Substack vs Ghost: Side-by-Side Comparison (2025)

Choosing between Substack and Ghost comes down to your specific use case. Substack is built for writers monetising directly from subscribers, while Ghost targets writers and creators running paid newsletter businesses.

Quick Verdict

Overall winner
Ghost
Better pricing
Substack
More features
Substack
For beginners
Substack
E-commerce
Substack

Feature Comparison

Feature Ghost Substack
๐Ÿ’ฐ Pricing
Free Planโœ—โœ“
Starting Price$9/moFree
Free Trialโœ—โœ—
โš™๏ธ Features
Email Automationโœ—โœ—
Visual Workflow Builderโœ—โœ—
Landing Pagesโœ—โœ—
Built-in CRMโœ—โœ—
SMS Marketingโœ—โœ—
A/B Testingโœ—โœ—
E-commerce Integrationโœ—โœ—
Transactional Emailโœ“โœ—
Remove Brandingโœ“โœ—
๐Ÿค– AI Features
AI Subject Linesโœ—โœ—
AI Send-Time Optimisationโœ—โœ—
๐Ÿ›Ž Support
Email Supportโœ“โœ“
Live Chatโœ—โœ—
Phone Supportโœ—โœ—
Ghost
โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜† 4.1/5
Substack
โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜† 4.0/5
Our verdict

Ghost is best for writers and creators running paid newsletter businesses.

Try Ghost Free โ†’
Our verdict

Substack is best for writers monetising directly from subscribers.

Try Substack Free โ†’

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Ghost ifโ€ฆ

  • You are primarily focused on writers monetising directly from subscribers
  • You value paid subscriptions
  • You prefer revenue-share pricing
Try Ghost โ†’

Choose Substack ifโ€ฆ

  • You are primarily focused on writers and creators running paid newsletter businesses
  • You value newsletter
  • You prefer flat-rate pricing
Try Substack โ†’

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Substack better than Ghost?

It depends on your use case. Substack wins for writers monetising directly from subscribers, while Ghost is stronger for writers and creators running paid newsletter businesses.

Which is cheaper, Substack or Ghost?

Substack starts at a lower price point. Pricing scales with subscriber count so total cost depends on your list size.

Can I switch from Ghost to Substack?

Yes, switching is possible. Most platforms support CSV import/export. Plan time to recreate automations and templates.