Ghost Pricing (April 2026)
How much does Ghost cost?
Ghost offers a free plan with paid tiers starting at $18/mo.
All Plans
Ghost Pricing Breakdown
Ghost offers two distinct pricing approaches: free self-hosting for technical users and Ghost(Pro) managed hosting with tiered pricing based on your audience size. The self-hosting option gives you complete control and costs only what you pay for server infrastructure—typically $12-30 per month for small sites when you factor in VPS hosting, email delivery, and backups.
Ghost(Pro) Managed Hosting
The Starter plan at $18/month (billed annually) targets individual creators with up to 1,000 members and includes a free custom domain, email newsletters, and basic analytics. This plan suits bloggers just starting their subscription business who want the convenience of managed hosting without technical complexity.
The Publisher plan at $29/month expands to 3 staff users, custom themes, advanced analytics, and 8,000+ integrations through Zapier. This tier makes sense for growing publications that need team collaboration and more sophisticated audience insights. Most professional newsletters and blogs find this tier provides the best value.
The Business plan jumps to $199/month but removes most limits, includes priority support, and adds features like early access to new capabilities. This tier targets established publications with substantial revenue who need reliability guarantees and dedicated support.
Value Analysis
Ghost's zero platform fee model becomes increasingly attractive as your subscription revenue grows. While Substack charges 10% commission on all paid subscriptions, Ghost only costs your monthly hosting fee plus Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 processing. At $10,000 monthly subscription revenue, you'd pay Substack $1,000 in platform fees versus Ghost's $29 hosting fee—a $971 monthly difference.
However, Ghost requires more upfront investment than free alternatives. Substack costs nothing until you earn money, while Ghost requires monthly payment regardless of revenue. Factor in the learning curve if you're coming from simpler platforms, and the true cost includes time investment for setup and customization.
Hidden costs to consider include premium themes ($50-200 one-time), custom development work if you need specific functionality, and potentially higher email sending costs as your list grows past the included allowances.
Feature Breakdown by Plan
| Feature | Self-hosted | Starter | Publisher | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Full control | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| No limits | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 500 members | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Custom themes | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ghost(Pro) hosting | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 1000 members | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Native newsletter | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Staff users | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| 10000 members | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Unlimited staff | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Priority support | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Team Cost Calculator
Estimated monthly costs based on team size (price per user × team members):
| Team Size | Starter | Publisher | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $90/mo | $175/mo | $1,195/mo |
| 10 users | $180/mo | $350/mo | $2,390/mo |
| 25 users | $450/mo | $875/mo | $5,975/mo |
| 50 users | $900/mo | $1,750/mo | $11,950/mo |
Is Ghost Worth It?
The free plan lets you test core functionality before committing.
Paid plans range from $18/mo (Starter) to $239/mo (Team). Most users pick the Publisher plan.
Best for: Professional bloggers, Newsletter creators, Publishers. Keep in mind: not for complex sites.
Ghost Pros & Cons
- Great for writers
- Built-in newsletter
- Fast and clean
- Open source option
- No external tools needed
- Not for complex sites
- Limited themes
- No ecommerce
- Requires technical knowledge for self-hosted