Ghost review

Ghost is the strongest writer-first platform here for people who want both a website and a newsletter under their own brand. Its homepage describes an editor built for professionals, with cards for image galleries, video, audio, products, toggles and downloadable files, and newsletters that send each post by email, with options to segment the audience into multiple newsletters. The pricing page lists advanced SEO tools on every plan, including meta tags, structured data, XML sitemaps and canonical URLs, plus unlimited email sends and ActivityPub distribution to the social web. Starter costs $18 per month billed yearly for up to 1,000 members, with one staff user and a built-in theme. To charge readers you need Publisher at $29 per month, which adds paid subscriptions through Stripe with 0% Ghost transaction fees, custom themes and three staff users. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and the price climbs as membership grows. For a serious blog or paid newsletter, the 0% fee can outweigh the higher entry price.

Who it is for

Independent publishers who want a branded blog and newsletter with 0% fees on paid memberships

Price

Starter $18 per month billed yearly for 1,000 members; Publisher $29 adds paid subscriptions; Business $199; 14-day free trial.

Starter For solo blogs & newsletters $ 18 USD / mo Billed yearly
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 12, 2026.

Key features

• Editor with cards for galleries, video, audio, products, toggles, files and bookmarks
• Built-in newsletters with unlimited email sends on every Ghost(Pro) plan
• Advanced SEO tools: meta tags, structured data, XML sitemaps and canonical URLs on all plans
• Paid subscriptions through Stripe with 0% Ghost transaction fees from the Publisher plan
• ActivityPub social web distribution, recommendations and a member referral program

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: SEO basics such as structured data, sitemaps and canonical URLs are built in on every plan
• Strength: Email sends are unlimited, and Ghost takes 0% of paid subscription revenue
• Strength: Your logo and brand stay on the site and emails with no Ghost branding
• Weakness: No free plan; Starter costs $18 per month billed yearly after a 14-day trial
• Weakness: Paid subscriptions and custom themes need the $29 Publisher plan
• Weakness: Prices rise with member count, starting from a 1,000-member tier

Key facts

• Free trial: 14 days
• Email sends: Unlimited on all plans
• Fee on paid subscriptions: 0% from Ghost, Stripe fees apply
• Members on Starter: 1,000

Where it ranks

Ghost is No. 2 in our Best Website Builders for Blogs verdict and No. 3 in Best Website Builders for Subscription Businesses.