Ghost Review 2026: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons

Ghost is the open-source publishing platform that takes the opposite approach to Substack. Where Substack trades simplicity for control, Ghost gives you complete ownership of your content, your subscribers, your payment relationships, and your data. No platform fee. No lock-in. No algorithmic dependency.

Founded by John O'Nolan in 2013 as a nonprofit, Ghost has evolved from a simple blogging tool into a full publishing and membership platform. This review covers whether it is the right choice for your newsletter in 2026.

What Is Ghost?

Ghost is an open-source publishing platform for newsletters, blogs, and membership sites. It is built on Node.js, uses a headless CMS architecture, and can be self-hosted on any server or used through Ghost's managed hosting service (Ghost(Pro)).

Ghost handles publishing, email newsletters, paid memberships, and website hosting in a single integrated system. Unlike Substack or Beehiiv, which are closed SaaS platforms, Ghost's code is publicly available on GitHub. You can inspect it, modify it, and run it on your own infrastructure. This matters for publishers who refuse to build their business on a platform they do not control.

Key Features

Full Data Ownership

This is Ghost's defining advantage. You own your content, your subscriber list, your payment relationships (through your own Stripe account), and your entire database. If Ghost the company disappeared tomorrow, self-hosted users would be completely unaffected. Even Ghost(Pro) users can export everything and migrate to self-hosted at any time. No other newsletter platform offers this level of independence.

Native Memberships with 0% Platform Fee

Ghost connects directly to your Stripe account for paid memberships. Ghost takes 0% of your revenue. You pay only Stripe's standard processing fee (~2.9% + 30 cents). Compare that to Substack's 10% or Beehiiv's potential ad revenue share. At $10,000/month in membership revenue, you save $1,000/month compared to Substack.

Theming and Full Design Control

Ghost uses Handlebars templates for its theme system. Dozens of free and premium themes are available, and you can build custom themes from scratch. The level of design control is comparable to WordPress, far beyond what Beehiiv, Substack, or Kit offer. Your publication can look like anything you want, not a template variation.

Headless CMS / API Access

Ghost has a full Content API and Admin API. Use Ghost as a headless CMS and build your frontend in Next.js, Gatsby, Astro, or any framework. This is popular with developer-publishers who want a custom site powered by Ghost's content management and email infrastructure. No other newsletter platform supports this workflow.

SEO and Performance

Ghost generates clean, fast HTML with proper meta tags, structured data, XML sitemaps, and canonical URLs out of the box. Page load times are consistently fast. The platform was built with SEO as a priority, and it shows in search rankings. Comparable to Beehiiv's SEO, significantly better than Substack's.

Native Email Newsletters

Send newsletters directly from the Ghost editor. Segment by free vs. paid members, by labels, or by custom filters. The email editor supports cards (images, buttons, bookmarks, HTML embeds) and renders well across email clients. Not as feature-rich as Kit's automation builder, but more than adequate for most publishers.

Ghost Pricing

Self-hosting Ghost on a $5-10/month VPS (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr) gives you the full platform for minimal cost. Ghost(Pro) managed hosting eliminates server management and starts at $9/month. Either way, Ghost charges 0% on your membership revenue. The economics improve dramatically at scale compared to percentage-based platforms.

The cost comparison at 10,000 paying members ($10/month each): Substack takes $10,000/month. Ghost(Pro) costs $199/month. Self-hosted Ghost costs ~$20/month for a capable server. The math is not close.

Who Should Use Ghost?

• Developers and technical publishers who want full stack control and API access
• Indie publishers building a membership business who want to keep 100% of revenue
• Anyone moving off Substack to eliminate the 10% revenue cut while maintaining a similar publishing experience
• Publications that need custom design beyond what template-based platforms allow
• Privacy-conscious publishers who want to own their data and not depend on a VC-funded platform
• Teams and organizations that need multiple staff accounts and editorial workflows

Who Should NOT Use Ghost?

• Non-technical writers who want zero-friction publishing should use Substack instead
• Newsletter creators who need growth tools (referrals, boosts, ad network) should use Beehiiv
• Creators selling digital products should use Kit, which has native commerce
• Anyone who does not want to manage a server and finds Ghost(Pro) pricing too high
• Creators who depend on platform discovery to find readers - Ghost has no built-in audience network

Ghost vs the Competition

Ghost vs Substack: Ghost gives you ownership, 0% fees, and full design control. Substack gives you simplicity and built-in discovery. Ghost is better for established publishers. Substack is better for writers starting from zero who need organic reader acquisition. Read our Substack review.

Ghost vs Beehiiv: Beehiiv has better newsletter-specific growth tools (ad network, referrals, boosts) and is easier to set up. Ghost gives you full ownership and 0% platform fee. Beehiiv is better for newsletter operators. Ghost is better for publishers who want complete control. Read our Beehiiv review.

Ghost vs Kit: Kit has a superior automation builder and native digital product sales. Ghost has better publishing, full ownership, and 0% fees. Kit is for creators with complex funnels. Ghost is for publishers who want independence. Read our Kit review.

Ghost vs Buttondown: Both appeal to developers. Buttondown is simpler and cheaper for small lists. Ghost is more powerful, with themes, memberships, and full CMS capabilities. Read our Buttondown review.