About Ghost
Ghost is an email marketing platform that technical creators and media brands rely on day-to-day. On the strengths side, open-source + self-hostable (full control); on the depth side, no per-subscriber pricing on self-host. The things you'll actually touch most days are Publishing + newsletter and Memberships. It's quick to pick up, with a free plan to start and paid tiers from $9/mo. Ghost is a great self-hosted or managed publishing platform.
Available on
Integrates with
Who it's for
A quick filter before you spend time on Ghost — read both sides before committing.
Use it if…
- Technical creators comfortable with self-hosting
- Media brands wanting full control
- Writers avoiding Substack's cut
Skip it if…
- Non-technical solo writers
- Teams needing deep automation
- E-commerce stores
Pros and cons
Pros
- Open-source + self-hostable (full control)
- No per-subscriber pricing on self-host
- Clean editor + fast reader experience
- Hits the core email marketing workflow without forcing a hunt for second tools
- Pricing lands in the right band for its target buyer
Cons
- Self-hosting requires sysadmin skills
- Ghost Pro gets pricey at scale
- Fewer integrations than ConvertKit
- Not the cheapest option in the category — the free alternatives cover basics
- Advanced features sit behind higher-tier plans most small teams won't need
Features
The capabilities you actually get when you sign up for Ghost.
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01
Publishing + newsletter
Blog posts and email together
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02
Memberships
Paid + free tiers natively
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03
API-first
Headless usage supported
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04
Core workspace
The main editor or dashboard where day-to-day email marketing work happens
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05
Integrations hub
Connects to the tools your stack already uses so data doesn't live in silos
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06
Reporting and dashboards
Built-in reports and exportable dashboards for stakeholder reviews
Pricing
A free plan to start, then paid tiers for the full set of features.
Starter
$9 /mo
- 500 members
- 1 staff
- Core features
Creator
$25 /mo
- 1K members
- Unlimited staff
- Integrations
Frequently asked questions
What people usually want to know before signing up for Ghost.
Can I self-host Ghost for free?
Yes — Ghost is MIT licensed. You pay for hosting (~$10/mo).
Is Ghost good for a non-technical writer?
Ghost Pro is friendly; self-hosting is not.
How is pricing calculated — contacts or sends?
Usually contacts (every email in your list counts). A few tools price on sends, which is friendlier for inactive-heavy lists.
Can I migrate from Mailchimp without losing automations?
Lists and templates import cleanly. Automations have to be rebuilt — budget half a day per complex sequence.
Does it handle transactional email too?
Most ESPs separate transactional from marketing. Expect to pair with Postmark, Resend or an SMTP service for high-volume transactional sends.
Bottom line
Should you use Ghost?
Ghost is a great self-hosted or managed publishing platform. Beehiiv is the hosted alternative without the complexity.