Substack vs Ghost
Free but a 10% cut, or paid from day one but full ownership — the real trade-off.
Substack and Ghost both let you publish a newsletter with paid subscriptions, but from very different starting points: Substack is free to use and takes a cut of what you earn, while Ghost charges from day one but takes 0% and can even be self-hosted.
| Substack | Ghost | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free at any list size | None — paid only, from $15–$29/month |
| Cut of paid subscription revenue | 10%, plus Stripe processing fees | 0% — you keep it all (minus Stripe fees) |
| Platform type | Closed, proprietary SaaS | Open-source, can be self-hosted |
| Best suited for | Starting free and relying on built-in reader discovery | Publishers who want full ownership and portability from day one |
Substack costs nothing until you charge readers, then takes 10% of that revenue. Ghost costs money from the start but keeps 0% and gives you full ownership of your platform and data. The choice comes down to paying later as a percentage, or paying now for more control.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move my Substack subscribers to Ghost later?
Both let you export your subscriber list, but check each platform's current export terms before committing — data portability policies change over time.
Is Ghost harder to set up than Substack?
Ghost(Pro) hosted plans are about as simple to start as Substack; only self-hosting Ghost yourself requires real technical setup and maintenance.