Ghost is a self-hosted publishing platform offering complete control and higher revenue retention (90-100%), while Substack is a hosted newsletter service prioritizing ease-of-use with built-in audience discovery, taking a 10% cut of paid subscriptions. Ghost suits publishers wanting independence; Substack suits writers seeking simplicity.
Ghost vs Substack — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Membership and newsletter publishing platform with self-hosted flexibility and advanced monetization options.
Newsletter platform for independent writers with simple paid subscription monetization
Revenue Share Model. Hosting & Setup. Audience Discovery. Content Types Supported. Customization & Branding. API & Integration Support. Community Features
Choose Ghost if you're building a long-term publishing business, need maximum revenue retention, want full creative control, or plan to monetize beyond subscriptions (courses, memberships, sponsorships). Choose Substack if you're starting your first newsletter, value simplicity over customization, want built-in audience discovery, or prefer a platform that handles all technical infrastructure.
Ghost: $99/month | Substack: $0 (10% revenue share)
Ghost: Variable by creator | Substack: $5-$10
Ghost: 8-40+ hours | Substack: 30 minutes - 1 hour
Ghost: Advanced (meta tags, sitemaps, structured data) | Substack: Basic (limited control)
Ghost: Full custom themes and CSS control | Substack: Limited templates and styling
Ghost: Minimal, relies on external traffic | Substack: Strong directory and algorithm-driven recommendations
Ghost: Subscriptions, memberships, ads, sponsorships | Substack: Primarily paid subscriptions
Ghost: $18 (starter plan) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Built-in (native feature) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 2-3 limited options | Substack: N/A
Ghost: $9-$199/month or $0 self-hosted | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 30-60 minutes plus hosting | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Full creator ownership (self-hosted) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Newsletter, comments, member walls | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Complete; full white-label | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 2-5 days (processor dependent) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Unlimited (self-hosted limits by server) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Web-only; no native apps | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Not disclosed (smaller ecosystem) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: $199/year (Ghost Pro) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 9/10 (full code access) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 30-60 minutes (with setup) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 400+ (through open-source ecosystem) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 100% (creator owns all) | Substack: N/A
Average Writer Earnings (Partner Program)
Ghost: Variable (unlimited potential) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 10/10 (full control) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: $29 (Ghost Pro) / Free (self-hosted) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: No additional fees | Substack: N/A
Ghost: No built-in limit; integrates Stripe/PayPal | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 15-20 professional themes | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Native segmentation, automation, design builder | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Built-in tiers, gating, paywalls, analytics | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Basic XML sitemaps, structured data, redirects | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 14 days for Ghost(Pro) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Scales to 1,000,000+ | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Yes (full tier support) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Full-featured publishing platform | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Yes (full self-hosting available) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Yes (extensive public API) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: $29 (Professional plan) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 0% on memberships | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Segmentation, A/B testing, automation workflows | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Unlimited custom tiers | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Full REST API with custom code access | Substack: N/A
Ghost: $348 (Professional) + hosting | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 14 days (self-hosted free indefinitely) | Substack: Unlimited (free forever plan)
Ghost: 150+ via Zapier/API | Substack: N/A
Monthly Newsletter Subscriber Allowance (Free Tier)
Ghost: Native, built-in feature | Substack: N/A
Ghost: $29 (Ghost Pro managed) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Yes (open-source) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 15 premium themes | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Native memberships with paywalls | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Basic product pages; not primary focus | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Built-in with automation and segmentation | Substack: N/A
Ghost: Yes (Ghost Pro); No (self-hosted requires setup) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: 99.9% (Ghost Pro) | Substack: N/A
Ghost: $0 (self-hosted) or $199 (managed) | Substack: $0 (free plan available)
Ghost: 0-10% (platform fee varies by plan) | Substack: 10% flat platform fee
Ghost: 120+ minutes (requires hosting setup) | Substack: 5-10 minutes (sign up and publish)
Ghost: Unlimited (full code access) | Substack: 15-20 template variations
Ghost: Articles, newsletters, audio, video, courses, memberships, podcasts | Substack: Newsletters, posts, audio, Notes (social)
Ghost: No native recommendation algorithm | Substack: Yes, algorithmic recommendations to 100M+ users
Ghost: Full REST API with webhooks and custom integrations | Substack: Limited API with basic integrations only
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Low (requires existing audience)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Immediate (day 1)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Newsletters, Notes, Video, Audio (4+)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Low (own subscribers)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Expanding (Notes, Video, Visual)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Limited customization options
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Established Notes network with high discoverability
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Basic subscription and open rate analytics
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Limited third-party integration options
Ghost: N/A | Substack: $0 (revenue-share only)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Basic (simple sequences)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: No - subscriptions only
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Email, help center, limited support
Platform Commission on Paid Subscriptions
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 10% (all payment methods)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: $100 (10% of paid subscriptions)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Included in platform fee
Ghost: N/A | Substack: ~95% (optimized infrastructure)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: No—requires third-party integration
Ghost: N/A | Substack: ~500,000+ writers
Ghost: N/A | Substack: ~50+ million monthly
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 1+ million (estimated 2024)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 2 (free + paid subscriptions)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Creator owns full email list and subscriber data
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Moderate (Notes feature, recommendations)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Low—straightforward publish-and-monetize flow
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 3-5 basic templates
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 5 (list-based only)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 0 (built-in subscriptions only)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 12 (Professional plan)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 500K publications
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 10% on paid subscriptions
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Native email infrastructure
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Directory + recommendations (30-40% of growth)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Text newsletters, podcasts (limited)
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Written content and newsletters only
Ghost: N/A | Substack: 10% subscription revenue only
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Subscriptions, tips, cross-promotion ads, sponsorships
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Comment sections, reader replies, minimal community tools
Ghost: N/A | Substack: Active—directory recommendations and subscriber suggestions
Ghost: N/A | Substack: $10 minimum payout (or held until threshold)
How to choose between Ghost and Substack
Ghost vs Substack — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Ghost vs Substack. Contains 151 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Ghost vs Substack — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Ghost vs Substack.
How much money do I actually keep as a creator on Ghost vs Substack?
On Ghost, you keep 100% of subscription revenue if self-hosted (paying your own hosting costs), or 90% if using Ghost's managed hosting ($199+/month). On Substack, the platform takes a flat 10% cut of all paid subscription revenue. For a creator earning $5,000/month, Ghost saves you $500/month in platform fees compared to Substack, but requires either technical knowledge or $199/month in hosting costs.
Can I export my content and switch platforms later?
Both platforms allow content export. Ghost provides full data portability with standard formats (HTML, JSON). Substack allows you to export subscriber list and post archives, though some formatting may be lost. However, Substack's Terms of Service note that subscriber relationships remain on Substack's platform; you cannot migrate your entire audience if you leave.
Which platform is better for growing a newsletter from zero subscribers?
Substack has a significant advantage here. Its algorithm recommends content to 100M+ existing users, and the 'Substack Notes' feature enables viral discovery. Ghost has no algorithmic promotion, so you must drive traffic through external channels (social media, SEO, email outreach). If audience discovery is critical, Substack's ecosystem is substantially better for new creators.
Can I host my own version of these platforms?
Ghost can be fully self-hosted on your own server (open-source license available), giving you complete control and zero platform fees beyond hosting costs ($5-50/month). Substack is proprietary and cannot be self-hosted; it's a SaaS-only platform. This makes Ghost ideal for technical founders; Substack requires ongoing platform dependency.
What happens if I want to add a paid course or membership program?
Ghost natively supports courses, memberships, gated content, and member-only email segments—all built into the platform. Substack focuses exclusively on newsletters and doesn't support courses or membership tiers beyond basic free/paid subscriptions. If you need diverse monetization (courses + newsletters + sponsorships), Ghost is substantially more capable.
How to Choose Between Ghost and Substack
Revenue Share Model: Ghost has 100% (self-hosted) or 90% (managed hosting), while Substack has 10% platform fee on paid subscriptions.
Hosting & Setup: Ghost has Self-hosted or managed ($199/month for Pro plan), while Substack has Fully hosted by Substack (free to start).
Audience Discovery: Ghost has No built-in discovery tools; manual promotion required, while Substack has Substack's algorithm recommends publications to 100M+ users.
Content Types Supported: Ghost has Articles, newsletters, audio, video, memberships, courses, while Substack has Newsletters, posts, audio (Substack Notes social feature).
Customization & Branding: Ghost has Full white-label control; unlimited design customization, while Substack has Limited branding customization within Substack templates.
API & Integration Support: Ghost has Full REST API, Zapier, custom integrations available, while Substack has Limited API; basic integrations only.
Community Features: Ghost has Comments, member discussions, gated content, while Substack has Comments, Notes social network, reader recommendations.