own section too.

Taba homepage Sports tag row with four article cards — Taba’s Sports section shows a full row of stories with one tag.

Taba homepage tag columns for Lifestyle, Technology, Science and World — Tag columns put several subjects side by side, with a lead image and shorter story lists.

You choose the tags for each list. The Video section appears when stories have the video tag. Use the areas your coverage needs; you need not fill each demo section. See the Taba guide for setup.

The screenshots use prepared demo content and selected settings. A theme install does not copy those stories or contributors to your site.

Tags and authors

After the lead stories, readers need a route into the archive. Both themes have tag and author pages. Compare how readers reach those pages and what they find there.

Tripoli’s directories

Tripoli’s tag directory shows the available tags together. Readers can choose a tag and open its stories. They need not rely on the tags in the main menu.

Tripoli tag directory with a grid of tags including Politics, Sport, and Technology — Readers can choose a tag in Tripoli’s directory, then open the matching stories.

Its author directory helps readers find a familiar columnist or discover a writer. Both themes support several authors on a post. The directory adds a separate route to their work.

Tripoli author directory with contributor profiles and links to their work — Tripoli’s author directory introduces the publication’s contributors.

The Topics menu in Taba’s header can show all tags or a chosen set. The main menu can then link to other pages. The Politics tag page shows what comes next. A description and lead story appear before the rest of that coverage.

Taba Politics tag page with its description and featured story — Taba’s Politics page opens with a story from that tag.

An author page offers another route through the site. The writer’s profile sits above their articles. The author page groups the writer’s work across subjects under one name.

Taba’s author page brings a writer’s profile and articles together.

A reader who follows a beat needs a tag archive. Someone who returns for a columnist needs that writer’s page. A solo site may have little use for an author directory.

Article formats

Compare standard written articles first, then Taba’s other media layouts.

Written articles

Tripoli puts the title, excerpt, and byline above the feature image. Reports, interviews, and essays can share that order.

Tripoli article opening with headline, excerpt, byline, and feature image — Tripoli puts the headline and article details above the image.

Taba’s standard article also puts the headline and author details before the image. Compare it with Tripoli before trying the custom layouts below.

Taba written article opening with headline, excerpt, author profiles, and feature image — Taba’s standard article starts with the headline and author details. The feature image follows.

Open a standard article in each demo on your phone. Read its text and captions below the opening. Use that as your shared reference when you judge Taba’s other layouts.

Images and video

Both themes can show media through Ghost’s editor cards. Taba adds custom story templates that change the opening itself. The image and video examples below show two options. Its layout examples also cover galleries and the other layouts.

Taba Image Cover article layout with headline, excerpt, and authors over the feature photograph — Taba’s Image Cover puts the story introduction over its photo.

Use an image-led opening when the photo is part of the story’s appeal.

Taba video article with a large player beside the headline, excerpt, and authors — Taba puts the video player beside the story’s title and excerpt.

Use this opening when readers want to watch an interview or filmed report.

Editor cards may be enough for video within a written report. For a regular series, compare Taba’s video openings and video archive.

Reading tools and membership

Tripoli has a table of contents for long articles. Taba adds text resizing, listening, and reading progress. Try the controls your readers would use. Voice playback depends on the browser and voice setup.

Taba article body with Listen, text-size, comments, and sharing controls above the text — Taba’s toolbar has Listen, text size, comments, and sharing.

For a paid site, open a restricted story while signed out of each demo. Both themes support Ghost memberships. Compare the signup or upgrade prompt and any public preview. You set access levels and paid offers in Ghost, not through your theme choice. Ghost’s protected-content guide explains those settings.

Which theme fits?

Choose Tripoli to display selected stories beside recent posts. It also has tag sections, a tag directory, and an author directory. Use that layout across your stories if most are written reports. You do not need to choose a new opening for each one.

Choose Taba if your coverage needs separate tag sections and columns. It also suits regular video, galleries, and varied story openings. Its reading tools may help with long articles. You can still use the standard article layout. A custom opening is a choice, not a task for each post.