Ghost
Ghost: A focused membership platform for paid publications, newsletters, and protected posts. Ranked #2 of 83 in Membership Site Platforms by our editors (9.2/10); pricing: 14-day trial; best for publishers building paid member publications.
At a glance
- Editor score9.2 / 10
- Pricing14-day trial
- Best forPublishers building paid member publications
- Free planNo
- Paid from$18/mo
- Custom domainYes
- Founded2013 · Singapore
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
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
Our verdict on Ghost
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 publications with free and paid audiences. Members can register for free, subscribe through Stripe, and receive access based on free-member, paid-member, or specific-tier status. Ghost is available as a self-hosted application or through Ghost(Pro), its managed hosting service, making it a fit for teams that want publishing and membership capabilities without centering their product on courses.
Ghost(Pro) pricing starts with Starter at $18 per month when billed annually, including a website, free custom domain, email newsletter, simple design settings, and 1,000 members. Publisher costs $29 per month annually and adds three staff users, custom themes, 8,000+ integrations, paid subscriptions, and advanced analytics. Business is $199 per month annually with 15 staff users, priority support, higher usage limits, and early access to features. Custom adds unlimited staff users, advanced configurations, a dedicated IP address, a 99.9% uptime SLA, and unlimited members. A 14-day trial is available, and the published category specifications list a 0% transaction fee.
The platform’s strongest area is the connection between editorial publishing and membership access. Visual editing, configurable site routing, custom themes, SEO tools, member import and export, analytics, and email newsletters support a publication workflow, while Stripe, Zapier, Make, webhooks, embeds, code injection, the Content API, and the Admin API extend its ecosystem. Self-hosting provides another deployment path for teams that want control over the open-source core. Ghost is a strong choice for paid publications and newsletter-led businesses; organizations that need courses or drip content should choose a platform built around those functions instead.
Your product? Our editors can test Ghost in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Ghost pricing
All 4 Ghost plans and prices →
Ghost fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $18/mo |
| Custom domain | Yes |
| Content gating | Post |
| Subscription billing | Both |
| Drip content | Not verified |
| Member limit | 1000 members |
| Transaction fee | 0% Ghost fee; payment processor fees apply |
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web |
| Compliance & security | 2FA |
| Support | Email, Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 8,000+ integrations: Stripe, Zapier, Make, Slack, Unsplash, Giphy … |
| Pricing | 14-day trial (source) |
| Website | ghost.org |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
Ghost integrations
Ghost lists 8,000+ integrations on its own site — the 10 named here are the ones its pages call out.
- Stripe
- Zapier
- Make
- Slack
- Unsplash
- Giphy
- YouTube
- Google Analytics
- Plausible
- Fathom
Alternatives to Ghost
- PatreonAn affordable way to sell memberships, content, and community access, with a 10% platform fee.9.4
- Appy Pie Membership Website BuilderA beginner-friendly way to launch a web membership site with AI and paid access.9.0
- SubstackA newsletter-first platform combining publishing, paid subscriptions, and community tools.8.9
Ghost vs the competition
- Ghost vs Patreon
- Ghost vs Appy Pie Membership Website Builder
- Ghost vs Substack
- Ghost vs Systeme.io
- Ghost vs Zephr
- Ghost vs Paid Memberships Pro
Compare Ghost with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
Ghost is ranked in 13 of our directories; the 6 strongest besides Membership Site Platforms.
Used Ghost? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Ghost for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
Ghost is listed in our Membership Site Platforms directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/ghost/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/ghost.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update