Best Newsletter Platforms · pricing · Updated June 2026

Ghost pricing (2026)

Ghost starts at $0/mo (Self-hosted (open source)), across 5 plans. Best for independent publishers. Every figure links to Ghost's own page and the date we captured it.

At a glance

  • Entry price: $0/mo (Self-hosted (open source))
  • Free tier: Yes · 14-day trial
  • Compliance: HIPAA — · SOC 2 — · GDPR —
  • Best for: independent publishers; membership sites; editorial teams; developers wanting open-source control

Ghost plans & pricing

All published Ghost plans. Sourced per row; quote-only tiers show no price.
PlanMonthlyAnnualBillingNotesSource
Self-hosted (open source) $0 flat Ghost CMS is MIT-licensed open source. Self-hosted on your own infrastructure at no license cost. Requires server, domain, and email sending setup (not managed by Ghost). ghost.org
Starter $18 −17% flat 1,000 members, 1 staff user, 1 email newsletter, no paid subscriptions, no custom themes. $18/mo monthly billing; $15/mo billed annually. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. ghost.org
Publisher $35 −17% flat 1,000 members, 3 staff users, 3 email newsletters, paid subscriptions enabled, custom themes, 8,000+ integrations. $35/mo monthly billing; $29/mo billed annually. 14-day free trial. ghost.org
Business $239 −17% flat 10,000 members, 15 staff users, 10 email newsletters, paid subscriptions, premium tiers, special offers, priority support. $239/mo monthly billing; $199/mo billed annually. 14-day free trial. ghost.org
Custom Quote-only custom Unlimited members and staff users, dedicated IP, 99.9% uptime SLA, SSO authentication. Contact sales for pricing (no published price). ghost.org

Last verified 2026-06-18. Fetched ghost.org/pricing/ on 2026-06-18; annual prices ($15 Starter / $29 Publisher / $199 Business) and monthly-billing prices ($18 / $35 / $239) confirmed, corroborated via Ghost forum thread on the July 2025 pricing update. Ghost is also available self-hosted for free (MIT open source). There is no forever-free Ghost(Pro) HOSTED plan — only a 14-day trial; the $0 entry is the self-hosted option. Cross-checked against forum.ghost.org.

Capabilities

Integrations: Zapier, Stripe, Slack, Google Analytics, FirstPromoter, Memberful.

Key features: 0% transaction fee on paid memberships (all Ghost Pro plans); Open-source self-hosted option at no license cost; Custom themes and full design control on Publisher+; Built-in membership and paid subscription management.

Plan limits: 1,000 members on Starter and Publisher; 10,000 members on Business; 1 staff user on Starter; No forever-free hosted plan (Ghost Pro is 14-day trial; $0 is self-hosted only).

Frequently asked questions

How much does Ghost cost?

Ghost starts at $0/mo (Self-hosted (open source)); it has 5 published plans. Verified 2026-06-18.

Is Ghost cheaper billed annually?

Yes. Ghost publishes a 17% discount for paying annually (on the Starter plan). Verified 2026-06-18.

What are cheaper alternatives to Ghost?

Cheaper newsletter platforms than Ghost (entry $0/mo) include MailerLite at $12/mo. Verified 2026-06-18.

Does Ghost support HIPAA?

Ghost HIPAA support: —. SOC 2: —. GDPR: —.

Does Ghost have a free plan?

Ghost free tier: Yes; 14-day free trial.

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