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News & Media · head to head

Ghost vs Postmark

Ghost logo

Ghost

News & Media

Modern publishing platform with content API and membership support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Postmark logo

Postmark

Marketing

No hidden fees, no guesswork. Just the features you need, at a price that makes sense

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ghost backup and migration processes have significant limitations and are problematic for long-term users; Postmark free tier caps at 100 emails per month with no overages allowed

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ghost and Postmark actually diverge.

Attributes where Ghost and Postmark differ
AttributeGhostPostmark
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Cloud-hostedWeb
CategoryNews & MediaMarketing
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Postmark

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 Postmark
  • API Gatewaynot Postmark
  • API Testingnot Postmark
  • API Documentationnot Postmark
  • Microservicesnot Postmark

Postmark

No use cases recorded yet. See the Postmark 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

Postmark

  • Free tier caps at 100 emails per month with no overages allowed
  • Basic plan ($15/mo) includes 10,000 emails then charges $1.80 per 1,000 extra; Pro and Platform tiers have their own lower per-1,000 overage rates ($1.30 and $1.20), so cost scales per email beyond the included volume
  • Custom high-volume pricing above the published tiers requires contacting sales

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

Postmark

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Postmark 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 Postmark if

  • You want to start without paying.
Postmark review

Questions people ask

Is Ghost or Postmark better?
Neither clearly leads. Ghost starts at Free and Postmark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ghost or Postmark?
Ghost starts at Free and Postmark at Free.
Does Ghost or Postmark run on more platforms?
Ghost runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted. Postmark runs on Web.
Can I use Ghost for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Postmark is typically brought in for.
What can Ghost do that Postmark 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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