Yes. Substack is free to publish on, with a 10% fee only on paid subscriptions, plus payment processing. There's no monthly plan fee at all.

Does Ghost take a cut of my subscription revenue?

No. Ghost's platform fee is 0%: it connects your own Stripe account directly, so you keep everything except Stripe's own processing fees. Substack, by contrast, takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue.

Which is cheaper, Substack or Ghost?

It depends on how much your paid subscriptions earn. Substack has no plan fee, only its 10% cut, so at low or no monetization it's cheaper by definition. Ghost charges a flat fee starting at $18/month billed monthly regardless of revenue, so it becomes the cheaper option once your paid-subscription revenue is large enough that Substack's percentage cut would exceed Ghost's flat plan cost.

Can I run multiple newsletters on either platform?

Not really on Substack: each publication needs its own separate account. Ghost supports 1 to 10 newsletters per account depending on plan, all under one login and one bill.

Does Substack or Ghost offer a free trial?

Ghost gives 14 days, with a card required upfront but not charged unless you choose a plan. Substack has no trial because it's free forever; there's nothing to trial.

Can I use a custom domain on Substack or Ghost?

Yes on both. Substack charges $50 one-time. Ghost includes custom domain support on every plan, plus a free first-year .link domain.

Substack vs Ghost: free forever or a flat platform fee?

Newsletter and publishing platforms · Verified 30 Sep 2026 · By Joonas Rotko

Substack

Desk research

Ghost

Desk research

From Starter, billed annually

$15/mo

$18/mo billed monthly

Quick answer

For most people starting a newsletter, Substack is the easier and cheaper start: it's free forever, and its cut only applies once you're charging readers. Ghost costs $18/month billed monthly from day one but takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue, so it gets cheaper than Substack's percentage-based cut once your paid subscribers are generating real monthly revenue. Ghost also wins outright if you need to run more than one newsletter under one account, something Substack doesn't support at all. Prices verified 30 Sep 2026.

Across the three setups below: Substack in 2 of 3 scenarios.

Which one fits you?

Solo creator starting a newsletter, free so far
Substack
My pick
$0/mo billed annually
Substack costs nothing while you're building a list and not monetizing yet. Ghost's cheapest plan, Starter, still runs $18/month billed monthly for the same feature set at this size.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you want full ownership of your site's design and code from day one, or plan to run more than one newsletter; Ghost gives you both, Substack doesn't.
See Substack plans
Creator or small business charging readers, list past the free tier
Substack
My pick
$0/mo billed annually
At this size, Substack's percentage-based fee is still lighter than Ghost's flat $239/month billed monthly Business plan for most newsletters that are early in monetizing (see "how you're charged" below for the exact rate).
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if your paid-subscription revenue is already substantial. Once Substack's percentage cut of that revenue would exceed Ghost's flat monthly plan cost, Ghost's 0% platform fee wins outright, and it only gets better as revenue grows further.
See Substack plans
Agency running several client newsletters
Ghost
My pick
$199/mo billed annually
Substack has no way to run multiple publications under one account; each newsletter needs its own separate account, login, and monetization setup. Ghost's Business plan covers 10 newsletters, 100,000 members, and 15 staff seats under one account and one bill.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if running each client's newsletter as a fully separate Substack account is fine for your workflow; nothing stops you doing that, it's just more accounts to manage, not one bundled bill.
See Ghost plans

Neither fits? See the alternatives, or take the 2-minute recommendation.

How are Substack and Ghost really different?

How you’re charged
Substack
Free platform, 10% of paid-subscription revenue plus payment processing
Ghost
Flat monthly fee from $18/month billed monthly, 0% platform fee
Substack costs nothing until you earn; Ghost costs the same flat amount no matter how much or how little you earn, but you keep all of it.
Running more than one newsletter
Substack
One publication per account; no bundled multi-newsletter plan
Ghost
1 to 10 newsletters per account, by plan
An agency or a creator running several newsletters needs a separate Substack account for each; one Ghost account scales up.
Ownership and control
Substack
Hosted on Substack's platform and domain (or your own, for $50 one-time)
Ghost
Full theme and code control; an open-source, self-hosted version exists outside Ghost(Pro)
Ghost gives you a portable, fully-owned site; Substack's discovery features depend on staying on its network.
Trial and free tier
Substack
No trial needed, free forever
Ghost
14-day trial, card required upfront but not charged unless you choose a plan
Ghost's trial ends and a bill starts; Substack never bills you unless you turn on paid subscriptions yourself.

What will Substack or Ghost cost for your setup?

The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.

Solo creator starting a newsletter, free so far

1,000 subscribers · 1 user

MonthlyYearly, per month

Substack

My pick

Free

Ghost

$18

$15

Starter

Above 1,000 subscribers: Publisher (+$31/mo, billed annually).

See Substack plans

Usage, limits and billing

Substack

Uses 1,000 of unlimited subscribers.
On monthly billing: $0 a year.
On annual billing: $0 a year.

Ghost

Uses 1,000 of 1,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $216 a year.
On annual billing: $180 a year.

Creator or small business charging readers, list past the free tier

5,000 subscribers · paid subscriptions · custom domain · 1 user

MonthlyYearly, per month

Substack

My pick

Free

Ghost

$75

$63

Publisher

Above 100,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See Substack plans

Usage, limits and billing

Substack

Uses 5,000 of unlimited subscribers.
On monthly billing: $0 a year.
On annual billing: $0 a year.

Ghost

Uses 5,000 of 100,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $900 a year.
On annual billing: $756 a year.

Agency running several client newsletters

10,000 subscribers · 5 publications · paid subscriptions · custom domain · 3 users

MonthlyYearly, per month

Substack

Fit unconfirmed

Free is priced, but publications limit isn't published

Ghost

My pick

$239

$199

Business

Above 100,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See Ghost plans

Usage, limits and billing

Substack

The plan's price is published, but a limit this setup needs isn't, so the fit can't be confirmed.

Ghost

Uses 10,000 of 100,000 subscribers, 5 of 10 publications.
On monthly billing: $2,868 a year.
On annual billing: $2,388 a year.
Above 10 publications: nothing published fits.

How I calculated this

For each tool I price every current plan plus the add-ons a setup needs, from the vendor's published prices only, and take the cheapest. Monthly and annual billing are priced separately. When a limit or price isn't published, the tool shows as not fitting instead of a guess.

Solo creator starting a newsletter, free so far: One writer, list still under 1,000, not charging readers yet. Sized to land inside every tool's free or entry tier so the comparison stays inside verified pricing.
Creator or small business charging readers, list past the free tier: A list past most free ceilings (beehiiv's Launch caps at 2,500), monetizing with paid subscriptions on its own domain.
Agency running several client newsletters: Five client publications under one account, each monetized on its own domain, three people with access.Substack, monthly billing: Free is priced, but publications limit isn't published. Publications limit isn't published.Substack, annual billing: Free is priced, but publications limit isn't published. Publications limit isn't published.

Substack vs Ghost side by side

I compare newsletter platforms on: Real cost per list size, both billing bases; Free-tier subscriber ceiling before you must pay anything; Platform fee on paid subscriptions, on top of any monthly price; Number of separate publications/newsletters allowed per account; Team seats included; Custom domain: included or an extra one-time/recurring fee; Automations and growth tools (referrals, ad network, A/B testing).

Substack and Ghost compared on the main buying criteria
Criterion	Substack	Ghost
Real cost per list size, both billing bases	Free at every size	Starter $18/mo monthly; Business $239/mo monthly, $199/mo annually once you need more than 1,000 members
Free-tier subscriber ceiling before you must pay anything	None: unlimited, always free	No permanent free tier on Ghost(Pro); the 14-day trial is the only free period
Platform fee on paid subscriptions	10% of subscription revenue, plus payment processing	0%; Stripe connects directly to your own account
Number of separate publications/newsletters allowed per account	1	1 to 10, by plan
Team seats included	unlimited contributors, no seat pricing	1 on Starter up to 15 on Business

All details, including automation and AI workflows

All compared details for Substack and Ghost
Criterion	Substack	Ghost
Custom domain: included or an extra fee	$50 one-time, one time	Included, with a free first-year .link domain on every plan
Automations and growth tools	None built in	Not the focus either; discovery comes from Substack's own reader-recommendation network, or from Ghost's own SEO and existing audience
Real cost per list size, both billing bases (full detail)	Free at any size, forever.	Starter: $18/month billed monthly. Publisher: $35/month billed monthly, or $29/month billed annually. Business: $239/month billed monthly, or $199/month billed annually. Custom: contact sales.
Pricing verification note	N/A	Ghost's pricing page defaults to its annual toggle, and the toggle itself is JS-rendered; Starter's monthly rate above is verified, but its annual-billed rate isn't shown as a static price and is unverified, pending a human recheck with the billing toggle.
Free tier / trial	Free forever, no trial needed.	14-day trial, card validated upfront but not charged unless you pick a plan; no permanent free tier.
Publications per account	1	1 (Starter) to 10 (Business), unlimited on Custom
Member/subscriber cap per plan	unlimited	1,000 on Starter and Publisher, 100,000 on Business, unlimited on Custom
Team seats	unlimited	1 (Starter) to 15 (Business), unlimited on Custom
Paid subscriptions	Included on the one plan there is	Not on Starter; included from Publisher up
Platform fee	10%, plus payment processing. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards plus a 0.7% Stripe Billing fee on recurring payments, on top of Substack's 10%.	0%; only Stripe's own processing fees apply
Custom domain	$50 one-time	Included; a free first-year .link domain on every plan, bring-your-own domain also standard

Who should pick Substack, and who should pick Ghost?

Substack

Desk research

Best for solo creators just starting out
Best for creators and small businesses monetizing a list

Substack has no plans to compare: it's free forever to publish, and the only cost is a 10% cut of paid-subscription revenue on top of payment processing. That makes it the cheapest way to start a paid newsletter, but the tradeoff is a flat platform with no automations and a real revenue share once you're earning.

Best for: Writers who want to start free today and only pay once readers do.

Strengths

Free forever to publish, with unlimited subscribers and no send limits.
No monthly fee ever: the 10% fee only applies once you charge for subscriptions.
Unlimited contributors on every publication, no seat pricing.

Limits

No email automation or drip sequences.
A custom domain costs $50 one-time, one time.
A 10% platform cut plus payment processing adds up fast once subscription revenue is real money.

Skip it if you're already earning enough that a flat monthly fee beats a percentage cut, or you need email automations.

Substack review Substack pricing Substack alternatives

Ghost

Desk research

Best for agencies managing multiple client newsletters

Ghost(Pro) is a paid platform from the start ($18/month billed monthly), with no revenue share on paid subscriptions (0%) since it connects your own Stripe account directly. It suits a writer who wants full ownership of a self-branded publication and is willing to pay a flat fee for it, rather than a percentage of what readers pay.

Best for: Publishers who want a fully-owned, ad-free site with zero revenue share and don't mind paying a monthly fee from day one that rises with member count.

Strengths

0% platform fee on paid subscriptions, same as beehiiv and better than Substack's cut.
A 14-day trial on every plan before you pay anything.
Open-source, so a self-hosted version exists outside Ghost(Pro) for anyone willing to run their own server.

Limits

No permanent free plan on Ghost(Pro): the trial ends and a paid plan starts.
Starter has no paid subscriptions at all; that needs Publisher ($35/month billed monthly) or above.
Starter stops at 1,000 members, and Publisher's price rises with each member band up to 100,000.

Skip it if you want to start free before committing to a paid plan.

Ghost review Ghost pricing Ghost alternatives

My pick: Substack in 2 of 3 scenarios.

See Substack plans See Ghost plans

Neither Substack nor Ghost? Try these

beehiiv
From $49/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want built-in growth tools (referrals, an ad network, A/B testing) that neither Substack nor Ghost offers.
beehiiv review beehiiv alternatives
Kit
From $33/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want a creator-focused platform built around email and paid subscriptions specifically, rather than a general publishing/blogging tool.
Kit review Kit alternatives
Mailchimp
From $13/mo billed monthly
Pick it if you want a general email-marketing/CRM platform instead of a publishing-first tool. It's the category default people know, but cheaper, more newsletter-focused alternatives exist if that's your only use case.
Outside this category: General email-marketing/CRM tool, not a publishing platform: no native site, no paid-subscription-first monetization model.
Mailchimp review Mailchimp alternatives

Switching between Substack and Ghost

Neither platform offers a one-click import from the other. Substack lets you export subscriber emails and post content at any time; moving into Ghost means re-importing subscribers and rebuilding the site theme by hand. Ghost publishes its own import tools for several platforms, but doesn't specifically document a Substack import path.

What would change my pick?

Substack adding a flat monthly-fee tier with a lower revenue cut would remove the biggest reason to pick Ghost once you’re earning well.
Ghost adding a genuine permanent free tier would remove Substack’s main advantage for someone not yet monetizing.
A change to Stripe's processing fees changes Substack's total cut more than it changes Ghost's, since Ghost has no platform fee of its own stacked on top.

Substack vs Ghost: questions people ask

Is Substack free?: Yes. Substack is free to publish on, with a 10% fee only on paid subscriptions, plus payment processing. There's no monthly plan fee at all.
Does Ghost take a cut of my subscription revenue?: No. Ghost's platform fee is 0%: it connects your own Stripe account directly, so you keep everything except Stripe's own processing fees. Substack, by contrast, takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue.
Which is cheaper, Substack or Ghost?: It depends on how much your paid subscriptions earn. Substack has no plan fee, only its 10% cut, so at low or no monetization it's cheaper by definition. Ghost charges a flat fee starting at $18/month billed monthly regardless of revenue, so it becomes the cheaper option once your paid-subscription revenue is large enough that Substack's percentage cut would exceed Ghost's flat plan cost.
Can I run multiple newsletters on either platform?: Not really on Substack: each publication needs its own separate account. Ghost supports 1 to 10 newsletters per account depending on plan, all under one login and one bill.
Does Substack or Ghost offer a free trial?: Ghost gives 14 days, with a card required upfront but not charged unless you choose a plan. Substack has no trial because it's free forever; there's nothing to trial.
Can I use a custom domain on Substack or Ghost?: Yes on both. Substack charges $50 one-time. Ghost includes custom domain support on every plan, plus a free first-year .link domain.

How I verified this

Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked 30 Sep 2026. Substack: desk research. Ghost: desk research.

Sources and changelog

31 facts from 10 source pages, oldest checked 14 Oct 2026.

Substack, about (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Substack custom domain setup (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Ghost(Pro) plans and pricing (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Ghost: are there really no transaction fees? (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Ghost free trials (checked 30 Sep 2026)

30 Sep 2026: New page, built for the newsletter-platforms category rollout. Ghost’s Starter-plan annual price isn't confirmed, since the toggle is JS-rendered and not shown as a static price it; it is excluded from every computed cost row and referenced only once, with the caveat spelled out, in an allDetails row.

Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.

Software sites change almost every week, and I want every claim on this page to be factually correct. If you are a vendor or a reader, send me the correct fact and a link to the official page. I will check it and update the page. The opinions and rankings stay mine.

Substack vs Ghost: free forever or a flat platform fee?

Quick answer

Which one fits you?

How are Substack and Ghost really different?

How you’re charged

Running more than one newsletter

Ownership and control

Trial and free tier

What will Substack or Ghost cost for your setup?

Solo creator starting a newsletter, free so far

Creator or small business charging readers, list past the free tier

Agency running several client newsletters

Substack vs Ghost side by side

Who should pick Substack, and who should pick Ghost?

Substack

Ghost

Neither Substack nor Ghost? Try these

Switching between Substack and Ghost

What would change my pick?

Substack vs Ghost: questions people ask

Is Substack free?

Does Ghost take a cut of my subscription revenue?

Which is cheaper, Substack or Ghost?

Can I run multiple newsletters on either platform?

Does Substack or Ghost offer a free trial?

Can I use a custom domain on Substack or Ghost?

How I verified this

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