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
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.
Membership and newsletter publishing platform with self-hosted flexibility and advanced monetization options.
Newsletter platform for independent writers with simple paid subscription monetization
Structured comparison data for Ghost vs Substack with 151 attributes.
Average Writer Earnings (Partner Program)
Monthly Newsletter Subscriber Allowance (Free Tier)
Platform Commission on Paid Subscriptions
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.