Ghost Pricing: Plans & Cost Calculator 2026
Unlike builders with free tiers, Ghost starts at $15/mo (billed yearly) and scales across 4 plans up to $239/mo as your audience grows.
Ghost plans and pricing
Billing surface
Pick a plan, set your seat count and switch billing to see the running total. The full breakdown lives in the calculator below.
Starter
Solo blogs & newsletters
Publisher
Custom publications
Business
Teams scaling up
Custom
Complex needs
Ghost pricing: the quick answer
Ghost is open source, so you can self-host for free and pay only for servers, or take managed Ghost(Pro), which starts at $18/mo for Starter, $35/mo for Publisher, and $239/mo for Business (annual billing drops those to $15, $29, and $199). Starter's price stays flat whatever your member count, but Publisher and Business scale with your list, climbing well above the entry rate as members grow. Ghost takes no cut of your subscription revenue, which matters more than the plan price on a paid list.
- Starter$18/mo
- Publisher$35/mo
- Business$239/mo
- CustomCustom
At $18/mo to start, Ghost sits 8% below the $19.50/mo median across 22 website builders tools we track.
Ghost cost calculator
Ghost Hidden Costs & Pitfalls
On Ghost(Pro) the sticker price is not a flat number above Starter. What you pay on Publisher and Business rises with your audience, which is the part people miss.
Ghost pricing, read against its live plans and category
Positioning
Despite its premium positioning, Ghost's Starter plan is priced at an accessible $18/mo, significantly lower than its Publisher tier at $35/mo. However, scaling to the Publisher plan at $35/mo quickly pushes costs above the market average to unlock core features like paid memberships and custom themes. For serious creators, the Business plan at $239/mo represents a steep financial commitment that is difficult to justify unless you require advanced integrations and priority support.
Cost drivers
- 1Custom integrations are restricted on lower-tier plans, forcing users to upgrade to access basic API connections.
- 2Annual billing discounts mask the higher true cost of month-to-month commitments.
Watch-outs
Ghost has quietly eliminated its entry-level pricing tiers, forcing new creators into more expensive brackets. Users have expressed frustration over the sudden disappearance of affordable starter options that previously lowered the barrier to entry.
Strengths
The Starter plan at $18/mo offers native memberships, subscriptions, and newsletters.
- Native memberships, subscriptions, and newsletters
- Modern, fast tech stack (Node.js) for better site speed
- Creator-first, non-profit model with no transaction fees
What users say
“The 9$ per month is for Ghost Pro... CANNOT create custom integrations”
“I suddenly noticed that the $9 per month plan is no longer available”
Editor’s take
Solopreneurs and basic bloggers should stick to the Starter plan at $18/mo, while scaling media brands will require the Publisher plan at $35/mo. If you need deep third-party integrations without paying a premium, consider WordPress.com at $25/mo as a more flexible alternative.
Oleh KemFounder & Lead AnalystGhost price history
Cheaper Website Builders tools
Frequently asked questions
Sources & verification
| Source | What was checked | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Official Pricing Page | Source of verified tiers | July 16, 2026 |
| Official Website | Official vendor website | — |
| G2 | G2 verified user reviews · 4.1/5 · 39 reviews | — |
| Capterra | Capterra verified user reviews · 4.6/5 | — |
| TrustRadius | TrustRadius verified reviews | — |
| PeerSpot | PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews | — |
| StackShare | StackShare developer community | — |
Every fact on this Ghost pricing page is tied to a named source and a verification date. Freshness-sensitive figures trace to the sources above; verify against the vendor before relying on them.
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