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# Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv (2026): What Each Really Costs, and Which to Choose
- URL: https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-vs-substack-vs-beehiiv/
- Published: 2026-10-28T18:57:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-28T18:57:26.000Z
- Description: Substack is free but takes 10%. beehiiv and Ghost take 0% but charge a monthly plan. The three newsletter platforms side by side, with what each costs at 1,000, 10,000 and 50,000 subscribers.
- Author: Michal Wlosik
- Tags: Guides, Newsletter

Ghost, Substack and beehiiv are the three platforms most writers weigh when they start a newsletter they might one day charge for. All three send your emails, host your archive and take payments through Stripe. Where they differ is how they charge you, how they help you grow, and what you own at the end.

This is the overview: the three side by side, with what each really costs at 1,000, 10,000 and 50,000 subscribers. For the details of any one pair, we have deeper comparisons: [Ghost vs Substack](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-vs-substack/), [beehiiv vs Ghost](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/beehiiv-vs-ghost/) and [beehiiv vs Substack](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/beehiiv-vs-substack/).

Prices are in US dollars, on monthly billing, and were checked on each platform's pricing page in October 2026.

****Disclosure:** we make Ectobuilder, a visual theme builder for Ghost, and our own newsletter runs on Ghost. Links to Ghost(Pro) and beehiiv are affiliate links: if you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Substack and beehiiv are the better choice for plenty of newsletters, and we say which.

## The short answer

- **Substack** if you want to start free, with no setup, and grow through Substack's app and network of readers. You pay 10% of what you earn, for as long as you earn it.
- **beehiiv** if growth tools and sponsorships are the plan: referrals, paid recommendations and an ad network, free up to 2,500 subscribers.
- **Ghost** if you want your own publication: your design, your domain, search traffic, 0% of your revenue, and software you can move to any host.

## Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv at a glance

|                            | Substack                             | beehiiv                      | Ghost                                         |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Cost to start              | Free                                 | Free up to 2,500 subscribers | Ghost(Pro) from $18/month; free to self-host  |
| Cut of paid subscriptions  | 10%                                  | 0%                           | 0%                                            |
| Paid plan needed to charge | No                                   | Lite, from $59/month         | Publisher, from $35/month (or self-host)      |
| Stripe card fees           | Yes                                  | Yes                          | Yes                                           |
| Custom domain              | One-time $50                         | Every plan                   | Every plan                                    |
| Discovery                  | Substack app, Notes, recommendations | Recommendations, paid Boosts | Recommendations, the social web (ActivityPub) |
| Referral program           | No                                   | Yes                          | No                                            |
| Ad network                 | No                                   | Yes, from Lite               | No                                            |
| Website and design         | Substack's layout, a few options     | Block-based site builder     | Any theme, or your own design                 |
| Owning the platform        | No                                   | No                           | Yes, open source                              |

## What each one really costs

The three charge in completely different ways. **Substack** is free, then takes 10% of every paid subscription. **beehiiv** and **Ghost(Pro)** take nothing from your revenue but charge a monthly plan that grows with your list. So which is cheapest depends on how much you earn.

Here are four typical newsletters, assuming 5% of readers pay $8 a month. These are platform costs only; Stripe's card fees apply on all three.

| Your newsletter                     | Substack | beehiiv     | Ghost(Pro)       |
| ----------------------------------- | -------- | ----------- | ---------------- |
| 1,000 subscribers, all free         | $0       | $0 (Free)   | $18 (Starter)    |
| 1,000 subscribers, 50 paying $8     | $40      | $59 (Lite)  | $35 (Publisher)  |
| 10,000 subscribers, 500 paying $8   | $400     | $139 (Lite) | $105 (Publisher) |
| 50,000 subscribers, 2,500 paying $8 | $2,000   | $299 (Lite) | $249 (Publisher) |

![Bar chart of monthly platform cost for Substack, beehiiv and Ghost(Pro) at 1,000, 10,000 and 50,000 subscribers](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/image-mvsh04di.webp)

Substack is cheapest while you earn little. Once your paid revenue grows, its 10% costs far more than a flat plan.

The tipping point is easy to work out. At 1,000 members, Ghost(Pro) Publisher costs $35, so Substack's 10% costs more as soon as you earn over $350 a month: about 44 readers paying $8\. At 10,000 members, the line is $1,050 a month. Most newsletters that charge at all cross it quickly.

For free newsletters the order flips. Substack and beehiiv cost nothing; Ghost(Pro) costs $18 a month, or a few dollars on a [cheap Ghost host](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/cheap-ghost-hosting/). beehiiv's other edge is income: its ad network can pay for the plan on its own, and neither Ghost nor Substack has anything like it.

****Self-hosting Ghost** changes the maths: the software is free, and a small server costs from about $3 a month on PikaPods or a few dollars on [DigitalOcean](https://m.do.co/c/7c3b07dcd82e?ref=ectobuilder.com), plus Mailgun for email. You trade money for a little setup. See [how to host Ghost on PikaPods](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-on-pikapods/).

## Substack: free, with a network

Substack's strength is readers. Its app, Notes and recommendations put your newsletter in front of people who already read newsletters, and many writers get a large share of new subscribers from inside Substack. Setup takes minutes, and there's nothing to pay until you earn.

The trade-offs: 10% of your paid revenue forever, a site that looks like every other Substack, limited control over SEO, and an audience that partly belongs to Substack's network. You can export your list and posts, but not the network. Moving to Ghost? Ghost has a Substack importer; see [Ghost vs Substack](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-vs-substack/).

## beehiiv: built for growth and ads

[beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=Michal-Wlosik&ref=ectobuilder.com) is a growth machine: a referral program, Boosts (paid recommendations), an ad network, polls, A/B tests and detailed analytics, plus podcasts and digital products. It takes 0% of paid subscriptions, and the Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers.

The trade-offs: paid subscriptions, ads and automations start on Lite, prices climb with each subscriber band (they went up for new customers in October 2026), removing beehiiv branding takes Pro, and your site is built from the same blocks as everyone else's. Details in [beehiiv vs Ghost](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/beehiiv-vs-ghost/).

## Ghost: your own publication

[Ghost](https://ghost.org/?via=michal-207c22&ref=ectobuilder.com) is a full publishing platform: a website, a blog that ranks, newsletters, and free and paid memberships, in open-source software you can run anywhere. Ghost(Pro) takes 0% of your revenue, and since Ghost 6, people can follow your publication from Mastodon and other social web apps.

The trade-offs: you pay from day one on Ghost(Pro), there's no referral program or ad network, and growth is up to you. Design lives in themes, which usually means code. That last part is what [Ectobuilder](https://www.ectobuilder.com/) fixes: you design your Ghost theme by clicking, from ready-made sections, and publish it in one click. Start from the [Newsletter theme](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/newsletter-ghost-theme/) or see [how to make Ghost look like Substack](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/make-ghost-look-like-substack/).

![A Substack-style newsletter site on Ghost with a lead story, latest posts, a subscribe box and recommendations](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/image-mvsh05sf.webp)

A newsletter site on Ghost, built in Ectobuilder: the reading-first feel of Substack, with your own design.

[![CTA Image](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2026/06/Ecto_builder_logo_sq_small.png)](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com) 

****A newsletter site that looks like you.**  
Design your Ghost theme visually, from a simple newsletter homepage to a full magazine, and publish it in one click. Start free.

[Start free ](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com) 

## Which should you choose?

| If you…                                                   | Choose   |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | -------- |
| want to start free and be found inside an app             | Substack |
| plan to earn mostly from sponsors                         | beehiiv  |
| want referrals and growth experiments                     | beehiiv  |
| charge for subscriptions and want to keep more of it      | Ghost    |
| want search traffic and a site that looks like your brand | Ghost    |
| want to own the software, not just export the list        | Ghost    |

Switching later is possible in every direction, but paid subscribers are the hard part, because Stripe accounts don't always move with you. If you think you'll charge one day, it's worth choosing with that in mind. Our guide to [migrating from Kit or beehiiv to Ghost](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/migrate-kit-beehiiv-to-ghost/) covers the steps, and [Kit alternatives](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/convertkit-alternatives/) and the [best newsletter platforms](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/best-newsletter-platforms/) cover the wider field.

## FAQ

#### Which is cheapest: Ghost, Substack or beehiiv?

For a free newsletter, Substack and beehiiv (both $0). For a paid newsletter, usually Ghost: at 10,000 subscribers with 500 paying $8, Ghost(Pro) Publisher costs $105 a month, beehiiv Lite $139, and Substack's 10% comes to $400.

#### Do Ghost and beehiiv really take 0%?

Yes. Neither takes a cut of paid subscriptions; you pay their monthly plan and Stripe's card fees. Substack takes 10% plus Stripe's fees.

#### Which one is best for growth?

beehiiv has the most growth tools (referrals, Boosts, an ad network). Substack has the biggest built-in audience through its app and Notes. Ghost relies on search, social and your own promotion, plus free recommendations and the social web.

#### Can I use my own domain?

On all three. Substack charges a one-time $50; beehiiv and Ghost include it.

#### Can I move from Substack or beehiiv to Ghost?

Yes. Ghost has importers for both under Settings → Import/Export. Paid subscribers need an extra step for Stripe; see [the migration guide](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/migrate-kit-beehiiv-to-ghost/).

## Sources

- [Substack: How much does Substack cost?](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost)
- [beehiiv pricing](https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing?via=Michal-Wlosik&ref=ectobuilder.com)
- [Eden: beehiiv pricing after October 2026](https://eden.so/blog/beehiiv-pricing/?ref=ectobuilder.com)
- [Ghost(Pro) pricing](https://ghost.org/pricing/?via=michal-207c22&ref=ectobuilder.com)
- [Newsletter Math: Ghost(Pro) prices by member count](https://newslettermath.com/platforms/ghost?ref=ectobuilder.com)