Content and publishing
Ghost vs Substack
Substack is the easier way to start a paid newsletter with built-in discovery, but it takes a percentage of subscription revenue. Ghost costs a flat fee, keeps all your revenue, and gives you more control over design and data, at the cost of more setup.
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Ghost or Substack — which should you use?
Substack is the easier way to start a paid newsletter with built-in discovery, but it takes a percentage of subscription revenue. Ghost costs a flat fee, keeps all your revenue, and gives you more control over design and data, at the cost of more setup. Ghost starts at Managed plans from roughly $9/month for a small publication (free tier: No free managed tier; self-hosting is free if you run your own server.); Substack starts at No monthly fee; takes roughly 10% of subscription revenue plus payment fees (free tier: Free to publish; Substack only takes a cut once you charge subscribers.). Prices are list prices and change, so check the vendor pages before buying.
Last updated 3 August 2026
Substack's pitch is zero setup: sign up, write, turn on paid subscriptions, and it handles payments, delivery and a built-in recommendation network. The cost is a percentage of subscription revenue on top of payment processing fees.
Ghost is a publishing platform you either self-host or run on Ghost's managed hosting for a flat monthly fee. There's no revenue cut, you own your subscriber data and design more fully, but you're doing more of the setup yourself.
Side by side
Ghost and Substack in short.
Ghost
Self-hosted or managed publishing platform for newsletters and membership sites.
- Free
- No free managed tier; self-hosting is free if you run your own server.
- Paid from
- Managed plans from roughly $9/month for a small publication
Good at
- No cut of subscription revenue — you keep what you earn minus payment processing
- Full control over theme, design and your own domain
- Own your subscriber list and export it freely
Weak at
- No built-in discovery network like Substack's
- Self-hosting requires technical setup and maintenance
Substack
Hosted newsletter platform with built-in paid subscriptions and reader discovery.
- Free
- Free to publish; Substack only takes a cut once you charge subscribers.
- Paid from
- No monthly fee; takes roughly 10% of subscription revenue plus payment fees
Good at
- Zero setup — writing and publishing take minutes
- Built-in recommendation network can bring new subscribers
- Handles payments, delivery and hosting entirely
Weak at
- Takes a percentage of subscription revenue indefinitely
- Design and customisation options are limited
The differences
Where they actually diverge.
| Feature | Ghost | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue cut | None | ~10% of subscription revenue |
| Monthly cost | From ~$9/month managed | Free until you charge subscribers |
| Setup effort | Moderate to high | Minimal |
| Built-in discovery | No | Yes, recommendation network |
| Design control | High | Limited |
| Data ownership | Full export anytime | Export available |
| Membership tiers | Supported | Supported |
| Best for | Writers wanting control and no revenue cut | Writers wanting speed and discovery |
Pick one
Which one fits you.
Choose Ghost if
- You expect meaningful subscription revenue and want to keep all of it
- Design and site control matter to you
- You're comfortable with a bit more setup, or paying for managed hosting
Choose Substack if
- You want to start publishing today with no setup
- Discovery through Substack's network could help you find readers
- You're not yet sure whether you'll charge for subscriptions
When neither is the answer
For a newsletter that's really a marketing channel for a business, a plain email marketing tool like MailerLite is simpler than either.
Questions
Common questions.
Can I move a Substack newsletter to Ghost later?
Yes, Substack lets you export subscriber emails and Ghost has an import tool, though you'll lose Substack's built-in payment relationship with subscribers and need to reset up billing.
Does Ghost have a free plan?
Only if you self-host on your own server, which is free but requires you to manage updates and infrastructure yourself.
How much does Substack actually cost?
Nothing until you charge for subscriptions, at which point it takes about 10% of revenue plus standard Stripe payment processing fees.
Does Ghost support paid memberships?
Yes, Ghost has built-in membership and subscription tools with Stripe integration, comparable to Substack's paid tier features.
Which is better for SEO?
Ghost gives more control over site structure and metadata since you control the theme. Substack's SEO is decent but more templated.
Prices are list prices published by each vendor and change often — check the linked pricing pages before you buy. We take no affiliate commission and nobody pays to appear here.
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