Ghost
Ghost Foundation
7.3
Overall Score / 10
Substack
Substack Inc.
7.1
Overall Score / 10
Our Verdict
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
Choose Substack if:
- —Writers who want the simplest possible setup
- —People who value Substack's built-in network and recommendations
- —Writers focused on paid subscriptions
The biggest difference: Ghost wins for full ownership and no revenue cut. Substack wins for simplicity and built-in network discovery.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Ghost | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Paid Plan | $18/mo (Starter)Source: Ghost Foundation pricing page → | Free onlySource: Substack Inc. pricing page → |
| Free Tier | No No free tier. Ghost(Pro) starts at $15/mo billed annually. Self-hosted Ghost is free and open source. | Yes Free to use; Substack takes 10% cut of paid subscriptions + Stripe fees |
| Value for Money | 8 | 7 |
| Ease of Use | 6 | 10 |
| Feature Power | 7 | 4 |
| Setup Ease | 5 | 10 |
| Migration Ease | 5 | 6 |
| Transparency | 10 | 7 |
| Deployment | hybrid | cloud |
| API Available | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web, iOS, Android |
| Compliance | GDPR (self-hosted: full control) | Basic GDPR tools |
Feature Comparison
Feature Comparison Matrix
17 features compared · 17 differences
| Feature | Ghost | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Chat | None | Full |
| Mobile app | None | Full |
| Native memberships & subscriptions | Full | None |
| Newsletter delivery | Full | None |
| Newsletter publishing | None | Full |
| Open source | Full | None |
| Podcast hosting | None | Full |
| Powerful editor | Full | None |
| Recommendations network | None | Full |
| Self-hostable | Full | None |
| SEO built-in | Full | None |
| Stripe-native payments | Full | None |
| Advanced | ||
| Custom domains (limited) | None | Full |
| Custom themes | Full | None |
| Paid subscriptions | None | Full |
| Integrations | ||
| Integrations via Zapier/webhooks | Full | None |
| Security | ||
| Notes (social feed) | None | Full |
Pricing Comparison
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
Substack Pricing
Unlimited subscribers, unlimited sends, 10% of paid subscription revenue
Who Should Choose Which?
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
Who should choose Substack
Best for
- Writers who want the simplest possible setup
- People who value Substack's built-in network and recommendations
- Writers focused on paid subscriptions
Avoid if
- You want full control over your brand and domain
- You need advanced segmentation or automation
- You don't want to give up 10% of revenue
Switching Guidance
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
Switching from Substack
Common triggers to leave:
- •Need custom branding
- •Need automation
- •10% revenue cut
- •Need analytics depth
Potential blockers:
- •Built-in subscriber network
- •Substack app readers
- •Community features
Try Ghost
Plans from $18/mo
Try Substack
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