Ghost

Ghost

The open-source publishing platform — beautiful websites, newsletters, and paid subscriptions with 0% fees.

Email Marketingfreemium
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What is Ghost?
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform for running a modern media business: a fast, beautiful website, email newsletters, and paid member subscriptions, all from one editor. Used by publications like Platformer and 404 Media, Ghost appeals to creators who want full ownership — the MIT-style-licensed code can be self-hosted on your own servers for free, or you can pay for Ghost(Pro) managed hosting starting around $9/month. Unlike Substack, Ghost charges 0% fees on subscription revenue, so a publication keeps everything beyond hosting costs. Themes and a custom design system control the entire site experience, native analytics track growth, and hundreds of integrations plus a full API extend it further. The trade-off for that ownership is more setup than turnkey platforms, especially when self-hosting.
Key Features

Website, newsletter, and paid memberships in one platform

Open source — self-host free or use managed Ghost(Pro)

0% platform fees on subscription revenue

Custom themes and full site design control

Native analytics, SEO tooling, and a complete API

Use Cases
  • Running an independent media publication with paid members
  • Migrating off Substack to stop paying the 10% revenue share
  • Self-hosting a publication for complete ownership and control
  • Publishing a content-driven site with newsletter built in
How to Use Ghost
  1. 1Start a Ghost(Pro) trial or self-host with Docker/Ghost CLI
  2. 2Pick a theme and configure your publication's design
  3. 3Import subscribers and connect Stripe for paid memberships
  4. 4Publish posts that go to web and email simultaneously
Best For
Serious publications with growing paid revenueWriters who want full design and platform ownershipTechnical creators comfortable with some setup
FAQ

Is Ghost free?

The software is open source and free to self-host. Managed Ghost(Pro) hosting starts around $9/month, with pricing that scales by audience size — and 0% fees on your subscription revenue.

Ghost vs Substack — which keeps more revenue?

Ghost charges no revenue share, only hosting; Substack takes 10% of paid subscriptions. Once a publication earns more than roughly $100/month, Ghost usually comes out ahead.

Do I need to be technical to use Ghost?

Ghost(Pro) is fully managed and no harder than other hosted platforms. Self-hosting requires comfort with servers, updates, and email delivery configuration.

Tags
Email MarketingOpen SourceContent Marketing
Quick Info
CategoryEmail Marketing
Pricingfreemium
Platformsweb, api
Websiteghost.org

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