Substack
Free
Free to use$0.00
Per year
$0
Free to start
Substack vs Ghost
Compare with for .
Substack
71%
match · $0/yr
Ghost
44%
match · $180/yr
What matters most?
Fine-tune
What you'd pay
Entry plan for 10 people, billed yearly where offered. Prices checked Oct 2026.
Smaller bill
Ghost
Entry plan
Flat price, whole team$15.00
× 12 months$180.00
Per year
$1.50 per person / mo
$180
Substack
From FreeFree plan
Writers who want to start free, grow through a built-in reader network and app, and are happy to give up 10% of paid revenue in exchange for zero monthly costs and almost no setup.
vs
Ghost
From $15Free plan
G2 4.0 · 40 reviewsPublishers who want a real website and full control of their brand, with no revenue share, and who either pay for Ghost(Pro) or can run their own server.
Side by side
| Substack | Ghost | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free to publish; 10% of paid subscription revenue plus Stripe fees | Self-hosted free; Ghost(Pro) from $15/month (billed yearly, 1,000 members); paid subscriptions from $29/month (Publisher, billed yearly) |
| G2 Rating | Not yet verified | 4.0 (40 reviews) |
| Best For | Writers who want to start free, grow through a built-in reader network and app, and are happy to give up 10% of paid revenue in exchange for zero monthly costs and almost no setup. | Publishers who want a real website and full control of their brand, with no revenue share, and who either pay for Ghost(Pro) or can run their own server. |
Pros and cons
Substack
Pros
- Costs nothing until readers pay you
- Built-in discovery through the app, Notes, recommendations and Bestseller badges
- Podcast, video, live video and chat included at no extra cost
- Very little to set up or maintain
Cons
- 10% of paid revenue forever, with no flat-fee option
- Emails still send from an @substack.com address even with a custom domain
- No public API, no Zapier and limited automations
- Moving paid subscribers off Substack needs help from its support team; Apple in-app subscribers cannot move
Ghost
Pros
- 0% platform fee on paid subscriptions
- Strong website and theme control, free custom domain on Ghost(Pro)
- Open source, run by a non-profit foundation
- Documented migration path from Substack and beehiiv
Cons
- No free hosted plan, and Starter cannot take payments
- Smaller built-in discovery than Substack
- Self-hosting means you handle the server, updates and email delivery
Related comparisons
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Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026
beehiiv vs Substack
Substack costs nothing until readers pay and has the best discovery. beehiiv costs a monthly plan but takes 0% of paid revenue, so it wins once you earn about $950/month on a 5,000-subscriber list.
+1
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026Marketing Automation
+2Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026
Kit alternatives
For most newsletter writers, beehiiv is the best Kit alternative: 0% on paid subscriptions, an ad network and paid recommendations. Pick Substack for a free start with discovery, or Ghost to own your site with no revenue cut.
+2Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026