Ghost
Open-source publishing platform with memberships, subscriptions and email newsletters you can self-host.
Content Management
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform for blogs, newsletters and membership businesses, MIT-licensed and free to self-host. The application is the same one the vendor hosts: you get the editor, newsletters, memberships with passwordless logins, paid subscriptions billed through your own Stripe account, and the vendor takes 0% of that revenue. Self-hosting means running the stack yourself — the install guide expects Ubuntu, nginx, a supported Node.js, MySQL 8, systemd and at least 1 GB of memory — and it carries one dependency worth knowing before you start: bulk newsletters cannot be sent over basic SMTP, so a Mailgun API key is required to email your members. Ghost(Pro) is the vendor's managed hosting at 18 USD per month billed yearly for Starter (1 staff user, 1,000 members), 29 USD for Publisher (3 staff users, custom themes, paid subscriptions) and 199 USD for Business (15 staff users), with a quote-based Custom tier for unlimited members; it exists to remove that operational work, bundling automatic weekly updates, automated backups and a worldwide CDN.
Key features
- Editor for posts and pages with rich media cards
- Newsletters scheduled and delivered to free and paid members
- Memberships with passwordless email-link sign-in
- Paid subscriptions billed through your own Stripe account
- Native analytics for subscriber engagement
- Content API for reading and writing content programmatically
- Self-hostedFree self-hosted
- LicenceOpen source · MITDeploymentSelf-hosted
Limits, notes & source
Self-hosted
- Limits
- The whole application: publishing, newsletters, memberships, paid subscriptions and the Content API, with no seat limit and no licence fee. Bulk newsletter email needs a Mailgun account of your own.
- Notes
- GitHub's licence API reads the repository LICENSE as spdx_id "MIT"; the vendor publishes no price because the self-hosted edition costs nothing. Docs list the recommended stack: Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04, nginx, a supported Node.js, MySQL 8, systemd and a server with at least 1 GB of memory.
- Ghost(Pro) Business199 USD per instance / month
- LicenceProprietaryUsersUp to 15 usersDeploymentManaged cloud available
- Ghost(Pro) Publisher29 USD per instance / month
- LicenceProprietaryUsersUp to 3 usersDeploymentManaged cloud available
- Ghost(Pro) Starter18 USD per instance / month
- LicenceProprietaryUsersUp to 1 usersDeploymentManaged cloud available
- Ghost(Pro) CustomPrice on request
- LicenceProprietaryDeploymentManaged cloud available
Limits, notes & source
Ghost(Pro) Business
- Limits
- Fifteen staff users, priority support, higher usage limits and early access to features; the plan card lists 1,000 members while the comparison table lists 10,000 registered members for this plan.
- Notes
- Pricing page: "$199 USD / mo — Billed yearly". The member allowance is recorded conservatively: the plan card says 1,000 members, the feature comparison table says 10,000 registered members, and the two disagree on the vendor's own page.
- Source
- ghost.org/pricing ↗
Ghost(Pro) Publisher
- Limits
- Three staff users, 1,000 members, custom themes, paid subscriptions and advanced analytics, three premium tiers and a custom sending domain.
- Notes
- Pricing page: "$29 USD / mo — Billed yearly". Adds marketplace and custom themes, paid subscriptions and advanced native analytics over Starter.
- Source
- ghost.org/pricing ↗
Ghost(Pro) Starter
- Limits
- One staff user, 1,000 members, one newsletter, the built-in default theme only (no custom or marketplace themes), no paid subscriptions and no advanced analytics.
- Notes
- Pricing page: "$18 USD / mo — Billed yearly", with 1,000 members and 1 staff user in the comparison table. This is managed hosting of the same application, not a separate product.
- Source
- ghost.org/pricing ↗
Ghost(Pro) Custom
- Limits
- Unlimited staff users and members, advanced configurations, a dedicated IP address, single sign-on, invoice billing and a 99.9% uptime SLA.
- Notes
- The plan is labelled "Custom" with no amount published; the page routes buyers to sales.
- Source
- ghost.org/pricing ↗
Pros & cons
Strengths
Trade-offs
- Bulk newsletters cannot be sent over basic SMTP: a Mailgun API key is required. Source
- A production self-host means Ubuntu, nginx, a supported Node.js, MySQL 8, systemd and 1 GB+ of memory. Source
- Ghost(Pro) bundles automated weekly updates, automated backups and a CDN that self-hosters run themselves. Source
Ghost replaces
Products this app is built to take over from, with the vendor's own evidence.
Moving your content across: Documented per product: what you do on the side you are leaving, what this app does with the result, and what does not survive the trip. Every step links to the page that documents it.
- ExportIn WordPress open Tools, then Export, choose All content and download the XML file.Source
- ImportIn Ghost admin go to Settings, then Advanced, then Import/Export, upload the XML file and start the import.Source
- CaveatThe importer takes files up to 100 MB and 2,500 posts, and it does not support custom post types, uncommon shortcodes or content-gating plugins.Source
- CaveatWordPress categories arrive as tags and old links need redirects, or existing backlinks will point at addresses that no longer exist.Source
Similar apps
Other entries from this catalogue in the same category, with a free self-hosted edition first and then the higher star count. Only software we publish appears here — each card opens the entry, where its price, licence and check date are recorded.
