Ghost vs Gately

Ghost9.2Visit Gately5.5Visit

Higher score Ghost #2 in Membership Site Platforms 9.2/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 1 of 2 features Visit Ghost

vs

Gately #39 in Membership Site Platforms 5.5/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 2 features Visit Gately

• Ghost fits best

  Publishers building paid member publications

• Gately fits best

  Developers building gated member experiences

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Side by side

Feature	Ghost 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Gately 5.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	5.5
Ranking	#2 in Membership Site Platforms	#39 in Membership Site Platforms
Best for	Publishers building paid member publications	Developers building gated member experiences
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$18/mo (best)	$39/mo
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	14 days	14 days
Free trial length	14 days	14 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Integrations	8,000+ integrations	9 integrations
Features Ghost 1/2 · Gately 1/2
Custom domain	✓	✓
Drip content	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Content gating	Post	Page
Subscription billing	Both	Both
Member limit	1000 members	Not checked yet
Transaction fee	0% Ghost fee; payment processor fees apply	0% (Stripe fees still apply)
Our review
Pros	Paid and tiered memberships with Stripe billing Protected posts for free, paid, and tier-based access Open-source core with self-hosting and developer APIs	Gates pages, files and resources with configurable access rules Supports Stripe subscriptions, one-time payments and trial plans Includes API, webhooks, automations and analytics for custom builds
Cons	No courses or drip content No free plan, although Ghost(Pro) offers a 14-day trial Advanced plans become costly at $199 per month annually	Platform coverage is limited to web and API Starter limits members, contacts, projects and email volume Advanced API access and MCP Server start on the Pro plan
Our verdict	Ghost combines website publishing, email newsletters, member management, protected posts, paid subscriptions, and tiered access in one platform. It is designed for writers, creators, independent publishers, and media teams building… Read the review →	Gately is a membership platform for creators, communities and online businesses, with a particular fit for developers building customized gated experiences. It combines member authentication, plan management, protected pages and resources,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Ghost — where it wins

  • Paid and tiered memberships with Stripe billing
  • Protected posts for free, paid, and tier-based access
  • Open-source core with self-hosting and developer APIs

  Where it doesn't

  • No courses or drip content
  • No free plan, although Ghost(Pro) offers a 14-day trial
  • Advanced plans become costly at $199 per month annually

• Gately — where it wins

  • Gates pages, files and resources with configurable access rules
  • Supports Stripe subscriptions, one-time payments and trial plans
  • Includes API, webhooks, automations and analytics for custom builds

  Where it doesn't

  • Platform coverage is limited to web and API
  • Starter limits members, contacts, projects and email volume
  • Advanced API access and MCP Server start on the Pro plan

• Ghost9.2/10 · 14-day trial

  A focused membership platform for paid publications, newsletters, and protected posts.

  Visit GhostFull verdict →
• Gately5.5/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A flexible web-and-API membership stack with strong billing and automation tools.

  Visit GatelyFull verdict →