Ghost
Ghost Foundation
Own your publication with open source and 0% fees on memberships.
Ghost costs $18/mo for the Starter (annual) plan. A free tier is available.
Price
From $18/mo · Free version available
Last checked
September 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 $18 per month, or $216 per year on the Starter (annual) plan. There is a free tier as well. List prices on annual billing, checked on 11 June 2026; paying monthly usually costs more.
Every plan Ghost sells, with the yearly price next to the monthly one.
Starter (annual)
- Up to 500 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.”Editorial team, via MailShortlist
Where to get it
From $18/mo
Sign up directly with the provider.
Prices last checked on
We may earn a small commission through links on this site, at no extra cost to you.
Compare Ghost head-to-head
More newsletter tools for creators
View allFrequently 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.
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.