Substack vs Ghost
Pick Ghost if you charge for your newsletter and expect to earn more than about $701 a month, since its 0% fee and $75 Publisher plan beat Substack's 10% plus Stripe Billing from there at 5,000 members. Pick Substack to start free with its reader network. The deciding factor is ownership: Ghost lets you self-host and keep everything.
| Substack | Ghost | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee on paid subscriptions | 10% | 0% |
| Card processing | Stripe 2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.7% Stripe Billing | Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Free plan | Free at any list size, selling included | No free hosted plan. Self-hosted software is free |
| Cheapest plan that can sell | Free | Publisher, $35 a month at 1,000 members |
| Price at 5,000 subscribers | $0 a month | Publisher $75 a month |
| Payouts | Your own Stripe account, usually within 48 hours | Paid directly from your own Stripe account |
| Audience export | CSV of subscribers, no names | Members CSV, content JSON, and media files on Ghost(Pro) |
| Custom domain | One-time $50, emails still from substack.com | Included on every plan, plus a free one-year .link domain |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes, open source under the MIT license |
| Paid tiers | Monthly, annual, and founding member prices | 3 tiers on Publisher, 10 on Business |
| Discovery | Reader app, Notes, recommendations | Recommendations, Ghost Explore, ActivityPub |
| You keep on $1,000 a month | $827 | $859 |
| You keep on $10,000 a month | $8,265 | $9,260 |
| Our score | 7.2 out of 10 | 8.5 out of 10 |
What you keep on $1,000 a month
Both platforms paid in $8 payments by US cards, each on whichever plan leaves you the most. The blue is yours. The hatched part is fees.
| Platform and plan | Share kept versus fees | You keep | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| GhostPublisher | $859 | −$141 | |
| SubstackSubstack | $827 | −$173 |
On $10,000 a month: Substack $8,265, Ghost $9,260. How we calculate this.
Pick Substack if
- you want to start a paid newsletter with no monthly bill.
- its app, Notes, and recommendations are how you expect to find readers.
- you earn less than about $327 a month, where its fees cost less than Ghost Publisher at 1,000 members.
Pick Ghost if
- paid subscriptions bring in more than about $701 a month at 5,000 members.
- you want a full website with custom themes and email from your own domain.
- you want the option to self-host and never depend on one company.
Which is cheaper, Substack or Ghost?
Ghost is cheaper once you earn a few hundred dollars a month, and Substack is cheaper below that. Substack is free and takes 10% of each payment. Ghost takes 0%, but its cheapest plan that can sell, Publisher, costs $35 a month at 1,000 members and $75 at 5,000.
Substack costs 10.7 points more per payment, because its help center lists Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on top of the 10%, while Ghost lists only Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30. That gap equals the plan price at about $327 a month at 1,000 members and about $701 at 5,000. At $3,000 a month with 5,000 members, Substack's extra cost is $321 against Ghost's $75. Do not pick Ghost's $18 Starter plan for a paid newsletter, because it cannot take payments.
Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 applies to both, so it does not change the crossover. Compare take-home pay at your revenue on our fee comparison.
Which gives you more control?
Ghost, clearly. It is open-source software under the MIT license, so you can move from Ghost(Pro) to your own server and keep the same features. Ghost exports members as a CSV, content as JSON, and media files on Ghost(Pro).
Substack exports your list without names, sends every email from a substack.com address, and offers no self-hosting. Both run payments through your own Stripe account, and Ghost tells Substack writers to connect the same one when they move.
What do you give up by leaving Substack?
You give up Substack's network. Its reader app, Notes, and recommendations can bring readers to a publication without outside promotion. Ghost has recommendations, the Ghost Explore directory, and ActivityPub distribution to the social web. For a writer starting out, Substack's network is the bigger draw.
You also take on tax. From December 1, 2026, Substack collects and remits sales tax and VAT on paid subscriptions for you. Read the Substack review and Ghost review for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghost cheaper than Substack?
Yes, once you earn more than about $327 a month at 1,000 members or about $701 at 5,000. Ghost takes 0% of payments but charges a monthly plan. Substack is free but takes 10% of each payment.
Can I move my paid subscribers from Substack to Ghost?
Ghost's Stripe guide tells writers moving from Substack to connect the same Stripe account they used there. Do not press Substack's Disconnect Stripe button first, because it refunds and cancels every paid subscription.
Does Ghost have a free plan like Substack?
Not on Ghost(Pro). Hosted plans start at $18 a month, and that Starter plan cannot sell subscriptions. The Ghost software itself is free if you self-host it.
Can I use my own domain on both?
Yes. Substack charges a one-time $50 and requires a subdomain such as www, and emails still send from substack.com. Every Ghost(Pro) plan supports a custom domain and includes a free one-year .link domain.