What we love
- Open source (MIT)
- Strong membership + paid subscription tools
- Beautiful default themes
What to watch
- Self-host needs technical skill
- Less viral than Substack
Best for
Independent publishers running paid newsletters / memberships on their own domain.
Key features
- Open source
- Membership + paid subscriptions
- Native newsletters
- Custom themes (Handlebars)
- Native payments (Stripe)
What is Ghost?
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform with native email newsletters and memberships — a self-hostable alternative to Substack.
Who is it for?
Ghost is a great fit for teams looking for a email & newsletter tool that fits the freemium tier. It's especially loved by marketing teams, creators, and developers sending production email.
Key tags
NewsletterPublishingOpen Source
How it compares
We curate Ghost among the top Email & Newsletter tools on saas.fyi. Browse all Email & Newsletter tools to compare alternatives, or use the directory's search and filters to find a closer fit.
Pricing
Self-host free, Ghost(Pro) $9/mo. Pricing tier: Freemium. Always confirm current pricing on the official site — SaaS pricing changes frequently.
Quick facts
- Category: Email & Newsletter
- Pricing: Freemium — Self-host free, Ghost(Pro) $9/mo
- Website: ghost.org
