Software · head to head
Ghost CMS vs Mailgun
The short version
- Only Ghost CMS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Ghost CMS ghost Pro plans cap members, at 1,000 on both Starter and Publisher and 10,000 on Business; Mailgun free plan caps at 100 emails per day
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Ghost CMS and Mailgun actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Ghost CMS
- Publishing platform
- Email newsletters
- Membership management
- Analytics
- Paywall support
- SEO optimization
- Media library
- API access
Only in Mailgun
Nothing recorded that Ghost CMS does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Ghost CMS
- Running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptionsnot Mailgun
- Self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platformnot Mailgun
Mailgun
No use cases recorded yet. See the Mailgun review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Ghost CMS
- Ghost Pro plans cap members, at 1,000 on both Starter and Publisher and 10,000 on Business
- Staff users are limited to 1 on Starter and 3 on Publisher
- Custom themes and integrations require the Publisher plan at $29 a month billed yearly
- The jump to 10,000 members is the $199 a month Business plan, with nothing between
- Self hosting is free but installing under a subdirectory needs a custom reverse proxy that Ghost does not officially support
Mailgun
- Free plan caps at 100 emails per day
- Basic plan starts at $15/mo for 10,000 emails then overages from $1.80 per 1,000; Foundation and Scale plans discount overage rates but still meter every email beyond the included volume
- Foundation ($35/mo) and Scale ($90/mo) plans are free for the first month only, then bill at full price
Pricing, plan by plan
Ghost CMS
Free- Free Self-HostedFree
- Open source
- Self-hosted
- Basic features
- Creator$29/month
- Email newsletters
- Memberships
- Analytics
- Business$99/month
- Advanced analytics
- Priority support
- Custom integrations
Mailgun
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Mailgun review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Ghost CMS if
- You need publishing platform.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted.
- You also want email newsletters.
Choose Mailgun if
Nothing in the data separates Mailgun from Ghost CMS on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Ghost CMS or Mailgun better?
- Neither clearly leads. Ghost CMS starts at Free and Mailgun at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Ghost CMS or Mailgun?
- Ghost CMS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ghost CMS and On request for Mailgun.
- Does Ghost CMS or Mailgun run on more platforms?
- Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-hosted. Mailgun runs on Web.
- Can I use Ghost CMS for free?
- Yes. Ghost CMS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mailgun starts at On request.
- What is Ghost CMS best used for?
- Ghost CMS is most often used for running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptions, self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platform. Of those, running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptions and self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platform are not what Mailgun is typically brought in for.
- What can Ghost CMS do that Mailgun cannot?
- Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics.
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