Verdict. Pick Ghost if you run a paid publication and hate giving away a percentage. Ghost takes 0% of subscriptions, you keep your own Stripe account, and the code is open source, so leaving is easy. You trade that for a monthly bill that scales with every member, free or paid, and weaker discovery than Substack. Once you earn more than a few hundred dollars a month, the math usually favors Ghost.
- Founded
- 2013
- Best for
- Independent publishers who want 0% fees and full ownership
- Plans from
- $35/month
- You keep from $1,000
- $906 on Publisher
Who can join. Open to anyone 13 or older. Paid memberships need a Stripe account and the Publisher plan or higher, or a self-hosted install.
Ghost pricing and fees
Ghost takes 0% of subscription revenue, so you pay a flat Ghost(Pro) fee from $35 a month billed monthly for paid features, or nothing for self-hosting, plus Stripe's card fees.
| Plan | Price | Fee on sales | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $18/mo | Can't sell | 1,000 members, 1 staff user, official themes only, no paid subscriptions. $15/mo billed yearly. |
| Publisher | $35/mo | 0% of sales | 1,000 members, 3 staff users, 3 paid tiers, custom themes. $29/mo billed yearly. $55/mo at 2,500 members. |
| Business | $239/mo | 0% of sales | 10,000 members, 15 staff users, 10 paid tiers, priority support. $199/mo billed yearly. |
| Custom | Contact sales | 0% of sales | Unlimited members and staff, dedicated IP, 99.9% uptime SLA. |
| Self-hosted | $0 for the software | 0% of sales | Open source under the MIT license. Hosting, email and upkeep are on you. |
On $1,000 of monthly sales at $10 each, the cheapest option is the Publisher plan. You'd pay about $94 in platform and card fees, 9.4% of revenue, and keep $906. Compare that with every other platform.
Payment processing. Stripe only, through your own Stripe account. Stripe's standard US rate of 2.9% + 30¢ per card charge applies, and Ghost adds nothing on top.
Payouts. Money goes straight into your own Stripe account and pays out to your bank on Stripe's schedule. Ghost doesn't sit between you and your revenue.
What you get with Ghost
- Paid memberships with multiple tiers
- Tips and one-time payments
- Multiple newsletters per site
- Native web and email analytics
- ActivityPub social web distribution
- Recommendations and Ghost Explore directory
- Member import and export as CSV
- Custom themes and custom domain
- Member comments
- Unlimited email sends
Ghost pros and cons
What we like
- 0% platform fee on paid subscriptions on every plan that can sell.
- You own the Stripe account, the code and the member list, with CSV export any time.
- Self-hosting is free and open source, so you can't get locked in.
- ActivityPub puts your posts in Mastodon, Threads and Flipboard feeds.
What gets in the way
- The $18 Starter plan can't take payments. Paid features start at $35 a month billed monthly.
- Hosting price climbs with members, free ones included. 10,000 members on Publisher costs $105 a month.
- Weaker built-in discovery than Substack's app or beehiiv's network.
- No ad network or paid recommendation marketplace for extra income.
- Self-hosting means you handle updates, uptime, security and email delivery.
Who should skip Ghost
If you're starting from zero and need readers to find you, start on Substack or beehiiv's free plan instead.
Ghost alternatives
| Platform | Score | Keep from $1,000 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | 7.9 | $935 | Creators who sell products and need serious email automation |
| beehiiv | 7.5 | $882 | Growth-focused newsletters that want ad and referral income |
| Substack | 6.1 | $834 | Writers starting a paid newsletter with no upfront cost |
Head to head: Substack vs Ghost, Ghost vs beehiiv.
See all 4 newsletter platforms ranked.
Ghost questions
Does Ghost take a cut of paid subscriptions?
No. Ghost charges 0% on subscription revenue on every Ghost(Pro) plan that supports payments, and on self-hosted installs. You pay only the hosting fee and Stripe's processing, which is 2.9% + 30¢ per US card charge.
How much does Ghost(Pro) cost?
Billed monthly, Starter is $18, Publisher $35 and Business $239 a month at the entry member tier. Yearly billing drops those to $15, $29 and $199. Starter can't sell subscriptions, so a paid newsletter starts on Publisher.
Is Ghost free to self-host?
Yes. Ghost is open source under the MIT license, and the software costs nothing. You still pay for a server, a domain and email sending, and you handle updates and security yourself. Ghost(Pro) exists if you'd rather skip that work.
Can I move from Substack to Ghost?
Yes. Ghost imports members from a CSV, and if you're coming from Substack you connect the same Stripe account so web subscribers keep billing. Subscribers who paid through Substack's iOS app can't come along, because Apple holds those billing relationships.
Sources
We checked these pages on October 20, 2026. Platforms change fees often, so confirm on the official page before you commit.