---
title: Ghost
canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/ghost/
category: Newsletter Platforms
points: 77
rank: 3 of 12
facts_checked: 2026-10-09
---

# Ghost

Open-source publishing and newsletter platform that is free to self-host, or hosted from $18 a month.

77 points out of 100. #3 of 12 newsletter platforms. Vendor: Ghost Foundation. Website: https://ghost.org/

- The software is free under the MIT licence; hosted Ghost(Pro) starts at $18 a month, billed yearly, for 1,000 members [1][3].
- Ghost says it takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue; Stripe's own fee of 2.9% + 30¢ still applies [7].
- The $18 Starter plan has no paid subscriptions or custom sending domain; Publisher at $29 a month adds both [1][10].
- You can export every member, with labels, to CSV and import a CSV or move over from Substack, Kit or Mailchimp [8][9].
- Automations, the multi-email sign-up flow, are still in beta, so we do not count them [11].

Verdict: Ghost suits writers who want to own the software and keep all paid-subscription revenue apart from Stripe's fees [3][7]. Recommendations, members export and open code are built in [3][6][8]. The catch: the cheapest hosted plan lacks paid memberships, referrals need a separate FirstPromoter account, and automations are in beta [1][11][13]. Best for: Writers who want open-source software and no cut of paid-subscription revenue.

## Points

| Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earning | Paid subscriptions | Yes | 8/8 | Members can pay through a built-in Stripe connection; Starter lacks it, Publisher and above include it [1][4]. |
| Earning | Fee on paid subscriptions | 0 | 10/10 | Ghost says it charges 0% transaction fees; Stripe's own fees of 2.9% + 30¢ still apply [7]. |
| Earning | Built-in sponsorship or ad network | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's features page [2]. |
| Earning | Sell digital products | No | 0/3 | Ghost says it has no built-in shopping cart; products need outside integrations or embeds [14]. |
| Your list | Export your subscriber list | Yes | 8/8 | Settings, Import/Export exports all members with labels and subscription status as CSV [8]. |
| Your list | Import subscribers | Yes | 5/5 | Members import from a CSV file; guides cover Substack, Mailchimp, Kit, Beehiiv and Buttondown [9]. |
| Your list | Website on your own domain | Yes | 7/7 | Every Ghost(Pro) plan lists a custom domain; Starter includes a free .link domain for one year [1]. |
| Your list | Send from your own domain | Not published | 0/5 | Needs Publisher or higher on Ghost(Pro). The article covers DNS and DMARC records but does not name SPF or DKIM [10]. |
| Your list | Open source | Yes | 3/3 | The README says Ghost is released under the MIT licence [3]. |
| Your list | Public API | Yes | 4/4 | Content API on all plans, Admin API from Publisher; docs include creating and updating members [1][18]. |
| Growth | Recommendation network | Yes | 6/6 | Built-in Recommendations let sites recommend each other to readers, built on Webmention [6]. |
| Growth | Referral program | No | 0/4 | Referral rewards run through FirstPromoter, a third-party service with its own account; the features page lists referral programs as an integration [2][13]. |
| Growth | Send to a tag or segment | Yes | 5/5 | Newsletters can go to a segment of free or paid members; members filter by label and tier [5][15]. |
| Growth | Automated email sequences | No | 0/4 | Automations are in beta and new ones cannot yet be created; the welcome email is a single message [11][12]. |
| Growth | Subscriber source reports | Yes | 4/4 | Ghost records each member's sign-up source [16]; the Growth tab's Top content table lists referral sources and the new members each brought in [19]. |
| Growth | Subject-line A/B tests | Not published | 0/3 | Not published on the vendor's features page [2]; A/B testing appears only as an integration category. |
| Price | Free plan | Yes | 8/8 | Self-hosted Ghost is free under the MIT licence; bulk email needs a Mailgun account [3][5]. |
| Price | Cost at 1,000 subscribers | $0 | 9/9 | The self-hosted licence is free (MIT), so $0; hosting is left out. Hosted Starter is $18 a month, billed yearly [1][3]. |

## Plans

| Plan | Price | Per month (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | Free [3][5] | $0 |
| Starter (Ghost(Pro)) | $18/month, billed yearly [1] | $18 |
| Publisher (Ghost(Pro)) | $29/month, billed yearly [1][10] | $29 |
| Business (Ghost(Pro)) | $199/month, billed yearly [1] | $199 |

The pricing page shows monthly figures billed yearly; it does not list a monthly-billing price [1]. Ghost says all plans include unlimited email sends [1].

## Strengths

- Open source under the MIT licence, free to self-host [3].
- Ghost charges 0% on paid-subscription revenue [7].
- Built-in Recommendations let publications promote each other to readers [6].
- All members, with labels, export to CSV from the admin [8].
- Several newsletters can run on one site, and members pick which they receive [5].

## Limits

- Starter at $18 a month has no Stripe payments, custom sending domain or webhooks [1][10].
- Automations are in beta and you cannot yet create new ones [11].
- Ghost has no built-in shopping cart for selling products [14].
- Self-hosted bulk email needs a Mailgun account, the only supported provider [5].
- Referral rewards depend on FirstPromoter, a third-party service with its own account [13].

## Vendor claims (not scored)

- Ghost says its sites connect straight to your own Stripe account and that it adds no transaction fees [7].
- Ghost says all plans include unlimited email sends with no restrictions [1].

## Concerns

- SecurityWeek reported on May 25, 2026 that security firm Qianxin counted more than 700 websites compromised through CVE-2026-26980, an SQL injection flaw in Ghost patched in February, in attacks on unpatched Ghost instances [17].

## Sources

1. [Ghost pricing](https://ghost.org/pricing/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
2. [Ghost features](https://ghost.org/features/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
3. [TryGhost/Ghost](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost), GitHub, accessed 2026-10-09
4. [Memberships](https://docs.ghost.org/members), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
5. [Email newsletters](https://docs.ghost.org/newsletters), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
6. [Recommendations](https://docs.ghost.org/recommendations), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
7. [Are there really no transaction fees?](https://ghost.org/help/are-there-really-no-transaction-fees/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
8. [Exports](https://ghost.org/help/exports/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
9. [Import members](https://ghost.org/help/import-members/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
10. [Custom sending domains](https://ghost.org/help/custom-sending-domains/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
11. [Automations (beta)](https://ghost.org/help/automations-beta/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
12. [Welcome emails](https://ghost.org/help/welcome-emails/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
13. [FirstPromoter ID](https://ghost.org/help/firstpromoter-id/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
14. [Ecommerce](https://ghost.org/help/ecommerce/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
15. [Member management](https://ghost.org/help/member-management/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
16. [Member sources](https://ghost.org/help/member-sources/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
17. [Ghost CMS Vulnerability Exploited to Hack Over 700 Websites](https://www.securityweek.com/ghost-cms-vulnerability-exploited-to-hack-over-700-websites/), SecurityWeek, accessed 2026-10-09
18. [Ghost developer docs index (llms.txt)](https://docs.ghost.org/llms.txt), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09
19. [Native analytics](https://ghost.org/help/native-analytics/), Ghost, accessed 2026-10-09