Ghost Pricing (2026)

Ghost charges on a hybrid basis — a tiered feature ladder (Starter/Publisher/Business) crossed with a member-count slider, so your bill climbs as your newsletter or membership list grows past 1,000. You're really paying for audience size plus the tier of publishing/monetization tools you unlock, not seats or usage in the traditional sense.

From $18/mo 4 plans hybrid Free trial Best Ghost alternatives → Ghost's competitors →
Starter
$18/mo
Publisher
$29/mo
Business
$199/mo
Custom
Contact Sales
Verified Sep 19, 2026 Official pricing page
Screenshot of Ghost's pricing page showing its plans and prices
Their pricing page, captured Sep 19, 2026

Stop checking your competitors manually.

Outmano watches your competitors' pricing, features, roadmaps and reviews. Every Monday, you get one brief on what changed.

Try Outmano free »

14-day free trial

Starter

$18/mo $15/mo annual
  • Your own website
  • Free custom domain (NEW)
  • Email newsletter
  • Simple design settings
  • 1,000 members

Publisher

$29/mo
  • 3 staff users
  • Custom themes
  • 8,000+ integrations
  • Paid subscriptions
  • Advanced analytics
  • 1,000 members

Business

$199/mo
  • 15 staff users
  • Priority support
  • Higher usage limits
  • Early access to features
  • 10,000 members

Custom

Contact Sales
  • Unlimited staff users
  • Advanced configurations
  • Dedicated IP address
  • 99.9% uptime SLA
  • Unlimited members

Does Ghost have a free plan?

No. There's no free-forever plan. There is a free trial, and paid plans start at $18/mo.

Want free? Beehiiv and Buttondown have free plans: see all Ghost alternatives →

AI Pricing Analysis

Pricing Model

Ghost charges on a hybrid basis — a tiered feature ladder (Starter/Publisher/Business) crossed with a member-count slider, so your bill climbs as your newsletter or membership list grows past 1,000. You're really paying for audience size plus the tier of publishing/monetization tools you unlock, not seats or usage in the traditional sense.

Tier Strategy

Starter is for solo bloggers or hobbyists just testing paid newsletters; Publisher unlocks tools for creators actually running a paid membership business (think multiple staff, tips, offers); Business is built for teams needing priority support and higher-end operational features. The upgrade trigger is almost always audience growth — once your list crosses the next member threshold, or you need monetization features Starter doesn't offer, you're pushed up.

Competitive Positioning

At $18-$29 for the entry tiers, Ghost undercuts Substack's take-rate model and sits below heavier CMS-plus-membership stacks, positioning itself as the affordable, self-hosted-friendly alternative for indie writers and small publishers. The $199 Business tier and uncapped Custom option show they're also chasing larger media operations that outgrow scrappier tools but don't want WordPress-plus-plugins complexity.

Growth Lever

The real expansion lever is list size — as your subscriber or member count climbs, you're bumped into higher pricing automatically, regardless of which feature tier you're on. Feature-wise, moving up tiers unlocks things like multiple staff users, tipping/donations, and priority support, which nudges growing publishers toward Publisher or Business once they're running a real business, not just a blog.

Want the strategist's read on the live page? Read the AI teardown of Ghost's pricing page →

Ghost Pricing FAQ

How much does Ghost cost?
Paid plans start at $18/mo, going up to $199/mo for larger teams. There's also an Enterprise tier with custom pricing.
Is there a free plan?
No free plan. But there is a free trial, so you can test it out before paying.
Can I try it before paying?
Yes — there's a free trial.
How does the pricing work?
Ghost charges on a hybrid basis — a tiered feature ladder (Starter/Publisher/Business) crossed with a member-count slider, so your bill climbs as your newsletter or membership list grows past 1,000. You're really paying for audience size plus the tier of publishing/monetization tools you unlock, not seats or usage in the traditional sense.
Is there a discount for annual billing?
Yes — you save up to 17% if you pay annually instead of month-to-month.
Which plan makes sense for me?
Starter is for solo bloggers or hobbyists just testing paid newsletters; Publisher unlocks tools for creators actually running a paid membership business (think multiple staff, tips, offers); Business is built for teams needing priority support and higher-end operational features. The upgrade trigger is almost always audience growth — once your list crosses the next member threshold, or you need monetization features Starter doesn't offer, you're pushed up.

More Newsletter pricing

All Newsletter pricing →

Comparing Ghost to something specific? Try Ghost vs Beehiiv, Ghost vs Buttondown, or Ghost vs 123FormBuilder. Or see the best Ghost alternatives, ranked.

Set it up once. Get a plan every week.

Add the competitors you care about. Outmano keeps watching them, so you can stop checking their sites.

Try Outmano free »

14-day free trial