Ghost review (2026): is it worth $15 a month, billed yearly?
Open source publishing with newsletters and paid memberships
Black Friday: is there a Ghost sale?
Ghost report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for publishers who want a site and newsletter in one
Ghost is a publishing platform with newsletters, paid memberships and its own website, as managed hosting or open source. Starter is $15 a month for up to 1,000 members, but paid subscriptions, custom themes and custom fields wait on Publisher at $29. It is a browser app only.
Who Ghost is for
- 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
Who Ghost is not for
- 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
Why Ghost gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$15 a month on yearly billing ($18 monthly) for 1,000 members is the middle of this category. Publisher, with paid subscriptions, is $29.
- CFree plan and trialA 14-day free trial. The listing does not say whether a card is needed, and there is no free plan.
- CFeaturesNewsletters, memberships, a website and analytics. Starter has no paid subscriptions, custom themes or custom fields, and the pages read show no marketing automation.
- CEase of useA web admin with no rating on record. You pick a theme and set up a site as well as a newsletter.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with Stripe, Zapier, Slack, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Google Analytics, Discord and Plausible.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Ghost's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/ghost#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/ghost.svg" alt="Ghost: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Ghost stands among email marketing and newsletter tools
Ghost's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 17 of the 57 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 7 of 57) and worst on features (C, above 3).
Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 23 of the 47 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 14 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 58 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Ghost’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 10 of 57, level with 33
- CFree plan and trialAbove 11 of 57, level with 31
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 57, level with 19
- CEase of useAbove 5 of 57, level with 48
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 7 of 57, level with 50
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 50 email marketing and newsletter tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Ghost, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Ghost you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 31 of the 57 other email marketing and newsletter tools grade higher. It costs $180 a year. Ghost is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Paid newsletters: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, Zapier and Slack among them.
What this rests on. Ghost’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Ghost?
Ghost is a publishing platform for websites, email newsletters and paid memberships, made by a non-profit foundation that says its software is open source. The Ghost(Pro) hosted service runs from $15 a month billed yearly, with Stripe-based paid subscriptions and no transaction fee from Ghost on higher plans.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Ghost pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ghost is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $15 per month for up to 1,000 members, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $15 per month for up to 1,000 members, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of Ghost(Pro)
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15per 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 | $29per 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 | $199per month for up to 10,000 members, billed yearly | 15 staff users, priority support, higher usage limits and early access to features. |
| Custom | Custom | Unlimited members and staff users, a dedicated IP address and a 99.9% uptime SLA. Sold through sales. |
Read from ghost.org on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Ghost before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountLower 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.
Stated on ghost.org
Works with
Ghost alternatives
- Ghost vs beehiiv
Free plan · from $49/mo
- Ghost vs Buttondown
Free plan · from $9/mo
- Ghost vs Kit
Free plan · from $33/mo
- Ghost vs MailerLite
Free plan · from $12/mo
Common questions
Does Ghost have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Ghost is listed for Web.
Does Ghost have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Ghost is listed for Web.
Is Ghost open source?
Yes. Ghost is open source, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.