Ghost
Ghost Foundation
Own your publication with open source and 0% fees on memberships.
Ghost costs $15/mo for the Starter (annual) plan. A free tier is available.
Price
From $15/mo · Free version available
Last checked
October 25, 2026
Best for
Independent publishers
Category
For creators
About Ghost
Ghost is a complete publishing platform with newsletters built in. Your website, blog, newsletter, and paid memberships all live in one open source product. Unlike Substack, Ghost takes 0% of your membership revenue. You pay a flat hosting fee instead. You can even self-host it for free if you are technical. The trade-off is more setup than beehiiv or Substack and no built-in discovery network. For writers who want full ownership, nothing is more independent.
Ghost pricing
Ghost costs $15 per month, or $180 per year on the Starter (annual) plan. There is a free tier as well. List prices on annual billing. Paying monthly usually costs more.
The plans we track for Ghost, with the yearly price next to the monthly one.
Starter (annual)
- Up to 1,000 members
- Paid memberships need a higher plan
- Full website and newsletter
“A full publishing platform with newsletters built in, open source, and 0% fees on paid memberships. For writers who want to own their website and their list, the most independent option there is.”Checked by our editorial team
Where to get it
From $15/mo
Sign up directly with the provider.
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Compare Ghost head-to-head
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View allPros and cons
From our price and feature data. Checked on October 25, 2026.
Pros
- Your website, newsletter and paid memberships all live in one open source product. The blog sits in there too.
- Ghost takes no cut of your membership revenue. You pay a flat hosting fee instead.
- Technical users can self-host it for free and manage the server themselves.
Cons
- Setup takes more effort than with some other platforms in this comparison. Plan some time before your first issue goes out.
Frequently asked questions
Who is behind Ghost?
Ghost is run by Ghost Foundation. That is the name on your invoice, in the terms and in the company register, while the website itself shows only the brand. If you searched for the company name and landed here, you are in the right place.
Is there a Ghost discount?
We don't track Ghost coupon codes. The lowest cost is Starter (annual) at $15 a month, and there is also a free plan.
We may earn a small commission through links on this site, at no extra cost to you. Prices and plans can change at any time; always check current pricing with the provider.