Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv (2026): What Each Really Costs, and Which to Choose
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.
Michal Wlosik
· 6 min read
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, beehiiv vs Ghost and beehiiv vs Substack.
Prices are in US dollars, on monthly billing, and were checked on each platform's pricing page in October 2026.
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) |
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. 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.
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.
beehiiv: built for growth and ads
beehiiv 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.
Ghost: your own publication
Ghost 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 fixes: you design your Ghost theme by clicking, from ready-made sections, and publish it in one click. Start from the Newsletter theme or see how to make Ghost look like Substack.
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.
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 covers the steps, and Kit alternatives and the 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.
Sources
Written by
Founder of Ectobuilder, the AI-powered visual theme editor for Ghost. Indie software builder in Wrocław and co-author of The AdTech Book. I write about Ghost themes, newsletters and building websites with AI.
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