beehiiv vs Ghost
beehiiv and Ghost are both email marketing tools aimed at creators and small businesses. Ghost costs less, from $18/mo versus $59/mo for beehiiv. Both have a free plan.
Newsletter platform with growth tools and ad network
Open-source publishing with memberships
| Pricing | Freemium · $59 | Open source · $18 |
| Starting price | $59/mo | $18/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | 14 days |
| Built for | Creators, Small businesses | Creators, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2021 | SG · 2013 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose beehiiv if
Newsletter publishers and media operators who want growth and ad monetization in one platform.
- Best-in-class growth features for newsletters
- Monetization through ads, boosts and paid tiers built in
- Free plan up to 2,500 subscribers
Look elsewhere if: Course creators selling products (Kit), SaaS lifecycle email (Customer.io), or stores (Klaviyo).
Choose Ghost if
Writers, publishers and companies who want an owned, SEO-strong publication with memberships and no revenue share.
- No revenue share on memberships
- Open source and self-hostable
- Fast, SEO-friendly and focused on publishing
Look elsewhere if: Marketing sites with many page types or people wanting Substack's built-in discovery network.
beehiiv vs Ghost pricing
beehiiv
- Free$0Up to 2,500 subscribers, no credit card
- Lite$59/mo$49/mo billed annually; price at 1,000 subs, scales with list
- Pro$109/mo$95/mo billed annually; at 1,000 subs; removes beehiiv branding
- EnterpriseCustom
Ghost
- Self-hosted$0MIT license; you run the server and email
- Starter$18/mo$15/mo billed yearly; 1,000 members, 1 staff user
- Publisher$35/mo$29/mo billed yearly; 1,000 members, 3 staff users
- Business$239/mo$199/mo billed yearly; 15 staff users
- CustomCustomUnlimited members and staff
beehiiv · Key features
- Referral program and Boosts to grow subscribers
- Ad Network connecting sponsors with publications
- Hosted website with archive, custom domain and SEO controls
- Polls, surveys and segmentation
- Paid subscriptions and premium tiers via Stripe
- Automations, A/B subject tests and 3D analytics
Cons
- Paid plans needed for most growth and monetization features
- Not an e-commerce or lifecycle marketing tool
- Fewer integrations than mature email platforms
Ghost · Key features
- Modern editor with cards, embeds and SEO settings
- Built-in newsletters with Mailgun delivery
- Paid memberships and tiers via Stripe, 0% fees
- Themes (Handlebars) and custom domains
- Native analytics, comments, recommendations and ActivityPub
- REST and Content APIs; self-hostable under MIT
Cons
- Not a general-purpose site builder
- Theme customization requires Handlebars and code
- Self-hosting needs server skills
beehiiv vs Ghost: FAQ
Which is cheaper, beehiiv or Ghost?
Ghost starts at $18/mo and beehiiv at $59/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do beehiiv and Ghost have a free plan?
Yes, both beehiiv and Ghost have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.