Ghost is what you use when you're tired of paying a tax on your own audience. It's a real CMS, a real newsletter, and real memberships, all in one open-source bundle.
We assessed Ghost alongside the rest of our newsletters & email reviews, including Beehiiv, Kit and ActiveCampaign, so the score below is relative to that field.
The catch: it's closer to running WordPress than running Substack. Worth it if you're building something durable. Overkill if you're still figuring out what you're saying.
| PLAN | PRICE | WHAT YOU GET |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $9 /mo | small publications |
| Creator | $25 /mo | growing publications |
| Pro | see vendor | custom scale |
Publishers who want to own everything — and anyone who wants Ghost to do the heavy lifting in this category.
Skip it if you want an all-in-one hosted platform with zero self-hosting or Ghost(Pro) setup involved. — if that's a dealbreaker, see every newsletters & email tool we've tested.
- Is Ghost worth it in 2026?
- The serious-business choice for serious-business publishers. We rate it 8.5/10, and it's the strongest pick for publishers who want to own everything.
- How much does Ghost cost?
- Ghost lists Starter at $9/mo, Creator at $25/mo, Pro at see vendor. List prices change often, so confirm with the vendor before you buy.
- What are the downsides of Ghost?
- You manage the integrations yourself Theme system is HTML/CSS, not drag-drop
- How did BestCreates review Ghost?
- Editorially reviewed: Evaluated against our documented editorial framework — features, ease of use, pricing accuracy, support and integrations — using vendor documentation, pricing pages and published user evidence rather than hands-on testing. The score is relative to the other tools we cover in this category.
Editorially reviewed. Evaluated against our documented editorial framework — features, ease of use, pricing accuracy, support and integrations — using vendor documentation, pricing pages and published user evidence rather than hands-on testing. Read our review standards.
BestCreates is written and edited by Carlos Gil. Every tool is assessed against the same documented framework — the jobs creators hire it for, ease of use, pricing accuracy, support and integrations — and each review states in the open how it was assessed.
LAST CHECKED SEP 16, 2026
SIGNED BY CARLOS GIL · FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF · OUR DISCLOSURE POLICY