Ghost

What Ghost is

Ghost is an app for professional publishers to create, share and grow a business around their content. It bundles a website, publishing, newsletters and paid subscriptions.

A newsletter operator can publish to the web and by email, offer free or paid membership tiers, and send different newsletters to different audience segments.

Ghost is open source, independent and funded 100% by its users, and is run by a non-profit foundation.

Who it is for

Ghost serves four groups. Creators include YouTubers, bloggers, podcasters, musicians and artists. Publishers include writers, journalists, local news and new media outlets. Businesses use it for content marketing, and developers use it for docs and tutorials.

It suits an operator who wants a website, a newsletter and paid memberships together. Ghost is open source and run by a non-profit foundation.

What you can do with it

There are customizable themes from a marketplace, or you can use a fully custom design. The editor publishes by web and email, with galleries, video, audio and downloads.

Newsletters are built in, with audience segmentation so different groups get different newsletters. Memberships can be free signups or paid subscriptions with monthly and yearly tiers. It also has engagement analytics, member management, offers and promotions.

Plans and pricing

There are four plans, with prices billed yearly. Starter is $18 a month, with 1 staff user and 1,000 members. Publisher is $29 a month, with 3 staff users, and adds paid subscriptions, custom themes, advanced analytics and a custom sending domain.

Business is $199 a month, with 15 staff users and priority support. Custom has no published price and adds a dedicated IP, SSO and an account manager. There is a 14-day free trial.

What it works with

It works with Stripe, Slack, Zapier and Google Analytics. Publisher and Business include 8,000 or more integrations, including Zapier, n8n, webhooks and the Admin API.

Starter includes Slack, embedded media and the Content API, but not Zapier, n8n, webhooks or the Admin API. Integrations also include Buttondown, ConvertKit, Mailerlite and Patreon, and there is a library of apps and services.

Things to know before you choose

Starter does not include paid subscriptions. Publisher, Business and Custom charge 0% Ghost transaction fees, and payment processor fees still apply. You are prompted to upgrade based on your number of members.

On Business, custom SSL and subdirectory installs each cost an extra $50 a month. The Business member limit is shown as both 1,000 and 10,000, so confirm it. All plans include a free custom domain.

At a glance

From the company's own pages. Prices and plans change, so confirm on their site.

What it does: Website themes, an editor for web and email publishing, newsletters with audience segmentation, free and paid memberships, offers and engagement analytics.
Used for: Running a newsletter and website together with memberships.
Free plan: No. There is no free tier. Starter, Publisher and Business each have a Try for free button, and a 14-day free trial is offered.
Starting price: Starter is $18 a month, billed yearly. No monthly billing price is published.
How it charges: By plan and member count. Publisher, Business and Custom charge 0% Ghost transaction fees, and payment processor fees still apply.
Works with: Stripe, Slack, Zapier, Mailchimp, GitHub, Google Analytics, Discord and Spotify, among a long integrations library that also includes Buttondown, ConvertKit, Mailerlite and Patreon.
Key features: Marketplace themes, web and email editor, built-in newsletters with segmentation, free and paid memberships, offers, engagement analytics and member management.
Plans: Starter (website and newsletter), Publisher (paid subscriptions, custom themes, advanced analytics), Business (more staff users and priority support), Custom (dedicated IP, SSO, account manager).
Support: A help center, a community forum, certified Ghost developers called Experts and a status page. Publisher has email support, Business has priority support, and Custom has an account manager.
Company: Run by the Ghost Foundation, a non-profit foundation. Ghost is open source, funded 100% by its users, with no investors.
Last checked: October 10, 2026

Questions operators ask about Ghost

Does Ghost have a free plan?

No. There is no free tier. The Starter, Publisher and Business plans each have a Try for free button, and a 14-day free trial is offered.

Can I take paid subscriptions on every plan?

No. Starter does not include paid subscriptions. Publisher, Business and Custom do, with 0% Ghost transaction fees.

Is Ghost open source?

Yes. Ghost is open source, independent and funded 100% by its users. There are install instructions and the source code on GitHub, but no self-hosted plan on the pricing page.

What limits the number of readers on a plan?

You are prompted to upgrade based on the number of members you have. Starter and Publisher include 1,000 members.

How many staff users does each plan include?

Starter has 1, Publisher 3, Business 15 and Custom unlimited.

How many newsletters can I send?

Starter has 1 newsletter, Publisher 3, Business 10 and Custom unlimited.

Is there a trial?

Yes. A 14-day free trial is offered. Starter, Publisher and Business each have a Try for free button.