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News & Media · head to head

Ghost vs Gumroad

Ghost logo

Ghost

News & Media

Modern publishing platform with content API and membership support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
G

Gumroad

E-commerce

Sell your stuff, see what sticks

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Gumroad charges a 10 percent plus $0.50 transaction fee on direct sales, rising to 30 percent on sales made through its Discover marketplace

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ghost and Gumroad actually diverge.

Attributes where Ghost and Gumroad differ
AttributeGhostGumroad
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Cloud-hostedWeb
CategoryNews & MediaE-commerce
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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
  • Zapier
  • Custom integrations
  • Node.js support
  • Cloud support

Only in Gumroad

Nothing recorded that Ghost does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ghost

  • API Developmentnot Gumroad
  • API Gatewaynot Gumroad
  • API Testingnot Gumroad
  • API Documentationnot Gumroad
  • Microservicesnot Gumroad

Gumroad

No use cases recorded yet. See the Gumroad review.

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

Gumroad

  • Charges a 10 percent plus $0.50 transaction fee on direct sales, rising to 30 percent on sales made through its Discover marketplace

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

Gumroad

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Gumroad review.

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.
Ghost review

Choose Gumroad if

Nothing in the data separates Gumroad from Ghost on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Gumroad review

Questions people ask

Is Ghost or Gumroad better?
Neither clearly leads. Ghost starts at Free and Gumroad at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ghost or Gumroad?
Ghost has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ghost and On request for Gumroad.
Does Ghost or Gumroad run on more platforms?
Ghost runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted. Gumroad runs on Web.
Can I use Ghost for free?
Yes. Ghost has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gumroad 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 Gumroad is typically brought in for.
What can Ghost do that Gumroad cannot?
Ghost covers Content API, Membership, Analytics, Webhooks.

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.

Source
Ghost: 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.

Source
Ghost: 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.

Source
Ghost: 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
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Related pages

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