Software · head to head
Ghost CMS vs Substack
The short version
- 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; Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
- They diverge on capability: Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Ghost CMS and Substack actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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 Substack
- Newsletter publishing
- Subscriber management
- Paid subscriptions
- Email analytics
- Post scheduling
- Archive creation
- Free/paid tier split
- Comments & discussion
Both cover
- Stripe
- RSS
- Web support
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 Substack
- Self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platformnot Substack
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot Ghost CMS
- Reader monetizationnot Ghost CMS
- Community buildingnot Ghost CMS
- Subscriber managementnot Ghost CMS
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
Substack
- Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
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
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
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 Substack if
- You need newsletter publishing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want subscriber management.
Questions people ask
- Is Ghost CMS or Substack better?
- Neither clearly leads. Ghost CMS starts at Free and Substack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Ghost CMS or Substack?
- Ghost CMS starts at Free and Substack at Free.
- Does Ghost CMS or Substack run on more platforms?
- Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-hosted. Substack runs on Web, Mobile.
- Can I use Ghost CMS for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Substack is typically brought in for.
- What can Ghost CMS do that Substack cannot?
- Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Stripe, RSS, Web support.