Ghost is a website builders tool for Creators and Small businesses, offered as open source ($18/mo). Founded in Singapore in 2013.
About Ghost
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform created in 2013 by John O'Nolan and Hannah Wolfe and run by the non-profit Ghost Foundation. It combines a fast, focused editor, SEO-friendly themes, built-in email newsletters and paid memberships, and it is used by independent writers, media startups and company blogs that want to own their audience and their domain.
Memberships and subscriptions run through Stripe with zero platform fees, so publishers keep their subscription revenue apart from Stripe's own charges. Newsletters are sent from the same system that publishes posts, with free and paid tiers, segmentation and analytics. Ghost 6.0, released in 2025, added native web analytics and ActivityPub support, so publications can be followed and interacted with from the fediverse. Ghost(Pro) is the managed hosting with pricing based on member count and staff users; self-hosting is free under the MIT license but requires Node.js, MySQL and a bulk email provider.
Ghost fits writers and publishers who want a real website, strong SEO and memberships without a revenue share. It is not a general website builder, and custom themes require Handlebars and front-end skills. Substack is easier to start with and has a discovery network but takes 10% of paid subscriptions, beehiiv is stronger on newsletter growth tools, and WordPress is more flexible for sites that need many page types and plugins.
Key features of Ghost
- 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
Pros and cons
Pros
- No revenue share on memberships
- Open source and self-hostable
- Fast, SEO-friendly and focused on publishing
- Newsletter and site in one
Cons
- Not a general-purpose site builder
- Theme customization requires Handlebars and code
- Self-hosting needs server skills
- Member-based pricing grows with audience
Ghost pricing
Ghost uses a open source model. A 14-day free trial is available.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | $0 | MIT 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 |
| Custom | Custom | Unlimited members and staff |
Source: ghost.org · checked on Oct 20, 2026
How Ghost compares in Website builders
- Rank by votes
- #1 / 18
- Starting price
- $18
- Free alternatives
- 1
0 votes from members
5% below the category median ($19/mo)
Free or open-source tools in Website builders
Ghost ranks #1 of 18 website builders tools by community votes and is priced in line with the category.
Common use cases
- 1Independent writer running a paid newsletter with a real website
- 2Company blog and newsletter on one platform
- 3Media publication leaving Substack to own its domain
- 4Community publication connected to the fediverse
Best for
Writers, publishers and companies who want an owned, SEO-strong publication with memberships and no revenue share.
Not ideal for
Marketing sites with many page types or people wanting Substack's built-in discovery network.
Integrations
- Stripe
- Mailgun
- Zapier
- Slack
- Unsplash
- Google Analytics
- Plausible
- Disqus
- ActivityPub (Fediverse)
Our take
Ghost is the professional publisher's platform: own your audience, keep your revenue. Use Substack for discovery; move to Ghost once you have an audience.
FAQ
- What is Ghost?
- Ghost is a Website builders tool: Open-source publishing with memberships.
- How much does Ghost cost?
- Ghost is Open source; there is no mandatory paid plan.
- Does Ghost have a free trial?
- Yes, Ghost offers a 14-day free trial.
- What does Ghost integrate with?
- Ghost integrates with Stripe, Mailgun, Zapier, Slack, Unsplash, Google Analytics and more.
- Which platforms does Ghost support?
- Ghost is available on web.
- Who is Ghost for?
- Writers, publishers and companies who want an owned, SEO-strong publication with memberships and no revenue share.
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