Ghost vs Paragraph (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ghost grades higher than Paragraph: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ghost grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ghost
Open source publishing with newsletters and paid memberships
Paragraph
AI agents that draft and publish posts, newsletters and social
Which one is for you
Pick Ghost if
- Fits if you want your own site, a newsletter and paid memberships in one place
- Works for solo writers who want to avoid platform fees on payments
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want paid subscriptions: they need Publisher at $29 a month
- Watch out: Starter and Publisher stop at 1,000 members, and you are asked to upgrade after that
- Watch out: Stripe's own fees still apply on payments
- Pricey if you want a team: 3 staff users on Publisher, 15 on Business at $199
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app, since only a browser admin is listed
Pick Paragraph if
- Fits if you want a blog and newsletter in one place and have the agents draft the first version
- Makes sense if you publish for a startup and need several connected tools feeding the drafts
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on free: 500 credits is about two agent runs, with 2,500 emails a month
- Pricey if you need a custom domain or your own website, which start on Launch at $167 a month
- Not for you if you send a lot: Launch stops at 25,000 emails a month and Team at 100,000
- Watch out: free publications don't get search indexing, llms.txt or Markdown copies
- Watch out: the Managed plan starts at $2,500 a month, booked through a call
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAGhostFair | 2.0GPAParagraphFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$15 a month on yearly billing ($18 monthly) for 1,000 members is the middle of this category. Publisher, with paid subscriptions, is $29. | D$167 a month on yearly billing ($199 monthly) for Launch. Email marketing's dearest tenth starts at $149, so this is up there, and Team is $417. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial. The listing does not say whether a card is needed, and there is no free plan. | CFree forever, with 500 credits, a hosted blog and newsletter, and 2,500 emails a month. That's two agent runs, and agent work pauses until credits refill. |
| Features | CNewsletters, memberships, a website and analytics. Starter has no paid subscriptions, custom themes or custom fields, and the pages read show no marketing automation. | CHosted blog and newsletter, agents that draft, approval before publishing, an API, MCP server and CLI. Search indexing, llms.txt and Markdown copies are left out of free publications. |
| Ease of use | CA web admin with no rating on record. You pick a theme and set up a site as well as a newsletter. | CNo store rating on record. You connect tools, set up the agents and review every draft before it goes out. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Stripe, Zapier, Slack, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Google Analytics, Discord and Plausible. | BWeb only, but with an API, MCP server and CLI, and connections to Slack, Linear, Notion, GitHub, Stripe, HubSpot and Mailchimp. |
| Best for | publishers who want a site and newsletter in one | a hosted blog and newsletter with AI drafting |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ghost and Paragraph. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ghost starts at $15 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Paragraph starts at $167 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Ghost starts $152 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 16 score higher than Ghost for less, and 33 score higher than Paragraph for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Ghost is open source, according to its own site.
- Ghost also covers paid newsletters.
- Paragraph also covers AI agents and long-form writing.
At a glance
| Ghost | Paragraph | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15 per month for up to 1,000 members, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly) | $167 per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 500 agent credits a month (two agent runs), a hosted blog and newsletter, 2,500 newsletter emails a month and 3 connected tools. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Ghost(Pro) | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Ghost Foundation | Paragraph |
| Price read from | ghost.org | paragraph.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ghost
- Paid subscriptions, custom themes and custom fields need the Publisher plan; Starter has none of them.
- Starter and Publisher cap out at 1,000 members, and the page says you are notified to upgrade as members grow.
- Ghost takes no transaction fee on payments, but Stripe's payment processor fees still apply.
- Only a browser-based admin is listed; no desktop or mobile apps appear on the pages read.
Paragraph
- Work is metered in monthly credits; on the Free plan, agent work pauses until credits refill.
- Free publications do not get search indexing, llms.txt or Markdown copies; those start on paid plans.
- Newsletter sending is capped per month: 2,500 on Free, 25,000 on Launch and 100,000 on Team.
- Managed starts at $2,500 a month and is booked through a call.
Key features
Ghost
- Newsletters built in
- Posts can go out as email newsletters. The pricing page lists multiple newsletters, email templates and editable links after sending.
- Paid memberships
- Members sign up free or pay through Stripe. Publisher and above include paid subscriptions, tips, premium tiers and special offers.
- Own website and themes
- Every plan includes a website with a custom domain. Marketplace and custom themes start on the Publisher plan.
- Member analytics
- Shows who is signing up, who is paying and what members read, with advanced analytics on Publisher and higher.
- Open source software
- The foundation describes Ghost as open source, and its developer docs include a hosting guide for running it yourself.
Paragraph
- Approval before publishing
- New posts, newsletters, campaigns and visible site changes come to you to approve, edit or reject.
- Agents
- Agents for release notes written from commits, cited SEO and AEO articles, thought leadership posts, customer stories and content repurposing.
- Hosted blog and newsletter
- A site, archive, signup forms and basic email sending are included free; custom domains start on Launch.
- Credits
- A social post takes about 25 credits, a cited article about 100, a launch about 300 and a launch video about 150.
- Search and AI visibility
- Paid plans are indexed by Google and Bing and publish an llms.txt and a Markdown copy of each post.
- API, MCP server and CLI
- A REST API, MCP server and CLI are listed on every plan, along with traffic, post and subscriber analytics.
Plans
Ghost
Starter$15
per month for up to 1,000 members, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)
1 staff user, a default theme with design settings, and email newsletters. Price rises with the member count.
Publisher$29
per month for up to 1,000 members, billed yearly
3 staff users, custom themes, paid subscriptions, advanced analytics and custom fields. Price rises with members.
Business$199
per month for up to 10,000 members, billed yearly
15 staff users, priority support, higher usage limits and early access to features.
CustomCustom
Unlimited members and staff users, a dedicated IP address and a 99.9% uptime SLA. Sold through sales.
Paragraph
Free$0
500 credits a month, hosted blog and newsletter, 2,500 emails a month, 3 connected tools and 1 team member; no custom domain.
Launch$167
per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
15,000 credits a month, custom domain, own website, 25,000 newsletter emails a month, video generation, 10 connected tools and 2 team members.
Team$417
per month, billed annually ($499 billed monthly)
40,000 credits a month, 100,000 newsletter emails a month, unlimited connected tools, 10 team members and priority support.
Managed$2,500
per month and up
Paragraph's team sets up and runs it with you and reviews every draft; 3-month minimum, or 20% off for a year paid upfront.
Ways to pay less
Ghost
- Annual discount
Lower price when billed yearly
The Starter plan is $15 a month billed yearly against $18 billed monthly. Yearly and monthly billing toggle on the pricing page.
Paragraph
- Annual discount
Save 16% with annual billing
The pricing page states a 16% saving on Launch and Team when billed yearly: for example $1,999 a year against $199 a month for Launch.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ghost or Paragraph?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ghost is cheaper to start with: $15 a month, against $167 a month for Paragraph. Ghost starts at $15 per month for up to 1,000 members, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly), and Paragraph starts at $167 per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Ghost or Paragraph?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Paragraph has a free plan. Ghost does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.