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    Ghost Review and verdict 2026

    Publishing platform and newsletter.

    From 9€/mo.

    Ghost

    ToolTrim Verdict
    3.5/5
    Decent

    Ghost makes sense for a creator/media wanting to own their platform and revenue; for a frictionless start, a turnkey platform (Substack) is simpler.

    Visit websiteExplore around Ghost

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    Practical uses

    • Launch a paid newsletterNo commission.
    • Publish an independent blog/media.
    • Manage site and memberships in one place.

    Pros and cons

    What Ghost does especially well — and the limits to anticipate.

    Pros

    • No cut of your revenue.
    • Website, blog, newsletter and memberships combined.
    • Open source and self-hostable.
    • Full control (domain, themes, data).

    Cons

    • Self-hosting means technical maintenance.
    • Ghost(Pro) paid by number of members.
    • Less plug-and-play than Substack.

    Ghost: when it makes sense.

    Ghost makes sense for a creator/media wanting to own their platform and revenue; for a frictionless start, a turnkey platform (Substack) is simpler.

    Keep if

    You publish content and monetise via memberships.. You want to keep your revenue (no platform cut).

    Ghost becomes worthwhile when
    • You use it at least once a week
    • The monthly cost (€9) is small next to the time it saves you

    Challenge if

    You want the simplest option with nothing to manage (Substack).. You have no regular content to publish.

    Ghost becomes too expensive when
    • You use it less than once a month
    • A simple free version or a tool already in your stack would do

    Our verdict on Ghost.

    Why this verdict

    Decent

    Ghost is fairly easy to replace with an alternative, no free tier to test before paying, clearly documented use cases.