Best Ghost Alternatives in 2026
The top Ghost alternatives are Patreon, Appy Pie Membership Website Builder and Substack: 15 membership site platforms our editors would look at instead of Ghost, in our ranking order.
Ghost: A focused membership platform for paid publications, newsletters, and protected posts. Where it falls short: no courses or drip content.
Switching from Ghost? For most membership site platforms buyers the best Ghost alternative is Patreon, built for creators starting a paid community affordably. On a budget, Systeme.io starts at $17/mo, against $18/mo for Ghost. Brilliant Directories offers the most member limit (5000 members).
Why People Look for a Ghost Alternative
- 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
- No free plan — 6 of the alternatives below have it
- Paid from $18/mo — Systeme.io is $17/mo
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallPatreon9.4
Creators starting a paid community affordably
Visit Patreon - Lowest priceSysteme.io8.8
Paid plans from $17/mo
Visit Systeme.io - Best free optionPatreon9.4
Has a free plan (Ghost has none)
Visit Patreon - Most member limitBrilliant Directories8.0
5000 members
Visit Brilliant Directories
All 15 Ghost Alternatives, Ranked
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.
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Best forCreators starting a paid community affordably
- Better than Ghost:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.4 vs 9.2
An affordable way to sell memberships, content, and community access, with a 10% platform fee.
- Custom domain
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Patreon -
Best forBeginners wanting inexpensive AI-built membership sites
- Better than Ghost:
- Free plan
A beginner-friendly way to launch a web membership site with AI and paid access.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Appy Pie -
Best forNewsletter-first paid communities
- Better than Ghost:
- Free plan
A newsletter-first platform combining publishing, paid subscriptions, and community tools.
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Substack -
Best forLow-cost funnels with basic membership hosting
- Better than Ghost:
- Free plan
- Paid from: $17/mo vs $18/mo
A low-cost way to combine funnels, marketing automation and basic course hosting.
- Custom domain
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Systeme.io -
Best forEnterprise publishers needing advanced paywalls
A flexible enterprise paywall platform for publishers with complex subscription journeys.
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Zephr -
Best forWordPress users wanting flexible membership control
- Better than Ghost:
- Free plan
A flexible self-hosted WordPress option for memberships, payments, and gated content.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forAssociations needing memberships, events, and courses
- Better than Ghost:
- Free plan
A broad membership platform for associations that also need events, courses, and community tools.
- Custom domain
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Raklet -
Best forMembership businesses needing broad payment options
A broad membership platform with flexible payments, content gating, and community integrations.
- Custom domain
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Memberful -
Best forPremium course and membership businesses
A broad membership business platform for premium course creators with a high starting price.
- Custom domain
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Kajabi -
Best forCreators combining memberships, courses, and community
A broad platform for creators who want memberships, courses, community, and marketing together.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Simplero -
Best forVideo-first membership businesses
A focused choice for paid video libraries, livestreams, and branded apps.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Uscreen -
Best forMembership directories with strong publishing tools
- Better than Ghost:
- Member limit: 5000 members vs 1000 members
A broad hosted toolkit for branded membership directories and gated content.
- Custom domain
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forSmall associations needing broad membership operations
A broad membership platform for small associations that need one operational hub.
- Custom domain
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit WildApricot -
Best forLarge associations needing mature operations
A broad association platform for organizations that need membership, events, billing, and portals.
- Custom domain
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit GrowthZone -
Best forClubs needing membership and mobile engagement
A club platform combining member management, events, payments, communications, and mobile access.
- Custom domain
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit ClubExpress
Ghost Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Ghost?
Patreon: #1 in our Membership Site Platforms ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. An affordable way to sell memberships, content, and community access, with a 10% platform fee.
Is there a free alternative to Ghost?
Yes. Patreon, Appy Pie Membership Website Builder, Substack, Systeme.io and Paid Memberships Pro have a free plan or a free tier (6 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Ghost?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Systeme.io starts lowest, at $17/mo.
Why do people look for Ghost alternatives?
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.
Which Ghost alternative has the most member limit?
Brilliant Directories, with 5000 members.
How do I switch from Ghost?
Export your data from Ghost (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Ghost.
How to Switch from Ghost
- Export your data from Ghost (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Ghost.
Ghost vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Custom domain | Content gating | Subscription billing | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ghost | No | $18/mo | Yes | Post | Both | 9.2 |
| 1 | Patreon | Yes | Yes | Post | Both | 9.4 | |
| 2 | Appy Pie Membership Website Builder | Yes | $18/mo | Yes | Full_site | Both | 9.0 |
| 3 | Substack | Yes | 8.9 | ||||
| 4 | Systeme.io | Yes | $17/mo | Yes | 8.8 | ||
| 5 | Zephr | Page | Recurring | 8.7 | |||
| 6 | Paid Memberships Pro | Yes | $499/yr | Yes | Post | Both | 8.6 |
| 7 | Raklet | Yes | $49/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 8.5 |
| 8 | Memberful | No | $49/mo | Yes | Full_site | Both | 8.4 |
| 9 | Kajabi | No | $143/mo | Yes | 8.3 | ||
| 10 | Simplero | No | Yes | Course | Both | 8.2 | |
| 11 | Uscreen | No | $49/mo | 8.1 | |||
| 12 | Brilliant Directories | No | $40/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 8.0 |
| 13 | WildApricot | No | $56.10/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 7.9 |
| 14 | GrowthZone | Yes | Full_site | Recurring | 7.8 | ||
| 15 | ClubExpress | No | Yes | Page | Both | 7.7 |
Head-to-Head
- 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
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update