newsletter platform · Ghost Foundation

Ghost

Open-source publishing and newsletter platform that is free to self-host, or hosted from $18 a month.

77/100

#3 of 12 newsletter platforms
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

The software is free under the MIT licence; hosted Ghost(Pro) starts at $18 a month, billed yearly, for 1,000 members^1,3.
Ghost says it takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue; Stripe's own fee of 2.9% + 30¢ still applies⁷.
The $18 Starter plan has no paid subscriptions or custom sending domain; Publisher at $29 a month adds both^1,10.
You can export every member, with labels, to CSV and import a CSV or move over from Substack, Kit or Mailchimp^8,9.
Automations, the multi-email sign-up flow, are still in beta, so we do not count them¹¹.

Ghost suits writers who want to own the software and keep all paid-subscription revenue apart from Stripe's fees^3,7. Recommendations, members export and open code are built in^3,6,8. The catch: the cheapest hosted plan lacks paid memberships, referrals need a separate FirstPromoter account, and automations are in beta^1,11,13.

Best for: Writers who want open-source software and no cut of paid-subscription revenue.

Where the points come from

Earning18 of 25

Your list27 of 32

Growth15 of 26

Price17 of 17

Earning 18 of 25 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Paid subscriptions	YesMembers can pay through a built-in Stripe connection; Starter lacks it, Publisher and above include it^1,4.	8 / 8
Fee on paid subscriptions	0Ghost says it charges 0% transaction fees; Stripe's own fees of 2.9% + 30¢ still apply⁷.	10 / 10
Built-in sponsorship or ad network	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's features page².	0 / 4
Sell digital products	NoGhost says it has no built-in shopping cart; products need outside integrations or embeds¹⁴.	0 / 3

Your list 27 of 32 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Export your subscriber list	YesSettings, Import/Export exports all members with labels and subscription status as CSV⁸.	8 / 8
Import subscribers	YesMembers import from a CSV file; guides cover Substack, Mailchimp, Kit, Beehiiv and Buttondown⁹.	5 / 5
Website on your own domain	YesEvery Ghost(Pro) plan lists a custom domain; Starter includes a free .link domain for one year¹.	7 / 7
Send from your own domain	Not publishedNeeds Publisher or higher on Ghost(Pro). The article covers DNS and DMARC records but does not name SPF or DKIM¹⁰.	0 / 5
Open source	YesThe README says Ghost is released under the MIT licence³.	3 / 3
Public API	YesContent API on all plans, Admin API from Publisher; docs include creating and updating members^1,18.	4 / 4

Growth 15 of 26 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Recommendation network	YesBuilt-in Recommendations let sites recommend each other to readers, built on Webmention⁶.	6 / 6
Referral program	NoReferral rewards run through FirstPromoter, a third-party service with its own account; the features page lists referral programs as an integration^2,13.	0 / 4
Send to a tag or segment	YesNewsletters can go to a segment of free or paid members; members filter by label and tier^5,15.	5 / 5
Automated email sequences	NoAutomations are in beta and new ones cannot yet be created; the welcome email is a single message^11,12.	0 / 4
Subscriber source reports	YesGhost records each member's sign-up source¹⁶; the Growth tab's Top content table lists referral sources and the new members each brought in¹⁹.	4 / 4
Subject-line A/B tests	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's features page²; A/B testing appears only as an integration category.	0 / 3

Price 17 of 17 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free plan	YesSelf-hosted Ghost is free under the MIT licence; bulk email needs a Mailgun account^3,5.	8 / 8
Cost at 1,000 subscribers	$0The self-hosted licence is free (MIT), so $0; hosting is left out. Hosted Starter is $18 a month, billed yearly^1,3.	9 / 9

The rule behind each line: how we score newsletter platforms.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Self-hosted1 site you host yourself	Free^3,5	$0	MIT licence; you pay for hosting and a Mailgun account for bulk email
Starter (Ghost(Pro))1,000 members, 1 staff user	$18/month, billed yearly¹	$18	No paid subscriptions or custom sending domain
Publisher (Ghost(Pro))1,000 members, 3 staff users	$29/month, billed yearly^1,10	$29	Adds Stripe payments, custom sending domain, Admin API and Zapier
Business (Ghost(Pro))15 staff users	$199/month, billed yearly¹	$199	10 newsletters and 10 premium tiers

The pricing page shows monthly figures billed yearly; it does not list a monthly-billing price¹. Ghost says all plans include unlimited email sends¹.

Strengths

Open source under the MIT licence, free to self-host³.
Ghost charges 0% on paid-subscription revenue⁷.
Built-in Recommendations let publications promote each other to readers⁶.
All members, with labels, export to CSV from the admin⁸.
Several newsletters can run on one site, and members pick which they receive⁵.

Limits

Starter at $18 a month has no Stripe payments, custom sending domain or webhooks^1,10.
Automations are in beta and you cannot yet create new ones¹¹.
Ghost has no built-in shopping cart for selling products¹⁴.
Self-hosted bulk email needs a Mailgun account, the only supported provider⁵.
Referral rewards depend on FirstPromoter, a third-party service with its own account¹³.

Concerns on record

SecurityWeek reported on May 25, 2026 that security firm Qianxin counted more than 700 websites compromised through CVE-2026-26980, an SQL injection flaw in Ghost patched in February, in attacks on unpatched Ghost instances¹⁷.

What Ghost Foundation says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

Ghost says its sites connect straight to your own Stripe account and that it adds no transaction fees⁷.
Ghost says all plans include unlimited email sends with no restrictions¹.

Other newsletter platforms

1
beehiivWriters who want an ad network, referrals and growth tools
97/100
$0cost at 1,000 subscribers
2
KitCreators who sell products and want a large free plan
94/100
$0cost at 1,000 subscribers
4
SubstackWriters who want paid subscriptions and reader discovery with no monthly fee
71/100
$0cost at 1,000 subscribers
5
ButtondownWriters who want low flat pricing and no cut of paid subscriptions
71/100
$7.50/mocost at 1,000 subscribers

Ghost vs beehiiv · Ghost vs Kit · All 12 newsletter platforms

Sources

Ghost pricing, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Ghost features, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
TryGhost/Ghost, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Memberships, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Email newsletters, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Recommendations, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Are there really no transaction fees?, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Exports, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Import members, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Custom sending domains, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Automations (beta), Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Welcome emails, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
FirstPromoter ID, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Ecommerce, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Member management, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Member sources, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Ghost CMS Vulnerability Exploited to Hack Over 700 Websites, SecurityWeek. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Ghost developer docs index (llms.txt), Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Native analytics, Ghost. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: ghost.org · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Ghost Foundation.