News & Media · head to head
Ghost vs ConvertKit
Ghost
News & Media
Modern publishing platform with content API and membership support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
ConvertKit
News & Media
The creator platform for digital professionals
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Ghost has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Ghost backup and migration processes have significant limitations and are problematic for long-term users; ConvertKit the free Newsletter plan allows only one basic visual automation, so sequences beyond a single flow require paying
- They diverge on capability: Ghost covers Content API, ConvertKit covers Email marketing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Ghost and ConvertKit actually diverge.
| Attribute | Ghost | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted | Web |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media), founded (2013).
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
- Content API
- Membership
- Analytics
- Webhooks
- Custom integrations
- Node.js support
- Cloud support
- Self-hosted support
Only in ConvertKit
- Email marketing
- Landing pages
- Subscriber tagging
- Automation workflows
- Digital product sales
- Broadcast emails
- Subscriber segments
- Email templates
Both cover
- Zapier
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Ghost
- API Developmentnot ConvertKit
- API Gatewaynot ConvertKit
- API Testingnot ConvertKit
- API Documentationnot ConvertKit
- Microservicesnot ConvertKit
ConvertKit
- Sending newsletters and email sequences to an audiencenot Ghost
- Selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing listnot Ghost
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Ghost
- Backup and migration processes have significant limitations and are problematic for long-term users
- Open-source version lacks automatic backups, email subscriptions, and ad placement features
- No built-in e-commerce functionality; separate platform required for product sales
- Smaller community compared to WordPress, making support and resources harder to find
- Narrow focus on publishing limits use cases outside content-only websites
ConvertKit
- The free Newsletter plan allows only one basic visual automation, so sequences beyond a single flow require paying
- The free plan is a single user, and the Creator plan at $33 a month allows two
- Subscriber signals, engagement analytics and paid recommendations are Pro only, at $66 a month
- A/B testing is capped at 2 subject lines below Pro, which allows 5
- Paid pricing is banded by subscriber count, so the published figures apply only at the smallest band
Pricing, plan by plan
Ghost
Free- Self-HostedFree
- Open-source Ghost CMS
- Full control over data
- No payment fees
- Starter$15/month
- Up to 1,000 members
- Newsletter functionality
- Membership management
- Publisher$29/month
- Unlimited members
- Continuous member scaling
- Advanced analytics
- Business$199/month
- All Publisher features
- Custom domain
- Priority support
ConvertKit
On request- Creator$29/month
- Up to 10K subscribers
- Email campaigns
- Landing pages
- Creator Pro$79/month
- Unlimited subscribers
- Advanced automation
- Digital products
Which should you pick?
Choose Ghost if
- You need content api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted.
- You also want membership.
Questions people ask
- Is Ghost or ConvertKit better?
- Neither clearly leads. Ghost starts at Free and ConvertKit at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Ghost or ConvertKit?
- Ghost has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ghost and On request for ConvertKit.
- Does Ghost or ConvertKit run on more platforms?
- Ghost runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted. ConvertKit runs on Web.
- Can I use Ghost for free?
- Yes. Ghost has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ConvertKit starts at On request.
- What is Ghost best used for?
- Ghost is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what ConvertKit is typically brought in for.
- What can Ghost do that ConvertKit cannot?
- Ghost covers Content API, Membership, Analytics, Webhooks. ConvertKit covers Email marketing, Landing pages, Subscriber tagging, Automation workflows. Both handle Zapier.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Ghost: What is the free option for Ghost?
Ghost is open-source software that can be self-hosted for free. Self-hosting costs depend on your own server, domain, SSL, email delivery infrastructure, and DevOps expertise.
SourceGhost: What is the starting price for Ghost(Pro) managed hosting?
Ghost(Pro) Starter plan is USD 15/month when billed yearly or USD 18/month when billed monthly. This plan includes up to 1,000 members with membership features enabled.
SourceGhost: Can I collect payments and manage subscriptions with Ghost?
Yes. Ghost includes native membership and subscription management with support for free signups and paid tiers (monthly/yearly options). All revenue goes directly to publishers with zero payment fees.
SourceGhost: Does Ghost integrate with Stripe?
Yes. Ghost integrates with Stripe for payment processing and subscription management, plus Zapier, Slack, Google Analytics, and thousands of other third-party apps.
Source