Brevo
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
7.2
Overall Score / 10
Ghost
Ghost Foundation
7.3
Overall Score / 10
Our Verdict
Choose Brevo if:
- —Businesses with large contact lists on a budget
- —Teams needing email + SMS + CRM in one tool
- —Anyone frustrated by per-contact pricing models
Choose Ghost if:
- —Professional publishers who want full ownership
- —Developers who want a customizable open-source platform
- —Creators who want memberships without a revenue cut
The biggest difference: Brevo is a multi-channel marketing platform (email + SMS + WhatsApp) ideal for e-commerce and transactional email. Ghost is an open-source publishing platform for content creators wanting full ownership, memberships, and custom design.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Brevo | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Paid Plan | $9/mo (Starter)Source: Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) pricing page → | $18/mo (Starter)Source: Ghost Foundation pricing page → |
| Free Tier | Yes Up to 100,000 contacts, 300 emails/day, Brevo branding | No No free tier. Ghost(Pro) starts at $15/mo billed annually. Self-hosted Ghost is free and open source. |
| Value for Money | 8 | 8 |
| Ease of Use | 7 | 6 |
| Feature Power | 7 | 7 |
| Setup Ease | 7 | 5 |
| Migration Ease | 6 | 5 |
| Transparency | 7 | 10 |
| Deployment | cloud | hybrid |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Compliance | GDPR compliant (EU-based), SOC 2 | GDPR (self-hosted: full control) |
Feature Comparison
Feature Comparison Matrix
18 features compared · 17 differences
| Feature | Brevo | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Chat widget | Full | None |
| CRM | Full | None |
| Landing pages | Full | None |
| Native memberships & subscriptions | None | Full |
| Newsletter delivery | None | Full |
| Open source | None | Full |
| Powerful editor | None | Full |
| Self-hostable | None | Full |
| SEO built-in | None | Full |
| SMS marketing | Full | None |
| Stripe-native payments | None | Full |
| Advanced | ||
| Custom themes | None | Full |
| Email campaigns | Full | None |
| Marketing automation | Full | None |
| Transactional email | Full | None |
| WhatsApp campaigns | Full | None |
| Integrations | ||
| Facebook Ads integration | Full | None |
| Integrations via Zapier/webhooks | Full | Full |
Pricing Comparison
Brevo Pricing
Up to 100,000 contacts, 300 emails/day, Brevo branding
5,000 emails/mo, no daily limit, basic reporting
5,000 emails/mo, marketing automation, A/B testing, advanced stats
150,000+ emails, marketing automation, dedicated IP
Custom volume, dedicated IP, SSO, priority support
Ghost Pricing
1,000 members, 1 staff user, basic features
Unlimited members, 3 staff, paid subscriptions, custom themes, newsletters
Unlimited members, unlimited staff, priority support, advanced integrations
Who Should Choose Which?
Who should choose Brevo
Best for
- Businesses with large contact lists on a budget
- Teams needing email + SMS + CRM in one tool
- Anyone frustrated by per-contact pricing models
Avoid if
- You need deep e-commerce integrations
- You want the most polished email editor
- You need advanced deliverability monitoring tools
Who should choose Ghost
Best for
- Professional publishers who want full ownership
- Developers who want a customizable open-source platform
- Creators who want memberships without a revenue cut
Avoid if
- You want the simplest setup possible
- You need marketing automation
- You're not comfortable with some technical setup
Switching Guidance
Switching from Brevo
Common triggers to leave:
- •Need more polished templates
- •Need deeper analytics
- •Need better deliverability tools
Potential blockers:
- •CRM + email in one platform
- •Transactional email setup
- •SMS campaigns configured
Switching from Ghost
Common triggers to leave:
- •Need marketing automation
- •Need simpler setup
- •Need mobile app for readers
Potential blockers:
- •Custom theme investment
- •Self-hosted infrastructure
- •Member/subscriber data
Try Brevo
Start free — no credit card required
Try Ghost
Plans from $18/mo