Ghost vs Paid Memberships Pro

Ghost9.2Visit Paid Memberships Pro8.6Visit

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

vs

Paid Memberships Pro #7 in Membership Site Platforms 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit site

• Ghost fits best

  Publishers building paid member publications

• Paid Memberships Pro fits best

  WordPress users wanting flexible membership control

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Side by side

Feature	Ghost 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Paid Memberships Pro 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.6
Ranking	#2 in Membership Site Platforms	#7 in Membership Site Platforms
Best for	Publishers building paid member publications	WordPress users wanting flexible membership control
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$18/mo	$499/yr
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	14 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Email, Tickets, Community, Docs
Integrations	8,000+ integrations	12 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Ghost 1/2 · Paid Memberships Pro 2/2
Custom domain	✓	✓
Drip content	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Content gating	Post	Post
Subscription billing	Both	Both
Member limit	1000 members	Not checked yet
Transaction fee	0% Ghost fee; payment processor fees apply	No platform transaction fee; payment gateway charges 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	Restricts pages, posts, blocks, categories, and custom post types Supports free, one-time, and recurring membership levels Connects with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, LMS, and community tools
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	Requires a self-hosted WordPress site Series drip content requires a premium Add On Paid tiers start at $49 per month
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 →	Paid Memberships Pro is a self-hosted, open-source WordPress plugin for creating and operating membership websites. It suits site owners who want control over gated content, membership levels, subscriptions, member accounts, and reporting… 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

• Paid Memberships Pro — where it wins

  • Restricts pages, posts, blocks, categories, and custom post types
  • Supports free, one-time, and recurring membership levels
  • Connects with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, LMS, and community tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a self-hosted WordPress site
  • Series drip content requires a premium Add On
  • Paid tiers start at $49 per month

• Ghost9.2/10 · 14-day trial

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

  Visit GhostFull verdict →
• Paid Memberships Pro8.6/10 · Free plan

  A flexible self-hosted WordPress option for memberships, payments, and gated content.

  Visit siteFull verdict →