Ghost Alternatives (2026)
Ghost is open-source publishing software: a website, a newsletter and paid memberships in one. It is a strong choice for publications. People look elsewhere when Ghost(Pro) hosting gets expensive as members grow, when running Ghost themselves feels like too much, or when they need more from email than sending each post to members.
Conflict of interest: we make Broadcast, one of the options below. Broadcast is email only. It isn’t a website or membership platform.
Ghost alternatives compared
| Tool | Website | Paid memberships | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | Substack page | Yes, 10% of revenue | You want the least setup and Substack’s discovery network |
| Beehiiv | Yes | Yes, no platform cut on paid plans | You want growth tools, referrals and ads |
| WordPress | Yes | With plugins | You want total flexibility and don’t mind plugins |
| Kit | Landing pages | Yes, with a transaction fee | You sell courses and digital products |
| Buttondown | Archive pages | Yes | You want a simple writer’s newsletter tool |
| Broadcast | No | No | You want email marketing you own: newsletters, sequences, segments |
If you self-host Ghost: the Mailgun question
Self-hosted Ghost sends its bulk newsletters through Mailgun. Other providers only work for Ghost’s transactional mail, like sign-in links. So running Ghost yourself still means a Mailgun account and Mailgun’s pricing for every newsletter.
If that is why you are looking, you have two options. Keep Ghost for your website and memberships and accept Mailgun. Or move the newsletter to an email tool that sends through any provider, and keep Ghost, or a static site, for the website. Broadcast sends through Amazon SES at $0.10 per 1,000 emails, Postmark, Mailgun or any SMTP server.
When Ghost is still the right choice
If your publication is a website first, with posts, a theme, SEO and paid members reading on the site, Ghost does that better than any email tool. Its memberships take no cut of your revenue. An email marketing platform is not a replacement for that.
When to use an email platform instead
Ghost’s email is built around sending each post to members. If you need automated welcome sequences, segments based on behavior, an API that other apps can trigger, or several newsletters with separate lists, an email marketing tool does more. Broadcast has all of those, runs on your own server for $250 once, and has no per-member price.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Ghost alternative?
For a hosted publication with paid subscriptions, Beehiiv or Substack. For flexibility, WordPress. For email-first newsletters you want to own, a self-hosted email platform.
Does Ghost require Mailgun?
For bulk newsletters on a self-hosted install, yes. Ghost(Pro) handles sending for you.
Is Ghost free?
The software is free and open source. Hosting it yourself costs a server and Mailgun for newsletters. Ghost(Pro), the hosted version, is a paid plan priced by member count.
Can I move my Ghost members to another tool?
Yes. Ghost exports members as a CSV from its settings, including their labels and whether they are paid. Paid subscriptions run through your own Stripe account.
